THE DEVIL STRIP EDITOR AND PUBLISHER, 37
Why he's interesting: Since he started The Devil Strip in 2014, Horne has transformed a scrappy blog into a journalistic powerhouse. With a casual, conversational and incisive style, Horne's alt-monthly is the go-to source for coverage of Akron arts and culture, as well as more serious topics such as the controversy surrounding the University of Akron's budget cuts.
Just Peachy: In his native Macon, Georgia, Horne went from working in a call center at an insurance company to journalism when he got a gig writing for The 11th Hour, the local alt-weekly. "I started off writing a column about how drunk I could get and what I could remember about how drunk I could get."
Polar Migration: Horne moved north when his wife landed a professorship at the University of Akron in 2013. Once here, Horne noticed a gap in Rubber City media. "Macon is about a third of the size of Akron, so when I moved here I was shocked that I couldn't find anything like [The 11th Hour] that would clue you in on the cool places to eat or listen to music. I wanted my shortcut to the culture, and I couldn't find one."
Horne's favorite person
Journalistic Cred: Horne covered the restructuring of the University of Akron with a critical eye. After doing deep dives on everything from baseball field cuts to the university's much maligned "success coaches" program, Horne even conducted an hourlong interview with university president Scott Scarborough in October. "You have to call bullshit if you want people to trust you."
Square Deal: Horne started Unbox Akron, a monthly subscription box full of Akron goodies. He also plans on having events for subscribers such as capture the flag in downtown Akron. "Our subscriber base is really an audience of people who want to go out and do things."
