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Rough Draft® is an Atlanta–based local media organization that owns and operates multiple community news brands, including Atlanta Intown, Rough Draft in Print (formerly Reporter Newspapers), and Georgia Voice, serving distinct audiences across the region.

We publish monthly print newspapers and the Rough Draft® suite of newsletters. With a combined monthly readership of almost 1 million across print and digital, our products reach metro Atlanta’s most dynamic, influential, and affluent communities. 

Rough Draft in Print (print circ: 70,500) is published monthly and covers five communities: Brookhaven, Buckhead, Dunwoody, Norcross, Sandy Springs, and Tucker. 

Distribution areas include ZIP codes 30305, 30318, 30319, 30326, 30327, 30328, 30338, 30342, 30350, 30084, 30092.

Atlanta Intown (print circ: 27,000) reaches the intown communities from Midtown to Grant Park and from Emory to the Westside. Intown’s coverage includes ZIP codes 30306, 30307, 30308, 30309, and 30312.

Founded in 1994, Intown pioneered hyperlocal news in Atlanta with a mission to inform and empower readers while helping build community.

Georgia Voice (circ: 3,000) covers the region’s thriving LGBTQ+ community and is distributed at key local businesses.

Rough Draft in Print and Atlanta Intown are distributed via direct mail to ensure delivery to homes as well as at hundreds of local businesses. 

Rough Draft, a morning newsletter that is a clever, curated, and concise look at what’s happening around metro Atlanta.

In the Community

We are active members of The Atlanta Press Club, Georgia Press Association, Greater Perimeter Chamber, Brookhaven Chamber of Commerce, Central Atlanta Progress, Midtown Alliance, Livable Buckhead, and the Buckhead Business Association.

Editorial Team

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Julie E. Bloemeke

Julie E. Bloemeke is the newsletter producer and editor for Rough Draft Atlanta. She is also a freelance writer, editor, and award-winning poet. More by Julie E. Bloemeke

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Katie Burkholder

Katie Burkholder is a staff writer for Georgia Voice and Rough Draft Atlanta. She previously served as editor of Georgia Voice. More by Katie Burkholder

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Cathy Cobbs

Managing Editor

Cathy Cobbs is Rough Draft’s Managing Editor and covers Dunwoody and Brookhaven for Rough Draft®. She can be reached at cathy@roughdraftatlanta.com. More by Cathy Cobbs

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Summer Evans

Summer Evans is a social media producer for Rough Draft Atlanta. More by Summer Evans

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Collin Kelley

Collin Kelley is the executive editor of Atlanta Intown, Georgia Voice, and the Rough Draft® newsletter. He has been a journalist for nearly four decades and is also an award-winning poet and novelist. More by Collin Kelley

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Beth McKibben

Beth McKibben serves as both Editor-in-Chief and Dining Editor for Rough Draft Atlanta. She was previously the editor of Eater Atlanta and has been covering food and drinks locally and nationally for 15 years. More by Beth McKibben

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Sammie Purcell

Sammie Purcell is Associate Editor at Rough Draft Atlanta where she writes about arts & entertainment, including editing the weekly Scene newsletter. More by Sammie Purcell

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Logan C. Ritchie

Logan C. Ritchie covers the City of Atlanta as well as the greater Jewish community for Rough Draft. More by Logan C. Ritchie

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Sherri Daye Scott

Sherri Daye Scott is a freelance writer and producer based in Atlanta. She edits the Sketchbook newsletter for Rough Draft. More by Sherri Daye Scott

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Sarra Sedghi

Sarra Sedghi is an award-winning dining reporter for Rough Draft Atlanta where she also covers events and culture around the 2026 FIFA World Cup. More by Sarra Sedghi

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Hayden Sumlin

Hayden Sumlin is a staff writer for Rough Draft Atlanta, covering Sandy Springs, Fulton County, Norcross, and real estate news. More by Hayden Sumlin

Sales & Marketing Team

Keith Pepper

Publisher

Keith Pepper is the publisher of Rough Draft Atlanta.

Savannah Pierce

Executive Assistant

Savannah Pierce is Executive Assistant at Rough Draft Atlanta.

Neal Maziar

CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER

Neal Maziar joined Springs Publishing in January 2022. Previously, he led sales and marketing at Cox Radio and was a co-founder of Big League Broadcasting. He currently serves on the board of the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber and the Georgia chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.

He is a native of, and lives in, Sandy Springs.

Deborah Davis

Account Executive | Sales Operations

Deborah Davis has more than 30 years in the newspaper industry.

Jeff Kremer

sr. account manager

Jeff Kremer has more than 25 years of advertising sales experience, including at Creative Loafing and the Sunday Paper, where he was a founder.

Suzanne Purcell

sr. account manager

Suzanne joined Springs Publishing in April 2022. Previously, she worked for 30+ years at Cox and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a variety of sales and management roles.

Suzanne grew up in Sandy Springs and now lives in Buckhead.

Code of Ethics

Rough Draft Atlanta follows the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics. Click here to read more.

Company News

Here are the latest stories about Rough Draft Atlanta

🚀 RD’s expansion plans

A Pinch of Pepper Sunday, Oct. 4 — Good morning, it’s Keith Pepper, publisher of Rough Draft, at the controls for this week’s Sunday newsletter. In today’s issue, I have exciting…

Publisher’s Note: All the hate fit to print

Why all the hate? The goal of my periodic Publisher’s Note emails is to give readers a peek behind the scenes of Rough Draft and to share some of my…

Rough Draft Atlanta is launching a podcast

Rough Draft Atlanta is launching its first podcast. “From the Paper to the Pod,” hosted by Summer Evans, is a behind-the-scenes look at the stories that appear in print, online,…

Publisher’s Note: Let’s grow

Rough Draft Atlanta has been selected as one of 12 participants in the 2026 Google News Initiative Growth Catalyst Cohort to expand its local journalism reach.

Publisher’s Note: Yellow cards and green shoots

The FIFA World Cup is set to begin this week, and while the media industry is facing challenges, Rough Draft is increasing its efforts to build direct relationships with its…

Fully committed

Despite the overwhelming news cycle, local journalism is thriving as people tune out the national news and seek out unbiased, respectful reporting that provides exceptional results for advertisers.

Publisher’s Note: Avoiding the news

Rough Draft has grown from a three-times-a-week email to a portfolio of over 20 newsletters and 1.2 million email sends a month, providing a balanced digest of local news, while…

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Coverage from other outlets

“Keith Pepper named 2026-27 Cox Institute Industry Fellow” from The Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication (Oct. 2, 2026)

“Atlanta media group Rough Draft expands to Athens, including a print edition” in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Oct. 2, 2026)

“One Genius Tactic Others Should Steal From Your Newsletter” on Inbox Collective (Aug. 13, 2026)

“How one publisher turned newsletters into a digital growth engine” in Digital Content Next (July 30, 2026)

“These for-profit local news sites have become the ‘papers’ of record in their communities” in Nieman Lab from Harvard University. (May 13, 2026)

“What is the future of local media in Atlanta?” in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Dec. 31, 2025)

“The Georgia Voice, Atlanta’s landmark LGBTQ newspaper, has a new owner,” in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Dec. 3, 2024)

Publisher Keith Pepper on Integrating Legacy Print into the Digital Age on the “Small Press, Big Ideas” podcast (Nov. 25, 2024)

Associate Editor Sammie Purcell on the “Four Questions Journalist Spotlight” podcast (Nov. 23, 2024)

Publisher Keith Pepper on Building a Digital-First Media Company on the “What’s Up Dunwoody?” podcast (Aug. 19, 2024)

Rough Draft named Best Local & Community Newsletter (July 23, 2024)

Publisher Keith Pepper on Redefining Local News on Discover Dunwoody’s podcast “Dunwoody Dialogues” (July 16, 2024)

Rough Draft, Sketchbook, and Side Dish named to the shortlist of Best Newsletters by Media Voices (May 28, 2024)

Senior Editor Beth McKibben on the “Four Questions Journalist Spotlight” podcast (April. 6, 2024)

Publisher Keith Pepper on the Plywood People Podcast (June 1, 2023)

Suzanne Purcell named 2022 “Sales Superstar” by Editor & Publisher magazine. (Jan. 6, 2023)

A recap of 2022 and a look ahead from LinkedIn. By Keith Pepper (Dec. 31, 2022)

Leff & Associates “Four Questions Journalist Spotlight” with Amy Wenk and Keith Pepper (Mar. 5, 2022)

“The Georgia Gang” recognizes Rough Draft as a “winner of the week” (Dec. 19, 2021)

Bulldawg Illustrated Proust Q&A with Keith Pepper (Nov. 24, 2021)

LinkedIn post on Atlanta Journal-Constitution partnership (Nov. 14, 2021)

What’s Up Dunwoody podcast about the Dunwoody 4th of July Parade. Amy Wenk and Keith Pepper (July 3, 2021)

Atlanta Jewish Times: “Steve Levene Sells Reporter Newspapers” (Jan. 12, 2021)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “OPINION: Atlanta man happy to buy newspaper company? Must be fake joy” (Dec. 23, 2020)