PROVIDENCE – RIFuture Inc., parent company of the influential liberal political blog Rhode Island’s Future, has been sold for the second time in less than a year.
Brian Hull, a photographer who co-owns Hull Grenier Studios in Providence, bought the site from Patrick Crowley, an assistant executive director at the National Education Association union’s state chapter. Financial terms were not disclosed.
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Hull, a Rhode Island College graduate, has lived in Rhode Island since 1996 and is state deputy coordinator of an activist group, the Rhode Island Progressive Democrats of America.
The new owner plans a redesign of the Web site to include new features such as legislative voting records, video interviews, volunteer sign-ups and a calendar of events. The new look is scheduled to debut on Sept. 30.
In a statement, Hull said he bought the blog partly to foster greater cooperation between likeminded groups in the state. “I see an unmet need to facilitate communication between groups and to use new media to better advocate for progressive causes,” he said. “The blog will be used to better organize and affect change in Rhode Island and beyond, while providing important news and information relevant to all Rhode Islanders.”
Crowley had purchased the blog last fall from its founder, Matt Jerzyk, now an attorney with the Providence firm of DeLuca & Weizenbaum. Both men continue to contribute to the site, which was created in 2005 and incorporated as a business in January.
“I am thrilled to see someone with extensive policy and activist experience take on the challenge of growing and building Rhode Island’s Future,” Matt Jerzyk said in a statement. “I know that Brian has the passion and the experience to bring people together and strengthen the debate on critical issues. I know that Brian will do a great job.”
