GeekWire is getting bigger, and we’re thrilled to announce that we’ve hired Jacob Demmitt as a new staff reporter to help accelerate our coverage of all things tech.

Jacob joins us from the Puget Sound Business Journal, where he worked as a technology reporter, covering a wide range of companies, including tech titans such as Microsoft, Concur and T-Mobile as well as emerging startups. Prior to the PSBJ, Jacob worked as a technology reporter at The Roanoke Times in Roanoke, Va.

Jacob Demmitt
Jacob Demmitt

He’s a graduate of the University of Georgia’s journalism program, so we are excited to have a true “bulldog” reporter on the tech beat. He’s already produced some great stories for GeekWire, and we’re expecting many more in the coming days, months and years.

“I want to be part of something that is meaningful to its community … and has the attention of the tech world, and GeekWire has that,” said Demmitt of the new gig.

Jacob’s hiring comes at a time of significant growth for GeekWire. Our audience is expanding rapidly, and the momentum is building as the GeekWire brand continues to expand regionally and nationally.

We even recently reconfigured our offices in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood in order to accommodate the expanding staff.

Unlike some of our new media peers that are tinkering with business models or simply throwing in the towel, GeekWire is profitable and growing. We think we’ve hit on something really special with our fiercely independent news site, and we’ve been building the team to execute on that vision.

The hiring of Jacob — as well as the recent addition of journalist James Risley and advertising executive Adam Rubens — is part of this momentum. But we are not stopping here, and we’ve got some really exciting initiatives in store that we’ll be announcing at the GeekWire Summit on Oct. 1-2.

But before we share too much, a bit more about Jacob.

A recent covert to Android who once set his sights on becoming a political reporter in D.C. — before smartly catching the tech bug — Jacob is especially interested in covering mobile, gaming, startups and public policy. The intersection of politics and technology is an especially hot topic on GeekWire, so look for even more in-depth coverage in this realm, touching on everything from ride sharing regulations to municipal broadband to immigration. (See Jacob’s story today on CenturyLink’s gigabit efforts as one example).

“If you want to cover the people who are changing the world and changing the way we live, they are at tech companies,” said Demmitt, adding that he wants to find and cover “the next Amazon.”

Jacob Demmitt exploring the NW on one of his first hikes near Seattle.
Jacob Demmitt exploring the NW on one of his first hikes near Seattle. Picture taken with GoPro and selfie stick in true geek style.

To start, Jacob will be filling a general assignment reporting role, providing much-needed editorial support.

He’s an aggressive journalist, but also a courteous Southerner who loves sweet tea and shrimp and grits — although he says he’s never hunted or participated in any Civil War re-enactments. He’s also recently adopted the Seahawks and Sounders as his sports teams.

“You can’t understate how different Seattle is from the South, in ways that are really hard to describe,” Jacob says. “But it is a gorgeous city, and the people are really, really friendly. People in the South are supposed to be friendly, but I’ve found that Seattleites are particularly friendly.”

He says he’s yet to encounter the so-called “Seattle freeze.”

“I hear a lot about it, and people say to keep an eye out for it. But I haven’t experienced it,” he says.

Please, join us in welcoming Jacob to team GeekWire! You can reach him at jacob@geekwire.com, or follow him on Twitter @jdemmitt.

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