Lookout Media

Portfolio

• Ottawa Lookout, a newsletter covering Ottawa city news and politics, launched October 2021.

• Capital Eats, an Ottawa food and drink newsletter.

• Vancity Lookout, covering Vancouver city and provincial news.

• Yukon Lookout.

Ownership

Lookout Media is privately owned. Geoff Sharpe is its founder and managing editor. Robert Hiltz, an Ottawa journalist, is a co-founder who helped launch Ottawa Lookout with Sharpe in 2021. According to a October 2025 profile of the company, Lookout Media has taken no venture funding; Sharpe has said he reinvests revenue into hiring journalists and separately sustains himself through his own marketing agency. Government of Canada grant records list "Lookout Media" as both the recipient's legal name and operating name, based in Ottawa, Ontario.

History

Ottawa Lookout launched in October 2021, an idea Geoff Sharpe brought to journalist Robert Hiltz. The company grew its subscriber base without paid venture investment, relying substantially on paid social-media acquisition (Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok) to build its email list. Lookout Media subsequently expanded into food and drink coverage with Capital Eats, and into new markets with Vancity Lookout in Vancouver and Yukon Lookout. Lookout Media has received Government of Canada journalism grants through the Canada Periodical Fund's Special Measures for Journalism program, including $6,923 for Ottawa Lookout and $1,500 for Vancity Lookout for the 2024–2025 fiscal year.

Leadership

• Geoff Sharpe is founder and managing editor of Lookout Media.

• Charlie Senack is Ottawa managing editor, as listed on the company's website.

• Ralf Joneikies is Ottawa Lookout's food and drinks editor.

• Nate Lewis is a reporter and editor for Vancity Lookout.

Location and contact info

Headquarters
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada