About

LocalOnlineNews.TV is the next generation of local news. Experienced, professional journalists report on issues and events that impact local communities. LocalOnlineNews.TV goes further than traditional media with the option to view complete, uncut interviews with local officials and newsmakers attached to many of the stories we produce. Find us on every major video hosting site and use our content as you please for non-commercial purposes.

Founders

Lon Seidman, Co-Founder & CEO
After three of the four local news sources in his hometown disappeared in less than two months, Lon grew concerned that Connecticut communities were losing objective sources of local news and information. He decided the time was right to combine his passion for business, politics, and technology into a new form of local media.

Lon grew up in Westbrook, Connecticut and is a 1998 graduate of the University of Hartford. He gained extensive international business experience through his family company, The Safety Zone. The company imports gloves and other personal protection products with multiple distribution locations throughout the globe. Prior to forming LocalOnlineNews.TV he managed a number of successful political campaigns at all levels of government.

Lon, his wife Melissa, and their Siberian Husky reside in Ivoryton, Connecticut where he is the chairman of the local board of education.

Anna Sava, Co-Founder & Editorial Director
Anna Sava is an Emmy Award winning Connecticut journalist. She most recently was the Consumer Investigative Reporter and Morning Anchor for WTNH-TV based out of New Haven, Connecticut. The Better Business Bureau awarded her its Consumer Education Award for her work on consumer issues.

She has a Master of Arts Degree in Film and Video Production from The American University in Washington D.C., and a Bachelor of Science degree from The Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.

She began her career at the ABC News Network in Washington, D.C., producing and reporting for First Business, a nationally televised show on the USA Network. She later moved to Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina to begin her local news career at WNCN-TV, an NBC owned and operated station.

Anna resides in West Hartford, Connecticut with her husband and two children and is a Real Estate Agent with ERA Broder Group. She is also a member of St. Barbara’s Greek Orthodox Church in Orange, Connecticut.

Steven Kapsinow, Co-Founder, VP of Business Development
Steven Kapsinow is an Internet industry veteran with over 10 years online publishing experience.

He first encountered the nascent medium back in 1997 when he created a web page for an online publishing course offered through the English department at the University of Connecticut. Having experienced a Matrix-like awakening, he craved more. That summer he landed an internship at Field & Stream Magazine in New York City. There he helped update their fledgling web site with archival material that dated back to the early 1900s and included articles written by avid sportsman and ex-president Theodore Roosevelt.

After graduating UConn in 1998, Steven joined Westport-based Mecklermedia LLC as a web developer. Since then the company, which provides information and resources to IT and creative professionals, has experienced rapid growth and has undergone numerous name changes (currently New York City-based WebMediaBrands LLC). While with the organization, Steven has served in various editorial, community development, and product management roles for such esteemed properties as Internet.com, Ecommerce Guide, Webopedia.com, the graphics.com network, and microstock image site stockxpert.com.

Steven is a 1998 graduate of the University of Connecticut. He grew up and currently lives in Guilford, Connecticut with his wife Donna and newborn daughter Ella.

Steve and Lon first met at Hebrew school in the mid 80s. They lost touch during high school but were reunited in 2004. During his mammoth commute to work, Steven happened to hear Lon’s name mentioned on WCBS Newsradio 880 which prompted a quick Google search that found his e-mail address. The two met for lunch, and having discovered they share a somewhat similar passion for politics, news, and technology, picked up right from where they left off. The rest is history in the making.

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Reporters

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Charles Stannard
A lifelong resident of Essex, Charlie is a graduate of Valley Regional High School and the University of Connecticut at Storrs with a BA degree in History. Charlie has covered various Middlesex County towns for two daily newspapers over the past 30 years.

Charlie worked for the Middletown Press from 1979 to 1995, covering Haddam and Killingworth and later Middletown city hall and schools. Charlie worked for the Hartford Courant from 1997 through last summer, and covered Chester, Deep River, Essex and Killingworth for the past decade. He will be reviving his detailed coverage of the Valley Shore towns (Chester, Deep River and Essex) for LocalOnlineNews.TV.

Charlie lives in the Ivoryton section of Essex.

Kate Dowd
Kate Dowd grew up in Essex and attended Mercy High School in Middletown. In college, she studied to be a political journalist at George Washington University in their Political Communications BA program. After transferring to New York University, she graduated with a degree in Film and Television Production.

Since graduating she has worked on many professional feature film and commercial productions. Recently she has turned her attention to journalism, combining her educational experiences in political journalism with her expertise in television production.

She is thrilled to be reporting on the events and residents of her hometown area for LocalOnlineNews.TV.

Anna Stonestreet
Anna Stonestreet was born and raised in West Virginia. After graduating college, she was a teacher for six years in West Virginia, Maryland, and Washington State.

In 2008 she earned a Masters Degree in Journalism from the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. While at UMD Anna served the nightly newscast as reporter, anchor, and every studio position in between.

Anna has also freelanced with Fox Sports Northwest, Comcast On Demand, and seahawks.com.