Photo credit: Zamani Feelings
Jos Duncan-Asé believes in the power of love. Not just as an emotion, but as a force to reshape storytelling, amplify marginalized voices, and challenge the media’s traditional narratives. As the founder and CEO of Love Now Media, she has built a media company that prioritizes “empathy-driven journalism,” moving beyond trauma-filled news cycles, to positive narratives that inspire action and love.
A Shift from Harm to Healing
Duncan-Asé didn’t set out to be a journalist. Her roots lie in oral storytelling and filmmaking. These skills were shaped by her early work with Griot Works, an initiative that embraced the African tradition of storytelling to preserve history and strengthen community ties. But over time, she saw a gap in how Black communities were represented in mainstream media.
“A lot of the stories that were told 20 years ago were about pain, harm, exploitation, and violence,” she says “The people most impacted by these stories had no counterbalance—no narratives about resilience, history, or accomplishments.”
At the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, she found herself overwhelmed by stories of police brutality and racial violence. Instead of focusing on anger, she asked a different question: Where is the love? That question changed everything.
“I started showing up at protests, and instead of looking for the anger—the mad fists pumping—I looked for the hands holding each other up,” she recalls
This became the foundation for Love Now Media, launched in 2016 as a platform to tell stories centered on love, community healing, and justice.
Photo credit: Zamani Feelings
The Evolution of Love Now Media
Initially, Love Now Media focused on documentary films and community blogging. However, Duncan-Asé realized that long-form storytelling wasn’t always enough to keep up with the rapidly changing social landscape. She consulted with journalist Denise James and pivoted toward news and digital journalism, offering community members a space to tell their own stories.
Love Now Media now covers social justice, wellness, and equity—but in a way that highlights solutions and aspirations, not just problems. Recognizing the political climate’s shifting language, the organization rebranded its beats:
- Abundance instead of social justice
- Restoration instead of equity
- Wellness and Joy as core areas of coverage
“We report on abundance, restoration, wellness, and joy—because in a world that diminishes those things, we must amplify them.”
Blending Traditional Storytelling with Technology
Duncan-Asé isn’t just reshaping what stories are told—she’s also changing how they are told. She experiments with AI tools like ChatGPT, Otter AI, and Opus Clip to synthesize interviews, generate insights, and enhance media accessibility. But she remains cautious about AI’s ethical implications, ensuring that human journalists remain at the core of Love Now Media’s work.
One of the most innovative projects she led was “A More Loving Philly”, where youth producers interviewed 100 residents about their vision for a better city. AI helped analyze patterns in their responses, and human journalists then built stories based on those findings.
“We made sure that humans got that information to do real journalism. AI is a tool, not a replacement.”
Her approach ensures that community-driven storytelling remains authentic while leveraging modern technology to scale impact.
Duncan-Asé with Love Now Media’s youth production team. Photo credit: Zamani Feelings
Media as a Tool for Power and Justice
For Duncan-Asé, media isn’t just about storytelling—it’s about power. She sees media as a tool for reclaiming narratives, mobilizing communities, and equipping people with the resources they need to thrive.
“If we continue to tell stories of power, if we continue to offer information that gives people resources, it changes the way they interact with systems—and with each other.”
This belief fuels her commitment to media literacy. Love Now Media regularly holds writing workshops, teaching people not only how to tell their stories but also how to understand and navigate media systems.
“Even if you don’t have a news outlet, you can tell a story that changes the way someone moves, interacts, or even sees themselves.”
PhillyCAM television recording, Gift of the Griot. Jos Duncan-Ase, Charlotte Blake Alston, Linda Humes, and Atiba Kwabeena. Photo credit: Tezarah Wilkins
The Challenges of Media Entrepreneurship
Building an independent media company isn’t easy. Duncan-Asé points to two major challenges: sustainability and business mindset.
- Revenue Struggles: The lack of a clear, sustainable business model for media entrepreneurs makes financial stability difficult. Many depend on grants, subscriptions, and advertising, but no single revenue stream is reliable enough to ensure longevity.
- The Passion Trap: Many media founders are driven by passion but fail to operate with a business mentality.
“Passion alone doesn’t pay the bills. We need to think like businesspeople.”
At WURD Radio, where she once worked, CEO Sara Lomax gave her the reality check she needed:
“She looked at me and said, ‘Where’s the money?’—and that moment changed how I saw media as a business.”
Duncan-Asé now ensures that Love Now Media balances its mission with financial sustainability, investing in partnerships, subscriptions, and long-term funding strategies.
Duncan-Asé and the 2025 fellows of the Lenfest Institute’s Philadelphia Media Founders Exchange. Photo credit: Zamani Feelings
The Future of Media & Black-Owned Journalism
As a lead consultant for the Philadelphia Media Founders Exchange, Duncan-Asé helps other media entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of funding, sustainability, and visibility. She sees the future of Black and Brown media as one of collaboration, infrastructure-building, and ownership.
“We need more collaboration in media. Independent outlets need to work together, leveraging each other’s strengths.”
She also calls on philanthropy to invest in media reparations, acknowledging the historic harm done to Black and Brown communities through biased storytelling.
“Philanthropy has allowed the harm that media has done to some communities for far too long—it’s time for real investment in repair.”
What’s Next for Love Now Media?
Love Now Media is expanding beyond Philadelphia. Duncan-Asé envisions a global movement where her team trains newsrooms in empathy-driven journalism. In the next two years, she plans to shift the company into a consulting model, teaching organizations how to engage communities and lead with love as a central theme.
“Love Now Media will be a global company where everyone is telling love stories.”
Photo credit: Zamani Feelings
Legacy: A Future Built on Love
When asked what legacy she hopes to leave, her answer is simple but powerful:
“If my family’s descendants look back and ask, ‘Who was this lady? What was her legacy?’—I would like the answer to be love.”
Duncan-Asé is building a media company and a movement. A movement that reclaims storytelling as a tool for justice, healing, and empowerment. A movement that ensures that love is a word, an action, a practice, and a legacy.
This article is made possible with the support from the following organizations:
Dr. Eric John Nzeribe is the Publisher of FunTimes Magazine and has a demonstrated history of working in the publishing industry since 1992. His interests include using data to understand and solve social issues, narrative stories, digital marketing, community engagement, and online/print journalism features. Dr. Nzeribe is a social media and communication professional with certificates in Digital Media for Social Impact from the University of Pennsylvania, Digital Strategies for Business: Leading the Next-Generation Enterprise from Columbia University, and a Master of Science (MS) in Publication Management from Drexel University and a Doctorate in Business Administration from Temple University.
