News Guest

Gator Watch officially began on July 9, 2019, when the nonprofit newsroom Block Club Chicago broke the news of a rare alligator sighting in west Chicago.

30 stories and 4,000 T-shirts later, Gator Watch went down not only as a viral content series, but also as one of Block Club’s most successful fundraising campaigns ever, bringing in more than $100,000 in merchandise sales alone.

In this episode, Candice talks with Stephanie Lulay and Maple Walker Lloyd about the story behind Gator Watch, and how Block Club Chicago’s broader merch strategy is creating a new source of revenue.