(Photo courtesy Kenny Olchowski)

Jacob Vitali is an old soul. He’s curious, wise beyond his years, community-oriented, and has a penchant for collecting vinyl records.

His path to journalism is unconventional. It all started with a satirical news program on his college radio station WJJW at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams. The problem was that his humor was so good his listeners forgot to laugh. The one thing he excelled at was interviews, so he decided to pivot to serious journalism the next year. After hosting a spirited interview with a North Adams mayoral candidate, he was hooked. From that night forward, he became a man in search of the truth and a great donut. Thankfully, Lowell has a few places that cater to the latter.

Jacob is a man with a Belichickian mindset. In college, he was an Editor for The Beacon, Station Manager of WJJW-FM, a Student Trustee, had a job, and took a full-time course load.

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, Jacob made his way back to Greater Lowell, where he’s been ever since. After graduating, he worked a rewarding stint in education, before getting hired by the Lowell Sun. After a year covering the Nashoba Valley and Lowell City Hall, he was promoted to city editor of The Sun’s sister publication the Sentinel & Enterprise of Fitchburg and the Nashoba Valley Voice. There he oversaw an increase in digital performance, built a team-oriented culture, increased local news stories, and launched an internship program with Fitchburg State University.

Why Jacob Joined InsideLowell:
“I am thrilled to be back in Lowell and joining forces with a formidable team to keep our community informed and engaged. Our city is vibrant, our population is diverse, and the politics are consequential. I have seen firsthand how hard journalists at The Sun and WCAP work to serve the community, but there is always room for more voices to help guide the discussion.”