Since last year’s uber-competitive New York City mayoral primary, my favorite election night activity has been watching Hell Gate’s live broadcasts. CNN it is not. The Hell Gate show is available only on YouTube; correspondents hold tiny mics with a card bearing the company logo; the set includes a disco ball. During the most recent stream, during the state’s congressional primary last month, Nick Pinto, a Hell Gate reporter, delivered coverage from his bike while commuting between candidate watch parties. The effect is delightful, as the team has managed to turn one of the most staid forms of news into something lively and fun that also offers some of the smartest political coverage in the city.

In just over four years, lively, fun, and smart have become the Hell Gate brand. The site, which is worker-owned and subscription-powered, boasts ambitious investigations—such as this year’s Courts of Contempt project, about the city’s broken process for selecting judges—as well as coverage of the goofy and absurd. The team also hosts events, makes memes, and generally offers something entirely different from any other local news outlet around.

I talked to Max Rivlin-Nadler, a co-owner and copublisher of Hell Gate, about professionalizing the livestreams without sacrificing personality; how reporting on Zohran Mamdani is different from covering his predecessor, Eric Adams; and the site’s coming expansion of its cultural coverage. Listen below, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Show notes:

Courts of Contempt, Hell Gate and Type Investigations.

2026 Primary Election — LIVE with HellGate, Hell Gate.

The Hell Gate NYC 2025 Primary Night Livestream, Hell Gate.

HellGate election graphics, Hell Gate.

Tall Ships. TALL SHIIIIIIIPS, Hell Gate.

HellGate 2025 Annual Report, Hell Gate.

Credits:

Host: Megan Greenwell

Producer: Amanda Darrach

Welcome to Hell: A site with personality big enough for the city it covers.

The Kicker

Welcome to Hell: A site with personality big enough for the city it covers.