Former Olympian employee Thomas acquires Oly Arts publication

Billy Thomas, who worked in advertising sales for The Olympian and News Tribune newspapers, has acquired the arts and cultural events publication Oly Arts.

The equity-only transaction, which took effect this month, was valued at $350,000. Before becoming the publication’s owner and publisher, Thomas was associate publisher.

“I’m excited to see what the future holds for this publication as we expand into new media ventures,” said Thomas in a statement.

Founder and former publisher Ned Hayes will become president of Oly Works LLC, the publication’s parent company. He also will continue to be a shareholder and adviser to the business.

Hayes, an author, technology entrepreneur and former journalist, launched Oly Arts in 2015. It started as a quarterly, but now publishes seven print editions a year. It also has expanded into online, mobile and podcast formats.

Thomas joined the Oly Arts staff in late 2017 after a stint in sales and marketing at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts. Before he joined the center, he was in advertising at The Olympian and News Tribune.

This story was originally published October 4, 2018 at 8:12 PM.