Erik sits down with Jason Yanowitz, the co-founder of Blockworks, an events and crypto-media company, as well as the host of the podcast Empire. Riverside.fm is a presenting sponsor of Media Empires. Go to https://creators.riverside.fm/MediaEmpires and use code MEDIAEMPIRES for 20% off individual plans.

In this episode Jason and Erik discuss podcast networks, trust in the media world, building audiences, and much more.

Media Empires is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: www.turpentine.co 

-

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ECON 102 W/ NOAH SMITH - Keeping econ entertaining - Noahpinion author Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg break down business news and politics every week.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1696419056

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6q7Gn5lP8TTtBPuV1NJSGs

-

SPONSOR:

Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "EMPIRES" for 20% off your first three months.

-

We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(02:01) Evolution of BlockWorks

(03:35) Categorizing types of crypto information

(05:12) Where the revenue comes from

(07:13) Blockworks in five years

(09:07) Building media companies in fresh ways

(15:55) Building in fast-growing spaces like crypto and AI

(20:05) Psychedelics podcasts and newsletters

(21:33) B2B events businesses centered around creators

(24:30) Investing in multiple channels

(28:00) Niches make riches

(31:26) Essentials in events

(33:57) Content or sponsorship first?

(35:20) The dirty secret of the conference business: Bigger is better

(38:10) Building, growing, and maintaining multiple feeds

(43:36) Long term business values of podcasts

(45:00) YouTube is essential for podcasts

(46:30) Newsletter Models

(48:46) Finding white space in crypto media

(52:32) Trust in Media

(54:25) Perseverance & good teams will win 

(56:48) Building an executive team for a media company

(58:35) Advice for growing media companies

LINKS:

Blockworks: https://blockworks.co/

X / Twitter:

Jason: @JasonYanowitz

Erik's Twitter: @eriktorenberg

Music Credit: L1U1KU2OUDVEVMON

Erik sits down with John Coogan, co-founder of Lucy and creator of @JohnCooganPlus, a YouTube channel with over 300,000 subscribers that documents highlight moments in Silicon Valley.

Riverside.fm is a presenting sponsor of Media Empires. Go to https://creators.riverside.fm/MediaEm... + use code MEDIAEMPIRES for 20% off individual plans.

In this episode John and Erik discuss the monetization on YouTube, understanding algorithms as a creator, and the value of content on various platforms.

We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.

-

SPONSOR:

Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "EMPIRES" for 20% off your first three months.

-

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ECON 102 W/ NOAH SMITH - Keeping econ entertaining - Noahpinion author Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg break down business news and politics every week.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1696419056

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6q7Gn5lP8TTtBPuV1NJSGs

-

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(02:39) Why John started his YouTube channel

(04:04) What's the value on YouTube?

(07:01) Monetization

(09:16) Evergreen vs News content

(10:45) The Packy Model

(12:44) Audiences on YouTube

(14:29) How to help your video do well

(19:04) Newsletters

(20:54) How the algorithm can work in your favor

(24:26) Separating channels

(27:24) Are niches better?

(30:18) The future of YouTube

(31:49) John's content evolution/philosophy

(37:46) Experimenting then filtering with content

(45:34) Twitch's value

(49:00) What can be built on top of YouTube?

LINKS:

Lucy: https://lucy.co/

John Coogan Plus on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JohnCooganPlus

X / Twitter:

John: https://twitter.com/johncoogan

Erik's Twitter: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg

Music Credit: RJQQIL7L6K8BBVRE

Erik sits down with Ben Gilbert, co-host and co-founder of Acquired, a podcast with 300,000+ subscribers that has been ranked the #1 Technology show on Apple Podcasts. Riverside.fm is a presenting sponsor of Media Empires. Go to https://creators.riverside.fm/MediaEmpires + use code MEDIAEMPIRES for 20% off individual plans.

In this episode we talk about experimentation in media, quantity vs quality in media, combining feeds, and much more. Media Empires is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: www.turpentine.co

We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.

-

SPONSOR:

Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "EMPIRES" for 20% off your first three months.

-

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ECON 102 W/ NOAH SMITH - Keeping econ entertaining - Noahpinion author Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg break down business news and politics every week.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1696419056

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6q7Gn5lP8TTtBPuV1NJSGs

-

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(02:01) Evolution of Acquired Podcast

(04:12) Experimentation in media

(06:26) LP channel versus Acquired channel

(09:33) Should everyone have an experimental feed?

(10:28) Should everyone have a subscription feed?

(12:28) Private versus public content

(13:34) Lower quantity with higher quality

(16:12) Advice for podcasters

(19:24) Why is a media company a good idea?

(22:09) White space for different shows

(27:21) What if you have lots of niche interests?

(31:02) Combining feeds

(35:08) Are we early or late to podcasts?

LINKS:

Acquired Podcast: https://www.acquired.fm/

SOCIALS:

Ben’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/gilbert

Erik's Twitter: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg

Erik sits down with Nuseir Yassin, creator and CEO of Nas Company, to discuss the value of followers on social media, how to create viral content, and why people are craving community content. Go to https://creators.riverside.fm/MediaEmpires + use code MEDIAEMPIRES for 20% off individual plans.

Nuseir is most known for his viral 1,000 daily, one-minute-long videos online under Nas Daily. Nas Company is a production studio focused on community building and empowering creators to become educators.

We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.

-

SPONSOR:

Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "EMPIRES" for 20% off your first three months.

-

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ECON 102 W/ NOAH SMITH - Keeping econ entertaining - Noahpinion author Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg break down business news and politics every week.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1696419056

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6q7Gn5lP8TTtBPuV1NJSGs

-

TIMESTAMPS:

(01:00) Episode Preview

(03:38) The common thread between Nuseir’s endeavors

(04:50) What is Nas Daily’s creative superpower

(06:16) Nas Daily’s inflection point

(07:14) Which platforms give you vitality?

(08:06) Monetization

(08:50) Followers vs community

(12:23) Creator relevancy

(13:40) The Evolution of Nas Academy

(14:28) Operational to SAS Platform

(15:17) Cohort-based services

(18:13) Capital sources for creators

(20:02) Misaligned incentives for creators

(21:05) Mr. Beast as a case study

(23:16) How to build a perfect “exit plan”

(25:33) The person vs the brand

(26:31) Vertical form one-minute long videos

(28:27) Shelf-life of content

(29:33) Tiers of creators

(33:21) How to properly build community

(34:36) Podcasts

(35:50) Evolution of social spaces

(37:48) What should creators and brands build?

(39:12) People are craving community content

LINKS:

Nas Daily: https://nasdaily.com/

Nas.IO: https://nas.io/

SOCIALS:

Nuseir’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/nasdaily

Erik's Twitter: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg

Erik sits down with Alex Lieberman, co-founder of Morning Brew @MorningBrew, and host of Founder's Journal and 60 Second Startup. Riverside.fm is a presenting sponsor of Media Empires. Go to https://creators.riverside.fm/MediaEmpires + use code MEDIAEMPIRES for 20% off individual plans.

In this interview, Erik and Alex discuss the different levels of content, investing in creators, and much more. Learn how Alex thinks about working with creators' businesses, choosing platforms, and formats for niche creators.

Media Empires is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: www.turpentine.co

-

We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.

-

SPONSOR:

Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "EMPIRES" for 20% off your first three months.

-

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ECON 102 W/ NOAH SMITH - Keeping econ entertaining - Noahpinion author Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg break down business news and politics every week.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1696419056

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6q7Gn5lP8TTtBPuV1NJSGs

-

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(02:46) Positioning Morning Brew

(07:13) Where does the business come from?

(08:42) Levels of Content

(14:05) Working with creators’ businesses

(18:50) Investing in Creators

(21:52) Pairing creators with COO’s

(27:00) The Atomic for creators

(28:20) Would Erik need a management arm if he ever started an Atomic for creators?

(31:56) The four categories of creator businesses

(37:26) Commerce vs software for creators

(40:31) Youtube for B2B Creators

(42:28) John Coogan's long term game

(43:15) How Alex thinks about picking platforms and durability of the business

(45:39) Formats for niche creators like watch or cigar creators

(49:09) Alex's advice for Erik on podcast networks

(48:43) How Alex is thinking about his experience as a creator

(50:58) The future of Morning Brew's content

(52:05) Alex's closing thoughts on why you should be a creator

LINKS:

Morning Brew's Website: https://www.morningbrew.com/daily

SOCIALS:

Alex's Twitter: https://twitter.com/businessbarista

Morning Brew's Twitter: https://twitter.com/morningbrew

Erik's Twitter: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg

Music Credit: BNUEVM75G9VD4ZY6

Erik sits down with Jack Butcher, the founder of Visualize Value. Riverside.fm is a presenting sponsor of Media Empires. Go to https://creators.riverside.fm/MediaEmpires + use code MEDIAEMPIRES for 20% off individual plans.

In this interview, Erik and Jack discuss how Jack built a media platform with a network of mentors and an audience of over five hundred thousand people. Learn Jack transitioned his agency into a community-driven million dollar business with effective branding and communication of complex ideas.

Media Empires is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: www.turpentine.co

-

We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.

-

SPONSOR:

Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "EMPIRES" for 20% off your first three months.

-

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ECON 102 W/ NOAH SMITH - Keeping econ entertaining - Noahpinion author Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg break down business news and politics every week.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1696419056

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6q7Gn5lP8TTtBPuV1NJSGs

-

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Check out Turpentine VC

(01:00 Episode Preview

(02:29) Sponsor: Riverside

(03:35) What is Visualized Value?

(04:29) Jack's core skillset and the evolution of Visualized Value 

(10:06) Sell the dream, deliver the nightmare

(14:15) Transitioning from pure services to a high leverage media business

(20:47) Picking great names

(25:00) Where does Jack want to take Visualized Value in the future? 

(28:50) Mr. Beast 

(34:58) Build once, sell twice. 

(36:10) Be an API

(38:35) NFTs and what we've learned as an ecosystem

(44:51) Blockchain infrastructure for Visualized Value's community 

X/ Twitter

@jackbutcher

@eriktorenberg

@visualizevalue

@mediaempirespod

Erik Torenberg sits down with film executive, producer, tech investor, and CEO/founder of Stampede Ventures, Greg Silverman. Riverside.fm is a presenting sponsor of Media Empires. Go to https://creators.riverside.fm/MediaEmpires + use code MEDIAEMPIRES for 20% off individual plans.

In this interview they compare and contrast the film and tech industries in all aspects, what makes a successful project, and investment practices.

Media Empires is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: www.turpentine.co

-

SPONSOR:

Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "EMPIRES" for 20% off your first three months.

-

We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.

-

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ECON 102 W/ NOAH SMITH - Keeping econ entertaining - Noahpinion author Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg break down business news and politics every week.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1696419056

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6q7Gn5lP8TTtBPuV1NJSGs

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Episode Preview

(02:33) Why Greg got into the film industry

(08:22) Analogs of the film world vs tech

(10:45) Learnings from film versus tech

(12:20) Product launching in film vs tech

(13:39) Leverage in the tech vs entertainment world

(17:15) Where investments comes from in Hollywood

(18:15) Where did Stampede come from?

(23:11) Raising venture money

(26:50) Where does the money from hits come from?

(28:10) Moats in Hollywood

(29:27) Can the Hollywood approach work in tech?

(31:04) The cultural impact of the theater

(32:40) How similar is it with the music industry?

(33:44) The hints of a successful project (or resistance and persistence make for successful projects)

(37:05) How technology has changed the entertainment industry

(39:00) Will AI change the game of entertainment?

(41:48) NFTs and Web-3

(44:30) Greg’s Investing Practices

(47:21) What is the value in short form content?

LINKS:

Stampede Ventures: https://stampedeventures.com/

SOCIALS:

Greg's Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregsilverman

Stampede Venture's Twitter: https://twitter.com/stampede_vent

Stampede Venture's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stam...

Erik's Twitter: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg

Erik Torenberg sits down with Anand Sanwal, CEO of CB Insights. Over 900,000 people turn to CB Insights for the insights they share in their newsletter. Riverside.fm is a presenting sponsor of Media Empires. Go to https://creators.riverside.fm/MediaEmpires + use code MEDIAEMPIRES for 20% off individual plans.

In this conversation, Anand and Erik discuss data collection, scaling across different technology markets, media and data businesses, and more.

Media Empires is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: www.turpentine.co

-

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ECON 102 W/ NOAH SMITH - Keeping econ entertaining - Noahpinion author Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg break down business news and politics every week.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1696419056

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6q7Gn5lP8TTtBPuV1NJSGs

-

SPONSOR:

Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "EMPIRES" for 20% off your first three months.

-

We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.

-

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Episode Preview

(02:00) What is CB Insights

(02:45) What CB Insights does

(03:30) The needs of the CB Insight customer

(07:00) Scaling to a thousand markets

(12:16) Evolution of CB Insights

(15:58) Which data is most helpful to collect?

(17:51) A dataset Anand would want to acquire

(19:45) Events and Community

(21:32) The Future of CB Insights

(23:15) Increasing density of coverage

(26:48) Perspective on past opportunities

(28:30) Litmus test for what is worth Focusing On

(30:08) Breadth of data front

(32:38) Private analyses

(34:25) Data business idea: startup-investor pitches

(38:16) Data business idea: Reference checks

(39:12) Online reputations

(42:20) Which media businesses should be data businesses?

(46:10) Scalable and programmatic ways of acquiring data

(48:50) If Anand was starting today

(49:44) Building a data business on top of a successful media company

LINKS:

CB Insights: https://www.cbinsights.com/

SOCIALS:

Anand's Twitter: https://twitter.com/asanwal

Anand's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anandsanwal?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

Erik's Twitter: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg

Erik Torenberg sits down with Sahil Bloom, writer of The Curiosity Chronicle, whose insights are seen by over one million people across his social platforms and newsletter. Riverside.fm is a presenting sponsor of Media Empires. Go to https://creators.riverside.fm/MediaEmpires + use code MEDIAEMPIRES for 20% off individual plans.

In this conversation, Sahil and Erik discuss the strategies to scaling your business as a creator, Sahil's career journey of leaving private equity to write impactful financial content, and how to build durability into your career as a creator.

Media Empires is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: www.turpentine.co

-

SPONSOR:

Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "EMPIRES" for 20% off your first three months.

-

We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.

-

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ECON 102 W/ NOAH SMITH - Keeping econ entertaining - Noahpinion author Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg break down business news and politics every week.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1696419056

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6q7Gn5lP8TTtBPuV1NJSGs

-

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(01:09) Sponsor: Riverside

(02:12) Being a creator entrepreneur

(05:26) B2C to B2B and operationalizing your content creation

(07:24) Examples of operationalizing in media

(10:13) Finding the operator to partner with

(12:37) Transforming cost centres into profit centres

(16:05) Building durability into your career as a creator

(17:56) COO as a service

(18:30) What do deals with creators and operators typically look like?

(20:53) The opportunity of talent incubation

(22:48) Sahil's moonshot and what he'll be working on five years from now

(25:21) Types of businesses worth buying 

(26:43) Sahil's career journey and developing conviction

(28:50) Would Sahil consider building a platform?

(30:12) Hundred million dollar vs one billion dollar plan

(32:04) Investing and getting upside in creators

(44:12) The scarcity of attention and distribution

(46:27) Where's the opportunity today for the next Sahil Bloom?

(47:22) Content strategy between Twitter and LinkedIn 

(49:12) Is podcasting worth the time?

(50:49) Creating a book from the business perspective

LINKS:

Sahil's site: https://www.sahilbloom.com

SOCIAL MEDIA:

@sahilbloom (Sahil)

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

@MediaEmpiresPod (Media Empires)

Erik Torenberg sits down with Steph Smith, host of the a16z podcast and the driver behind the newsletter Trends for The Hustle, which was acquired by Hubspot. Riverside.fm is a presenting sponsor of Media Empires. Go to https://creators.riverside.fm/MediaEmpires + use code MEDIAEMPIRES for 20% off individual plans.

In this conversation, Steph and Erik discuss unfair information advantages and how to hone them, choosing a social platform based on the degree of truth and anonymity, and Steph’s advice for building a media network from her own experience at The Hustle and now as a podcast host at a16z.

-

SPONSOR:

Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "EMPIRES" for 20% off your first three months.

-

We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.

-

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ECON 102 W/ NOAH SMITH - Keeping econ entertaining - Noahpinion author Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg break down business news and politics every week.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1696419056

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6q7Gn5lP8TTtBPuV1NJSGs

Media Empires is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: www.turpentine.co

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00) Episode Preview

(01:21) Sponsor: Riverside.fm

(01:52) Intro: Steph Smith 

(02:30) Steph’s nonlinear background 

(04:28) If Steph could go back four years ago, how would she allocate her time differently?

(07:24) How Steph thinks about her “unfair” information advantage

(08:46) How Steph grew The Hustle’s Trends

(11:58) Challenges of building out great educational content in tech

(14:20) The intersection of media and tech companies 

(18:29) Having an emotional connection with your audience

(19:27) Ownership deals in media

(22:39) 85 years from now, what will be different about the creator economy?

(25:41) Digital virtual influencers and the metaverse

(27:28) What Steph would do if she was unconstrained 

(30:00) Using subreddit data to build businesses 

(38:14) The degree of truth as a function of anonymity on social platforms 

(40:41) Choosing a medium for content 

(44:09) Steph’s advice for building a media network

(51:34) Anything else that’s top of mind?

LINKS:

a16z podcast: https://a16z.com/podcast-episodes/

TWITTER:

@stephsmithio (Steph Smith)

@eriktorenberg (Erik

@MediaEmpiresPod (Media Empires)