This week Francis is joined by Thomas Yeum, an ambitious video-first creator specializing in YouTube and Instagram. Thomas is well known for his Instagram series '125 days to make 10k/month'. Thomas shares his journey from software engineering to content creation, discussing the challenges and opportunities within the creator economy.

Follow Thomas:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thomasyeum/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Toemas

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yeumthomas/

00:00 Introducing Thomas Yeum and his creator journey

06:39 Challenges with modern consumption habits

10:03 The creator economy is the new American dream

15:48 Finding a career that fulfils personal values

19:22 125 days to make $10k/mo

26:07 The 3% rule: How to utilize inspiration

27:39 4 steps to making a great video

33:57 Balancing art and business as a solo creator

36:29 Making $100k/mo in 365 days

39:03 A bad video does not equal a bad concept

45:48 Building 12k+ subscriber newsletter from scratch

49:28 Bridging the gap between tradition media and the creator economy

53:15 Advice for aspiring creators

This week Francis is joined by Kyle Sheldon, founder and CEO of Name and Number, a soccer specific marketing and creative agency. Kyle has worked within the US soccer world for two decades and held marketing roles at multiple MLS clubs. Kyle is also the founder and editor of Pathway, a newsletter aimed at helping individuals break into the soccer industry.

Kyle: https://x.com/kylesheldon

Name and Number: https://www.nameandnumber.com

Pathway: https://pathwayhq.com

00:00 Introducing Kyle Sheldon

01:05 The evolution of soccer and sports marketing

04:28 Becoming the driving force in growing soccer in the US

09:25 Growing careers in the soccer industry

12:22 Pathway's natural growth has led to extremely high engagement

17:32 The potential future growth of the soccer industry is massive

21:20 Navigating the soccer-creator industry requires expertise

24:49 The fashion culture within soccer

28:19 Empowering creators to thrive in the soccer space

32:22 US vs European football content culture

41:36 The shifting power dynamic between creators and traditional media

50:32 Partnership advice for creators and brands

This week Francis is joined by award winning financial reporter, Phil Rosen. Last year Phil left his role as Senior Markets Reporter at Business Insider to pursue his independent newsletter-first media company, Opening Bell Daily. His flagship newsletter Opening Bell Daily, now has over 190k subscribers within its first year of operation.

Opening Bell Daily: https://www.openingbelldailynews.com

Phil's X: https://x.com/philrosenn

00:00 Introducing Phil Rosen and Opening Bell Daily

02:00 Building the foundation of a successful writer

05:27 Independent journalism's rise over established media

13:49 Navigating the business side of journalism

18:22 The freedom of building a new business model

21:40 Phil's ambitions to NOT scale the business

24:32 The death of objectivity in journalism

30:48 The untapped market for valuable growth

33:40 Overcoming the fear of posting video

39:30 Paywalls: The necessary evils of the media business

44:36 Advice for aspiring writers and creators

This week Francis is joined by six-time author, cultural critic and book publishing coach, Leigh Stein. Leigh is also the creator of the newsletter Attention Economy.

Attention Economy: https://leighstein.substack.com/

Leigh's Website: https://www.leighstein.com/

00:00 Leigh's prolific content output

01:43 Is now the best time to be a writer?

04:38 Defining 'writing vs creating'

08:47 The art is the product

16:45 Does form come before content?

20:25 TikToks instability and the importance of BookTok

23:09 Leigh's journey through the literary world

27:25 We're influencing, not influencers

34:54 Writing 'Attention Economy'

40:52 How to make your content shareable

42:54 Destroying the stigma of self-publishing

45:55 The magical portal to likeminded people

48:54 Leigh's upcoming projects

52:27 Advice for other creators

This week Francis is joined by Eric Silver, a podcaster, podcast producer and head of development at Multitude, a podcast studio and production company.

Multitude: https://multitude.productions

00:00 Introducing Eric Silver

03:14 Crafting your interview style

06:04 The details of teaching podcasting

11:56 Podcasting does not mean video

19:41 The future of audio-only podcasts

25:39 The intention behind the creator

28:24 What makes a good podcast guest?

31:46 The difficulties of guest-based podcasts

36:06 Building an ethical creator-first business

44:11 The rise of Actual Play podcasts

50:08 The future of worker-owned and independent media

52:57 Hank Green's best interview

This week Francis is joined by Matt Brown of Extra Points. With a laser focus on writing high quality content, Matt is an independent sports journalist covering the world of college sports in America.

Extra Points: https://www.extrapointsmb.com

00:00:00 Introducing Matt Brown and Extra Points

00:01:47 The focus on producing quality content

00:05:26 The unique story of acquisition and reacquisition

00:13:11 Striving to make the internet a better place

00:19:36 Balancing creativity and business in the creator economy

00:22:53 The values and integrity of independent journalism

00:26:27 Vox Media: The bootcamp for independent journalists

00:35:28 Understanding your community

00:42:29 Providing value with high-ticket and low-ticket offers

00:55:41 Analytics are not money

00:59:59 Bridging the gap between communities through sport

01:04:09 The decentralization of media

This week Francis is joined by essayist and culture critic, Alicia Kennedy. Alicia is primarily a food writer, however also has many refined takes on writing, the algorithm, and the attention economy.

Alicia's Newsletter: https://www.aliciakennedy.news/

00:00:00 Introducing Alicia Kennedy

00:01:38 Rejecting the idea of the creator

00:07:06 Declining media literacy in the digital age

00:12:36 The fragmentation of public intellectualism

00:17:09 Attaching value to greatest achievements

00:19:32 The creator economy tradeoff of freedom and instability

00:29:33 The need for publications that challenge food writing norms

00:35:08 The blurred line between influencers and creators

00:40:13 Building a like-minded diverse community

00:43:58 The key to consistent organic growth

00:47:10 The need for a more horizontal media ecosystem

00:52:32 Navigating platforms with limited audience engagement control

00:57:51 Experience of writing a book vs newsletters

This week Francis is joined by Kofie Yeboah a versatile creator in the sports media landscape. Kofie does it all, social media, long-form, short-form, podcasts, research and writing. He's here to tell us how he does it all.

Kofie's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KofieWhy

00:00 Introducing Kofie Yeboah

01:25 Kofie's early introduction to sports

05:35 The evolution from long-form to short-form

10:21 TikTok's endless opportunities and constant insecurity

14:37 Balancing roles as a content creator and producer

19:43 Successful strategies for repurposing content

26:56 The best and the worst of social platforms

29:57 Fostering a positive and engaged community

32:23 Revenue reinvestment strategies

43:24 Balancing a full-time job with content creation

46:55 Kofie's relationship with different sports leagues

48:33 The path to 100k subscribers

This week Francis is joined by Jenna Stoeber, a video essayist and content creator known for her deep dives into video game and media culture.

Jenna's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the_jenna/

Jenna's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thejenna.bsky.social

00:00:00 Laying the content creator foundation

00:07:00 The art of constructing informative videos

00:09:20 If I create, am I a creator?

00:14:36 The dichotomy of creating and consuming

00:17:19 Beating the algorithm with one simple video

00:20:55 Balancing creativity with optimization

00:29:13 Building diverse and sustainable revenue streams

00:34:25 Sacrificing salary for freedom and autonomy

00:39:27 Knowing your strengths and how to use them

00:46:07 The joys and challenges of podcasting

00:59:02 The art of researching and scripting a video essay

01:05:47 The boss fight: Goals for 2025

This week, Francis is joined by Henry Winslow, founder and writer of Tricycle Day, a newsletter focused on psychedelics research, policy, and business. Francis interviewed Henry exactly one year ago, and this conversation is centred around Henry's growth over the past year.

Tricycle Day Newsletter: https://www.tricycleday.com

Tricycle Day Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tricycleday

00:00 Sustaining a creator-led business following rapid growth

06:27 The key to growing your first 1000 subscribers

09:23 Understanding your audience and utilizing data

12:44 Hiring an successful team as a creator

16:47 Scaling to a $250k business in year two

18:53 The benefits of advertising to a niche audience

23:27 The struggles of operating in a controversial space

28:03 Building an audience around trust

35:21 Expanding your business beyond the newsletter

38:09 Community is a buzzword, but not this time

41:42 Goals for 2025