Hey honeys and hustlers,

This week felt like the longest week of my life and the shortest week of my life. I went to a funeral, a Clingstones baseball game, and tried out a new app. Echoz was created by Zain Joyce, and I think it has a lot of promise. I found Zain on Threads, and while I’ve been really enjoying the platform for simply social things, its saved/bookmark feature leaves a lot to be desired. I’m hoping this app will allow me to combine all my saved posts from Threads, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more in one organized and searchable place. It’s in beta, so be sure to check it out for yourself. In the meantime, if you’re trying to scroll social media feeds less (aren’t we all), check out some things I read last month related to the creator economy below!

P.S. I’m making a video in honor of my 9th business anniversary, and I’d love to include you! I want to send some postcards directly to you. If you would like one, please fill out this form. May even throw in some stickers as well.

// Kehlani released a new single, Folded. And she used the opportunity to give back to her community. She gave free laundry services to single mothers in honor of the new song. Why is this impactful? It’s 2025, and music artists are getting back to marketing strategies that don’t involve social media. She not only dropped a single, but she created an experience for her listeners. She could’ve used this opportunity to sell merch, pre-sale her new project, or get sign-ups for an upcoming tour, but she decided to give back to her community. Is Folded the song of the season?

// The future of public radio. It’s no secret that federal funding for public radio and public broadcasting is being cut. Can NPR survive without that funding and rely solely on support from listeners and foundations? The CEO seems to be optimistic that it’s possible. On a national level, it seems like the organization only gets about 1% of its funding from federal dollars, as opposed to PBS, which gets about 15% of its budget from federal dollars. However, local and nonprofit NPR affiliates are far more impacted by these cuts. Many local communities have stepped up their donation support to close the gap, but how sustainable is this in the long term? And will small newsrooms that are already in demand for expansion be able to afford to grow and hire more staff? We shall see.

// Sounds Profitable merges with Podcast Movement. Bryan Barletta is the new CEO of Podcast Movement, and with this change (that spurred many thoughts from the podcast industry), comes new locations for the 2026 events. The spring event will now be held in conjunction with SXSW in Austin, Texas. And while I was looking forward to the larger August event in sunny San Diego, that will now be held in September in New York City. What are your thoughts on this?

// Substack vs. beehiiv, again. NASCAR and Crooked Media join Substack, making NASCAR the first major sports league to join the platform. I think it’s interesting that Crooked Media, home of Pod Save America and other podcasts, thought this was the appropriate venue for their now 240,000+ subscribers and counting. I know Stacey Abrams has a Substack account and posts regularly, so maybe they thought this was the best place for their newsletter to complement their podcast show hosts and increase show discovery. Since they are a bigger account, maybe they will have some influence on the new features coming to Substack? One can hope. Speaking of journalists, not to be outdone by Substack, beehiiv shares an update on their journalism investment. The members of beehiiv’s Media Collective seem to be doing well, mainly in terms of increased paid subscribers and increased open rates (likely due to better deliverability). Now that beehiiv has fully launched their new website builder, I think it’s time they bring in robust website analytics, and ad inserts for webpages.

// Nate Bargatze has a great profile in Esquire. I’ve been really inspired by his website designs, one of which is on Webflow. His new website is also a banger and features his comedy podcast network. I’ve talked about my experience as part of a podcast network and what things to consider, but I think it goes to show that clean comedy is an underserved niche, and working together to uplift folks in that space is paying off.

// YouTube is making a play to host the Oscars. YouTube-based shows got a huge win when the Emmys decided they were eligible for nomination. You give someone an inch, they’ll take a mile, and that’s exactly what YouTube is doing. They want their biggest creators to be associated with the biggest honors in filmmaking and TV, so it’s no surprise that they’re making a play for one of the biggest nights in Hollywood. YouTube is prime for livestreaming, and will make the event more accessible for folks who don’t have cable or don’t typically watch on Hulu. I’m interested to see if this move will push demand for expanded categories and more judges who are familiar with online creators. YouTuber Mark Rober is the latest creator to get a deal with a major streaming platform, Netflix. Will we see this trend continue?

// Libsyn passes $100M in creator payouts. A favorite podcast hosting company of many is boasting its impact on the podcast industry. I hope to see more programmatic advertising revenue become available through podcasting apps in the near future. While AdSense is likely not enough to sustain smaller or indie creators, having some sort of revenue to help build the foundation of a podcast business is necessary for the sustainability of the industry, especially considering recent cuts.

Sending a little late today, but hope you enjoy the weekend. 👋🏾