Ep. 18: We're all in it together ft. Defector's Jasper Wang, 404 Media's Sam Cole, and Hell Gate's Max Rivlin-Nadler

This week we're talking worker-owned media with people from three of our favorite worker-owned publications — Defector, Hell Gate, and 404 Media. They're very transparent about what it takes to run a modern, subscription-based media business — it's a great conversation.

This is from our live pod earlier this month in support of the National Writers Union's legal fund for media workers. You can still donate here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-us/fundraising/donate-to-the-media-freelancers-legal-fund

00:00:00 Introducing guests

00:04:30 The Business of Worker Owned Media

00:06:30 The Biggest Trials and Errors of Being a Founder

00:11:19 The Media Landscape's Monetization Uncertainty

00:19:13 The Future of Public Funding for Local News

00:21:59 The Diverse Ad Tolerance of Audiences

00:28:56 Audience Taste Shift Post Election

00:35:37 The Messaging Behind Different Payment Options

00:43:52 Making Editorial Choices as a Writer-Owner

00:50:02 Saturation in the Creator Economy

00:59:24 Transparency and Accountability in Worker Owned Media

Q&A From Audience

01:02:02 Content Creators Creating Competition?

01:06:09 The Value of Print Media

01:11:08 Expanding Ownership to Readers

01:13:34 Final Thoughts