Adam Hansmann, co-founder of The Athletic, discusses his experience building the media platform, lessons learned from launching a subscription-based business, the importance of user-centric development, the challenges of the media industry, and the integration of The Athletic into the New York Times. They also touch on pricing strategies, creating engaging content, and the value of partnerships.

Kyle Porter, CBS Sports Writer, discusses various interesting topics in the podcast, such as the misconceptions of being a golf writer, the merging of Jim Nance CBS and CBS Sports HQ, the impact of the internet on the media business, challenges of self-publishing, the evolution of golf media, and exploring side projects and the media landscape.

Reflecting on the podcasting world in 2023, including shifts in the industry and memorable recordings. Highlighting the top 3 episodes and the most underrated one. Discussing dream guests for 2024 and the most challenging conversation preparation. Reflecting on the best Colossus moments in 2023.

Craig Fuller, Founder and CEO of FreightWaves and CEO of FLYING Magazine, shares insights on building a media business, including the challenges of fundraising and valuing audiences. He also discusses the strategy behind acquiring niche magazines and the importance of capturing the full audience base. This conversation with a former pilot turned entrepreneur offers a wide range of perspectives on building businesses and explores the evolving landscape of the freight industry.

Jonathan Becker, Founder of Thrive Digital, shares insights on paid growth strategies, including investing parallels, identifying underserved segments, unconventional routes to success, and determining marketing effectiveness. The podcast also discusses validation in paid growth, challenges of podcast advertising, lessons in effective ads, and measurement challenges in performance marketing.

Kaki Orr, Creative Director for Branded Content at The North Face, discusses creating authenticity, the process behind their epic films, and the role of risk. They explore the evolution of content creation, challenges of film distribution, and the concept of brands showcasing products through content. They also share their aspirations for creating documentaries and recommend watching 'Hoop Dreams'.

Media aficionado Web Barr joins Making Media for their yearly media roundup. They discuss their favorite articles, the art market and Gagosian's influence, a book review, anticipation for a book's movie adaptation, thoughts on the movie 'Oppenheimer', and their favorite podcasts of the year.

Tammy Winter, the Commissioning Editor of Stripe Press, talks about the origin of Stripe Press and its goal to increase the GDP of the internet. They discuss the impact of republishing Poor Charlie’s Almanac and the importance of accessible information. The podcast also explores the power of Twitter in career growth and the influence of published books, including an unexpected impact on Bono. They highlight the success of Stripe Press books and the significance of investing in intangible things. The episode ends with an exploration of the development of Prince of Persia and an appreciation for physical infrastructure.

Today we are talking Marvel. It's the cinematic universe that's made over $30 billion at the box office (and that's just the Hollywood piece). Our guest today is Joanna Robinson, Podcaster and Culture Critic for The Ringer. Joanna wrote "MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios," a revealing behind-the-scenes history of the cultural phenomenon.We cover the history of Marvel from the pre-Disney days through what led to the explosion of what happened over the past 15 years and what seems like a fall from grace in recent years. She has had so many conversations with insiders and we can't recommend the book highly enough. Please enjoy this conversation on Marvel with Joanna Robinson.For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.-----Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @MakingMediaPod | @JoinColossus Show Notes (00:02:13) - (First question) - The evolution of Joanna's relationship with Marvel(00:05:22) - Ranking the importance to the success of The Marvel Cinematic Universe(00:07:00) - The importance of technology early on with the films(00:08:27) - How Marvel thinks about the distribution of its intellectual property(00:11:18) - The lessons from Marvel's strategy to focus movies on B their grade characters(00:14:26) - Joanna's opinion on whether the success of The Avengers also might have led to Marvel's downfall(00:17:41) - Whether MCU's success was an organic result of timing or if there's a replicable formula for success today(00:23:10) - How David Maisel pulled off the Merrill Lynch financing deal(00:27:06) - Kevin Feige's long-term plan and whether the interconnected universe was always a core idea(00:30:16) - The unique ownership situation of the Hulk between Marvel and Universal(00:34:16) - Marvel's retention of autonomy key to the Disney acquisition(00:37:52) - Post Avengers Endgame and possible reasons why MCU has struggled(00:41:12) - The effect Disney Plus has had on MCU(00:43:23) - The difficulties Marvel faces with creating TV content(00:47:17) - Moving forward and future potential with iconic properties like the X-Men and Fantastic Four(00:51:17) - Joanna's opinion on the statement that Marvel has ruined movies(00:55:29) - Debrief

Our guest today is Amy Astley, global editorial director and editor-in-chief of the Iconic Architectural Digest. It's rare to find a brand like AD that has a hundred-year-old history and effectively balances that rich heritage while still being the pulse of the market. Amy talks about the cultural currency that exists with the AD magazine and what that represents to the people featured inside. We also dive into how the business model has shifted since Amy stepped in, the idea of being multimedia, and what it means to expand internationally and into B2B markets. Please enjoy this conversation with Amy Astley of Architectural Digest.For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.-----Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @MakingMediaPod | @JoinColossus Show Notes (00:03:01) - (First question) Managing a design brand like Architectural Digest(00:04:47) - The essence of timeless design(00:07:41) - Architectural Digest's engagement with emerging trends(00:09:39) - Balancing creativity with business demands(00:13:08) - Comparing magazine publishing to social media content(00:18:43) - Preserving brand identity across new media platforms(00:26:27) - Expanding into the business-to-business space(00:31:39) - Ensuring quality in global market ventures(00:35:46) - Insights gained from Anna Wintour's mentorship(00:39:15) - Key figures who have shaped her career trajectory(00:41:58) - Mastering the art of declining