Brent Davidson built a 500-person trade show for HVAC contractors from scratch — and in this episode, he breaks down the business model behind it: how exhibitors and sponsors pay the bills, how to design attendee flow, and why in-person marketplaces are more durable than anything algorithm-dependent. Matt and Kolby dig into the operational side of running a trade show — from booth pricing and venue logistics to speaker strategy and influencer relationships. If you're thinking about events as a media business model, this is the blueprint.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction & What Is the US Heat Pump Summit

02:12 Why Build a Trade Show

05:15 Trade Shows vs. Conferences

07:03 Ticket Pricing, Booth Costs & Revenue Model

09:39 Balancing Attendee Tickets With Exhibitor Value

11:29 Vendor Tickets

13:13 The Role of Media & Content in Growing the Event

17:41 How Brent Sells Tickets

19:26 Post-Purchase Surveys

21:27 HVAC Influencers

24:28 Should Influencers Attend the Event to Drive Tickets?

26:34 Promo Codes, Measurability & Implied Endorsement

28:35 Audience-Event Fit

30:29 Getting Your First Sponsors & Exhibitors

32:35 Proving ROI to Sponsors

35:02 What Other Trade Show Opportunities Exist Right Now

37:35 Hosted Buyer Programs & The Hidden Revenue Model

38:16 How Big Can the Heat Pump Summit Get?

41:24 Exit Strategies & Building an Event Conglomerate

43:52 Private Equity in the Trades & the Blue Parachute Idea

44:10 Mike Rowe & the Role of Celebrity at Trade Events

47:23 Final Advice

🔗 Connect with Brent Davidson:

LinkedIn
US Heat Pump Summit

🐝 Looking for the best newsletter and email marketing platform? Beehiiv is what I use and recommend: Click here to get a discount through my referral link.

In today’s episode, we sit down with Matt Ragland to break down how top creators actually build leverage, grow audiences, and scale sustainable media businesses. We dive into frameworks that make you memorable, the reality of plateauing on YouTube, and how to evolve from solo creator to true operator. Matt also shares lessons from working behind the scenes with some of the biggest names in newsletters and creator education.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Matt Ragland
03:42 Why Every Creator Needs a Framework
07:19 The Gap & Wrap System Explained
10:34 What Makes a Framework Actually Work
13:48 How Frameworks Drive Content & Growth
16:36 Types of Frameworks (Acronyms, Visuals, Mental Models)
20:05 The Real Shift: From Creator to Operator
25:55 Why Growth Plateaus (And What Changes Next)
31:28 The Truth About YouTube Growth Today
36:41 The Substack Trap (And Why Most People Get It Wrong)

🔗 Connect with Matt Ragland:

• MattRagland.com
• Matt's YouTube Channel

🐝 Looking for the best newsletter and email marketing platform? Beehiiv is what I use and recommend: Click here to get a discount through my referral link.

In today’s episode we break down four media companies including Breaking Points, Starter Story, Lenny's Newsletter, and Colin and Samir's creator summit, pulling out what's working, what's being left on the table, and what every media founder should take notes on. Plus, we get into the AI slop debate and what it actually means for creators trying to build something real.

Timestamps:

00:00 Overview of Topics
01:04 Breaking Points: A Case Study in New Media Success
13:39 Starter Story's Acquisition by HubSpot
24:15 Lenny's Newsletter: A B2B Creator's Journey
33:30 Colin and Samir's LA Creator Summit
35:03 The Importance of Marketing for Creators
37:14 How To Make A Great Event
43:17 Monetization Strategies for Events
49:58 The Rise of AI-Generated Content
57:02 Navigating the Future of AI in Media

🔗 Resources Mentioned:

Breaking Points
Starter Story
Lenny's Newsletter
Colin and Samir's LA Creator Summit

🐝 Looking for the best newsletter and email marketing platform? Beehiiv is what I use and recommend: Click here to get a discount through my referral link.

Welcome to the first episode of the New Media Podcast with Matt McGarry and Kolby Hatch. In this episode, we break down the business of media—from newsletters and YouTube to events and monetization strategies. We also dive into lessons from New Media Summit, building profitable media companies, and what’s actually working right now. If you’re building in the creator economy, this is the behind-the-scenes conversation you don’t usually hear.

🍿 Watch on YouTube here.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to New Media Podcast
02:19 Inside the New Media Summit
04:08 How Event Businesses Actually Make Money
06:32 Sponsorships & Revenue Streams Explained
08:23 Why Audience Engagement Matters More Than Ever
10:47 The Truth About Growing a Podcast
13:15 Why Most Content Fails (And What Works Instead)
16:01 Where New Media Is Heading
27:25 How Storytelling Shapes Media Success
28:10 Lessons From Past Media Trends
31:44 Gated Content: Smart Strategy or Bad UX?
39:07 Email Growth Hacks & Automation Strategies
44:59 Sponsorships Are Changing—Here’s How
52:42 Is Email Marketing Still Worth It?
55:31 Why Organic Subscribers Are 10x More Valuable
57:40 The Real Business Models Behind Newsletters
58:29 Are Newsletters Dead or Evolving?
01:02:45 Why Conferences Are a Massive Opportunity
01:04:11 IRL > URL: The Power of In-Person Networking
01:06:54 Why Big Events Are Declining
01:12:11 Building Community Through Local Events

Check out Dylan's newsletter here!

🐝 Looking for the best newsletter and email marketing platform? Beehiiv is what I use and recommend: Click here to get a discount through my referral link.

In this episode, I share an important update about the future of the podcast as we relaunch with a new name and direction. While the show started focused on newsletters and email marketing, the new version will expand into helping you build an independent media, education, or creator business. We'll be covering audience growth, newsletters, monetization, and the strategies behind modern media companies.

Subscribe to the video version of the podcast and our YouTube channel here.

Get the slides and resources mentioned from this episode linked here.

In this video, I break down the 5 frameworks that helped my clients generate over $100 million in sales from email. These are the exact strategies top media, education, and creator businesses use to grow their email list, boost open rates and click-through rates, and drive more sales.

Timestamps:
00:00: Introduction
01:16: Framework #1: The MAGIC Formula (turn social followers into email subscribers)
15:22: Framework #2: First-Party Data & SMS
19:11: Framework #3: The WE-PAC Welcome Email
25:56: Framework #4: The Deliverability Detox
30:37: Framework #5: The Newsletter Flywheel

Other Resources:

🎤 Purchase recordings from our conference with speakers like Codie Sanchez, Ryan Deiss, and 15+ more: https://recording.newmediasummit.com/

🐝 Looking for the best newsletter and email marketing platform? beehiiv is what I use and recommend: https://www.beehiiv.com/?via=matt-mcgarry

Learn more about Uscreen https://www.uscreen.tv/

In this episode, I sit down with Allison Yazdian, CEO of Uscreen, to break down how creators can build scalable, recurring revenue with video-first memberships. We cover what makes a compelling offer, how to price and tier it, and the features that drive engagement and retention. Allison shares real examples of creators generating millions through subscriptions, live streams, and community. If you want to own your audience and turn content into predictable monthly revenue, this is a must-watch.

Connect with Allison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonyazdian/

Timestamps:
00:00: Meet Allison Yazdian (CEO of Uscreen)
01:20: What Uscreen Does
04:00: How Creators Make Money with Memberships
06:00: Big Creators Using Uscreen
09:00: Why Memberships Beat Ads & One-Off Products
12:00: What Makes a Great Membership Offer
16:00: Free Tiers, Trials & Entry Offers
18:00: Pricing Strategy & Benchmarks
22:00: Structuring Your Membership Tiers
24:30: Must-Have Features (Community, Live, Challenges)
27:30: How to Market & Sell Your Membership
31:30: Onboarding New Members the Right Way
33:30: Reducing Churn & Increasing Retention
36:00: One Thing That Improves Retention Fast
38:00: Who Uscreen Is Best For + How to Get Started


Other Resources:

🎤 Pre-order recordings from our conference with speakers like Codie Sanchez, Ryan Deiss, and 15+ more: https://recording.newmediasummit.com/

Learn more about Ezoic: https://www.ezoic.com/

I sit down with Gavin Bechtold (Ezoic) to reveal how publishers, creators, and newsletter operators are leaving serious money on the table by ignoring website monetization. We break down programmatic ads, first-party data, and how sending traffic back to your site can dramatically increase subscriber lifetime value. If you run a newsletter or media business, this episode will change how you think about traffic and revenue.

Connect with Gavin directly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavinbechtold/

Timestamps:

00:00: Intro & why website traffic is overlooked
05:47: Website vs. newsletter monetization
12:50: What RPMs can you actually expect?
16:46: Myth busting: Do ads hurt user experience?
29:21: How first-party data increases ad revenue
36:56: Who Ezoic is a good fit for

More Resources:

🎤 Pre-order recordings from New Media Summit with speakers like Codie Sanchez, Ryan Deiss, and 15+ more:

https://recording.newmediasummit.com/

📧 Join my free newsletter here:

https://www.newsletteroperator.com/subscribe