Podcast
The AMO Show
Hosted by Jacob Cohen Donnelly · EN
This is the AMO Show. Every week, I interview entrepreneurs and operators that are building media and events companies. Over the course of our discussions, we dig into what’s working, what’s not, how they’re growing and the financials behind their businesses. If you like these discussions and want to go deeper, become an AMO Pro member by visiting A Media Operator dot com.
23episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Building InfraXMedia: Dan Loosemore on Training, Events, and the Data Center Boom
1w ago01:29:56Tap to summarizeI spoke with Dan Loosemore, CEO of InfraXMedia, for the AMO Show this week. In this episode, we dug into how he transformed DCD from a regionally structured events business into an integrated platform doing £55 million in revenue at 30% margins, why the company launched Yotta as a separate brand that's already projecting 7,000 attendees and roughly $13 million in revenue in its third year, how the Academy training business has shifted from individual certifications to multi-year enterprise contracts now representing 22% of revenue, and the market intelligence product launching in Q4 that Dan expects to scale to £10 million in ARR.0:00 - Introduction1:23 - Why Dan stayed at DCD for eight years5:17 - The transformation from events business to platform business14:32 - Taking over from the founder17:29 - Opus Origin's investment thesis and the path to £55M22:32 - How the integrated sales team sells outcomes, not products29:23 - 100% client retention and the infrastructure behind it36:38 - Customer success vs. account management43:17 - Why B2B media is still running old playbooks47:05 - The DCD Connect events portfolio55:17 - Why Yotta needed to be a separate brand1:00:28 - Inside DCD Academy: pricing, diagnostics, and multi-year deals1:06:01 - The market intelligence product launching in Q41:13:09 - £55M revenue, 30% margins, and the pie chart1:15:05 - Acquiring Data Center Nation and SDxCentral1:20:36 - The bet that didn't work1:24:27 - How Dan underwrites acquisitions1:26:29 - Advice for operators and what Dan's obsessed with
Transcribe →From Class Project to $40M Valuation: Adam White on Building Front Office Sports
2w ago01:33:55Tap to summarizeAdam White started Front Office Sports as a freshman class project at the University of Miami in 2014. Today, FOS is majority-owned by Jeff Zucker's RedBird IMI at a reported $40 million valuation, with 70 employees, projecting $20-24 million in revenue this year, and on track for its first profitable year. We get into the full cap table history — from giving up 51% to his first investor to RedBird taking majority control — how FOS actually makes money, the NFL and league content partnerships, the studios bet that landed a number-one Netflix film, and why FOS still doesn't charge readers a dime.Timestamps0:00 — Intro 1:25 — The founding story and building FOS at Miami 10:49 — How to start a media company from nothing 19:09 — Why brand matters more than audience 25:06 — The "prosumer" positioning and who actually reads FOS 35:33 — The investor journey: SC Holdings, Crain, and RedBird IMI 38:03 — What Jeff Zucker actually changed 42:37 — Editorial independence when your owner invests in sports 44:34 — The numbers: $24M projected revenue, first profitable year 48:00 — Revenue mix: digital, social, branded content, and events 49:15 — The Yahoo partnership 51:47 — Faces and franchises: building sub-brands inside FOS 58:00 — The events business and getting Adam Silver on stage 1:04:17 — The NFL deal and why FOS pays for league IP 1:09:05 — FOS Studios and the Netflix Brett Favre film 1:14:37 — Why FOS doesn't charge readers 1:18:28 — Profitability and what comes next 1:22:27 — The exit question: who buys FOS? 1:30:12 — What every media operator should focus on 1:32:11 — What Adam is obsessed with right now
Transcribe →Buy, Integrate, Repeat: Tim Hart on the Playbook Behind Arc's Roll-Up
3w ago01:11:43Tap to summarizeTim Hart is President of the Americas at Arc, the EagleTree-backed B2B events, data, and media platform that has done nine acquisitions in four years and now generates roughly $130 million in revenue across HR, education, financial services, and agriculture. In this conversation, Tim walks through how Arc is organized — a three-layer structure of platforms, communities, and shared services — and makes the case that the post-COVID value in B2B media has permanently shifted away from events-only toward a year-round content and connections model. He gets specific: Arc's revenue is 60% events, 30% marketing services, and 10% memberships and subscriptions, with the subscription line as the fastest-growing segment and a target to double it. Tim breaks down the Touchpoint Markets deal — an unusual intra-PE transfer that brought first-party data and lead gen capabilities into Arc and pushed marketing services revenue from 20% to 30% — the economics of geo-adapting HR Tech Conference from Las Vegas to Amsterdam, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi, and the real P&L behind a $500K hosted buyer summit running at 60–65% gross margin. He also explains why, after running M&A at UBM through the "Events First" era and the £4 billion Informa merger, he believes that strategy was a moment in time — and why Arc is deliberately building the opposite.Timestamps:00:00:00 — Intro 00:01:50 — Tim's career thread: UBM, Informa, Emerald, and why he joined Arc 00:04:13 — Arc's thesis: why these verticals belong together and how the platform is organized 00:14:44 — The subscription bet: DA+, ThinkAdvisor, Credit Union Times Pro, and the push from 10% to 20% 00:18:23 — Inside a hosted buyer summit: $500K revenue at 60–65% gross margin 00:22:06 — Geo-adapting HR Tech from Las Vegas to Amsterdam, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi 00:28:18 — Deal-making lessons from UBM, the Informa integration, and what goes wrong 00:36:30 — Evaluating acquisitions: pricing, founder expectations, and what changes post-close 00:40:35 — The Touchpoint deal: intra-PE mechanics and what the capabilities actually brought to Arc 00:51:13 — Organic growth, launches, and why Arc hasn't done a deal in a year 00:56:35 — Arc by the numbers: $130M revenue, mid-20s EBITDA, and where AI is driving margin 01:02:03 — The exit thesis, the "clean story" question, and why Events First was a moment in time 01:09:39 — Advice for operators and what Tim is obsessed with right now
Transcribe →From Media Company to Crypto's Market Infrastructure: Jason Yanowitz on Blockworks' Transformation
May 501:16:21Tap to summarizeFive years ago, Jason Yanowitz came on the AMO Show running a bootstrapped crypto media and events company doing $25 million in revenue. Since then, he's cut the news division, killed a conference brand, turned over half the company, and rebuilt Blockworks into a data and software platform now valued at $192 million. In this conversation, Jason walks through exactly how that transition happened, what the revenue actually looks like, why his investors asked him to strip media off the P&L, and why he thinks the Substack era is "mostly cope."Chapters:00:00 — Introduction 01:33 — From media company to data platform 06:39 — Cutting news, Permissionless, and half the company 09:33 — Why enterprises replaced investors as the customer 12:44 — Raising at a $192M valuation 18:41 — The three products explained 24:59 — Three-sided monetization and usage-based pricing 32:07 — Are podcasts and events still revenue lines? 37:05 — Should Blockworks kill advertising entirely? 40:00 — The future of news, AI, and print 55:49 — Why Permissionless got cut 58:16 — DAS as an ARR growth engine 01:01:49 — ~$40M ARR, path to $100M by 2028 01:05:32 — M&A: rolling up 50 crypto data companies 01:10:30 — The IPO path 01:13:25 — Why the Substack era is cope 01:14:51 — Advice for operators
Transcribe →Jeff Mancini on Arizent's Intelligence Pivot and the Future of B2B Media
Apr 2801:14:50Tap to summarizeJacob sits down with Jeff Mancini, CEO of Arizent — the B2B information company behind American Banker, The Bond Buyer, Financial Planning, Accounting Today, and three other financial and professional services brands. Jeff joined the company (then SourceMedia) in 2018 as Chief Strategy Officer and took over as CEO in late 2023. In a detailed, numbers-rich conversation, Jeff breaks down how he flipped the revenue mix from 60% marketing services to nearly 50% subscriptions, why he's betting on role-based intelligence products and unlimited enterprise licensing, and how he's centralizing AI operations after watching decentralized experimentation remind him of the early dot-com era. He also shares the post-COVID events mistake that killed a flagship show — and the 30% EBITDA margins and 33% EBITDA growth the business posted last year.
Transcribe →Inside Skift: Rafat Ali on Intelligence-Driven Media and What Comes Next
Apr 2101:19:13Tap to summarizeTakeaways:Rafat Ali discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally transformed his approach to financial resilience and operational strategy.The evolution of Skift's events business towards a more intelligence-driven model is a response to post-pandemic market demands.A key focus for Skift is embracing AI technologies to enhance efficiency and profitability across various business operations.Rafat highlights the necessity of adapting staffing strategies in the context of an increasingly AI-driven workforce.The conversation reveals that Skift has shifted its revenue model, with an emphasis on sponsorships over ticket sales in events.Rafat emphasizes the importance of human connections in business, advocating for a growing focus on events and networking opportunities.
Transcribe →Decoding the Success of HubSpot's Media Ventures with Jonathan Hunt
Apr 1401:11:32Tap to summarizeTakeaways:In our discussion, we addressed the strategic rationale behind HubSpot's acquisitions of media companies, emphasizing the importance of building valuable content properties that cater to high-intent audiences.Jonathan Hunt articulated the significance of measuring the effectiveness of media channels, particularly newsletters and YouTube, in generating software customers for HubSpot's offerings.We explored the notion that audience development has transformed into a more collaborative effort between content creators and businesses, aiming to maximize engagement and revenue generation.The integration of AI technology into the content production process has allowed HubSpot Media to enhance efficiency, enabling the rapid creation and distribution of diverse content formats across multiple platforms.We discussed the necessity for media companies to pivot towards a focus on intent-driven content, rather than merely chasing impressions, in order to foster deeper audience relationships.Jonathan Hunt highlighted the importance of allowing creators the autonomy to drive content direction, as their familiarity with audience preferences often leads to more authentic and engaging material.
Transcribe →The Dispatch's Strategy for Growth: A Deep Dive with Mike Rothman
Apr 701:11:46Tap to summarizeMike Rothman, the President of The Dispatch, engages in an enlightening dialogue with moderator Jacob Donnelly regarding the intricate dynamics of operating a subscription-based media entity amidst the evolving landscape of news consumption. Central to our discussion is the strategic interplay between advertising and member subscriptions, as Rothman elucidates how The Dispatch deftly navigates the challenges of maintaining a membership-first model while incorporating advertising without compromising subscriber value. We delve into the implications of acquiring SCOTUS Blog, which symbolizes a bold step in expanding The Dispatch's influence and content offerings. Furthermore, Rothman shares insights into the company's growth trajectory, marked by a significant uptick in subscriptions and revenue, alongside a commitment to enhancing engagement through innovative events and community-building initiatives. This episode offers a profound examination of the current state and future aspirations of The Dispatch, emphasizing the importance of credibility and thoughtful content in a polarized media environment.Takeaways:The Dispatch operates with a subscription-first model, balancing advertising without compromise.Mike Rothman emphasizes the importance of a direct relationship with customers in media.Significant growth in subscriptions has been achieved through strategic marketing and conversion efforts.The Dispatch aims to expand its B2B offerings, particularly in the legal sector, after acquiring SCOTUS Blog.Community-driven events, known as Juntos, foster deeper member engagement and participation.The overall vision for The Dispatch is to become a household name while maintaining its core values.
Transcribe →Building Value: Louise White's Vision for Sift's Growth and Transformation
Mar 3101:33:30Tap to summarizeThe dialogue between Jacob Donnelly and Louise White, CEO of Sift, encapsulates critical insights into the evolution of a media and events company specializing in the accounting sector. White elucidates her journey from a non-executive director to the helm of Sift, highlighting the company's strategic shift from a subscription-based model to a robust focus on events and marketing services. This change, she argues, was necessitated by the realization that the subscription model was not yielding the desired market engagement or financial returns. Instead, Sift is now poised to leverage its deep-rooted community engagement and proprietary data to drive growth and profitability through events that foster genuine connections within the accounting industry. White's perspective on pricing as a pivotal lever for business growth further underscores her strategic acumen, as she advocates for a pricing model that reflects the true value delivered to clients. Her insights into the operational transformations at Sift provide a blueprint for other media businesses navigating similar challenges in a rapidly changing market landscape.Takeaways:Louise White emphasizes the significance of community engagement and data-driven insights in transforming Sift's business model.The decision to cease the paid subscription service reflects Sift's strategic shift towards enhancing event-driven revenue streams.Effective pricing strategies are crucial for profitability, as they serve as a primary lever for business growth and sustainability.Louise White advocates for understanding customer needs to provide tailored solutions, fostering long-term relationships with clients.Sift's events business has experienced a remarkable growth trajectory, showcasing the value of personalized engagement with vendors and attendees.The importance of continuous transformation in business emphasizes building value through strategic decisions and innovative service offerings.
Transcribe →The Interplay of Media and Events: A Conversation with Questex's CEO
Mar 2401:24:13Tap to summarizePaul Miller, the CEO of Questex, articulates the transformative potential of the B2B media and events industry in this insightful discussion. He explores the pivotal notion that 2026 may herald a significant shift in the mergers and acquisitions landscape, emphasizing Questex's commitment to a mixed model that synergizes media and events. The conversation delves into the strategic rationale behind reducing the number of annual events, shifting focus towards quality and impact, and adapting to evolving market demands. With an eye on both organic growth and acquisitions, Miller outlines Questex's proactive approach to maintaining relevance and driving innovation in sectors such as life sciences and healthcare. The episode culminates in an examination of the company’s robust growth trajectory, underscoring its resilience in an ever-evolving marketplace.
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