The Business of Content with Simon Owens

Simon Owens
  • 4.8 (29)
  • NEWS COMMENTARY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The show about how publishers create, distribute, and monetize their digital content.

  1. 6H AGO

    From Hedge Fund Analyst to Independent Publisher: How Asian Century Stocks Built a Six-Figure Research Business

    My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/   Michael Fritzell doesn't fit the typical profile of a newsletter writer. Before launching Asian Century Stocks, he spent 15 years inside the machinery of global finance — working in investment banking and eventually managing money for a wealthy family in Singapore. A Swedish native who studied Chinese at Peking University, Michael built a career analyzing overlooked equities across China and Southeast Asia. When he struck out on his own to launch the Asian Century Stocks newsletter in 2021, he wasn't experimenting with a side hustle — he was walking away from a traditional finance track to build a niche media business focused on Asian stocks that most Western investors ignore Launched on Substack and now operating independently, Asian Century Stocks sells in-depth, 40- to 60-page research reports to paying subscribers, many of whom are professional investors accustomed to paying banks tens of thousands of dollars a year for comparable research. Michael positioned himself as a bridge between local Asian markets and global capital — offering deeply reported, independent analysis without the conflicts that often accompany sell-side research. In an interview, he explained how he went from anonymous finance professional to six-figure recurring revenue newsletter operator, why he ultimately left Substack for Ghost, and what it takes to monetize serious financial research in a tightly regulated industry.

    42 min

  2. 1D AGO

    How a former hedge fund analyst built a six-figure newsletter covering Asia's overlooked stocks

    My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/   Michael Fritzell doesn't fit the typical profile of a newsletter writer. Before launching Asian Century Stocks, he spent 15 years inside the machinery of global finance — working in investment banking, buy-side firms, and eventually managing money for a wealthy family in Singapore. A Swedish native who studied Chinese at Peking University, Michael built a career analyzing overlooked equities across China and Southeast Asia. When he struck out on his own to launch the Asian Century Stocks newsletter in 2021, he wasn't experimenting with a side hustle — he was walking away from a traditional finance track to build a niche media business focused on Asian stocks that most Western investors ignore   Launched on Substack and now operating independently, Asian Century Stocks sells in-depth, 40- to 60-page research reports to paying subscribers, many of whom are professional investors accustomed to paying banks tens of thousands of dollars a year for comparable research. Michael positioned himself as a bridge between local Asian markets and global capital — offering deeply reported, independent analysis without the conflicts that often accompany sell-side research.    In an interview, he explained how he went from anonymous finance professional to six-figure recurring revenue newsletter operator, why he ultimately left Substack for Ghost, and what it takes to monetize serious financial research in a tightly regulated industry.

    42 min

  3. FEB 18

    He Shut Down Time's Moscow Bureau. Then He Built His Own Magazine

    My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/   In 2011, as the golden era of glossy newsweeklies was fading, former Time correspondent Nathan Thornburgh made a bet that serious journalism didn't have to look the way it always had. Alongside food writer Matt Goulding, he launched Roads & Kingdoms as a scrappy Tumblr experiment, using food as a gateway into geopolitics, history, and culture   Over the next decade, Roads & Kingdoms evolved from a bootstrapped digital publication into a creative hub for Anthony Bourdain—who invested in the company and used it as a base for ambitious editorial and branded projects. After Bourdain's death in 2018, the outlet was forced to reinvent itself. Nathan and Matt shrank the operation and rebuilt it around high-end culinary travel experiences. Now, they're relaunching the media arm with a membership-driven model and an annual print magazine   In a recent interview, Nathan reflected on the collapse of legacy media, the perils and possibilities of brand-funded journalism, and why he believes independent, reader-supported publishing offers a more durable path forward.

    1h 5m

  4. FEB 16

    How a small journalism nonprofit is holding the largest pharma companies to account

    My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/   For decades, Diane Salvatore helped lead some of America's most recognizable magazine brands, including Consumer Reports, where rigorous product testing and consumer safety were core to the mission. Now, as executive director of the MedShadow Foundation, she's applying that same watchdog mentality to one of the most opaque corners of the marketplace: prescription and over-the-counter drugs.    In a recent interview, Diane walked through how MedShadow operates as a nonprofit investigative newsroom, its expansion into social media video, and its plan to build a donor-supported model that funds independent health journalism.

    1h 4m

  5. FEB 13

    Should the media be afraid of Google Zero?

    My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/   For today's episode I spoke to Jim Louderback, the writer behind a newsletter called Inside the Creator Economy   Jim is a longtime media veteran who started out in magazine publishing and then eventually made his way over to the Creator Economy. He spent several years running Vidcon, the annual event where the world's biggest YouTubers connect with their fans, and he now helps organize creator economy events all over the world, including the 1 Billion Followers summit in Dubai.   In our discussion, we covered a wide range of media topics. We discussed whether media companies were overreacting from the threat of Google Zero, why athletes are the new super creators, and how YouTube will slowly devour Hollywood.

    1 hr

  6. FEB 9

    A couple teenagers launched a media company that now drives 240 billion annual views

    My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/   Kit Chilvers started posting memes on Instagram when he was 14, treating the platform like a video game and obsessing over what made posts take off. A decade later, that experimentation has turned into Pubity Group, a bootstrapped social media company with roughly 170 million followers and hundreds of billions of annual views.    In a recent interview, Kit broke down how he cracked early Instagram growth, why wholesomeness turned out to be a massive business opportunity, and how he's trying to turn platform-native virality into durable media brands, original franchises, and real revenue.

    49 min

  7. JAN 28

    This company wants to fix the broken economics of standup comedy

    My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/   In some ways, it's never been a better time to be a standup comedian. In previous eras, aspiring standups had to slowly make their way up through the industry by performing in open mic nights and small venues, but now a few viral video clips on Instagram or TikTok can instantly thrust a new comedian into the spotlight.   But even if a standup has millions of followers on social media, it can be difficult to monetize their fanbase. There's no easy way to alert followers in a certain geographic area that you're performing at a local venue, and social media moderation algorithms consistently throttle reach, especially if a comedian talks about controversial topics.   Danny Frenkel and a co-founder launched Punchup in 2023 to solve these problems. His platform allows comedians to place their video content behind a gate that collects users' email addresses and locations. It also allows venues to sell tickets to events directly through Punchup. Comedians can even directly sell their standup specials on the site. Punchup has already attracted several big name comedians to its network, including  Shane Gillis and Tom Segura,    In a recent interview, Danny walked through the economics of standup comedy, explained how his experience selling ads on Meta informed Punchup's service offerings, and outlined his longterm ambitions for the platform.

    1 hr

  8. JAN 27

    How a few college students bootstrapped one of the largest sports media websites in the world

    My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/   In today's episode, we're speaking to Suryansh Tibarewala, the co-founder of Essentially Sports.   EssentiallySports began in 2014 as a bootstrapped passion project started by Suryansh and his co-founders while they were college students in India. It started as a simple WordPress site focused on tennis and Formula One. The site ran for four to five years with virtually no revenue, relying largely on volunteer contributors.    But then in 2018, the site's founders decided to quit their day jobs and go all in. They expanded the sports coverage, found reliable advertising partners, and eventually grew EssentiallySports into one of the largest sports sites ranked by Comscore – all without raising outside capital.   In a recent interview, Suryansh walked through the site's early days, its expansion into US sports, and its B2B live events strategy.

    55 min
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4.8
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29 Ratings

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The show about how publishers create, distribute, and monetize their digital content.

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