Paying Attention

Choy Travers

Paying Attention is a podcast about how media, advertising, technology and commerce are being reshaped by AI. Hosted by Choy Travers, each episode features candid conversations with leaders across publishing, journalism, advertising, brands, adtech and technology; exploring how attention is won, valued and monetised as the internet changes. Featuring leaders from some of the world’s most influential media and technology companies.

Episodes

  1. 2d ago

    What AI Can’t Taste | Vicky Hampton, Amsterdam Foodie

    Vicky Hampton started Amsterdam Foodie on MySpace in 2006. Twenty years on, it’s Tastes, Tannins & Travels by Amsterdam Foodie, an independent food, wine and travel publication. She talks honestly about making an independent site pay, how AI has cut into her copywriting work while helping her rebuild her website, and why lived experience is the one thing AI can’t replicate. We get into: Twenty years of independent publishing, from MySpace to nowHow the site makes money: advertising, affiliates and sponsored contentHow AI hit her day job, and helped her rebrandWhat happens when people ask AI where to eatThe AI-written piece that won a wine writing awardWhat a human writer offers that AI can’tChapters00:00 Intro00:09 From MySpace to Amsterdam Foodie01:49 How blogging has changed02:53 When the hobby became a business04:13 Blogs and Substack05:19 Search and SEO over 20 years06:16 The rebrand07:58 Why readers trust a recommendation09:15 Can food writers make money?10:00 How the site makes money12:33 AI and the day job14:17 When people ask AI where to eat16:08 The AI-written award winner19:35 How Vicky uses AI22:46 What AI can’t replace24:49 Advice for new bloggers26:52 What’s next28:07 Where to find Vicky Find Vicky at amsterdamfoodie.nl Paying Attention is hosted by Choy Travers and explores how media, advertising, technology and commerce are being reshaped by AI.

  2. Oct 21

    Will the Open Web Survive AI? | Andrew Webb, Connectopia

    Andrew Webb has spent over 20 years on the commercial side of publishing, most recently at DMG Media, and now runs Connectopia and the Emerging Tech Network, connecting technology companies with the publishers they want to work with. In this episode of Paying Attention, we talk about why so many tech companies fail to win publishers over, why “build or buy” is no longer the right question, and whether the open web survives AI. We get into: why technology is now both the opportunity and the obstaclewhy tech partners deserve better than being called “vendors”what publishers misunderstand about buying new technologyhow smaller publishers can club together through collective bargaininghis utopian and dystopian visions for media in the AI erawhy publishers need to invest in R&D and own more of their tech stackA conversation about what actually works when new technology meets media. Chapters00:00 Intro00:48 Why tech is both the opportunity and the obstacle01:42 From DMG Media to the tech side02:23 What separates tech companies that break through03:39 Why “vendor” is the wrong word04:28 What publishers misunderstand about buying tech06:53 Reach, Mantis, and why it’s not build or buy08:15 Getting the partnership balance right09:58 Collective bargaining for smaller publishers12:51 Does the open web survive AI?16:10 Utopia vs dystopia for publishing19:46 Connectopia and the Emerging Tech Network21:00 What to pay attention to: R&D and sovereignty Paying Attention is hosted by Choy Travers and explores how media, advertising, technology and commerce are being reshaped by AI.

  3. Oct 14

    How The Sun Hit 12 Billion Video Views in One Year | Helen Philpot

    Helen Philpot is Managing Editor of The Sun, one of the UK’s biggest news brands. In FY26, The Sun generated 12.1 billion video views across its platforms, up 80% year on year. That growth sits inside a much bigger shift in how the newsroom reaches audiences across video, social, creators, subscriptions and AI. In this episode of Paying Attention, Helen explains why “transformation” is a red herring, what it takes to change a newsroom without losing what already works, and why journalism remains fundamentally human in the age of AI. We get into: how The Sun reached 12.1 billion video viewswhy every story now needs to be treated differently across platformstreating every story like a mini business planjournalists becoming creators and the growth of Sun Clubwhy relying on one revenue stream is no longer enoughwhere AI can make a newsroom more efficientwhy AI still can’t replace the work of journalists As Helen puts it: “AI can’t do a doorknock.” A conversation about storytelling, technology and what it takes to keep changing without losing what matters. Chapters 00:00 Intro00:41 From broadcast journalism to Salesforce and back01:58 Why transformation is a red herring03:55 Being multi-channel: the CEO of a story05:54 How video became a strategic priority08:57 What the views actually do for the business11:35 Sun Club and paid subscription13:08 Journalists as creators15:17 Monetisation, the holy grail16:12 The experiments that didn’t land17:30 Where AI helps, and where it never will21:05 What AI can’t do22:18 How AI is changing discovery24:51 Advice for newsrooms starting the shift26:41 What Helen is most excited about28:01 Where to find Helen Paying Attention is hosted by Choy Travers and explores how media, advertising, technology and commerce are being reshaped by AI.

  4. Oct 8

    What Will Force AI to Pay Publishers? | Wei Hsueh, IntentBridges

    Wei Hsueh has spent over a decade in ad tech and publisher monetisation, and is now the founder of IntentBridges and LINC, helping publishers in Asia turn AI access into content licensing revenue. In this episode of Paying Attention, we talk about what happens when AI answers the question, keeps the user, and sends no click back, and why content licensing could become the new value exchange between publishers and the machines reading their work. We get into: why the old content-for-traffic exchange is breakingthe two groups who will pay for publisher contentthe three pressures that will turn licensing into a real marketwhy local and niche publishers still have valuethe first step every publisher should take nowA conversation about the end of the click economy, and who gets paid when machines become the internet's biggest readers. Chapters00:00 Intro00:39 Why Wei started IntentBridges02:59 How AI is changing publisher traffic05:53 Who buys publisher content: consumer vs enterprise AI08:13 Can smaller publishers benefit?10:17 Three pressures that will create a licensing market13:01 When will the market form?14:42 LINC: map, package, commercialise17:14 Asia vs the West: who's organising for AI18:13 Publishing five years from now20:00 The one thing to do now21:03 Where to find Wei Paying Attention is hosted by Choy Travers and explores how media, advertising, technology and commerce are being reshaped by AI.

  5. Sep 30

    Manufacturing Credibility | Brett Cohen, Forbes

    Brett Cohen is Group Vice President of ForbesLive, running the live events behind franchises like the Forbes Under 30 Summit. In 2012, he walked through Times Square pretending to be a celebrity, and the video that followed reached millions. In this episode of Paying Attention, we talk about why that experiment worked, why it matters even more in the age of AI, and why getting attention is one thing, but earning credibility is another. We get into: the Times Square stunt, and the TMZ insight behind itwhy credibility is getting easier to fake as AI floods every feedwhy in-person events are growing as the world goes more digitalwhy a media publisher is really a legacy creatorwhat brands are getting right on socialA conversation about attention, credibility, and what it takes to earn both. Chapters00:00 Intro01:03 The Times Square experiment04:53 Why it worked: the TMZ formula09:04 Manufactured credibility in 202612:18 The thin line between attention and credibility13:50 AI, fakes and who to trust16:20 Attention is up for grabs, and IRL is rising20:36 Designing for unexpected moments at Forbes Under 3022:47 Why events matter more as traffic falls25:17 Publishers as legacy creators, and Forbes' bets30:13 What brands are getting right on social32:27 Final advice: listen to your audience33:22 Where to find Brett Paying Attention is hosted by Choy Travers and explores how media, advertising, technology and commerce are being reshaped by AI.

  6. Sep 23

    The Content AI Can't Replace | Nikos Nakos, IamExpat

    Nikos Nakos has spent over 16 years building IamExpat, one of the leading English-language platforms for internationals in the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland, through the social era, the SEO era, and now the AI era. In this episode of Paying Attention, we talk about what survives when AI answers the question before anyone reaches your website, and why the future for publishers is creating original knowledge rather than repackaging what a machine now does faster. We get into: why "becoming the source" is the only real defence against AIwhat content got hit hardest, and what barely movedhow in-person events and community became IamExpat's strongest assetwhy direct traffic is the metric publishers should obsess overacquiring Dutch News, and betting on original journalismA conversation about building a publishing business that lasts when the old traffic playbook stops working. Chapters00:00 Intro01:04 Building IamExpat: the social, SEO and AI eras04:07 Why they moved away from programmatic ads06:05 What AI hit hardest, and what barely moved07:43 In-person events as the defensible moat09:51 Become the source, don't repackage what AI does better14:01 Advice for less-diversified publishers15:15 Why direct traffic is gold16:10 The zero-click future17:07 New metrics: measuring AI visibility23:07 Keeping the editorial line, not chasing GEO24:13 What's next: news, events, and Dutch News28:26 Final advice for publishers Paying Attention is hosted by Choy Travers and explores how media, advertising, technology and commerce are being reshaped by AI.

  7. Sep 16

    Why AI Needs Advertising | Andrea Tortella

    Why AI Needs Advertising | Andrea Tortella Andrea Tortella is the co-founder and CEO of Thrad, building advertising infrastructure inside AI, and previously worked on advertising at Perplexity. In this episode of Paying Attention, we discuss why Andrea believes advertising can be a force for good, why AI may need advertising to remain broadly accessible, and what he calls “sponsored intelligence.” We get into: why Andrea is obsessed with advertisingwhat he learned working on ads at Perplexitywhy chat interfaces are becoming a new form of advertising inventorywhat “sponsored intelligence” means for the future of AIwhy fewer clicks could reshape the economics of publishinghow publishers might capture value as distribution shifts towards AI agentsthe attribution problem facing AI-native advertisingAnthropic’s anti-AI-ad campaign, and why Andrea loved the creative but disagreed with the argumentwhy one of the most underrated advantages in marketing is speed Andrea’s thesis is that advertising doesn’t have to be something users tolerate. Done well, it can fund access, drive discovery and become part of the value itself. Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:48 From Perplexity to Thrad 04:31 Why advertising can be a force for good 06:46 What is an “AI publisher”? 07:59 Sponsored intelligence 09:34 The death of the click and the zero-click economy 11:37 Publishers, AI and the broken value exchange 12:36 AI-agent advertising, Perplexity and attribution 14:32 Turning AI traffic into a new advertising channel 17:07 Why AI platforms still need publishers 19:13 What AI advertising needs to become mainstream 20:02 Conversational AI as a new advertising channel 21:43 The growth of advertising inside AI 22:42 Anthropic’s anti-AI-ad campaign 24:47 What marketers should be paying attention to 25:02 Why speed is underrated in marketing 26:17 Where to find Andrea Paying Attention is hosted by Choy Travers and explores how media, advertising, AI, adtech and commerce are changing the way attention is won, valued and monetised.

  8. Sep 9

    Publishers Need To Stop Chasing Traffic | Mimmo Palmieri

    Mimmo Palmieri has spent over a decade on the revenue and monetisation side of publishing, including at Condé Nast and the Financial Times, the part of the business most people never see. In this episode of Paying Attention, we discuss why publishers should stop trying to win back lost traffic and start building around value instead. We get into: why the traffic era is endingwhere publishers should invest nexthow AI changes the economics of editorialthe importance of owning the audience relationshipwhat the shift from volume to value means for the P&Lwhy the strongest media brands will become destinations people choose, not pages they stumble ontoA conversation about what publishing looks like when traffic is no longer the main measure of success. Chapters00:00 Intro00:49 How Mimmo got into publishing03:02 What revenue operations actually involves06:35 The toughest time for publishers, inside the P&L09:34 Adapting as page views decline11:00 The three moats: IP, first-party data, relationships13:32 Where the damage hits first16:32 Affiliate revenue and the AI risk18:00 The "AIdvertorial": advertising for bots20:33 Using AI to multiply editorial23:07 AI platforms as the interface to audiences24:56 From volume to value, and proving value28:16 Why media planning cycles collapsed30:00 The shift to predictable revenue32:08 What to stop and start investing in34:13 Who's doing it well36:40 What most people get wrong38:23 Where to find Mimmo Paying Attention is hosted by Choy Travers and explores how media, advertising, AI, adtech and commerce are changing the way attention is won, valued and monetised.

  • 8 Episodes

About

Paying Attention is a podcast about how media, advertising, technology and commerce are being reshaped by AI. Hosted by Choy Travers, each episode features candid conversations with leaders across publishing, journalism, advertising, brands, adtech and technology; exploring how attention is won, valued and monetised as the internet changes. Featuring leaders from some of the world’s most influential media and technology companies.

Information

  • Creator
    Choy Travers
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Choy Travers
  • Show Website
    Paying Attention