Mark’s Marketecture: Last week, I joined the fine folks at Marketecture on their podcast, which you can watch in full here. In conversation with Ari Paparo and guest host Paul Knegten, we discussed why Ziff Davis is still buying digital media brands, the Vox Media bake-off, and the rise of dark social.
Taste’s Takes: After speaking with Taste co-founder Matt Rodbard last week, I went a bit deeper on its business, which is nearing a seven-figure revenue as a one-man operation. Although Matt does not consider himself a creator, the brand he has built at Taste epitomizes the way new media companies are increasingly born out of creator enterprises. He also, controversially, does not post full videos of his podcasts, an increasingly contrarian take that I was keen to dive into.
Pulled Quotes
“So last year I told our teams, ‘Assume there’s no search.’ You have to have your businesses planned as if search is zero.”
Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch, talking to TBPN about Google Zero
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“This is a TV screen, but right now, no one’s making television for it.”
YouTube creator Kareem Rahma, referring to cell phones
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“The email was said to be from ‘Kevin AKA Boss Man.’ It was sent by Hart’s assistant.”
Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw, on the implosion of Kevin Hart’s production company
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“We noticed three or four videos in a row, when Forrest was showing turtles, the viewers were just kind of disengaged, and they were leaving.”
YouTube consultant Paddy Galloway, one of a growing cohort of creator whisperers
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Quote/Unquote
Andrew Perlman is the CEO of Recurrent Ventures, a private equity-backed media roll-up I covered extensively two years ago. Now, following a series of commercial and editorial shifts, the company is profitable, growing, and focusing its efforts on creators, video, and events.
Last week, Recurrent Ventures sold the home division of its portfolio—Dwell, Domino, and Business of Home, along with PopSci—to Ziff Davis for an undisclosed sum, whose value one source estimated at below $20 million. Following the spin-off, Recurrent is positioned to focus on its two strongest verticals, auto and military, and has a slate of new programming set to premiere across streaming platforms throughout the year.
This interview has been edited.
Mark Stenberg: The Ziff Davis deal closed earlier this month. What does it unlock for Recurrent, and how would you characterize the company today versus a couple of years ago?
