independent-media
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The PR Firm That Stopped Spinning and Started Calling Things Out
For twenty-five years, Eric Starkman sold companies a reporter's eye for the sentence that would not survive scrutiny. Then he decided the more interesting business was scrutiny itself.
What Creators Can Steal From the Grief Podcast That Built a Reported $30 Million Company
Lemonada began with two women, two lost brothers and one costly narrative show. Six years later, a format pivot, host-read ads and famous-but-human conversations helped produce a majority-stake deal reportedly worth about $30 million.
Ghost
Ghost is an open-source publishing platform that lets writers, journalists and creators run a website, send email newsletters and sell paid memberships from one place. Built on Node.js and released under the MIT license, it is stewarded by the nonprofit Ghost Foundation and funded entirely by its users through Ghost(Pro) managed hosting - taking 0% of creators' subscription revenue.
The Ankler
The Ankler (Ankler Media) is an independent, subscription-driven media company covering the business of Hollywood and the collision of entertainment, media and technology. Founded as a one-man newsletter by Richard Rushfield in 2017 and expanded into a full media company with former Hollywood Reporter/Billboard chief Janice Min as CEO in 2022, it has grown into a multi-platform operation of roughly 15 newsletters, podcasts, video and live events - read by studio chiefs and moguls it covers, raised $1.5M at a $20M valuation via Y Combinator, and reportedly aiming for $10M in annual revenue in 2026.
Substack
Substack is a subscription publishing platform that lets writers, podcasters, and video creators run paid newsletters and own the direct relationship with their readers. Founded in 2017, the company hosts thousands of paid publications, processes hundreds of millions in subscription revenue annually, and has become the default home for independent media on the internet.