audience ownership

Don’t Just Make Videos: Build a Creator Media Company | Roberto Blake #687

~ Rob Greenlee ~ Leave a comment

Getting views, streams, and downloads is not the same as building a business. Subscribers aren’t automatically customers, and a successful YouTube channel doesn’t necessarily mean you have built something sustainable.

New Media Show with Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee and Guest: Roberto BlakeIn New Media Show #687, Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee talks with Creator, Educator, Author, and Entrepreneur Roberto Blake, founder of Awesome Creator Academy, about what comes after becoming a content creator and why more creators need to think of themselves as independent media companies rather than defining themselves by one format or platform.

Roberto argues that being a podcaster, YouTuber, streamer, or blogger is increasingly just a distribution choice. The bigger issue is the value you create, the audience relationship you build, and what you actually own.

We get into the shift from audio-first thinking to broader creator media, why professionalism is more about preparation and performance than polished production, and how AI is changing the economics of being a creator.

Roberto sees some of the strongest uses of AI in the operational work around content, including research, data analysis, transcription, organization, editing workflows, and other tasks that can free creators to spend more time on judgment, ideas, and relationships.

A major part of the conversation is about turning attention into a real business.

Roberto describes his framework as “reach, reputation, revenue,” or in a business context, “traffic, trust, transaction.” Getting attention is only the beginning. The real value comes from earning trust and then creating products, services, memberships, intellectual property, or other business models around that relationship.

We also talk about what creators should own. That includes their brand, intellectual property, expertise, direct audience relationships, and the parts of the business that can survive changes at YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or any other platform.

Roberto breaks creator businesses into three broad paths: entertainer, lifestyle brand, and thought leader, with different revenue and growth opportunities for each.

The conversation goes much deeper into AI, human creativity, likeness rights, AI labeling, and synthetic AI media.

Why Roberto believes the bigger risk isn’t simply AI-generated entertainment, but the potential misuse of synthetic media by institutions or people trying to manipulate audiences.

The larger point is simple:

Creators should stop thinking only about the next piece of content and start thinking about what they are building around it.

Key Topics:
– Moving from content creator to independent media company
– Why podcasting, YouTube, and streaming are becoming distribution choices
– Audio-first versus audio-only thinking
– Professionalism versus production polish
– Using AI for creator operations, research, editing, and workflow
– Reach, reputation, and revenue
– Traffic, trust, and transaction
– Building direct audience relationships
– Owning your brand, expertise, and intellectual property
– Entertainer, lifestyle brand, and thought-leader business models
– Building revenue beyond platform advertising
– Why taste and personality may become more important as AI lowers the skill barrier
– Human authenticity and real-world connection
– AI likeness, voice cloning, and long-term IP value
– AI labeling and the risks of treating every use of AI the same way
– Awesome Creator Academy and Roberto’s approach to creator growth

Guest: Roberto Blake
Creator, entrepreneur, educator, and founder of Awesome Creator Academy

Roberto Blake
https://robertoblake.com

Awesome Creator Academy
https://www.awesomecreatoracademy.com

YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@robertoblake

Host: Rob Greenlee

AI Disclosure

AI tools helped organize and edit this episode and create the above show notes from the completed Episode #687 transcript. The conversation, perspectives, editorial direction, and final editing were performed, and responsibility for the episode remains human-led. The New Media Show is human-hosted.

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Podcast Growth and Discovery in 2026 | Arielle Nissenblatt #655

~ Rob Greenlee ~ Leave a comment

Podcast discovery feels harder in 2026, not because creators stopped trying, but because attention is now split across podcast apps, YouTube, short-form video feeds, newsletters, and search-driven recommendations.

On this recorded episode of the New Media Show, host Rob Greenlee shares the screen and a microphone with Arielle Nissenblatt, 2026 Podcast Hall of Famer and Founder of EarBuds Podcast Collective and Head of Community and Content at Pinwheel by Audily, to break down what is actually changing right now and what creators can still do that consistently grows audience and trust.

“Arielle brings a listener-first, creator-first perspective that cuts through the noise. Platforms matter, but they are not the whole story. If a show is not clearly positioned, consistently delivered, and genuinely recommendable, the best metadata in the world will not create retention.”

This episode focuses on the practical middle ground: respect the power of platforms, but build your growth strategy around behaviors you can control.

“A big part of that conversation is Apple’s renewed push into video podcasts and what an HLS-based video experience signals for the direction of distribution.”

Rob frames it as part of a broader convergence toward a unified listen-and-watch experience, where measurement and monetization are easier for platforms when content is native.

“Arielle agrees that video is becoming an important top-of-funnel entry point, not because every show should be video-first, but because platforms can more easily optimize what they can see, track, and sell.”

We also talk through Spotify’s monetization strategy and what it means when major platforms keep building native paths to get paid. The underlying point is that creators need to understand the economics behind product decisions.

“The more platforms own the experience, the more they can shape the rules of distribution, monetization, and visibility.”

Then we get into the part that matters most for working creators: what still works.

“Arielle argues that recommendation culture remains one of the most underused growth engines in podcasting. Word of mouth, curated lists, and community flywheels can outperform algorithm chasing, especially for shows that serve a clear audience with a clear promise.”

That is exactly why EarBuds has remained durable for years in a market that constantly reinvents itself.

“Human curation is still a superpower because it creates trusted signals that travel even when platforms turn the knobs.”

Community comes up too, with a reality check. Not every show needs a community, and not every audience wants one.

“The test is whether people are already reaching for a deeper connection and shared identity around your content. When that demand exists, the community can compound trust and retention. When it does not, forcing it can drain your energy and distract you from the actual product, the show.”

If you are building in 2026, the creators who win are not the ones who panic-switch formats every quarter.

They are the ones who lock in a format strategy, build audience ownership where possible, and package their content for multiple environments without losing the core promise that makes listeners return.

Quick answers people are searching for:

Is podcast discovery broken in 2026?
It is fragmented. People discover shows across apps, video platforms, newsletters, and search experiences, so creators need packaging that works across multiple paths.

Do I need a video to grow a podcast?
Not always. Video is becoming a common entry point, but growth still comes from clarity, consistency, and ease of recommendation.

What is the fastest reliable growth lever right now?
Recommendation loops: collaborations, curated lists, newsletters, and audience sharing that create real trust signals.

What should creators prioritize this year?
Format strategy, audience ownership, cross-platform packaging, and a repeatable workflow you can sustain.

Show and Guest Links:

Host Rob Greenlee
https://robgreenlee.com/ (Rob Greenlee)
New Media Show
https://newmediashow.com/ (New Media Show)
Rob Greenlee Live Podcasts
https://robgreenlee.com/live-podcasts/ (Rob Greenlee)
Rob Greenlee & New Media Show YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@RobGreenlee (Rob Greenlee)
Spoken Human Show – YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@spokenhuman (Rob Greenlee)
LinkedIn – Rob Greenlee
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robgreenlee (Rob Greenlee)
Instagram – Rob Greenlee
https://www.instagram.com/robwgreenlee (Rob Greenlee)
X.com – Rob Greenlee
https://x.com/robgreenlee (Rob Greenlee)
Adore Podcast Network
https://AdoreNetwork.com (Rob Greenlee)
Podcast Hall of Fame
https://PodcastHall.com (Rob Greenlee)

Guest Arielle Nissenblatt
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/arielle-nissenblatt
EarBuds Podcast Collective:
https://earbuds.audio/
Pinwheel by Audily:
https://pinwheelshows.com/

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Podcast (audio): Play in new window | Download

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