Description

As a digital media executive with an entrepreneurial streak, Joe Purzycki has his pulse on the latest developments in this evolving field. Purzycki, who started his career with marketing roles at MySpace and Vox Media, saw value in subscription-based models that did not solely rely on advertising revenue. Along with a group of entrepreneurs, he launched the award-winning podcasting business, Luminary Media, in 2019.

Early last year, Purzycki crossed paths with Jon Kelly, a media veteran who cut his teeth under the legendary Vanity Fair editor-in-chief, Graydon Carter. The duo shared ideas about a new venture, and quickly agreed on an idea that would enable their content creators to have a stake in the startup. In the last decade, there have been several high profile startups that have gained traction—Vox Media, Buzzfeed, Politico, Axios—to name a few. Some thrive, some fizzle, and others get acquired by large media conglomerates.

“Just as Napster had deconstructed traditional albums into individual songs in the aughts, social media platforms were unbundling magazines into articles,” Kelly wrote on Puck about the founding of the company. “…the music industry had boomeranged back in the streaming age by leveraging the powerful connection between artists and their audiences to create a subscription-based business model, which helped listeners to discover other artists that they might like along the way. Journalists, perhaps the original influencers, were due for the same transformation.”

Thus, Puck, which is named after a Shakespearean character, was born in 2021. Puck’s journalists are partners in the enterprise, which focuses on the unique intersection of power centers such as Hollywood, Silicon Valley, Washington, and Wall Street.

“There is an elite group of journalists who want to be long-form writers, column writers, newsletters writers and want to have a direct connection with the large audiences they’ve amassed on social channels,” Kelly told Bloomberg.com. “We wanted to create a platform and company that offers the best of all these worlds to the type of creators who value it most.”

Joe Purzycki, who helped launch Vox Media, is now the CEO in charge of scaling Puck. In just a year since its founding, Puck is one of the brightest online news sites providing intelligent and thought provoking commentary in a serious, dignified manner.

Joe Purzycki will join the Club for an exclusive conversation as Puck celebrates its one-year anniversary in mid-September. Joe will discuss innovation in the digital landscape, scaling the company, challenges and opportunities, and much more. Join us for this insightful conversation.

Participants must register by Noon on September 13th to receive details on joining the discussion. The Zoom link will be sent out 24 hours before the event.

Please note that no refunds will be issued.