Platform Evolution & Content Strategy in the age of AI with Ken Blom

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome Jonah Goodhart, Co-Founder and CEO of Mobian. In our discussion, MSG and Jonah discuss:Jonah’s career journey from founding early internet ventures to co-creating Right Media, Moat, and now MobianLessons from building and scaling companies that reshaped digital advertising, measurement, and verificationWhy attention—not impressions—is the scarcest resource in today’s media ecosystemHow Moat pioneered viewability and attention analytics, and what it taught about publisher–advertiser dynamicsThe disruptive impact of AI on brand safety, verification, and the contextual value of contentHow publishers are losing monetization opportunities due to misclassified “unsafe” inventory—and what can be done about itWhy context, data, and content remain critical assets in an AI-first worldThe future of publishing, personalization, and community in a zero-click environmentAnd more.New episodes of The Community Exchange Podcast are released each week. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts to get the latest right in your feed.

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome Sam Mellor - VP, Marketing and Commercial Growth, NA, BBC. In our discussion, MSG and Sam discuss:Sam’s career journey as a transformation marketer, leading organizations through inflection points across sports, media, and entertainmentThe role of strategy, mission clarity, and organizational design in navigating change and growthHow the BBC translates brand value into measurable outcomes for both audiences and advertisersWhy prioritizing the end user is critical in building loyalty, trust, and long-term engagementThe disruptive impact of AI, Google Zero, and shifting search behaviors on publishing and media modelsThe need for publishers and AI companies to establish new frameworks for data use, content value, and accountabilityWhy community, storytelling, and brand ecosystems are key to sustainable audience relationshipsHer outlook on the future of media, including personalization, platform diversity, and the role of friction in driving innovationAnd more.New episodes of The Community Exchange Podcast are released each week. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts to get the latest right in your feed.

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome Ken Blom, Chief Business Officer at BuzzFeed. In our discussion, MSG and Ken discuss:Ken’s career path from search and agency work to joining BuzzFeed in its early social-first daysLessons from scaling BuzzFeed through the rise of Facebook distribution, Tasty, and branded contentThe challenges of platform dependency and what publishers can learn from the “Facebook era”How affiliate and commerce revenue models evolved into major drivers for digital mediaThe disruptive impact of AI, LLMs, and “Google Zero” on traffic, discovery, and publisher economicsWhy attribution, data access, and payment marketplaces will define publisher–AI relationshipsThe role of community, creators, and brand-owned platforms in building sustainable engagementWhat the next generation of publishing innovation may look like, from apps to the “agentic web” And more.

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome Nina Gould, Chief Innovation Officer at Forbes.In our discussion, MSG and Nina discuss:Nina’s career journey from designer and coder at Forbes.com to Chief Product Officer and now Chief Innovation OfficerThe shift from print to digital and how legacy publishers adapted business models and workflowsProduct’s unique role sitting between editorial, business, and technology inside media companiesWhy innovation in publishing must go beyond “cool tech” and focus on solving real business and audience problemsHow AI, GenAI, and “Google Zero” are reshaping audience expectations, traffic, and discoveryThe rising importance of personalization, community, and user experience in digital publishingWhich engagement metrics matter most for measuring content success in today’s environmentThe need to reinvent advertising models for a post-scale era, focusing on engagement and valueAnd more.New episodes of The Community Exchange Podcast are released each week. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts to get the latest right in your feed.

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome Tatyana Zlotsky, CEO at A Place for Mom.In our discussion, MSG and Tatyana discuss:Tatyana’s career journey from marketing leadership at American Express to becoming CEO of A Place for MomLessons from building customer-centric innovation at scale, including launching Small Business SaturdayThe evolution of performance marketing and what today’s shifts in channels mean for brands and publishersHow content, data, and SEO can serve as strategic growth engines for any businessThe role of community and trust in building enduring consumer relationshipsRebranding lessons: moving beyond spokespeople to creating authentic, mission-driven brand identitiesThe disruptive impact of AI, Google Zero, and changing user behavior on traffic and discoveryWhy the future of marketing and publishing depends on trust, transparency, and proactive planningAnd more.

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome Jim Daily, CEO at OpenWeb. In our discussion, Jim and MSG cover:Jim’s journey from aspiring golf pro to global ad tech executive and CEO of OpenWebScaling Teads from a $10M French startup to a $700M global business and lessons from hypergrowthThe importance of hiring smarter people, empowering teams, and building disruptive productsThe shift from centralized platforms to decentralized publisher-owned communitiesAI disruption, the threat of “Google Zero,” and the future of traffic, monetization, and publisher sustainabilityThe untapped value of comments, user engagement data, and potential AI data marketplacesRunning global teams across multiple time zones and culturesBuilding sustainability for publishers through first-party engagement, distinct audience experiences, and vibrant communitiesAnd more.

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome Pam Wasserstein, President and Vice Chair at Vox Media. In our discussion, MSG and Pam discuss:Pam’s journey from Harvard Law to M&A, private equity, and creative leadership at Tribeca Enterprises, New York Magazine, and Vox MediaLessons from leading New York Magazine’s digital transformation and brand portfolio expansionThe 2019 Vox Media–New York Magazine merger and building a diversified revenue model across content, commerce, and subscriptionsHow publishers can navigate AI disruption, copyright challenges, and shifting value exchanges with platformsThe threat of “Google Zero” and strategies for reducing platform dependencyThe enduring importance of journalism in the age of misinformation and AI-generated contentCommunity building through SB Nation’s sports fandom networks and audience engagementWhy first-party relationships and differentiated experiences matter more than ever in publishingAnd more.Check out all of our other conversations from Season 3 for great conversations with industry experts.

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome Jessica Giles, Managing Director, Media and Publishing, Code and Theory. In our discussion, MSG and Jess discuss:Jess’s unconventional path from film school to brand strategy leadership via The New Yorker, Vogue, and Condé NastThe early magazine media and leadership lessons from Condé Nast cultureEvolving brand strategy for publishers in the digital age and shifting away from platform dependencyThe role of first-party data, loyalty loops, and closed ecosystems in audience engagement and monetizationCommunity-building and utility-focused product design as under-leveraged assets for publishersThe disruptive impact of AI and LLMs on lifestyle content, content parity, and search behaviorWhat makes a differentiated content experience in a commoditized internetHer outlook on the next generation of creative leadership in media and publishingAnd more.Check out all of our other conversations from Season 3 for great conversations with industry experts.

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome Louise Story, Chief Executive Officer at Atlas Obscura. In our discussion, Louise and MSG cover:Louise’s rise from award-winning investigative journalist to Chief Product & Technology Officer and now CEO of Atlas ObscuraHow Google and social algorithms reshaped newsrooms, and why AI may flip the script againWhy “new news” is now more valuable than ever in the age of LLMsChallenges facing publishers reliant on evergreen or repackaged contentShifts in user behavior around search, queries, and the desire for answersLessons from building product, editorial, and tech at legacy media giantsWhat content companies must do to survive in a post-cookie, post-search worldThe power of community contribution, curiosity, and mission-driven journalismAnd more.New episodes of The Community Exchange Podcast are released each week. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts to get the latest right in your feed.

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome Bridget Williams, Chief Product and Strategy Officer at Hearst Newspapers. In our discussion, MSG and Bridget discuss:Bridget’s dynamic 20+ year career across Business Insider, startups, and ultimately Hearst NewspapersThe rebirth of local journalism and its national relevanceBuilding digital products for real communities — not just consumersBridging editorial and product strategy in a legacy newsroomHow AI is powering new experiences for local reportingThe importance of first-party data in a cookie-less futureHearst’s innovative DevHub and tools like Assembly for government transparencyCreating data-driven advertising opportunities for local businessesThe vision for journalism in an age of mistrust and AIAnd more.New episodes of The Community Exchange Podcast are released each week. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts to get the latest right in your feed.