The Business of Content with Simon Owens

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How a former hedge fund analyst built a six-figure newsletter covering Asia's overlooked stocks Feb 25, 2026

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My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/

Michael Fritzell doesn't fit the typical profile of a newsletter writer. Before launching Asian Century Stocks, he spent 15 years inside the machinery of global finance — working in investment banking, buy-side firms, and eventually managing money for a wealthy family in Singapore. A Swedish native who studied Chinese at Peking University, Michael built a career analyzing overlooked equities across China and Southeast Asia. When he struck out on his own to launch the Asian Century Stocks newsletter in 2021, he wasn't experimenting with a side hustle — he was walking away from a traditional finance track to build a niche media business focused on Asian stocks that most Western investors ignore

Launched on Substack and now operating independently, Asian Century Stocks sells in-depth, 40- to 60-page research reports to paying subscribers, many of whom are professional investors accustomed to paying banks tens of thousands of dollars a year for comparable research. Michael positioned himself as a bridge between local Asian markets and global capital — offering deeply reported, independent analysis without the conflicts that often accompany sell-side research.

In an interview, he explained how he went from anonymous finance professional to six-figure recurring revenue newsletter operator, why he ultimately left Substack for Ghost, and what it takes to monetize serious financial research in a tightly regulated industry.

He Shut Down Time's Moscow Bureau. Then He Built His Own Magazine Feb 18, 2026

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In 2011, as the golden era of glossy newsweeklies was fading, former Time correspondent Nathan Thornburgh made a bet that serious journalism didn't have to look the way it always had. Alongside food writer Matt Goulding, he launched Roads & Kingdoms as a scrappy Tumblr experiment, using food as a gateway into geopolitics, history, and culture

Over the next decade, Roads & Kingdoms evolved from a bootstrapped digital publication into a creative hub for Anthony Bourdain—who invested in the company and used it as a base for ambitious editorial and branded projects. After Bourdain's death in 2018, the outlet was forced to reinvent itself. Nathan and Matt shrank the operation and rebuilt it around high-end culinary travel experiences. Now, they're relaunching the media arm with a membership-driven model and an annual print magazine

In a recent interview, Nathan reflected on the collapse of legacy media, the perils and possibilities of brand-funded journalism, and why he believes independent, reader-supported publishing offers a more durable path forward.

How a small journalism nonprofit is holding the largest pharma companies to account Feb 16, 2026

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For decades, Diane Salvatore helped lead some of America's most recognizable magazine brands, including Consumer Reports, where rigorous product testing and consumer safety were core to the mission. Now, as executive director of the MedShadow Foundation, she's applying that same watchdog mentality to one of the most opaque corners of the marketplace: prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

In a recent interview, Diane walked through how MedShadow operates as a nonprofit investigative newsroom, its expansion into social media video, and its plan to build a donor-supported model that funds independent health journalism.

Should the media be afraid of Google Zero? Feb 13, 2026

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My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/

For today's episode I spoke to Jim Louderback, the writer behind a newsletter called Inside the Creator Economy

Jim is a longtime media veteran who started out in magazine publishing and then eventually made his way over to the Creator Economy. He spent several years running Vidcon, the annual event where the world's biggest YouTubers connect with their fans, and he now helps organize creator economy events all over the world, including the 1 Billion Followers summit in Dubai.

In our discussion, we covered a wide range of media topics. We discussed whether media companies were overreacting from the threat of Google Zero, why athletes are the new super creators, and how YouTube will slowly devour Hollywood.

A couple teenagers launched a media company that now drives 240 billion annual views Feb 09, 2026

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My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/

Kit Chilvers started posting memes on Instagram when he was 14, treating the platform like a video game and obsessing over what made posts take off. A decade later, that experimentation has turned into Pubity Group, a bootstrapped social media company with roughly 170 million followers and hundreds of billions of annual views.

In a recent interview, Kit broke down how he cracked early Instagram growth, why wholesomeness turned out to be a massive business opportunity, and how he's trying to turn platform-native virality into durable media brands, original franchises, and real revenue.

This company wants to fix the broken economics of standup comedy Jan 28, 2026

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My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/

In some ways, it's never been a better time to be a standup comedian. In previous eras, aspiring standups had to slowly make their way up through the industry by performing in open mic nights and small venues, but now a few viral video clips on Instagram or TikTok can instantly thrust a new comedian into the spotlight.

But even if a standup has millions of followers on social media, it can be difficult to monetize their fanbase. There's no easy way to alert followers in a certain geographic area that you're performing at a local venue, and social media moderation algorithms consistently throttle reach, especially if a comedian talks about controversial topics.

Danny Frenkel and a co-founder launched Punchup in 2023 to solve these problems. His platform allows comedians to place their video content behind a gate that collects users' email addresses and locations. It also allows venues to sell tickets to events directly through Punchup. Comedians can even directly sell their standup specials on the site. Punchup has already attracted several big name comedians to its network, including Shane Gillis and Tom Segura,

In a recent interview, Danny walked through the economics of standup comedy, explained how his experience selling ads on Meta informed Punchup's service offerings, and outlined his longterm ambitions for the platform.

How a few college students bootstrapped one of the largest sports media websites in the world Jan 27, 2026

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My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/

In today's episode, we're speaking to Suryansh Tibarewala, the co-founder of Essentially Sports.

EssentiallySports began in 2014 as a bootstrapped passion project started by Suryansh and his co-founders while they were college students in India. It started as a simple WordPress site focused on tennis and Formula One. The site ran for four to five years with virtually no revenue, relying largely on volunteer contributors.

But then in 2018, the site's founders decided to quit their day jobs and go all in. They expanded the sports coverage, found reliable advertising partners, and eventually grew EssentiallySports into one of the largest sports sites ranked by Comscore – all without raising outside capital.

In a recent interview, Suryansh walked through the site's early days, its expansion into US sports, and its B2B live events strategy.

This social-first news outlet turned street interviews into a 600,000-subscriber YouTube channel Jan 21, 2026

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My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/

Roca News was founded on a simple premise: so much of news now is consumed on social platforms, with fewer and fewer internet users clicking through to article pages. After launching in 2020, it gained its initial success on Instagram, where it amassed hundreds of thousands of followers by distilling important news stories into swipeable images. It then launched a daily newsletter that's since grown to over 200,000 subscribers.

Most recently, the company has invested heavily in its YouTube channel, sending its on-camera hosts to far-flung locations to interview everyday people about their unique experiences. Each video racks up hundreds of thousands of views, and the channel has grown to close to 600,000 subscribers in a little over a year.

In a recent interview, co-founders Max Towey and Max Frost recounted Roca's origin story, walked through its initial Instagram strategy, and explained how they invented a unique documentary format for their YouTube channel.

How a 45-year-old magazine is building a B2B media empire Jan 19, 2026

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My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/

When Shane Greer took over the magazine Campaigns & Elections in 2011, it was in a sorry state.

Founded back in 1980, the outlet had once been the gold standard for reporting on the political operatives who help candidates and corporations influence elections.

But by 2011, the magazine was limping along, with its print edition and events struggling to break even. That year, it was acquired by a private equity firm, which installed Greer to run it. In a very short period of time, he killed the print edition, expanded its online reach, and revived its events business.

Then in 2015 he and his business partner Shane D'Aprile acquired Campaigns & Elections, and they immediately set about expanding the company into new niches and regions. Today, there's not only Latin American version of C&E, but the company also bought a B2B media outlet that covers the cannabis industry.

In a recent interview, the two Shanes walked me through their initial strategies for righting the C&E ship, explained why they acquired the magazine, and outlined their plans to build out a B2B media empire.

How the Kyiv Independent used global sympathy to generate membership revenue Dec 17, 2025

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My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/

The Kyiv Independent launched in 2021, and its timing was in some ways fortuitous, since it was only a few months later that Russia launched a full-scale invasion in Ukraine. Suddenly, the entire world was paying attention to the country, and the Kyiv Independent happened to be the most authoritative English-language outlet to be reporting on the ground. This attention not only resulted in a massive amount of traffic, but also a surge in membership donations as sympathetic Westerners sought out ways to support Ukraine's cause.

In a recent interview, Chief Operating Officer Zakhar Protsiuk discussed the early days of getting the Kyiv Independent off the ground, its shift from one-time donations to recurring memberships, and why the outlet has begun producing longform documentaries.

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