The Grill Room

Latest Episodes:

The Creator Economy's Indie Illusion Jul 04, 2025

Show notes

Julia Alexander rejoins Dylan to pick up where they left off on Tuesday, shifting the focus to legacy media’s slow unraveling and the uphill climb of the creator economy in the news space. They dig into the harsh realities facing independent journalists and legacy media refugees attempting to build sustainable businesses without institutional backing—and why, for most, true scale remains out of reach.

The Grill Room Podcast is presented by bp. See all the ways we’re investing in America: https://www.bp.com/InvestingInAmerica

YouTube’s Niche Trap & A.I. Copyright Complexifiers Jul 01, 2025

Show notes

Julia Alexander reunites with Dylan to address a handful of media industry questions and provocations: why YouTube’s success with niche content doesn’t mean Netflix should necessarily follow suit, how the entertainment pendulum is swinging back toward quality over quantity, and what a bombshell A.I. ruling means for content creators and copyright law.

The Grill Room Podcast is presented by bp. See all the ways we’re investing in America: ⁠https://www.bp.com/InvestingInAmerica

Front Office Sports 101 Jun 27, 2025

Show notes

Adam White, founder and C.E.O. of Front Office Sports, joins Dylan to recount how he transformed a college class project into a fast-growing, multi-platform media company—now majority-owned by RedBird. Adam explains the company’s editorial thesis, how they stay relevant in an oversaturated sports media landscape, and why he’s betting big on their newly launched Front Office Sports Studios, a long-form content arm focused on producing films and documentaries.

The Grill Room Podcast is presented by bp. See all the ways we’re investing in America: https://www.bp.com/InvestingInAmerica

Oliver Darcy’s Status Report Jun 24, 2025

Show notes

Oliver Darcy, founder of Status, joins Dylan to reflect on the highs and hurdles of launching his own media venture. He discusses the challenges of building a sustainable business without external capital, the pressure to deliver distinctive reporting, the looming influence of A.I., the enduring value of editorial integrity—and much more.

The Grill Room Podcast is presented by bp. See all the ways we’re investing in America: https://www.bp.com/InvestingInAmerica

How YouTube Ate the Media Jun 20, 2025

Show notes

In a special anniversary episode, Dylan and Julia ponder how YouTube has totally transformed the media business over the last 20 years: the proliferation of the creator economy, the amateurization of news, and whether Jake and Anderson should grab a microphone and ditch the suit.

The Grill Room Podcast is presented by bp. See all the ways we’re investing in America: ⁠https://www.bp.com/InvestingInAmerica

Can Local Media Actually Be… Saved? Jun 17, 2025

Show notes

Steve Grove, the new-ish C.E.O. of The Minnesota Star Tribune, joins Dylan for a rollicking conversation about the existential threats facing local journalism—and the strategies he’s deploying to combat them. Grove, the former director of Google’s News Lab, gets into the weeds of why homepage traffic still matters, how he’s targeting affinity groups, the surprising value of high school sports coverage, and much more.

The Grill Room Podcast is presented by bp. See all the ways we’re investing in America: https://www.bp.com/InvestingInAmerica

WBD Divorce Notes & VF Gets Vogue’d Jun 13, 2025

Show notes

Dylan and Julia weigh into the chaos surrounding WBD’s breakup and what it means for HBO and CNN as the company’s biggest brands go separate ways. They also discuss Apple’s underwhelming developers conference earlier this week, and how Google’s A.I. “overviews” are bleeding the media business. Then Lauren Sherman swings by to chat about Anna Wintour appointing one of her deputies to run Vanity Fair—and whether he (or anyone) can turn things around.

The Grill Room Podcast is presented by bp. See all the ways we’re investing in America: ⁠⁠https://www.bp.com/InvestingInAmerica

Inside ‘Original Sin’ Jun 10, 2025

Show notes

Axios’s Alex Thompson joins Dylan for a deep dive into ‘Original Sin,’ the Biden exposé he co-authored with CNN’s Jake Tapper. They discuss the role and responsibility of journalists in today’s media climate, and particularly, the media’s culpability in allegedly covering up Biden’s cognitive decline while he was in the White House. They also address Karine Jean-Pierre's pivot to independence, the broader issues within the Democratic Party, and more.

The Grill Room Podcast is presented by bp. See all the ways we’re investing in America: https://www.bp.com/InvestingInAmerica

Media’s A.I. Spring Jun 06, 2025

Show notes

Julia Alexander reunites with Dylan to unpack the shifting logic behind sports streaming deals—and how platforms are rethinking how to value audience engagement and viewership. They also discuss how generative A.I. is poised to disrupt the advertising business and the unexpected opportunities it could create.

The Grill Room Podcast is presented by bp. See all the ways we’re investing in America: ⁠https://www.bp.com/InvestingInAmerica

The Zaz Report Jun 03, 2025

Show notes

Dylan welcomes his Puck partner Bill Cohan to discuss the latest revelations at Warner Bros. Discovery, which just suffered a credit downgrade. Is Zaz about to spin his cable assets? Can he even afford to at this point?

The Grill Room Podcast is presented by bp. See all the ways we’re investing in America: ⁠https://www.bp.com/InvestingInAmerica

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