Conversations about the media economy, and how to think clearly when things get messy.
Puzzle, Problem, Mess
Claim This Podcastby Dan Fahy
7 episodes
Updated Daily
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Podcast Overview
Conversations about the media economy, and how to think clearly when things get messy.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
1/27/2026
1 verified contact email on file for Puzzle, Problem, Mess
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Recent Episodes
June 24, 2026
Buying Time: Creator Economy M&A, with Chris Erwin
<p>What are traditional media companies really buying when they acquire creator-economy businesses?</p><p>On the surface, the answer might be audiences, revenue, formats, talent relationships or advertising capability. But in this conversation with Chris Erwin, founder and CEO of RockWater, a deeper picture emerges.</p><p>Creator-economy M&A is becoming a way for media companies to buy speed: speed to talent, speed to audience, speed to culture, speed to new formats, and speed to new commercial models. </p><p>We discuss why the market is maturing, which kinds of buyers are now active, and how companies like Fox are assembling portfolios of creator and creator-adjacent capabilities across talent, audio, vertical video, live experiences, brand partnerships and IP development.</p><p>The opportunity is clear - but so is the risk: when legacy buyers acquire creator-native businesses, can they scale what they bought without destroying the voice, culture and sensibility that made it valuable in the first place?</p><p>Links:</p><p>Chris Erwin in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrnov/</p><p>Rockwater: https://wearerockwater.com/</p><p>The Fox deals I mentioned in the episode: </p><p>https://www.foxcorporation.com/news/corp-press-releases/2025/fox-corporation-acquires-red-seat-ventures/</p><p>https://www.foxcorporation.com/news/corp-press-releases/2025/fox-advertising-launches-enhanced-brand-storytelling-program-with-strategic-investment-in-the-lighthouse/</p><p>https://www.foxcorporation.com/news/business/2025/fox-entertainment-deepens-creative-content-portfolio-and-audience-reach-with-strategic-investment-in-vertical-video-technology-platform-holywater/</p><p>https://www.foxcorporation.com/news/business/2025/fox-entertainment-acquires-innovative-audio-drama-storyteller-meet-cute/</p><p>https://www.foxflash.com/releases/view/fox-entertainment-names-billy-parks-head-of-fox-creator-studios</p><p>https://www.foxcorporation.com/news/business/2025/fox-entertainment-acquires-equity-stake-in-chain-forging-strategic-partnership-with-experiential-food-phenomenon-co-founded-by-b-j-novak/</p>
June 12, 2026
Strategy at the Speed of Culture: Boyd’s OODA Loop, with Chet Richards
<p>Why do media organisations, filled with smart people who spot early the visible warning signs of coming disruption, nearly always seem to end up reacting too late, or too slow?</p><p>This episode explores that question through the OODA loop — John Boyd’s influential model of observation, orientation, decision and action. My guest is Chet Richards, a long-time associate of Boyd and one of the key interpreters of his work for business.</p><p>The conversation with Chet homes in on the concepts of time as a strategic instrument, orientation as the engine room of adaptation, and why the ability to recover initiative is ultimately cultural: built on trust, intuitive feel, focus, mission, and learning speed.</p><p>For media companies facing constant disruption, seeing the coming change is evidently not enough. The key seems to be finding a way – organisationally, culturally - to move at the tempo of the ‘outside world’.</p><p>Links:</p><p> </p><p>Chet Richards’ book – Certain to Win</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Certain-Win-Chet-Richards/dp/818158113X">https://www.amazon.com/Certain-Win-Chet-Richards/dp/818158113X</a></p><p> </p><p>Chet Richards’ page:</p><p><a href="https://slightlyeastofnew.com/page-1/">https://slightlyeastofnew.com/page-1/</a></p><p><br>Chet on Boyd’s OODA loop:<br> <a href="https://slightlyeastofnew.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/boydsoodaloopnecesse-1.pdf">https://slightlyeastofnew.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/boydsoodaloopnecesse-1.pdf</a></p><p><br>Jocko Willink podcast discussing the OODA loop:<br> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTeha2qMHR0">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwSBOnXrRrM</a></p><p>Details on John Boyd:<br> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boyd_(military_strategist)">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boyd_(military_strategist)</a></p><p> </p>
May 9, 2026
Habit: streaming's new battlefront, with Matt Ross
<p>For the last decade, the streaming industry has been obsessed with subscriber growth.</p><p>But in 2026, with ad tiers rising, subscriber growth slowing, and churn becoming structural, a different competitive dynamic is emerging: habit.</p><p>In this episode, Dan Fahy speaks with Matt Ross, Chief Analytics Officer at Digital-i, about the company’s new “First View of the Day” metric — the first title watched on a streaming platform after 4am local time — and why that first click may now be one of the most important moments in streaming.</p><p>Here's the Digital-i blog post on 'First View': </p><p>https://www.digital-i.com/insight-articles/what-the-first-view-of-the-day-tells-us-about-global-streaming-habits</p><p>The conversation explores:</p><ul><li>why Netflix’s real advantage may be behavioural, not just content-led</li><li>why frequency matters more than session length</li><li>the surprising strategic importance of kids content and “comfort TV”</li><li>how ad-supported streaming is changing the economics of engagement</li><li>why YouTube increasingly behaves less like a content library and more like a habit platform</li><li>and why broadcasters may be underestimating the strategic value of habitual viewing behaviour</li></ul><p>Listen in for a discussion about streaming strategy, engagement, and the shifting battleground for attention.</p><p>Featuring:<br>Matt Ross, Chief Analytics Officer, Digital-i.</p>
7 total episodes available
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