Recode Media with Peter Kafka
489 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 months ago - ★★★★★ - 468 ratingsWhat happens when media, entertainment, and technology collide? Peter Kafka, one of the media industry's most acclaimed reporters, talks to business titans, journalists, comedians and podcasters to get their take. Produced by Recode and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
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Episodes
Skift CEO Rafat Ali: Small media companies are beautiful
August 25, 2016 04:01 - 38 minutesSkift founder and CEO Rafat Ali talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about how media entrepreneurship has evolved since he launched his first company, PaidContent, in 2002. Ali left PaidContent after an acquisition by the Guardian (that went nowhere) and launched Skift to write about the travel business for people who work in the travel business. Today, Skift is a profitable boutique company with 29 employees, and Ali explains why he's happy to keep it small and let it grow slowly. Learn more abou...
Gawker wasn't always mean (Elizabeth Spiers, founding editor, Gawker.com)
August 18, 2016 04:01 - 38 minutesElizabeth Spiers, the first person to write and edit Gawker.com, talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about launching the site in 2003, and reflects on how it has evolved since then. Now that Gawker Media has been sold to Univision for $135 million, many wonder how it might change, but Spiers says Gawker has already changed plenty over its history. She also discusses her stint working for Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and her new company, The Insurrection, an agency focusing on virtual...
James Andrew Miller examines Hollywood's top agents in 'Powerhouse'
August 11, 2016 13:35 - 39 minutesJames Andrew Miller, author of the new book "Powerhouse: The Untold Story of Hollywood's Creative Artists Agency," talks with Recode's Peter Kafka. Miller says the Creative Artists Agency, or CAA, transformed the entertainment business forever, led by the "yin and yang" personalities of Michael Ovitz and Ron Meyer. He also talks about one of his previous books, an oral history of ESPN, and what really happened to ousted Grantland founder Bill Simmons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit p...
We're not startup bros anymore (Ilan Zechory and Tom Lehman, co-founders, Genius)
August 04, 2016 04:01 - 34 minutesGenius co-founders Ilan Zechory and Tom Lehman talk with Recode's Peter Kafka about how they and their business are maturing. Genius, which started as music-annotating service RapGenius, is now striking deals with major media companies to let users and brands insert factoids into content across the web. Zechory and Lehman discuss how they're trying to make Genius annotations omnipresent, and address allegations that their platform facilitates abuse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit pod...
So, you’ve been shamed by Twitter (Virginia Heffernan, author, "Magic and Loss")
July 28, 2016 04:01 - 39 minutesVirginia Heffernan, author of the new book "Magic and Loss: The Internet as Art," talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about the physical things we risk losing as we digitize more and more of our lives. She praises Snapchat's "brilliance" for preserving impermanent media and talks about what happened when critics of an article about creationism threw her into the "Twitter coliseum." To cope with the social media onslaught, she came to imagine her Twitter handle, @page88, as a tougher, wittier pers...
Gary Vaynerchuk can't wait for the startup armageddon
July 21, 2016 04:01 - 22 minutesInvestor and VaynerMedia co-founder Gary Vaynerchuk talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about how he parlayed early success on Google AdWords and YouTube into an agency that helps other brands succeed online. A social media celebrity in his own right, Vaynerchuk calls himself an "entrepreneur through and through" but says tech and media are riddled with phony entrepreneurs who are heading for an "armageddon." He laments today's rising startup valuations as a worrying sequel to the early-2000s dot...
Donald Trump is bad for democracy (Jacob Weisberg, chairman, Slate Group)
July 14, 2016 04:01 - 36 minutesSlate Group Chairman Jacob Weisberg talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about his podcast Trumpcast, which obsesses over presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump and his following. Weisberg says Trump will leave a big mark on American politics even if he loses to Hillary Clinton in November. He also discusses how Slate has changed since it launched as a digital magazine in 1996, what social networks it is and isn't using and why media companies should be wary of Facebook's growing power. Learn...
Documentarian Alex Gibney says the Stuxnet virus was a "new kind of weapon"
July 07, 2016 04:01 - 32 minutes"Zero Days" director Alex Gibney talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about his new film's focus on the Stuxnet virus, which sabotaged the Iranian nuclear program. He compares Stuxnet's attack to the first nuclear bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and calls for countries to open a dialogue about cyberweapons. Gibney also discusses his other documentaries, including "Going Clear," "Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine" and "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room." Learn more about your ad choices....
Daring Fireball's John Gruber: "I'm a writer first and a businessman second"
June 30, 2016 04:01 - 39 minutesDaring Fireball founder and sole employee John Gruber talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about running a one-man media company. Gruber has been writing about Apple since 2002 but he estimates that his podcast — which started in 2013 — now represents half of Daring Fireball's revenue. He explains how he got into writing in the early days of web blogging and why he has opted to monetize his site by having only one sponsor per week. Gruber also chats about Steve Jobs's legacy, why he doesn't love t...
Steve Jobs "literally caught me with my pants down" (Brian Lam, founder, The Wirecutter)
June 23, 2016 04:01 - 36 minutesThe Wirecutter founder Brian Lam talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about creating a modern update to Consumer Reports that makes best-in-class buying recommendations across a range of products. He also discusses his previous life as editor in chief of Gawker's technology blog Gizmodo, which famously obtained and wrote about the iPhone 4 before it was released. That led to a testy phone call from Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who "really didn’t like losing that mini chess game," Lam says. Learn more abo...
Malcolm Gladwell wants to make you cry
June 16, 2016 05:41 - 35 minutesMalcolm Gladwell, New Yorker columnist and author of "The Tipping Point," talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about his new podcast, "Revisionist History." Gladwell thinks his new foray into audio will have a more emotional effect on listeners than his columns and books, because "you feel with your ears and you think with your eyes." He also discusses how he wandered into a job at the Washington Post in the 1980s and the proliferation of mass shootings in America, from Columbine to this week's tr...
The Ringer editor Sean Fennessey on ending Grantland, starting again
June 09, 2016 04:01 - 34 minutesSean Fennessey, the editor in chief of Bill Simmons's new site The Ringer, talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about the decisions that go into launching a media business in 2016. Fennessey reflects on the slow death of Grantland, the site Simmons launched under ESPN in 2011, and what the staff is trying to do differently this time. Among the many challenges facing The Ringer: Balancing fun with legitimacy, figuring out an online video strategy and trying not to sound too drunk. Learn more about ...
"Warcraft" director Duncan Jones: Don't watch this movie on an iPhone
June 02, 2016 04:01 - 26 minutesDuncan Jones, director of the new movie "Warcraft," talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about pleasing both gamers and non-gamers while adapting a popular video game to the big screen. He describes "Warcraft" as a spectacle that should be seen in theaters, but is already working on "Mute," a smaller-scale follow-up to his low-budget debut picture "Moon." Jones also reflects on the death of his father, David Bowie, and the current state of the digitally shifted movie business. Learn more about you...
You have to fight robots to see Beyoncé (Michael Rapino, CEO, Live Nation)
May 26, 2016 04:01 - 50 minutesLive Nation CEO Michael Rapino talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about the challenges and opportunities for live music and events in 2016. He says concerts have changed dramatically in the past 10 years, becoming spectacles rather than just vehicles to sell records. Rapino also delves into why consumers hate Live Nation subsidiary Ticketmaster and how the company has tried to fight overseas bots that buy and scalp most tickets sold online. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices....
How email saved Jason Hirschhorn's life
May 19, 2016 04:01 - 1 hourJason Hirschhorn talks with Peter Kafka about his past jobs at Viacom, Dish Network and MySpace and at his new startup Redef. Expanding on the Redef Media email newsletter, which Hirschhorn started in 2006, Redef now has more than 50,000 subscribers in several industries, including music, fashion and sports. He also talks (in great detail) about his quadruple bypass surgery and how Redef's fans saved his life when his doctors were confounded by complications. Learn more about your ad choices....
Samantha Bee says hiring more women = better comedy
May 12, 2016 04:01 - 29 minutesSamantha Bee talks with Peter Kafka about leaving "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," launching her own late-night comedy show "Full Frontal" and what she's doing to make the new show unique. One of the priorities from day one, Bee says, was making a concerted effort to hire women, which has led to some standout stories. She also talks about the 2016 election and why comedy can't be decided by committee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Why Larry Wilmore used the N-word at the White House Correspondents' Dinner
May 05, 2016 04:01 - 43 minutes"The Nightly Show" host Larry Wilmore talks about his instantly controversial roast at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. He mocked Brian Williams, Wolf Blitzer and Barack Obama, among many others, and not everyone was laughing. Wilmore also discusses Donald Trump's rise in the Republican Party and why he closed his WHCD speech by referring to the president as "my n---a." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The NYT's Jenna Wortham just wants to "write about people who look like me”
April 28, 2016 04:01 - 37 minutesNew York Times Magazine staff writer Jenna Wortham talks with Peter Kafka about covering the intersection of culture and technology at Wired magazine and then at the Times. Wortham has also pursued several side projects, including the journalism-as-live-performance show Pop-Up Magazine. She argues that today's journalists must constantly reinvent themselves and that there's value in zigging where others zag. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
"Veep" Producer Frank Rich: Trump Can Win
April 21, 2016 04:01 - 39 minutes"Veep" executive producer and New York magazine writer-at-large Frank Rich talks with Peter Kafka about the 2016 election, why he underestimated Bernie Sanders and what future candidates can learn from Hillary Clinton's gaffes and Donald Trump's larger-than-life persona. Formerly a theater critic and political columnist for the New York Times, Rich explains why he left the Times in 2011 and how he got involved with HBO. Plus: Other than "Hamilton," how is Broadway doing? Learn more about your...
Snapchat Should Start Paying Its Users (Hunter Walk, Investor, Homebrew)
April 14, 2016 04:01 - 38 minutesVenture capitalist Hunter Walk, the co-founder of Homebrew, talks with Peter Kafka about his pre-investing career at Second Life, YouTube and "Late Night With Conan O'Brien." He also joined Google in 2003, when the 1,000-employee company was only known for search and before it went public. He discusses why venture capitalists like him need to be patient; how YouTube started making money and paying its users; and why Vine, Instagram and Snapchat should follow YouTube's example. Learn more abou...
From Fake Steve Jobs to HBO's "Silicon Valley" (Dan Lyons, Author, "Disrupted")
April 07, 2016 04:01 - 39 minutesDan Lyons, author of the new book "Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start-Up Bubble," tells Peter Kafka how he came to work at a "cult-y" unicorn where "grown-up" meant anyone experienced enough to have worked somewhere else. He traces his career from Forbes Magazine, where he secretly created the satirical Internet personality Fake Steve Jobs, to Newsweek, HubSpot, ReadWrite and Gawker's Valleywag. Most recently, he's been a writer on HBO's hit comedy "Silicon Valley" and shares some behind...
Millennials Aren't an Alien Species (Philippe von Borries, co-CEO, Refinery29)
March 31, 2016 04:01 - 37 minutesRefinery29 co-founder and co-CEO Philippe von Borries talks with Peter Kafka about how his company morphed from a New York-focused fashion guide to a globally recognized powerhouse with 150 million readers and followers online. He explains how Refinery29 created some of the Web's first native ads and argues that native advertising is the antidote to modern cynicism about traditional ads. Plus: Von Borries wants an end to over-generalizations about millennials. Learn more about your ad choices...
Can Donald Trump Be Stopped? (Nate Silver, Founder, FiveThirtyEight)
March 24, 2016 04:01 - 38 minutesFiveThirtyEight founder and Editor in Chief Nate Silver talks with Peter Kafka about the 2016 election, and why his site was one of many that didn't see Donald Trump coming. He calls Trump a "demagogue" who has succeeded under extraordinary circumstances and says he has a 25 percent to 30 percent chance of winning the general election if he becomes the Republican nominee. Plus: The end of Grantland and why Silver loves the Golden State Warriors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcast...
Digital Brands Are a "Sh*t-Ton of Work" (Troy Young, President, Hearst Magazines Digital)
March 17, 2016 04:01 - 34 minutesHearst Magazines' Troy Young talks with Peter Kafka about his efforts to unify the legacy media company's magazines under one digital strategy. He calls himself "incredibly optimistic" about the future of the medium as it moves away from monthly timelines and toward global, minute-to-minute activity. Young also breaks down what it took to create a successful channel for Cosmopolitan on Snapchat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Peter Gould, Co-Creator, "Better Call Saul"
March 10, 2016 05:01 - 30 minutes"Better Call Saul" co-creator and Executive Producer Peter Gould talks with Peter Kafka about getting his first big break after the age of 40 on the hit AMC television show "Breaking Bad." Gould says that show and "Saul," its currently-airing prequel, might owe their existence to DVRs and the Internet. He explains how today's media consumption habits are changing the way premium TV shows get made. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin, theSkimm Co-Founders
March 03, 2016 05:01 - 31 minutesCo-founders of theSkimm Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin talk with Peter Kafka about how they built up an email newsletter that gets opened by 1.5 million people, and why they want more. TheSkimm's mission is to make its readers (predominantly young, educated women) more informed and engaged with brand partners, and Weisberg and Zakin explain why email is just one tool to do that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Adrian Wojnarowski, Editor of The Vertical
February 25, 2016 05:01 - 34 minutesYahoo sports columnist Adrian "Woj" Wojnarowski talks with Peter Kafka about how he left print journalism and why he's staying at Yahoo, even as the media giant cuts down on its other journalism efforts. He also explains why the NBA is perfect for the Internet and how he approaches the competitive, fast-paced world of reporting sports news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
David Remnick, The New Yorker Editor
February 17, 2016 20:00 - 35 minutesIn this first episode of "Re/code Media with Peter Kafka," Peter sits down with David Remnick, the editor of The New Yorker. Remnick has presided over the magazine for the past 17 years and built out a variety of digital offerings as the media world has been upturned. He talks about what makes those efforts work and why it's so important to preserve what The New Yorker is famous for. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Andrew Jarecki, "The Jinx" Director
February 11, 2016 05:01 - 33 minutesIn an episode that originally aired on Recode Decode, Andrew Jarecki joins Peter Kafka to talk about the success of true-crime documentary series such as "Making a Murderer," "Serial" and the show he directed, "The Jinx." He also discusses his history in tech as the founder of MovieFone and a new application called KnowMe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chet Kanojia, Starry CEO
February 04, 2016 05:01 - 36 minutesIn an episode that originally aired on Recode Decode, Starry CEO Chet Kanojia sits down with Peter Kafka to talk about his latest disruptive startup, which aims to attack broadband monopolies and duopolies by delivering high-speed consumer Internet over the air. He also discusses what the Supreme Court didn't understand about his last startup, Aereo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nick Denton, Gawker Media Founder, and Jason Epstein, Investor
January 28, 2016 05:01 - 30 minutesIn an episode that originally aired on Recode Decode, Gawker Media founder Nick Denton and new board member Jason Epstein sit down with Peter Kafka to discuss the online media company's rapidly changing outlook. How will Gawker react to the growing power of Facebook? And will it be set back by an incoming invasion of privacy lawsuit? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Shani Hilton, BuzzFeed Executive Editor of News
January 21, 2016 05:01 - 29 minutesIn an episode that originally aired on Recode Decode, BuzzFeed’s Executive Editor of News Shani Hilton talks with Peter Kafka about running the "real" news division of the much-talked-about new media company. She also discusses whether millennials need special news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chris Altchek, Mic CEO
January 14, 2016 05:01 - 28 minutesIn an episode that originally aired on Recode Decode, Mic CEO Chris Altchek talks with Peter Kafka about building a news site for millennials and the differences among news reading generations. He also discusses what Mic has learned in the past five years and why there's no silver bullet for social media success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Albert Wenger, Union Square Ventures Partner
January 07, 2016 05:01 - 36 minutesIn an episode that originally aired on Recode Decode, Union Square Ventures partner Albert Wenger talks with Peter Kafka about bubble anxiety, mission-driven "benefit corporations" and why tech companies should be willing to work with the government to stop crime and terrorism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Rufus Griscom, Heleo CEO
December 31, 2015 05:01 - 21 minutesIn an episode that originally aired on Recode Decode, Heleo CEO Rufus Griscom talks with Peter Kafka about trying to build a "BuzzFeed for brains" that can distribute Big Ideas to the broader Internet. He also talks about how much things have changed since he launched his first media startup, Nerve.com, in 1997. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ev Williams, Medium CEO
December 24, 2015 05:01 - 32 minutesIn an episode that originally aired on Recode Decode, Medium CEO Ev Williams talks with Peter Kafka about why writing on the Internet today is all about the platform. Plus: Why did Williams and the rest of Twitter's board seemingly change their minds about Jack Dorsey's eligibility to be CEO again? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Katie Nolan, Fox Sports TV Host
December 17, 2015 05:01 - 23 minutesIn an episode that originally aired on Recode Decode, the NFL's media czar Brian Rolapp talks with Peter Kafka about why a soon-to-be-auctioned set of games might (or might not) go to the Internet. Plus: What separates live sports from the rest of the TV business? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Brian Rolapp, NFL Media Czar
December 10, 2015 05:01 - 34 minutesIn an episode that originally aired on Recode Decode, the NFL's media czar Brian Rolapp talks with Peter Kafka about why a soon-to-be-auctioned set of games might (or might not) go to the Internet. Plus: What separates live sports from the rest of the TV business? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ricky Van Veen, CollegeHumor Co-Founder
December 03, 2015 05:01 - 33 minutesIn an episode that originally aired on Recode Decode, CollegeHumor co-founder Ricky Van Veen talks with Peter Kafka about monetizing content on the Internet and why a lot of that content is moving to "old" platforms like TV. Plus: Who's more powerful, Rupert Murdoch or Mark Zuckerberg? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices