Leo Laporte: Man on a Mission

In every industry, there are corporate giants waiting to be toppled. These old behemoths are bulky, slow, bloated and often disconnected from the markets they serve. But the reality of today’s world is technology-based and efficiency-driven. As a result, every industry is primed and ready for smarter, more agile competitors to challenge the staus quo with a product that is more relevant and better suited to the needs of its tribe while maximizing efficiencies to achieve better profitability. There is perhaps no better example of this than Leo Laporte, a veteran technology journalist and broadcaster who is taking on the Goliaths of mainstream media with his TWiT netcasting network. Laporte first developed a loyal following of several hundred thousand viewers during his six years as host of “Call for Help” and “The Screen Savers” on the now-defunct TechTV cable network. When TechTV couldn’t draw the advertising revenue needed to sustain its $100 million in annual operating costs, the network fell by the wayside in 2004, but Laporte was not ready to abandon his core tribe of tech enthusiasts. He reignited this relatively small but vocal fan base in 2005 when a 20-minute audio segment on Macworld posted on his blog sparked 30,000 downloads. This demand fanned the flames of his passion for reporting technology news and provided further evidence of a viable and underserved niche audience that the existing broadcast and cable networks simply weren’t equipped to satisfy. Thus the seeds were planted for what is now the TWiT netcasting network. TWiT encompasses 25 different shows covering topics such as computer hardware, home theater, apps, science, Google and even food. Broadcasting more than 40 hours of live streaming video per week, the network serves over 600,000 unique listeners and boasts 4.6 million downloads per month. With TWiT, Laporte is paving the way for the next wave of media. He has created a network, a brand and a reputation that truly meet the needs of his tribe. Moreover, he is posing a formidable challenge to the giants of mainstream media by engineering a smarter, more focused and efficient approach to broadcasting that takes advantage of the latest in technology to deliver captivating live content while maintaining operating costs that are a fraction of those of the 24-hour cable networks. Whereas traditional broadcast networks are built around their ability to deliver numbers of viewers en masse, the TWiT network thrives based on its ability to deliver an audience that is highly intelligent and engaged. This business model has been quite successful, generating $2.5 million in revenue last year alone and attracting advertising dollars from major national brands like Ford and VISA. Not only has Laporte found a way to successfully monetize netcasting, but he is doing so in a way that protects the integrity of the medium by founding everything in trust. He only advertises for products that he uses and believes in and requires advertisers to approach his audience with honesty and authenticity. Leo Laporte recently sat down with Fame Foundry’s Jordan Drake to share the story of how he built a netcasting empire from the ashes of TechTV and how he intends to continue making inroads against the mass media establishment. [powerpress]

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Gary Vaynerchuk: Profit from Your Passion

When it comes to the gospel of personal branding, there is perhaps no one so well qualified to preach as Gary Vaynerchuk. He has not only turned his family business into $60 million-a-year wine empire but has cultivated a following of more than 100,000 for his daily video blog, Wine Library TV. A veritable poster child for candor and authenticity, Gary is a living testament to what can be achieved when passion is allowed to flourish in the absence of the limitations of conventional media. Recently Gary joined Fame Foundry’s Jordan Drake to discuss the new rules for success in business, revealing that underneath his charismatic persona lies an unshakeable work ethic, relentless hustle and true dedication to his fans. [powerpress] Best-selling author and video blogger extraordinaire Gary Vaynerchuk could be considered the founding father of modern personal branding. With the launch of Wine Library TV in 2006, he transformed his family’s local wine shop into a national industry leader and himself into a social media celebrity. Through his success, he has learned valuable lessons on social media, passion and transparency, which he shares with readers in his new book Crush It! Why Now is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion.

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