The Bulwark's Pivot: From Anti-Trump Non-Profit to YouTube Powerhouse
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Resources & Recommendations
Books
- "The Bulwark" - A mission-driven, for-profit site that initially relied on donations and is now powered by Substack revenue, with a significant presence on YouTube and social media.
Videos & Documentaries
- The Apprentice - Mentioned as a reason why some voters initially supported Donald Trump.
Research & Studies
- National Review cover story "Never Trump" - An issue featuring essays from prominent conservatives explaining why Donald Trump was dangerous, with many of the authors now being pro-Trump.
Tools & Software
- Substack - A platform that has made it easy for creators to implement subscription models.
Articles & Papers
- "The Bulwark's" Interview with Semaphore - Where Sarah Longwell discussed the site's revenue goals for 2024.
People Mentioned
- Emily Sunberg - Founder of a "buzzy" Substack, mentioned as an example of a media company owner.
- Mark Thompson - CEO of CNN, mentioned as an example of a media company owner.
- Bill Kristol - Founder and former editor of The Weekly Standard, who asked Sarah Longwell to help find jobs for his staff when the magazine shut down.
- JVL - Co-host of The Bulwark's "Secret Podcast" and writer of a daily newsletter.
- Barry - A producer/video guy at The Bulwark who encouraged the team to start using YouTube.
- Kamala Harris - Mentioned for her "play it safe" strategy and its detrimental effect on media presence.
- Gavin Newsom - Mentioned for his performance art as a parody of Trump's communication style.
- Tim Miller - Mentioned in reference to conversations happening in "the green room" (a metaphor for informal discussions).
- J.D. Vance - Cited as an example of someone with a "shitposting" communication style on the internet who engages with people and discusses his life openly.
- Pete Buttigieg - Mentioned as a politician who communicates well.
- Madam Donnie - Mentioned as a politician who communicates well.
- AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) - Mentioned as a politician who communicates well.
- Bernie Sanders - Cited as an example of someone who is good on social media because he knows what he believes.
- Hillary Clinton - Mentioned as a reason some voters initially supported Donald Trump.
Organizations & Institutions
- The Bulwark - An anti-Trump, mission-driven, for-profit media site.
- Vox Media Podcast Network - The network producing the podcast "Channels with Peter Kafka."
- Business Insider - Peter Kafka's affiliation.
- The Weekly Standard - A seminal conservative magazine that shut down.
- National Review - A conservative publication that published a "Never Trump" issue.
- Fox News - Mentioned as part of the right-wing media ecosystem.
- One America News Network - Mentioned as part of the right-wing media ecosystem.
- MSNBC - Mentioned as a potential news source for Democrats.
- ABC, CBS, NBC - Traditional broadcast networks mentioned as potential news sources for Democrats.
Courses & Educational Resources
- "The Bulwark Podcast" - The flagship podcast of The Bulwark.
- "The Secret Podcast" - A niche podcast hosted by Sarah Longwell and JVL, where they wrestle with ideas.
- JVL's Triad - A daily newsletter written by JVL.
- "The Focus Group Podcast" - A show dedicated to discussions about focus group work.
Websites & Online Resources
- Substack - A platform used by The Bulwark for subscriptions and newsletters.
- YouTube - A platform where The Bulwark has a significant presence with video content.
- Apple Podcasts - A platform where The Bulwark's podcast can be subscribed to.
Other Resources
- Focus Groups - A research method used by Sarah Longwell to understand voters' motivations and reasoning.
- Polling Data - A traditional method of gathering political sentiment, contrasted with focus groups.