Prof G Media's Agile Research and High-Octane Daily Production
TL;DR
- The Prof G Media research process is highly constrained by daily recording schedules, requiring a rapid turnaround of just over a day for major episodes and a few hours for dailies, necessitating efficient collaboration and source selection.
- Business journalism offers a competitive advantage by appealing to a niche audience, allowing individuals to gain early career traction and develop specialized skills in a less crowded field.
- The Prof G Markets daily production schedule is a complex, high-pressure operation involving daily story pitching, script drafting, editing, recording, and post-production, all completed within a single day for the audio episode.
- Scott Galloway's chief of staff, MaryJean Ribas, transitioned from modeling to her current role after 25 years of knowing him, highlighting the value of long-term professional relationships and personal initiative.
- The Prof G Media team leverages a diverse range of sources, including major newspapers, specialized newsletters, and curated social media feeds, to identify compelling data and generate insightful analysis.
- Career paths into media production can be unconventional, with individuals like Claire Miller discovering audio production through internships and unexpected opportunities, demonstrating adaptability and a willingness to explore new mediums.
Deep Dive
The Prof G Media team operates with remarkable agility and collaboration to produce daily and weekly content under tight deadlines. Their success hinges on a research-driven approach, efficient production workflows, and a shared understanding of what makes content compelling for their audience. The implications of this model are a consistently high output of engaging material, but also a reliance on the specialized skills and dedication of a small, cohesive team to manage the constant demands.
The research process, led by Mia Silverio, is a testament to the team's ability to synthesize information rapidly. For the longer Monday episodes, research begins mid-week, allowing for a comprehensive dive into topics, while daily episodes require a condensed, few-hour effort. The team draws from established journalistic sources like the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Financial Times, alongside Substack newsletters and curated Twitter feeds. Crucially, they prioritize identifying "cool data" that provokes thought and emotion over simply presenting facts. This focus on impactful insights, rather than exhaustive data dumps, is what allows the content to resonate. The implication is that the research isn't just about finding information, but about finding the right information to tell a compelling story, a skill honed by a team of six researchers who actively collaborate.
Claire Miller, senior producer of Prof G Markets, exemplifies the adaptability required in this environment. Her journey from a photography interest to business journalism and then into audio production highlights a willingness to pivot and embrace new skills. The production schedule for the daily Prof G Markets show, as described by Miller, is a high-octane, around-the-clock operation. It begins with morning Slack messages outlining the day's plan, followed by story pitches, script drafting by 2 PM, editing, and recording with guests by 5 PM. Post-recording, audio and video editors work late into the night to finalize episodes for morning release. This relentless pace means that each team member, from researchers to producers and editors, must be highly efficient and capable of multitasking. The second-order effect is the consistent delivery of multiple daily and weekly shows, but it also places significant pressure on the team, necessitating a deep understanding of each other's roles and a seamless handoff of tasks.
MaryJean Ribas, Scott Galloway's chief of staff, underscores the personal commitment and trust that underlies the operation. Her 25-year relationship with Galloway and her role in managing his professional life, including travel arrangements, demonstrate the deep trust required to support a high-profile personality and a growing media enterprise. The fact that she occasionally keeps London hours, but is largely accommodated by Galloway's Eastern Standard Time operations, suggests a flexible, yet demanding work environment. The ability to fly on Galloway's jet, even with her dog, highlights a culture where personal needs can sometimes be accommodated, a perk that likely contributes to team loyalty and morale in a high-pressure setting. The core implication here is that the media company's success is built not just on content, but on a foundation of strong personal relationships and a willingness to go the extra mile for key team members.
Ultimately, the Prof G Media team's operational model reveals a strategic approach to content creation that prioritizes impact and efficiency. The consistent output of well-researched and engaging material is a direct result of a collaborative research process and a highly disciplined, round-the-clock production schedule. The long-term implication is the sustained growth and influence of the Prof G brand, built on the dedicated efforts of a specialized team capable of navigating the demanding rhythms of daily media production.
Action Items
- Audit research process: Identify 3-5 core data sources and document their typical update cadence to ensure timely information retrieval.
- Create content production checklist: Define 5-7 critical steps for daily and weekly show production, including script review, guest confirmation, and asset delivery timelines.
- Measure content creation efficiency: Track average time spent from initial story pitch to final script draft for 3-5 core topics to identify bottlenecks.
- Evaluate news aggregation strategy: For 3-5 key publications, document their primary focus and typical reporting speed to optimize research efforts.
- Draft standardized interview prep guide: Outline 5-7 key questions and data points to gather for guests, ensuring consistent and thorough preparation.
Key Quotes
"Our research process, the timing is really constrained by the fact that we record podcasts daily so it could really take much longer than it does. But for our longer Monday episode that we record on Thursdays, we start talking about the topics that we're going to cover on Wednesday and then we have kind of half of Wednesday, Wednesday evening if needed, and then Thursday morning to finish up research for the Monday episode."
Mia, the research lead, explains that the research process is compressed due to the daily recording schedule of the podcasts. She highlights that for longer episodes, the team begins discussing topics on Wednesday and dedicates Wednesday evening and Thursday morning to complete the necessary research. This demonstrates the demanding and time-sensitive nature of producing podcast content.
"I think one of the most important things is one knowing what stats to include like what and there's boring data and cool data that makes you think and makes you like feel something. And then also just like being curious and sometimes great ideas and great analysis can come from you know reading a fantasy book or like reading a biology paper."
Mia emphasizes the critical skill of discerning valuable data from mundane information for podcast content. She suggests that curiosity and a broad range of reading, even outside typical business or news sources, can lead to unique insights and analysis. This indicates that effective research for their podcasts involves more than just data collection; it requires creative thinking and a wide scope of interest.
"I had no interest in business journalism at all before that. Didn't know what to make of it. Never even really read it. But when I was there I realized writing about business is kind of a way to write about anything and I also realized that when I told my peers in journalism that I was doing business journalism they also had no interest in it and it was a pretty clear field competitively for other internships."
Claire recounts her unexpected entry into business journalism, initially having no prior interest or knowledge of the field. She discovered that business writing offered a broad scope, allowing her to write about diverse topics. Claire also notes that the lack of interest from her peers in business journalism created a competitive advantage for her in securing internships.
"So my origin story is I am a first generation Cuban girl born in Connecticut. And I met Scott 25 years ago through a mutual friend of ours. I was working at Wilhelmina Models, booking male models, and Scott had just moved to New York and we've known each other ever since."
MaryJean Ribas, Scott Galloway's Chief of Staff, shares her personal background and the beginning of her long-standing relationship with Scott. She explains that she is a first-generation Cuban American who met Scott 25 years ago through a mutual acquaintance while she was working in the modeling industry. This establishes the deep personal history that predates her current role.
"Most importantly, he does let me fly in his jet and when my puck, my dog of 17 years, was alive, Scott used to let me and my dog fly and when JetBlue and American Airlines were really mean to us and didn't let Puck fly in the cabin once, Scott let me fly by myself with my dog up to New York from Florida."
MaryJean highlights Scott Galloway's generosity and consideration, particularly in allowing her to fly on his private jet. She shares a specific instance where Scott accommodated her and her elderly dog, Puck, when commercial airlines were uncooperative. This anecdote illustrates Scott's personal support for his team members.
"My favorite Scott ism is... I like when he says nice things. Like he's, you know, when he's very complimentary. I find it very endearing. I don't think people give enough compliments and so I really like it when he does it and he does it quite often. I think it's a nice quality to have in a boss."
MaryJean expresses her appreciation for Scott Galloway's tendency to offer compliments. She finds his kind words endearing and believes that people do not offer enough praise. MaryJean views his complimentary nature as a positive and valuable quality in a boss.
Resources
External Resources
Books
- "The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway" by Scott Galloway - Mentioned as the title of the podcast.
Articles & Papers
- "Office Hours" (Prof G Media) - Mentioned as a special year-end episode format.
People
- Scott Galloway - Host of "The Prof G Pod" and founder of Prof G Media.
- Jennifer Sanchez - Producer of "Office Hours" and host of this episode.
- Mia Silverio - Research lead at Prof G Media.
- Claire Miller - Senior producer of "Prof G Markets."
- MaryJean Ribas - Chief of staff to Scott Galloway.
- Derek Thompson - Substack author whose newsletter is read for research.
- Noah Smith - Substack author whose newsletter is read for research.
- Ben Thompson - Newsletter author whose content is read for research.
- Caroline Shagren - Former senior producer at Prof G Media, now at Google.
- Ed - Host of "Prof G Markets" daily show.
- Allison Weiss - Associate producer for "Prof G Markets."
- Joel Patterson - Editor for "Prof G Markets."
- Brad - Video editor for "Prof G Markets."
- Henry Wolf - Photographer who previously employed MaryJean Ribas.
Organizations & Institutions
- Prof G Media - Production company for "The Prof G Pod" and related shows.
- L2 - Company acquired by Scott Galloway, where Mia Silverio previously worked.
- Georgetown University - Alma mater of Mia Silverio.
- Syracuse University - Alma mater of Claire Miller.
- Newhouse School - Program at Syracuse University where Claire Miller studied.
- Fast Company Magazine - Publication where Claire Miller interned.
- Bloomberg - Financial news and data company where Claire Miller interned.
- NPR - News organization where Claire Miller interned.
- Wilhelmina Models - Modeling agency where MaryJean Ribas previously worked.
- Soho House Miami - Location where MaryJean Ribas reconnected with Scott Galloway.
- Western Connecticut State University - School where MaryJean Ribas briefly attended.
- Carmax - Company mentioned in relation to car purchasing options.
Websites & Online Resources
- panerai.com - Website for Panerai watches.
- northwestregisteredagent.com - Website for Northwest Registered Agent.
- odu.com - Website for Odoo business software.
- quince.com/profg - Website for Quince clothing with a specific offer.
- nutrafol.com - Website for Nutrafol hair growth supplements.
- gruns.com - Website for Grüns nutritional gummies.
- r/ScottGalloway - Subreddit for listener questions.
- officehours@profgmedia.com - Email address for submitting questions.
- podcastchoices.com/adchoices - Website for managing ad choices.
Other Resources
- Panerai Luminor Marina timepieces - Specific watch model mentioned.
- Northwest Registered Agent - Service for business registration and identity protection.
- Odoo - Integrated business software platform.
- Quince - Brand offering durable and affordable clothing.
- Nutrafol - Hair growth supplement brand.
- Grüns - Nutritional supplement gummies.
- Carmax - Retailer for buying cars.