Sam Fiske — Content & Media Operations

Editorial instincts, production range, operator mindset.

My career has moved between journalism, media production, startups, events, and content leadership. I’ve reported for national publications, produced hundreds of podcast episodes, run studio and live-event operations, built and reshaped newsletters, developed audience programs, and most recently owned the content function inside a private-markets technology company.

What ties those roles together is less the format than the operation: figuring out what should be made, getting it made well, building an audience around it, and putting systems in place so the work can keep moving. For the last three years, that operation was a team of one.

Sam Fiske

Selected brands & organizations

Employers, clients, and sponsorship partners — brands I’ve produced work for or built programs with.

On this page

Selected work

The work, grouped by what it required.

These categories overlap by design. A newsletter can be an editorial product, an audience program, a lifecycle channel, and a reporting problem at the same time. The point is to show the range of work behind the output.

Editorial & Audience

Newsletter strategy, editorial operations, audience development, lifecycle, deliverability, and performance.

View work ↓ 02

Media & Production

Podcasts, video, studio production, editorial development, talent coaching, post-production, and distribution.

View work ↓ 03

Events & Programming

Live and virtual events, programming, speaker preparation, promotion, production, and event operations.

View work ↓ 04

Content Systems & Analytics

Reporting, automation, segmentation, workflow design, lifecycle infrastructure, and AI-assisted operations.

View work ↓

01 / Editorial & Audience

From fragmented newsletters to one flagship publication

Kingscrowd entered my tenure with several low-engagement newsletters. During my time there, we consolidated those publications into Monday Memo, later merged Monday Memo with Pitch Reviews, and ultimately evolved the combined publication into the Kingscrowd Newsletter.

Multiple KC newsletters→ Monday Memo→ + Pitch Reviews→ Kingscrowd Newsletter

I oversaw the editorial and operational side of that evolution: publishing, audience strategy, migration to beehiiv, segmentation, lifecycle automation, list hygiene, deliverability, and performance reporting.

Selected evidence: Published 256 issues of Kingscrowd’s flagship newsletter at a 44.1% all-time open rate, while leading the publication’s consolidation, migration to beehiiv, audience segmentation, deliverability, and lifecycle operations.

Selected examples

Data storytelling

From Film Raises to Creator Revenue Shares

A data-led look at the evolving screen-entertainment crowdfunding market, with custom charts.

Read issue ↗ Audience performance

Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Startup Fundraising

The highest click-through issue in the dataset, built around fundraising data and sector analysis.

Read issue ↗ Market reporting

Investment Crowdfunding Fell 28% in H1 2026

A representative recent issue combining market data, analysis, and editorial framing.

Read issue ↗

Startup Inbox

Alongside the flagship, I launched a founder-focused publication using Kingscrowd’s existing founder and advisory-services audience as its starting base. I developed the editorial product, wrote every issue, and built it into a 7K+ subscriber founder-focused publication.

View Startup Inbox ↗

A media career that spans reporting, radio, studio production, podcasts, and video

Podcasting is one part of a longer production career. At Technori, I moved from producer to executive producer and Chief of Staff while helping run a Chicago studio, WGN Radio production, founder showcases, sponsored video, and private events. Later, at Kingscrowd, I launched the Kingscrowd Podcast and produced Inside Startup Investing.

Across those roles, the work has included editorial development, guest sourcing, host and guest preparation, studio direction, multicam recording, live switching, editing, graphics, thumbnails, social clips, publishing, and multi-platform distribution.

Technori · Executive Producer

Technori Podcast

Seven years across studio, radio, podcast, video, guest, and event production.

Seven years of production · Listen to an example ↗

Kingscrowd · Producer & Editorial Lead

Kingscrowd Podcast

Launched the show and owned the production workflow from topic slate through distribution.

Launched & produced · Watch an example ↗

Inside Startup Investing · Producer

Inside Startup Investing

Show-format production, guest pipeline, host coaching, editing, publishing, and episode pages.

Produced & scaled · Watch an example ↗

Selected evidence: Seven years producing and executive producing Technori, followed by production across two Kingscrowd shows — including launching the Kingscrowd Podcast and building its end-to-end production workflow.

Podcast productionVideo productionEditorial developmentStudio directionTalent coachingDistribution

03 / Events & Programming

Programming and producing experiences, not just webinars

Events have been a through-line from Technori’s live founder showcases and private dinners to Kingscrowd’s investor webinars, startup programming, company presentations, and multi-session virtual events.

At Kingscrowd, I produced and operated a 21-event virtual portfolio and helped move Investment Crowdfunding Week from basic webinar infrastructure into a multi-day Zoom Events experience. The work covered programming, promotion, speaker preparation, production, email campaigns, event operations, partner coordination, and post-event distribution.

Selected evidence: Produced a 21-event virtual portfolio and grew Investment Crowdfunding Week registrations approximately 22% year over year, with attendance up 12%, while expanding the program into a multi-day, multi-session format.

Selected examples

Multi-day event hub

Investment Crowdfunding Week 2026

Thirteen-session event hub with 20 companies, a Tim Draper keynote, Darren Rovell fireside, and championship pitch.

View event hub ↗ Partner webinar

Eric Ries × Alumni Ventures × Kingscrowd

A special-edition venture conversation featuring Eric Ries, Alumni Ventures CEO Mike Collins, and Chris Lustrino.

Watch recording ↗ Sponsored webinar

Unlock Venture Success with Alumni Ventures

An early recurring-partner webinar featuring Alumni Ventures CEO Michael Collins.

Watch recording ↗ Pitch programming

ICW Healthcare Pitch Session

Healthcare founder pitches with investor Q&A and an Alumni Ventures health-tech representative serving as guest judge.

Watch session ↗

ProgrammingLive eventsVirtual eventsSpeaker preparationPromotionProduction

04 / Content Systems & Analytics

Building the infrastructure underneath the publishing operation

A large part of my work happens behind what the audience sees. I built the company’s first recurring content-performance reporting across newsletters, web, video, podcast, and social channels; operated segmentation and lifecycle programs; and built repeatable workflows across publishing formats.

I also used APIs, MCP, Claude Code, Codex, and automation to connect reporting and reduce repetitive work. The goal was never automation for its own sake. It was to give a small content operation better visibility, more consistency, and more time for the work that still required editorial judgment.

Selected evidence: Built Kingscrowd’s first recurring content-performance reporting system across newsletter, web, video, podcast, and social; operated lifecycle and segmentation programs across beehiiv, HubSpot, and ActiveCampaign; and used APIs, MCP servers, and AI-assisted tooling to reduce manual reporting and publishing work.

Selected capabilities

Analytics infrastructure

Performance reporting

Recurring cross-channel reporting across newsletter, web, video, podcast, and social, replacing one-off manual analysis with a repeatable view of performance.

Audience operations

Lifecycle & segmentation

Subscriber segmentation, onboarding flows, re-engagement, and list-hygiene programs across beehiiv, HubSpot, and ActiveCampaign.

Workflow infrastructure

AI-assisted operations

APIs, MCP servers, and scripted workflows used to connect reporting and content platforms and reduce repetitive operational work.

Analytics & reportingHubSpotActiveCampaignbeehiivMCP & APIsWorkflow automation

Selected earlier work

Journalism, media & production.

The earlier work matters because it explains the range: reporting, interviewing, editing, executive audiences, studio work, and production all predate the content-operations title.

Featured earlier work · Producer

Chasing Ali

Produced the 12-episode companion podcast to Jonathan Eig's Ali: A Life, the acclaimed Muhammad Ali biography that won the 2018 PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sportswriting and the British Sports Book Award for both Best Biography and Book of the Year. Worked from the author's scripts, recorded narration, and produced the series with a production team.

View the podcast ↗

Technori

Chief of Staff and Executive Producer across a Chicago startup media company, podcast studio, founder showcases, sponsored media, and private events.

The CMO Club / Salesforce

Produced podcasts, executive interviews, video, and editorial work featuring Fortune 500 marketing leaders.

Dow Jones

Produced audio for Wall Street Journal Originals video and audio projects.

Associated Press

Reported from sporting events and contributed to national wire coverage, including bylined work.

U.S. News / VICE / Military Times / Times Union

Reporting across foreign policy, higher education, public affairs, sports, and live events, with additional work for Medill Reports and UPI.

GIE Media / Cannabis Business Times

Reported business, regulation, and market features for the trade publication’s print and digital editions, interviewing operators, policymakers, and subject-matter experts.

7 Financial Fundamentals for Business Success2019 ↗ High-Risk Flyers2017 ↗ Wild Montana Skies2017 ↗

Featured editorial work · The CMO Club / Salesforce

Journeys: Reflections on Leadership

Long-form executive profiles built from interviews with senior marketing leaders, paired with commissioned editorial illustration.

Interview + writing · 2022

Doug Zarkin, Pearle Vision

A career journey through leadership, brand reinvention, mentorship, and the lessons Zarkin carried from sports into marketing.

Read the profile ↗

Interview + writing · 2022

Lisa Ronson, Coles Group

A reflective profile on listening, empathy, work and life, values, and how leadership can create positive change.

Read the profile ↗

Selected reporting

U.S. News & World Report · 2015

Did Poor U.S. Planning Prompt Russia’s Rise in Syria?

Foreign-policy reporting on Russia’s intervention in Syria, U.S. strategy, and the challenges surrounding the train-and-equip campaign.

Read article ↗ U.S. News & World Report · 2015

Resignation Could Have Been Avoided at University of Missouri

Higher-education reporting examining the leadership and campus-climate issues surrounding the University of Missouri crisis.

Read article ↗ VICE · 2015

Guantanamo / 9/11 Military Commissions

Co-bylined reporting on the legal delays, classified evidence, and defense issues surrounding the 9/11 military commission.

Read article ↗ Military Times · 2015

Army Officer Takes First at Marine Corps Marathon

Co-bylined event reporting from the 40th Marine Corps Marathon.

Read article ↗

More reporting: Times Union — Albany residents in Washington respond to Pope’s visit ↗ Medill Reports — Doug Buffone interview and profile ↗

About

Journalism roots. Operator mindset.

I started my career in journalism and gradually moved deeper into production, media, audience development, events, marketing operations, and content leadership.

The common thread has been building things people choose to spend time with — and then building the operation that allows a team to keep producing them.

Most recently, I owned Kingscrowd’s content and media function across newsletters, podcasts, events, video, social publishing, lifecycle marketing, analytics, and the systems underneath them. A 2023 restructuring left me as the last member of a five-person content team. Rather than reduce scope, I expanded it — consolidating publications, launching a second podcast and a new newsletter, upgrading the events platform, and building the reporting infrastructure the team had never had.

I’m based in San Diego.

I’m currently looking for my next senior content, media, or communications leadership role — including Head of Content, Head of Media, Head of Communications, or a comparable position — remote or hybrid from San Diego. I’m also available for freelance and fractional work.