This week at Social Leverage...

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READING

I. TRB at 5

Paramount’s $150M purchase of The Free Press underscores how the next wave of media will be lean, personality-driven, and built on direct audience relationships—an approach Beehiiv’s (Fund IV) Tyler Denk champions with email as the most durable hub for growth and monetization. Marking five years of The Rebooting, the author outlines a shift toward “conversational media” (live forums, roundtables, a new TRB Live show) and a revamped TRB Pro membership focused on insights, events, and activating niche audiences.

II. Stern Grove: concert magic amongst the trees

Danny Frenkel, CEO and co-founder of Punchup Live (Fund IV), partnered with San Francisco’s Stern Grove Festival to modernize its ticketing. His team handled over 750,000 ticket requests and 100,000 attendees without crashes or bots, using a lottery-based, fraud-proof system that ensured fair access. Frenkel emphasized Punchup’s mission to deliver seamless, equitable ticketing for high-demand live events and to prove that large festivals can offer stress-free, community-focused experiences.

LISTENING

I. Fintech, Forecasts, and Stocktoberfest

WATCHING

II. ICE Just Backed Polymarket—Wall Street Is Going DeGen

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