Jonathan Baillie Strong

Let's play "spot the well known podcast"..

@MrJacobEspi Hey why did you cut me and the rest of east coast off the map haha

I love how Skool has this map view of members. We have 18 people in our Local Social Club, with 3 more verbal commitments coming soon (including 2 from Europe). Looking at this map, you can see the potential. People are building local media companies from Portland to Atlanta. Each pin represents someone who understands that local media isn't dead, it's just waiting for people willing to actually serve their communities. What excites me most isn't just the geographic spread. It's that each of these locations has its own unique story, its own local businesses struggling to be seen, its own community builders who deserve recognition. And now there's a group of founders who can learn from each other's wins and losses. The international interest (those 2 verbal commitments from Europe) shows this model translates beyond US markets. The fundamentals are the same everywhere: people want to know what's happening in their community, local businesses need authentic promotion, and there's room for media companies that actually give a damn. If you're building something local and want to connect with others doing the same thing, this is your crew. The founders round closes at 25 people.

@itsjohnapolinar @BrianMSkinner Awesome! Congrats!

@BrianMSkinner really good! 70 people showed up! lots of business owners wanting to advertise cc @jonbstrong

First event of the year tonight for my local media company. 140+ registrations. Perfect weather. T-minus 15 mins until people start showing up. Wish me luck!

@itsjohnapolinar how did it go???

@itsjohnapolinar Good luck John! I’m sure you’ll crush it!

@MrJacobEspi Stoked!!!

@jonbstrong Excited to have you man!!

Just opened the Founders Round for The Local Social Club. Everyone looks at local media and thinks: - Traditional news is dying, there's no money in journalism anymore - Big creators already own the attention, how can I compete - Social media is saturated, I'm too late to build anything They've been saying this for years. And they've been wrong. EVERY TIME. Here's what's actually happening: Every minute people used to spend reading the local newspaper or watching local TV news is being replaced by scrolling Instagram and TikTok. But nobody's filling that gap in most cities. People still want to know what's happening in their hometown. They just want it delivered differently. That's the opportunity. I went from zero to 40K followers and $10K+/month in 12 months building What's Happening Salem. Not because I'm special. Because the gap is MASSIVE and the playbook is simple. The Local Social Club is where I'm teaching 25 creators how to do the same thing in their cities. You get: -Walkthroughs showing you how easy it is to grow a local page -Weekly calls to answer questions and brainstorm -A group of builders helping each other grow 25 spots. $199. After that, price goes up permanently. Your city needs someone to do this. That someone is you. Link in bio.

@nberke @epicenter_nyc + h/t to @SachiTakahashi for putting your list on my radar :) substack.com/home/post/p-18…

@nberke Hey Ned! Great list (and still relevant!) nberke.medium.com/80-nyc-local-n… One more worth adding: @epicenter_nyc Curious if you’d ever include hyperlocal event newsletters (Jackson Heights Insider, Astoria Live) - not classic newsrooms, but deeply embedded community info hubs.

@communityboard3 Is there a recording available for this somewhere?

Please be advised that the next Full Board Meeting will be held next Thursday, December 18, 2025, 7:00 p.m., at the I.S 227Q Louis Armstrong School Auditorium – 32-02 Junction Blvd., East Elmhurst

@louisnicholls_ thanks!!!

@jonbstrong available here: share.transistor.fm/s/307d7dac

🚨 2026 newsletter predictions 👇 The last Letterland episode of the year has it all... ✅ spicy takes on ad networks ✅ newsletter platform wars ✅ festive santa hats Are you ready for what 2026 is about to throw at your newsletter? Full ep here 👇 youtu.be/OXCV18_IcSU

I wrote a personal review of 2025. Lots of travel. Unexpectedly went very local. A reminder that people > algorithms. If you’re into annual reviews, it’s here 👇 drop.jonbstrong.com/p/the-jbs-annu…

@thegarrettscott @doanythingapp 🙏

If you saw the Manus news, & want to try a new general agent, try @doanythingapp. It's a totally new type of agent. It's: - Completely Autonomous (can work for weeks/months) - Can operate independently (has its own email & accounts) Comment an emoji to be added to the alpha.

Drop your favorite annual review. Yours counts. Self-plugs encouraged 👇

@andruyeung @DavidNebinski has been interviewing (mostly NYC-based) people doing exactly this for years on the Portfolio Career Podcast open.spotify.com/show/7D2TfvOCs…

We all know that the corporate path to generational wealth has been a solved game for the last decade: 1. Go to a top school 2. Move to NYC, SF or a tier 1 city 3. Work in finance or tech Many of my friends who took this path are making $300K+/yr at 30 But in the next decade, I think there will be more creative paths to wealth by having a ‘portfolio’ career Multiple jobs, projects and income streams

@nickgraynews Go to the former secretary of education hq, murals everywhere (only recently opened up to the public in September 2024) atlasobscura.com/places/sep-mur…

I'm going to Mexico City next week I'll be staying in the Polanco area Any suggestions? Deep cuts appreciated But if you suggest Pujol then I will block

@nickgraynews If you’re still in CDMX on Sunday, definitely go to this open art gallery in Colonia San Rafael just off Reforma if you haven’t already been en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jard%C3%A… @meryyoyo (my wificita) and I went earlier this year and loved it. Absolute gem!

Just roasted myself on ChatGPT. I asked: “If I had to give myself humorous titles, what would they be?” Reply with the one you think is most accurate... or tell me what ChatGPT gives you :)

@louisnicholls_ Great to meet up!

NYC newsletter friends! I’m in town until Saturday. Who should I meet up with for a coffee (on me) or a quick letterland podcast recording?