The media decides which stories reach you and how they are framed. Brian Rose built London Real as an independent channel, so the business of media is personal here. His guests include media executives, a media manipulator turned author, the co-founder of Wikipedia, podcasters and YouTube-era broadcasters. They talk about how the news business makes money, how stories get gamed, the rise of podcasting and online video, and the fight over free speech on the platforms. Every full interview is free to watch.
From Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger and Trust Me, I’m Lying author Ryan Holiday to media theorist Douglas Rushkoff, podcaster Adam Carolla, former Navy SEAL commander and podcast host Jocko Willink, VICE executive Matt Elek and Emmy-winning producer Rushion McDonald: how the media really works.
Ryan Holiday, a former marketing director at American Apparel, explains how he fed stories to blogs and watched them climb into mainstream news, the method he describes in Trust Me, I’m Lying. Larry Sanger, who co-founded Wikipedia, argues that the site is now broken and that few people will admit it. Douglas Rushkoff, author of Team Human, says digital media should serve people rather than treat them as data. Christiane Amanpour talks about seeking the truth at CNN, and Sharyl Attkisson describes what she calls a war on truth in the news business.
In 2014 Matt Elek, then VICE Media’s managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, talked about building a youth media brand as takeover rumours swirled. In the same year Ivor Crotty, who worked in social media for RT in Moscow, explained how the Kremlin-funded channel grew online. Rushion McDonald, the Emmy-winning producer behind Steve Harvey’s media business, shares what he learned building it. Brian Rose also appeared on Judge Jeanine Pirro’s show and on Infowars, where he called for decentralised independent media.
Jocko Willink explains why he believes podcasting has become so powerful, and Adam Carolla, one of the earliest big podcasters, talks about free speech and cancel culture. Charlie Kirk, who died in 2025, discussed Joe Rogan’s move to Spotify with Brian in 2020. Ice-T talks about censorship during lockdown, and Mario Nawfal explains how live X Spaces built his audience. In London Real: 10 Years in the Game, Brian Rose looks back on a decade of building an independent channel on YouTube and beyond.
Get every new episode free: watch the latest London Real interviews.
Who has London Real interviewed about the media? Brian Rose has interviewed Larry Sanger, Ryan Holiday, Douglas Rushkoff, Adam Carolla, Jocko Willink, Matt Elek of VICE, Ivor Crotty of RT, Rushion McDonald, Christiane Amanpour, Sharyl Attkisson, Ice-T and Mario Nawfal, among others.
What do the guests say about podcasting and new media? Jocko Willink and Adam Carolla describe podcasting as a way to speak to an audience directly, without a network in between. Mario Nawfal makes a similar case for live X Spaces, and Brian Rose explains how London Real grew as an independent channel.
How do the guests say the media can be manipulated? Ryan Holiday explains how he says stories can be planted on small blogs and pushed up the chain into national news. Larry Sanger argues that Wikipedia no longer presents contested subjects neutrally.
Are the full media episodes free to watch? Yes. Every full-length interview on this page can be watched free on londonreal.tv.
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