Our guest is Karim Marucchi from the Crowd Favorite agency and the FAIR project.
With Karim's help, we're going to try and tell two stories in this episode.
The first story is Karim's life working with some of the biggest agencies in the world, and selling projects to some of the largest companies in the world. He tells the story of how he sat down and sold Steve Jobs on a website project.
The second story is about the value of open source and WordPress to those big enterprise customers. Karim is working really hard at the moment with the FAIR project. We'll explain what that is. The FAIR project is part of Karim's efforts to bring the benefits of open source to big enterprise customers.
[00:00:00] - Introduction
[00:01:21] - Early career and transition
[00:05:17] - Big breaks: Nissan and Pixar
[00:07:38] - Acquisition and rapid growth
[00:09:25] - European expansion and IPO
[00:11:16] - Integration work and lessons
[00:13:40] - Entering open source and WordPress
[00:16:00] - Crowd Favorite and Alex King
[00:17:49] - Bridging publishing and enterprise
[00:20:00] - Composable and modular architectures
[00:21:18] - Enterprise value: ownership and cost
[00:24:23] - System architecture role and compliance
[00:26:08] - CRA and supply chain security
[00:28:36] - Enterprise practices: updates and SBOM
[00:33:00] - Introducing the FAIR project
[00:33:56] - Enterprise examples and collaboration
[00:39:23] - FAIR adoption and partners
[00:41:06] - Linux Foundation governance model
[00:45:03] - Goal: trusted WordPress supply chain
[00:45:55] - FAIR roadmap: ecosystem and policies
[00:47:56] - Defining moment for the coming decades
[00:49:38] - Follow-up and closing
Evan Prodromou is often called "The father of the Fediverse". It's amazing how much overlap there is between the aims of WordPress and Fediverse. These two communities should work together more! The Fediverse consists of independent social networking platforms including Mastodon (micro-blogging), PeerTube (videos), Pixelfed (images) and more.
Just like WordPress, most of the Fediverse runs on open source code. And just like WordPress, you get to create content that isn't swallowed by corporate algorithms. And you can build successful business or communities on your platforms that you own control.
We talk with Evan about the origins and evolution of the Fediverse. Evan has played a key role in building several early Fediverse sites such as Wikitravel, Identi.ca, and StatusNet. He also helped to develop Activity Pub which the key protocol that enables Fediverse to talk to each other.
Find out more about Evan: https://evanp.me.
In this episode of the PublishPress Podcast, Raquel joins Dan and Steve to chat about bringing PressConf to life. PressConf is the spritual successor to Pressnomics, a business-focused WordPress conference. Raquel tells the PressConf story and shares her lessons for other event organizers, including Dan who was part of the WordCamp Canada team.
Raquel talks about what it’s really like to organize large events, the ups and downs along the way, and why community is at the heart of it all. We dive into the behind-the-scenes details: how sponsorships work, how to make speakers feel safe and supported, and why global representation matters so much. Raquel shares what made PressConf 2025 such a success and what’s next for her events.
Check out PressConf 2026: https://pressconf.events
Timestamps:
00:00 The Birth of PressConf
03:04 Organizing Large Events: Challenges and Strategies
06:07 The Unique Experience of PressConf
09:07 Sponsorship Dynamics in Smaller Conferences
12:02 Creating a Safe Space for Vulnerability
15:01 The Global Reach of PressConf
17:57 Reflections on the Success of PressConf 2025
29:11 Navigating Visa Challenges for Events
30:51 Funding Models for Conferences
34:51 Balancing Ticket Prices and Sponsorships
36:22 Understanding Event Costs
39:07 PressConf's Future and Expansion Plans
41:21 Attracting New Audiences and Diversity
45:31 The Future of PressConf and Open Source Events
49:38 The Role of the Host in Event Success
51:01 Building Trust in Event Organization
56:32 Looking Ahead to PressConf 2026
In this episode, I talk with Than Taintor from the Human Made agency and Zeshan Ahmed from Green Street News. Together they've been part of the project to revamp the Green Street News website.
Green Street News is a major real estate publisher. They're based out of the UK, but have recently been expanding to Europe, Australia, and North America. That's meant a lot of changes to their business and their WordPress platform. This project had significant challenges, including codebase over a decade old. There was also a large volume of content, with over 100,000 articles split across multiple regions. There were also membership and scaling challenges as the Green Street team sends several highly-popular newsletters multiple times every day.
00:00 Introduction to HumanMade and Green Street
03:23 The Evolution of the Green Street Codebase
06:41 Architectural Decisions for Regional Content Management
10:48 Scaling Challenges with High Traffic
14:42 Implementing the Block Editor for Content Creation
18:15 Transitioning to Digital: The Evolution of Green Street News
20:51 Membership Management: Navigating Complex Systems
24:00 Modernizing Legacy Systems: The Ship of Theseus
27:20 AI in Action: Auto-Tagging Content
32:37 Expanding Horizons: Future Growth Plans
35:52 Data Privacy: Safeguarding Sensitive Information
38:01 Recommendations: Influential Voices in Publishing
Kimberly Lipari is CEO of Valet, a WordPress agency. She had made the very intentional choice to remain a small agency. We talk about how Kimberly balances work and family life, plus the importance of human touch in agency work.
Kimberly introduces me to the tools that Valet relies on. She does a great job of selling me on the Bricks page builder that I've never used before. She thinks it has a lot advantages for WordPress agencies.
We discuss the evolution of Valet, and also her new project, The Modern Webmaster, aimed at empowering clients with knowledge about web development.
Check out Kimberly's agency at Valet.io.
00:00: Introduction to Valet and Its Meaning
02:01: Understanding Valet's Clientele
04:33: The Intentionality of a Small Agency
06:32: Balancing Work and Family Life
08:50: Revenue Streams and Client Relationships
10:12: Consulting and Problem Solving
11:23: Applying Engineering Skills to Web Projects
15:51: The Flexibility of WordPress
16:54: Tools for Managing Client Sites
19:06: The Importance of Human Touch in Maintenance
22:54: The Role of Staff in Client Management
24:11: Addressing Security Concerns
28:01: Exploring Client Needs and Solutions
30:06: Exploring Page Builders and Themes
39:19: The Evolution of Valet and Agency Life
49:14: The Modern Webmaster: A New Resource
57:26: Empowering Clients Through Knowledge
In this episode of the PublishPress Podcast, Steve Burge chats with Jamie Marsland.
Jamie is known for his YouTube work on the PootlePress channel and now the official WordPress channel. A few years back, he had a regular job in publishing, but a career change unlocked a whole new wave of creativity.
First, they talk about how AI has changed Jamie’s writing. It helps him create content faster and even build apps like PootleWriter to make writing and publishing easier.
Then, they dive into YouTube, which has become a big outlet for Jamie’s creativity. He’s passionate about teaching and helping beginners with WordPress. Jamie shares how building trust through video has helped him grow and how he’s using what he’s learned to make WordPress better on YouTube.
Check out Jamie's work at https://www.pootlepress.com.
Timestamps:
Simea is part of a digital agency called Morntag, based in Switzerland. Her agency helps people navigate between different worlds. Many of Simea's customer are traditional print publishers and they need her help to navigate the online world including WordPress, AI and YouTube. Also the customers often need to work in different linguistic worlds including English, French, Italian, multiple versions of German, and more.
Find out more about Simea's work at https://morntag.com. Her WordPress-to-PDF service is at https://pressdify.com.
Timestamps from this episode:
Some key takeaways from this episode:
Luke Fretwell is one of the most creative and pioneering people I've met in open source. He's enjoyed a 25+ year career that has covered multiple projects, collaborations, and businesses. The through-line for all Luke's projects has been making government better through technology.
Luke created GovPress, a very popular WordPress theme focused for governments. He built Proud City, a WordPress-based SaaS service for government. His latest work includes ScanGov to track the quality of government websites, and Proudly Serving, a collectively written playbook that helps governments build people-centered digital public services.
Timestamps:
Carol Cavaleiro lives in Brazil and supports journalists across North and South America through her work at Indiegraf.
In this episode of the PublishPress Podcast, Carol discusses her journey from co-founding the fact-checking agency AusFatos in Brazil to becoming a product director at Indiegraf, a Canadian publishing platform.
We talk about misinformation, and the importance of community journalism to get genuine information to people. Carol and her clients need to use innovative ways to reach people including WhatsApp, audio versions of articles, and in-person events.
More about Indiegraf: https://indiegraf.com/
00:53 The Founding of AusFatos and Its Impact
03:33 The Evolution of Misinformation and Fact-Checking
08:31 Transitioning to IndieGraph and Product Development
13:07 Building a User-Friendly Platform for Publishers
18:47 The Role of Newsletters in Modern Publishing
22:52 Expanding into Latin America: Challenges and Opportunities
27:41 WhatsApp as a Communication Tool for Publishers
31:57 The Importance of Independent Distribution Systems
35:14 Navigating Security and Content Ownership
40:43 Spotlight on Innovative Publishers
Jacob Donnelly is the founder of A Media Operator (AMO) Over the last five year, he's grown AMO from a newsletter to a fully-fledged media organization. Soon after launching, Jacob moved from Substack to WordPress with the goal of owning his platform and audience.
Jacob and AMO have covered huge changes in the publishing industry over the last few years, and his insights will be fascinating for WordPress publishers.
On this episode of the PublishPress Podcast we talk about subscription-based business, AI and other hot publishing topics. But we also talk about the importance of events for publishers. Jacob runs a big annual conference for AMO and believes that events are vital for fostering community and generating revenue. Jacob introduces the three-legged stool model of combining media, events, and data to create a robust business framework.
Timestamps for this episode:
Topics covered in this episode:
In this episode of the PublishPress Podcast, we interview Pete Ericson, the founder of Leaky Paywall.
He has many years of experience building paywalls for publishers. Pete says that publishers are still nervous about paywalls, but increasingly see how valuable they can be. We talk a lot about the importance of newsletters in building audience engagement. Once you have the customer's email address, then you can start building a real relationship with them.
The conversation also delves into the impact of AI on content management, innovative subscription models, and the future of advertising in publishing.
Find out more: https://leakypaywall.com
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction to Leaky Paywall
02:57 The Philosophy Behind Paywalls
05:52 Changing Attitudes Towards Paywalls
08:50 Building Audience and Email Lists
11:52 The Role of Newsletters in Publishing
14:43 Frequency and Strategy of Newsletters
17:43 Navigating AI and Content Discovery
20:48 The Future of Paywalls and Content Monetization
24:26 Leveraging AI for Archiving and Real Estate Insights
26:47 The Value of Digitizing Archives
30:24 Challenges in Content Digitization
32:06 Niche Magazines Thriving Online
34:10 Monetizing Historical Archives
35:36 The Evolution of Advertising Strategies
38:59 The Future of Subscription Models
45:10 Innovative Paywall Strategies
46:24 Spotlight on Effective Local News Models
Topics covered in this episode:
Matt Hoy is the Chief Revenue Officer of Revcontent which provides native advertising for publishers.
In this episode of the PublishPress Podcast, Matt talks about how publishers can drive revenue despite the challenges posed by changes in Google search and the rise of AI.
Matt believes the key to success is trust. The advertising landscape is shifting away from low-quality ads. There needs to be trust between publishers, advertisers, platforms, and visitors. We dive into Revcontent's partnership with Apple News where high-quality , family-friendly ads benefit everyone involved.
Find out more: https://revcontent.com
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the PublishPress Podcast
01:09 Revcontent's Role in the Publishing Landscape
02:49 Understanding Revcontent's Monetization Strategy
05:08 Building Trust with Publishers and Advertisers
08:14 Navigating the Challenges of Third-Party Cookies
11:21 Impact of Google Search Changes on Publishers
13:20 Adapting to Shifts in User Behavior
16:29 Verticals Affected by Current Trends
19:51 The Rise of AI and Its Impact on Content
21:03 Working with Apple News and Newsletters
28:56 Connection Issues and Clientele Overview
31:01 Scaling for All: Big and Small Publishers
33:16 Understanding the Advertising Side
35:03 Diverse Advertiser Landscape
39:20 The Importance of Diversification in Publishing
47:06 Exploring International Expansion and New Avenues
52:45 Admiring Innovative Publishers
Show notes
Ben May runs The Code Company, one of the most successful WordPress agencies in Australia.
In this episode of the PublishPress Podcast, we discuss Ben's journey in the Australian publishing industry, the evolution of WordPress, and the importance of community engagement.
Ben has tons of experience with scaling WordPress sites, particularly with comment and community systems. He believes we're seeing a shift from social media to owning community interactions.
Ben's agency: https://thecode.co
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction to Ben May and Code Company
02:50 The Evolution of WordPress and High-Traffic Sites
05:57 Community Engagement and Comment Systems
08:55 The Shift from Social Media to Community Ownership
12:09 Working with Established Publishers and Creators
15:13 Headless WordPress: Pros and Cons
17:54 Case Studies: Media Operator and Substack Migrations
20:48 Building a Business Around a Platform
24:40 The Value of Ownership in Technology
25:31 Niche Success in Publishing
28:40 Innovative Media Strategies for Growth
30:57 Community Engagement and Passion Projects
34:07 The Future of Multilingual Content
38:20 Technical Approaches to Multilingual WordPress
46:04 Improving WordPress for Competitive Edge
48:08 Admired Publishers and Their Impact
Topics we covered in this episode:
- Scaling WordPress for high traffic events was a major challenge.
- Community engagement through comments can drive traffic and loyalty.
- Publishers are moving away from social media to own their communities.
- Established publishers often have a better foundation for community building.
- Headless WordPress can add complexity without solving core problems.
- Successful migrations from Substack to WordPress are on the rise.
- Building a business around a platform is crucial for long-term success.
- Publishers must be wary of relying on third-party platforms for their business.
- Ownership of technology allows for flexibility and control.
- Niche markets can lead to significant success in publishing.
- B2B media can effectively serve specific audience needs.
- Community engagement is crucial for media success.
- Innovative media strategies can drive growth and revenue.
- Multilingual content requires more than just translation.
- Technical challenges exist in implementing multilingual solutions in WordPress.
- Improving basic functionalities in WordPress can enhance its competitiveness.
- Specialty media can foster strong community connections.
- Passion-driven content can create highly engaged audiences.
In this episode of the PublishPress Podcast, we talk with Andrew Wilder from NerdPress. His team specializes in WordPress support and maintenance for independent publishers, particularly in the food and travel blogging niches.
Because he works with very high-traffic websites, Andrew and his team do things differently. For example, their plugin updates are always done manually, with roll-outs that can take a week or more.
Andrew talks about the supportive community among food bloggers. The conversation also touches on the competitive landscape of blogging, the significance of niche marketing, and various revenue models that successful bloggers employ.
Links for this show:
Key points from the episode:
Jen Kramer has taught web design for decades. Her career spans Harvard, community colleges, LinkedIn, Frontend Masters and now Annie Cannons, a nonprofit boot camp for human trafficking survivors. In this episode of the PublishPress Podcast, Jen talks about her career and how web design teaching has changes over the years.
Jen believes that good teaching requires the same skills, no matter where the students are. Jen believes that students need to know the foundational skills in web development: HTML, CSS, and Javascript. Everything else should build on that base.
Key Links:
We touched on these topics in this episode:
Kyle Van Deusen runs the popular The Admin Bar community, a platform for WordPress agency owners and freelancers. He's been able to grow the community to over 12,000 people because he's still an agency owner and is constantly dealing with the same problems as his members.
Find out more:
- https://theadminbar.com
- https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadminbar/
Kyle talks about community management and the unique culture he has developed at the Admin Bar. We discuss strategies for content creation and engagement. He emphasizes the importance of identifying common problems faced by agency owners and how sharing personal experiences can lead to valuable content.
The discussion also covers the shift towards recurring revenue models, the impact of AI on the industry, and the tools and processes used for efficient content creation.
Colin Devroe runs Hubbub, a social sharing and website growth plugin for WordPress. He is passionate about helping blogger succeed. And in 2025, that means owning your audience. Colin talks about how social networks are swinging back towards with human curation with bloggers seeing a lot of success on platforms like Flipboard. And to really own your audience, you need them to follow you on a platform you control. That can be a newsletter, or a decentralized social platform, but you need a direct connection to your fans.
Find out more:
Topics we covered in this episode:
Brad Williams is the CEO and Co-Founder of WebDevStudios, a leading WordPress agency. He's been involved in some ground-breaking projects, such as moving Microsoft's blog networks from closed-source code to WordPress. Microsoft's adoption of WordPress really helped validate the platform for enterprises.
On this episode of the PublishPress Podcast, Brad discusses how his team have moved publishers to the block editor using a step-by-step approach rather than a rebuild. Surprisingly for me, he also sings the praises of multi-site networks for anyone wanting to run a large number of sites on WordPress.
Brad's agency: https://webdevstudios.com/
Topics covered in this episode:
Tyler Channel runs PaywallProject which is a WordPress stack for news publishers. Tyler recommends that the publishers use a paywall to drive revenue, no matter how small or regional their audience is. When he was in college, Tyler heard a professor say that someone needs to discover a way to make newspapers sustainable. That's been his goal for years, and now he's making it happen.
Find out more: https://www.paywallproject.com/
Links mentioned in this episode:
Topics we covered in this episode:
Matt Medeiros is a foundational member of WordPress community, as a journalist and a podcaster. He believes that community is far more valuable than large number of newsletter and social media followers. Matt believes deeply in community, and also curiosity. It's fascinating to hear about his journey and how his curiosity as led him from project to project. At the end of the conversation, we hear where his curiosity is leading him now.
Matt runs The WP Minute and Slack community: https://thewpminute.com.
Sign up for Matt's newsletter: https://thewpminute.com/subscribe/
This episode features Steve Burge from PublishPress and Dan Knauss from Multidots.
We covered these topics and more:
Matt's links: