Ep. 24: The Media Cartographer - Evan Shapiro on Rethinking What Matters

The Media Cartographer Evan Shapiro on Reinventing Our Relationship with Work I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Evan Shapiro, a veteran media executive turned author and consultant, on my podcast “A Guy with a Scarf.” Shapiro is the creator of the Media Universe Map, a visual representation tracking the market value of major media companies. We covered several pressing topics: the state of the media industry, the integral role of sports media, Shapiro’s own health issues, and the importance of civic participation. Here are some highlights from our wide-ranging conversation: On the seismic changes in media: “Two companies control 100% of mobile. Right. Google is the fastest growing operating system in connected televisions. Amazon is the second largest distributor of television software in the United States." On the outsized influence of Big Tech: "You can't get to your consumer unless you go through these companies...They master so much control." On the economic influence of sports: "If you are a sports rights holder, there's never been a better time to be alive." On media companies reinventing themselves: "Media across the universe, pure media players are going to have to find ways to either bundle themselves with others or provide more than one service to compete." On the creator economy: "I think a lot of people think of me as an analyst or a consultant, but in reality, what I do every day is I wake up and I create." On the importance of relationships: "We identify ourselves too much in our jobs and not enough in the relationships that we build." On making civic participation a priority: "This is too important a time for those of us who give a shit about the world to keep our mouths shut." While ranging over topics like the consolidation of Big Tech and the explosion of the creator economy, Shapiro kept returning to the idea that we need to reevaluate our relationship to work. He argued passionately that life is too short to sacrifice wholly to employers who see us as expendable. Instead, we should focus on building meaningful connections and pursuing work aligned with our values. #mediaindustry #sportsbiz #healthwellness #civicengagement #personalbranding