From KC Chiefs Fan to Media Mogul: Zach Best on Culture, Creativity, and Championship Mindsets

In this fun and insightful episode, Zach Best, co-founder of FanSided and Executive VP at Minute Media, joins to talk about turning fandom into a media empire, building thriving remote teams, and why culture beats everything. Zach’s Kansas City roots and love for the Chiefs sparked a journey that turned a humble sports blog into a major digital media player acquired three times, including by Time/Sports Illustrated and Meredith Corporation.

You’ll hear about:

• How Zach built a strong remote culture with team members well before remote work was cool.

• Why bad ownership ruins sports franchises (looking at you, NY Jets).

• Lessons learned from leading a company through multiple acquisitions—and how each one taught him something new.

• The surprising role a Led Zeppelin-inspired blog post played in launching FanSided.

• How his passion for inclusion led to a groundbreaking partnership with the Special Olympics.

• His hot takes on leadership, AI, emotional intelligence, and creating opportunity for others.

• Why staying scrappy and hiring for passion matters more than ever.

Zach also shares how FanSided became one of the top 10 standalone digital sports media brands and what it’s like to work with Special Olympics athletes during Super Bowl week.

Whether you're a startup founder, a remote team leader, or just a fan of great stories, this episode is packed with insight, inspiration, and a few good-natured jabs at the NY Jets.

 

This episode is brought to you by... Ever wish your company updates could be less "quarterly earnings report" and more "late-night talk show"? At Pelaccio & Partners, we're revolutionizing internal communications with podcasts that employees actually want to listen to. Imagine podcast episodes that make your employees laugh while staying informed. Our founder, Jeff Pelaccio, doesn't just create podcasts; he creates conversations that break through the noise. Whether you're a growing startup or a massive corporation, we turn your company's story into audio gold. Leadership becomes human. Remote teams feel connected. Your message cuts through the clutter. Jeff is happy to share his insights on podcasting with you. You can contact him via LinkedIn or schedule a Zoom call via this link - 15-minute call with Jeff.   About Zach: Zachary Best is the General Manager at FanSided, a Minute Media brand, where he oversees the strategic direction, operations, and growth of the platform. He co-founded FanSided, helping turn it from a small blog into one of the leading fan-driven sports and entertainment media networks.​ Following FanSided’s acquisition, Zachary remained with the company and now serves as an Executive Vice President at Minute Media, where he sits on the executive team and helps guide strategy, innovation, and business development across the company’s portfolio of global media brands.​ In addition to his media work, Zachary is a residential real estate investor and developer, with a focus on building and improving communities through long-term investments.​ He lives in Nixa, Missouri, with his wife, Lauren, and their three children—Calan, Emery, and Graham.