BUILD A MEDIA BRAND
THAT MAKES YOU
IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE.

The community where executives, founders, and marketing leaders build media brands using AI tools, Claude Code workflows, and automation systems most companies don't even know exist. Built by the team behind 20+ publications and 145,000+ subscribers.

APPLICATION-ONLY COMMUNITY
THE MCL INNER CIRCLE

AI tools, operator frameworks, and hands-on support for building media brands that create real business value.

  • Custom Claude skills, plugins, and automations
  • Weekly strategy calls with TJ & Shane
  • Battle-tested playbooks and frameworks
  • AI-powered tools we build and hand to you
  • Vetted network of 7, 8, and 9-figure operators
APPLY NOW

Starting at $300/mo for founding members

NOT READY TO APPLY? GET THE FREE WEEKLY BRIEFING.

Actionable insights on building media brands with AI. No fluff. Unsubscribe anytime.

THE OLD PLAYBOOK IS DEAD.
THE NEW ONE RUNS ON MEDIA + AI.

Customer acquisition costs have tripled since 2020. Paid channels are a race to the bottom for everyone.
60%
Organic reach has collapsed across every major platform. You are renting attention on land you do not own.
10×
AI makes content creation faster. Which means everyone is doing it. Volume is no longer a competitive advantage. Strategy is.

Most companies post content.
The ones winning are building media brands.

Content = ephemeral posts tied to one person, one platform, one algorithm change away from irrelevance.

Media Brand = owned channels, strategic infrastructure, multiple revenue streams, and a compounding asset. Whether you are a $2M startup or a $200M enterprise.

THIS IS ABOUT TO GET
A LOT HARDER.

AI is about to create an explosion of new businesses, new software products, and new entrepreneurs. The barrier to building a company has never been lower. That means one thing for you: your competition is about to multiply.

When there are 10x more businesses and 1,000x more software products in your space, the ones with an audience win. The ones without an audience get buried.

Media is the cheapest and most defensible way to stand out. But only if you start before everyone else figures this out.

The founders building media brands right now will already have the audience, the trust, and the distribution when their competition finally catches on. They will be two years ahead, building on a foundation that compounds.

Building a media brand will only get harder from here. Get in now, or spend years trying to catch up.

THE COMPANIES THAT BUILD MEDIA NOW WILL OWN THEIR MARKETS.
THE REST WILL SPEND THE NEXT DECADE TRYING TO CATCH UP.

AI TOOLS. OPERATOR FRAMEWORKS.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO BUILD.

We don't just teach you what to do. We build the tools and hand them to you. Claude skills, automations, templates, and frameworks created by operators in the top 0.01% of both AI and media.

🤖
CUSTOM AI TOOLS & CLAUDE SKILLS
We build Claude skills, Claude plugins, and automation workflows specifically for media brands. You get them for free. Use them, learn from them, or let them do the work for you.
AI IMPLEMENTATION TRAINING
Learn how to use Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and Perplexity the way we do. Projects, co-work plugins, automation pipelines. The systems behind our 20+ publications.
🎯
WEEKLY STRATEGY CALLS
Brand teardowns, hot seats, tactical workshops, and live Q&A with TJ and Shane. Every session recorded. Come with problems, leave with a plan.
📋
PLAYBOOKS & FRAMEWORKS
Battle-tested SOPs for launching newsletters, podcast infrastructure, monetization systems, sponsor pitch decks, and multi-channel strategies that actually work.
👥
VETTED OPERATOR NETWORK
Private Circle community of executives, founders, and marketing leaders. Application-only keeps the room valuable. No lurkers. No beginners asking beginner questions.
🎨
TEMPLATES, SWIPE FILES & CREATIVE
Canva templates, content calendars, email sequences, ad creative libraries, and sponsor pitch frameworks. Everything you need to execute without starting from zero.

LATEST ARTICLES

VIEW ALL ARTICLES →
📰
STRATEGY

Why Every 8-Figure Brand Needs a Media Strategy in 2026

The companies winning market share are not outspending on ads. They are building media moats that compound.

8 MIN READ

🤖
AI + MEDIA

The Claude Code Playbook: How We Automate 80% of Newsletter Operations

Inside the AI systems running our 20+ publications. And how you can replicate them.

12 MIN READ

💼
FOUNDER-LED

Founder-Led Media: The $0 CAC Channel Your Board Doesn't Understand Yet

How three CEOs turned their expertise into inbound engines that outperform paid acquisition 5 to 1.

6 MIN READ

THREE WAYS IN.
ALL APPLICATION-ONLY.

We keep the community small and the quality high. Every member is vetted. No exceptions.

7 FOUNDING SPOTS LEFT
OPERATOR
50% OFF FOUNDING RATE
Save $3,600/year. Only for founding members.
$600 $300 /month
BILLED QUARTERLY · $900/QUARTER
  • Weekly strategy calls (live + recorded)
  • Private Circle community
  • Custom AI tools, Claude skills, and automations
  • AI implementation training
  • Playbooks, SOPs, and frameworks
  • Content templates and swipe files
  • Canva template library
  • Tool stack discounts
APPLY NOW
5 LIFETIME SPOTS
PARTNER
$15,000 one-time
LIFETIME ACCESS · PAY ONCE, IN FOREVER
Everything in Inner Circle. Forever:
  • All Inner Circle benefits for life
  • Free Lightbreak license forever
  • Never pay another monthly fee
  • Locked in before prices increase
  • Founding Partner status
The math: Inner Circle costs $24K/year. Lightbreak costs $6K/year. That is $30K/year in total value. Partner pays $15K once. Less than 6 months of value for lifetime access.
APPLY NOW

WATCH THE PODCAST

SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE →
🎙️
34:21
Why Every Business Will Become a Media Company in 2026
12K views · 2 days ago
🤖
52:08
Claude Code for Media Brands: The Complete Walkthrough
15K views · 1 week ago
📰
47:15
We Built 20+ Newsletters. Here Is What Actually Works.
8.4K views · 1 week ago
💰
29:44
How to Turn 1,000 Subscribers Into $10K/Month
6.2K views · 2 weeks ago
🎯
41:33
Founder-Led Media: The Strategy Nobody Is Talking About
9.1K views · 2 weeks ago
38:52
Media Brand Teardown: How Morning Brew Won
11K views · 3 weeks ago

WE DON'T TEACH THEORY.
WE SHOW RECEIPTS.

TJ
TJ LARKIN
CO-FOUNDER · OPERATIONS & CONTENT

Built 20+ newsletters and media publications from scratch. 145,000+ subscribers across the portfolio. Founder of Local Media HQ and Lightbreak, the AI-powered newsletter platform.

Deep in the weeds on Claude Code, Cursor, AI automation, and building systems that let media brands scale without burning out the founder. Top 0.01% AI operator.

SB
SHANE BRADY
CO-FOUNDER · SALES & PARTNERSHIPS

Enterprise sales veteran who has closed seven and eight-figure deals. Runs 3 media brands and understands both sides: building the brand and monetizing it at scale.

Brings the partnerships, sponsor relationships, and business development engine that turns media brands into revenue machines.

MEDIA CREATES
LEVERAGE.

Join the free briefing. Get the playbook. Build your media brand.
Or watch your competitors do it first.

Free weekly insights. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.