Nicholas Carlson’s New Venture in the Video Landscape
Nicholas Carlson has been a keen observer of spectacular failures across the tech and media industries throughout his career. As the former chief editor of Business Insider, he meticulously documented the downfall of major players like Yahoo and Groupon. More recently, he watched as numerous Silicon Valley companies and competing publications embarked on a misguided “pivot to video,” often with disappointing results.
Now, at the age of 41, Mr. Carlson is channeling the insights he gained from these experiences into a promising new venture. He is on the verge of launching his own media start-up, which will emphasize the burgeoning appeal of video content across platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
The upcoming company, Dynamo, aims to capitalize on the increasing demand for engaging video narratives. According to Mr. Carlson, Dynamo will create “cinematic” video stories tailored for these platforms, with a particular focus on business journalism. He envisions catering to a specific audience he refers to as “dynamos.”
- Defining the Dynamo: The typical dynamo, a group Mr. Carlson identifies with, is an ambitious and career-driven individual who believes that understanding business dynamics can illuminate broader societal issues.
In his vision for Dynamo, Mr. Carlson is keen to distinguish his approach from that of other platforms. He emphasizes that his new endeavor shares more similarities with Mr. Beast, the wildly successful YouTube creator known for his elaborate and entertaining video productions, rather than with Facebook Watch, which faced challenges and was ultimately discontinued after years of struggling for traction.
“We’re not just pivoting to video,” Mr. Carlson remarked with a chuckle. “We’re cannonballing into the deep end of video.” His enthusiasm for this venture reflects a bold commitment to harnessing the power of video storytelling to engage and inspire his audience.
