The Future of Prof G Media, How We Make the Podcast, and Why Scott Became a Professor
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
In this episode of Office Hours, Scott Galloway dives deep into the mechanics of building Prof G Media into a multi-million dollar empire. He reveals his succession planning strategies (03:24), explaining how he's transitioning from a personal brand to an enterprise by developing co-hosts like Ed Elson and building sustainable revenue streams. Galloway breaks down the impressive infrastructure behind their content machine—14-16 full-time employees producing 12-14 podcasts weekly (06:14), generating approximately $20 million annually through strategic audience targeting of wealthy young males. The episode also explores his transition from business to academia (20:07), sharing hard-earned wisdom about navigating university politics, the realities of tenure systems, and practical strategies for clinical professors to build influence through exceptional teaching rather than traditional academic research.
Speakers
Scott Galloway (Host)
NYU Stern Professor and serial entrepreneur who built multiple companies including L2 (acquired by Gartner) and Red Envelope. Founded Prof G Media, generating $17-20M annually across his podcast portfolio including top-100 shows, while commanding $125-150K speaking fees and earning millions from bestselling books.
Ed Elson
Co-host of Prof G Markets and rising talent in financial media. Galloway frequently mentions Ed as part of his succession planning strategy, positioning him to eventually lead content that reduces dependence on the Scott Galloway brand.
Catherine Dillon
Business partner and operator who runs Prof G Media's day-to-day operations. Manages the 14-16 person full-time team plus contractors that produce the company's extensive podcast portfolio and content ecosystem.
Key Takeaways
Greatness is in the Agency of Others
Building a scalable enterprise requires systematically reducing dependence on yourself as the singular talent. Scott's Prof G empire employs 14-16 full-time people plus contractors—video editors, fact-checkers, tech specialists—enabling him to work "an hour and a half" while others invest "twenty to forty hours" per episode. (09:07) Success demands deliberately fostering other voices and creating systems that can thrive beyond your personal involvement.
Create Currency Through Performance, Not Politics
In academia and business alike, your leverage comes from being indispensable to revenue generation. Scott became a "ringer" by consistently putting "500 butts in seats" annually, generating $3.5M in income for NYU Stern. (24:04) Focus relentlessly on measurable outcomes that directly impact the bottom line rather than getting trapped in administrative busy work that creates no real value.
Negotiate from Market Position Every 3-5 Years
Never negotiate compensation from a position of hope—negotiate from data. Scott interviews with competing universities every few years, discovers his market value, then transparently presents this to his current employer: "I don't want to leave, but this is my current value in the marketplace." (24:55) This systematic approach to salary negotiations removes emotion and creates objective benchmarks.
Overcompensate to Eliminate Turnover Friction
Pay people 30-50% above market rate to avoid the costly hiring-firing-training cycle. Scott's philosophy: hire exceptional people you've worked with or who come highly recommended, then overpay them so "they don't leave." (13:26) This strategy works particularly well in high-margin businesses where talent retention directly impacts profitability and quality.
Build Content Flywheels, Not Linear Streams
Create interconnected revenue streams where each element amplifies the others. Scott's ecosystem—podcasts driving speaking gigs ($4M annually), books generating $1M+ each, newsletters creating advertiser relationships—forms a self-reinforcing cycle. (14:38) The key is designing systems where success in one area systematically drives growth in adjacent areas, creating exponential rather than additive value.
Statistics & Facts
- Prof G's audience consists of an average 34-year-old male making $150,000 per year, described as "the great white rhino of the consumer economy" that brands want to reach. (07:28)
- Prof G gets between $30-50 CPMs for advertising compared to $2-3 CPMs on ad networks or AdSense, due to their highly attractive demographic. (13:14)
- For every one employee at Prof G, they generate about 50,000 downloads or listeners, compared to Comcast and Disney getting only 10,000-15,000 views/listens per employee. (12:12)
- The total Prof G podcast portfolio generates approximately $17-20 million annually, making it a very profitable business with 20-30% year-over-year growth. (11:30)
- Only 10 podcasts capture one-third of all podcast listenership, and the top 100 podcasts capture two-thirds, leaving 599,900 of the 600,000 active podcasts fighting over just one-third of the listener base. (11:46)
