Hamish McKenzie

San Francisco

Co-Founder, Substack and Freelance Journalist at Freelance

Co-founder of @SubstackInc. Writer.

Articles

This is what the future of media looks like

2 weeks ago | ted.com | Hamish McKenzie

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Live recording of Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie & Preet Bharara

2 weeks ago | staytuned.substack.com | Preet Bharara |Hamish McKenzie

Substack co-founder joined me today for a live conversation about the future of media. We discussed Substack’s business model and the problems with legacy media’s approach, lessons from BuzzFeed’s collapse due to over-reliance on Facebook’s algorithm, and social media as a “bad faith machine.” Preet also shared why he joined Substack: to create space for thoughtful discourse over reactive, engagement-driven commentary.
A new media order is emerging

1 month ago | post.substack.com | Hamish McKenzie

On Saturday, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner will take place against a backdrop of political tumult and media collapse. Once a marquee event for Washington’s political class, it now anchors a weekend of parties with a festival-like feel, where the nation’s power brokers gather to drink sponsored cocktails, gossip about industry trysts, and, ostensibly, celebrate the First Amendment.
A simple vision for the future of media organizations

1 month ago | hamish.substack.com | Hamish McKenzie

The media world is in transition. The legacy model that supported media organizations for generations is in tatters. It will not recover. Some legacy organizations—including the New York Times and Bloomberg—have adapted to the new reality by investing more deeply in subscription revenues and becoming primarily digital-focused operations that can succeed independently of social media, but they are the exceptions that prove the rule. The internet has fundamentally reordered the media landscape.
From the temple to the garden

2 months ago | post.substack.com | Hamish McKenzie |Caroline Chambers |

We are living through the most significant media disruption since the printing press, and it explains everything from why you can’t stand your neighbor to our current political tumult. Until recently, the best way for political figures to gain influence in developed democracies was to look good on television, speak in measured tones, and develop relationships with the people who controlled the media. We are still only just coming out of that era.
On owning your work

2 months ago | thehyphen.substack.com | Emma Gannon |Hamish McKenzie

I work with a lawyer who is eagle-eyed when it comes to artists owning their IP. She scans my contracts and says, ‘HA! NICE TRY. Absolutely not,’ while striking out sneaky clauses with a red pen. When I was younger, I nearly signed a contract (with a major TV network) that basically wanted me to give away my IP for peanuts—and I feel a bit sorry for my twenty-something self who didn’t know anything. Luckily, I didn’t sign it.
Touch paper

2 months ago | post.substack.com | Hamish McKenzie

When someone has spent so much time on social media that their grip on reality has loosened, they are often implored to “touch grass”—get offline, go outside, smell the roses. It’s meant as a reminder that there’s a living, breathing world right there that can restore their health, if only they would venture out to it. There should be a similar saying for people who have overindulged in disposable online content, reminding them to reconnect with the world of art and culture. “Touch paper,” perhaps.
Life After The TikTok Ban... Or Sale

2 months ago | wearedigitaldiplomacy.substack.com | Lia Haberman |Chris Best |Hamish McKenzie

What‚Äôs TikTok‚Äôs future with Trump and JD Vance in charge? The context around TikTok keeps evolvingWho wants to buy TikTok? TikTok at SXSWThe myth about the TikTok banSo what about national security and algorithm vulnerabilities? Is TikTok good for the economy? In a recent interview with NBC News, US Vice President JD Vance said a deal to sell TikTok and keep it up and running in the United States would largely be in place by the April 5 deadline.
Creators And Podcasters In, Legacy Media Out

Mar 3, 2025 | wearedigitaldiplomacy.substack.com | Hamish McKenzie |Chris Best |Clay Jones |Jennifer Welch

Is the White House‚Äôs shift about transparency or control? Not anymore? ‚ÄúThis is the ever-changing landscape of the media in the United States today‚ÄĚWhy ‚Äúthe audience may not understand‚ÄĚ? Even Fox is not happy about this White House media takeover!Why the public can no longer trust pool reports? Is the White House harming the spread of reliable information? ‚ÄúDemocracy Dies in Darkness,‚ÄĚ is this true anymore?
The Sunday Best

Mar 2, 2025 | chriscillizza.substack.com | Chris Cillizza |Hamish McKenzie |Chris Best

I don’t want to brag or anything but the 7th grade rec basketball team I coach just advanced to the championship. So….this is basically me:Anywho, it’s Sunday — which means it’s time for the best stuff I saw on the Internet this week. As always, it’s a mix of podcasts, stories, charts and a whole bunch else. The Sunday Best is a weekly “thank you” for paid subscribers.