Podcasts

Breaking down efficient content consumption in the age of accelerating news cycles with Axios founder and Politico co-founder Jim VandeHei

Oct 5, 2022
Feb 27, 2025
 • 
 min read

“Everybody was having the same problem I was having at a personal level, which is getting hit with more content than ever before and not knowing what to trust at the same time.”
— Jim VandeHei, founder of Axios and co-founder of Politico

Before starting Axios, Jim VandeHei was inundated with news content. He didn’t know what to read first, what mattered, or what to trust. From there, he set out on a journey to create efficient, effective content consumption: a headline, quick synthesis, and a “why it matters” analysis. Readers also have the option to dig deeper with a longer article, which is always accompanied by an estimated reading time. With 11.8 monthly unique visitors, Axios’ format is changing content consumption rapidly.

On this episode of The Speed of Culture, join Jim and Suzy founder and CEO Matt Britton to explore Jim’s transition from journalist at The Washington Post to co-founding Politico and, ultimately, founding Axios and launching the Smart Brevity content format. They’ll discuss:

  • How Jim’s time as a journalist prepared him for founding and becoming CEO of two companies: Axios and Politico
  • Why effective advertising is imperative for the continuation of free journalism
  • The idea that birthed Axios: efficient content consumption, and how it’s changing our media landscape
  • Axios HQ – the software, and how it’s using the “Smart Brevity” format to help businesses disseminate essential information

See Suzy in Action
Book a Demo today
See Suzy in action. Learn how Suzy can boost your business.

Receive the most up-to-date resources and strategies

Thank you for subscribing!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Related resources

Podcasts
Ctrl Creative: How Smartly’s Laura Desmond is rewriting the CMO playbook with AI

In this episode of The Speed of Culture, Matt Britton sits down with Laura Desmond, CEO of Smartly, to explore how advertising is being reshaped by AI and why the next decade won’t be about producing more ads, but creating intelligent creative that adapts in real time. From her leadership philosophy to Smartly’s industry forum “Advance,” Laura shares why leading at algorithm speed requires fearless execution, a strong mission, and the courage to get things done.

Advertising
Speed of Culture
Sep 16, 2025
Oct 15, 2025
 • 
 min read
Podcasts
Color theory: Crayola’s Victoria Lozano believes creativity is our greatest skill in an AI-driven world

In this episode of The Speed of Culture, Matt Britton sits down with Victoria Lozano, Chief Marketing Officer at Crayola, to unpack why creativity is a life skill that prepares people for whatever lies ahead. Victoria shares how Crayola has expanded beyond crayons into products, experiences, and content, why more than half of purchases now come from households without kids, and how the Campaign for Creativity is reframing creative expression as a cultural movement.

CPG
Speed of Culture
Sep 11, 2025
Oct 14, 2025
 • 
 min read
Podcasts
Winning serve: Grey Goose's US Open playbook for maximizing cultural impact

In this episode of The Speed of Culture, Matt Britton sits down with Aleco Azqueta, Global VP of Marketing at Grey Goose Vodka, to explore how a brand rooted in French luxury has built cultural currency at the US Open, created enduring consumer rituals, and reframed time itself as modern luxury. Aleco explains why brand fit matters more than fame, how experiential activations beat passive impressions, and why young marketers need to stop “chopping wood” and start “sharpening the axe.”

Food & Beverage
Speed of Culture
Sep 9, 2025
Sep 9, 2025
 • 
 min read
View all