Overview of How Long Gone with Jon Kelly
Chris Black and Jason Stewart speak with Jon Kelly, co-founder of Puck, in a wide-ranging conversation that mixes media-industry strategy with jokes about city life, food habits, fame, and the changing economics of culture. Kelly explains Puck’s model as a premium, subscription-based media company built around elite talent, niche professional audiences, and experiential events, while also reflecting on how New York, magazines, and the broader media landscape have evolved.
Key Topics Discussed
Suburban life vs. city identity
- Kelly describes himself as a “burbs bro,” framing suburban living as a deliberate choice rather than a downgrade.
- He argues that modern New York has become more suburban in feel, with big-box convenience and luxury retail replacing the grit and chaos of earlier eras.
- The hosts and Kelly compare city living, sprawl, and the “exotic” appeal of suburban spaces like Costco, parking lots, and tennis courts.
Puck’s business model and editorial philosophy
- Kelly positions Puck as a professional-media brand that sits between journalism and equity research.
- He says Puck succeeds by combining:
- remarkable talent
- a clearly defined professional audience
- advertising opportunities
- and high-value experiential events
- The company aims to create “professional fandoms” around its writers and verticals.
- He emphasizes that Puck is designed for paid subscribers, not mass, free distribution.
Talent, acquisitions, and growth strategy
- Kelly says Puck has grown by hiring standout journalists and building products around them.
- He discusses Airmail as a smart acquisition and hints that Puck may acquire more creator-led or niche media businesses in the future.
- He frames Substack as a “gateway drug” for creators who eventually may need structure, team support, and enterprise value.
- He suggests that media consolidation is happening again, but in a new, rebundled form.
Media economics, magazines, and the future of print
- Kelly argues that the old magazine era taught valuable lessons:
- not every brand needs to be huge
- sustainable growth matters more than scale-at-all-costs
- the best products create real affection and loyalty
- He thinks The New Yorker and The Atlantic will remain durable because of their identity and role in readers’ lives.
- His broader view: print will continue, but as smaller, more selective businesses tied to specific economics and branding value.
Wealth, power, and AI
- The conversation turns toward how wealth and influence have changed over the last two decades.
- Kelly notes that ultra-wealthy people increasingly use money for public influence, political leverage, and platform power.
- He and the hosts discuss AI as a force that will likely concentrate wealth further, but he resists the most apocalyptic predictions.
- He stresses that people often overreact to technological change, pointing to past panic around Y2K as a useful reminder that worst-case fears don’t always materialize.
Culture, media personalities, and audience trust
- The hosts discuss how writers and media figures now need to be more camera-facing and distributive, not just good writers.
- Kelly says Puck benefits from talent that can report, write, podcast, market, and convene.
- They talk about how people like Matt Belloni have built trust with both industry insiders and general audiences by being credible, sharp, and funny.
Notable Insights
- Kelly believes “good media is profitable media.”
- He sees Puck as creating value by offering insider-quality information with personality and wit.
- He argues that subscribers are buying access to a community and point of view, not just information.
- He thinks the media business is moving toward rebundling, similar to a new version of the magazine era.
Lighter Moments and Personal Details
- Kelly reveals a quirky rule: he does not eat hot lunches because they make him mentally sluggish.
- He drinks a lot of coffee, wakes up early, and tries not to have caffeine after 3 p.m.
- He wears a Sid Mashburn polo almost daily and jokes that it simplifies his morning routine.
- The group also riffs on:
- movie theater snacks and “munch” behavior
- body transformations and “body reveals”
- tattoos and Graydon Carter’s dislike of them
- Knicks fandom and the city’s parade atmosphere
Closing Takeaway
Jon Kelly presents Puck as a smart, sustainable media company built for a world where audience trust, niche expertise, and real-world convening matter more than scale alone. The episode is part business talk, part culture critique, and part hangout—anchored by Kelly’s mix of old-school magazine sensibility and modern media pragmatism.