BLOCK & TACKLE — Thomas De Napoli

How Publisher Collaborations Fueled Chipotle's Latest Campaign

Case study about how big companies and startups in the media world can work together to reach bigger audiences, with programming that matters, while making money in the process.

Remembering a Titan

Remembering an industry giant who championed projects that were small in scale but ambitious in their vision.

LIT! Won the Adweek Arc Award

Viacom Velocity took home the top honors during the Adweek Arc Awards at SXSW for our work on LIT! Above the Noise for Beats by Dre.

MarketingThomas De NapoliApril 23, 2019SXSW, ADWEEK, SXSW2019, SXSW19, LIT, MTV, Viacom, Dario Spina, Beats, Beats Headphones, Beats by Dre, Dayo Harewood, Elizabeth Carter, Tyler Hissey, Mette Towley

How to Lead (Constructively) Amidst Change

3 strategic frameworks that managers can use help navigate their organizations through change, and which can mean the difference between soaring high with power or bailing out as a failure.

Strategy, LeadershipThomas De NapoliApril 23, 2019Ray Dalio, Principles, Strategy, management, Change, Kodak, Stanford, Stanford GSB, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Disruption, Leadership

There is No Traditional Media

Barry Diller, the former CEO of Paramount and Fox, and Founder of IAC, on the transfer of power between movie studios and big tech.

StrategyThomas De NapoliFebruary 26, 2019Barry Diller, Kara Swisher, Recode Decode, Podcast, Oscars, Academy Awards, FAANG, Facebook, FB, Apple, APPL, Amazon, AMZN, Netflix, NFLX, Google, GOOG, Reid Hastings, Curiosity, IAC, Expedia, Tinder, OK Cupid, Interactive Corporation, Media, Founder, Tech

Unlock the Power of Questions

The willingness to seek out new and useful information is the foundation of personal creativity, organizational innovation and problem solving. Asking the right questions is the most effective way of doing this.

LeadershipThomas De NapoliFebruary 22, 2019Amazon, Harvard Business Review, Leadership, strategy, management, Apple, Bridgewater, Alison Wood Brooks, Leslie John, DNA, Question, Questioning, Leadership Development, Productivity, Gong.io, sales, Creativity

The 1 Hot Take You Should Read About Amazon HQ2

My hot take on another hot take on the hot topic of Amazon, HQ2 and subsidizing private industry with public money. It’s a Möbius strip of hot takes.

StrategyThomas De NapoliFebruary 17, 2019Amazon, AMZN, HQ2, Long Island City, Jeff Bezos, Barry Ritholtz, Socialism, Subsidy, Billionaire, Taxes, Apple, APPL, Google, GOOG, Twitter, Wealth, Andrew Cuomo, Bill DeBlasio, Michael Gianaris, AOC, alexandria ocasio-cortez, alexandria ocasio cortez

The 1 Thing That Tells Me Facebook is an (Unstoppable)* Juggernaut

Despite bad press, pending government regulation and hot takes by the chattering class, Facebook stock is having an incredible run. But something I saw on the subway the other day is the leading indicator why I think they will be a force for the foreseeable future.

MarketingThomas De NapoliFebruary 14, 2019Facebook, General Assembly, Sales, Marketing, Wall Street, Earnings Report, Stock, Zucked, You'be Been Zucked, Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram, Twitter, Roger McNamee, Regulation, GDPR

The YouTube Animation Revolution is Upon Us

As premium streamers like Netflix and Amazon add animation to their lineup of original series to attack families and children, driving prices of cartoons up by 2x, a quiet revolution in animation is happing on YouTube as well.

StrategyThomas De NapoliFebruary 12, 2019Animation, YouTube, Amazon, Netflix, Apple, APPL, NFLX, Hulu, TheOdd1sOut, Domics, Content, Streaming, Viacom, MTV, Liquid Television, Adult Swim, Warner Media, Beavis and Butthead, Cartoon, Cartoon Network

Build It or Buy It?

Spotify just spend nearly 2x the annual value of media sales for the entire podcast market on two of the leading producers in the space. Was it worth it?

StrategyThomas De NapoliFebruary 6, 2019Spotify, Gimlet, Netflix, Lionsgate, Media, Podcast, startup, M&A, Mergers & Acquistions, Content

Learn or Get Left Behind

The best way to be valuable in an industry facing constant disruption is to be able to adapt. The best way to become great at this skill is through lifelong learning.

Leadership, StrategyThomas De NapoliFebruary 5, 2019Viacom, Apple, APPL, VIA, Google, GOOG, Facebook, FB, Amazon, AMZN, Netflix, NFLX, Continuing Educatin, Lifelong Learning, Executive Education, Henry Ford, Adaptation

Being an Indie Filmmaker Prepared Me for the Shifting Media Landscape

The lessons I learned nearly a decade ago as a broke indie filmmaker, with no connections, are helping me thrive in today’s constantly disrupted media landscape.

StrategyThomas De NapoliFebruary 2, 2019Sundance, Media, Strategy, New Media, Google, YouTube, Interactive, Music Video, Video Game, Official Selection

Why Building Friendships Makes Us Better

My friends and I believe in the “value” of friendship and are thoughtfully investing our time in developing them.

LeadershipThomas De NapoliFebruary 2, 2019Friendship, Leadership, Sundance, Film Festival, Utah, Park City, Sundance 2019, Chris Erwin, Chas Lacaillade, Snowbird, Deer Valley, Ski, Snowboard

Want to Know the (Value-Generating) Future of the Creator Economy: Look to Shonduras

Together with his business partner, Sean Holladay, Shaun McBride is navigating the next phase of his career as a creator through diversification tied to his core competencies.