Ryen Russillo’s Creator-Owned Pivot: What His Barstool Deal Signals for the Future of Talent, IP, and Distribution
Ryen Russillo’s decision to launch his own production company—while tapping Barstool for investment, distribution, and commercialization—lands squarely in the middle of a larger shift: audiences are following personalities more than platforms, and the business is finally catching up. For years Russillo has been a fixture at the top of the sports-podcast charts, first at ESPN and since 2019 at The Ringer, demonstrating the portable power of creator-led IP. The Barstool arrangement underscores a new norm: creators keep ownership, platforms supply infrastructure, and both sides share in the upside across audio, video, merch, licensing, and TV windows.
So what does Russillo’s “own the IP, rent the rails” blueprint mean for creators, publishers, and the next wave of sports media deals?
In this episode of Krow Knows, host AJ Krow sits down with Matt Reustle, CEO of Colossus, for a pragmatic tour of the new creator economy in sports media—covering infrastructure, incentives, TV licensing, and how investment stakes can finally align platforms and stars. Together, they unpack why Russillo chose a hybrid model, how it differs from The Ringer and The Volume, and what it signals for everyone from up-and-comers to legacy networks.
Highlights from the conversation:
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Infrastructure as leverage: Barstool’s strengths in video, merchandising, and partnerships raise the floor for a creator-owned shop, while The Ringer’s Spotify context has historically limited cross-platform flexibility—especially on video and commerce.
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Alignment by design: Equity/investment in a creator’s company can solve the old “build-then-bolt” problem—keeping platforms invested even if a star eventually moves, and removing the perverse incentives that once capped talent growth.
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The TV licensing bridge: As FS1 and others license blocks from digital publishers, creator-owned companies gain more paths to monetize (and window) the same IP—podcast → YouTube → linear TV—without surrendering ownership.
Matt Reustle is the CEO of Colossus, an investment-media company. He began with a decade at a major bank before moving to private equity, then transitioned into building media full-time over the past four years at Colossus. Reustle also hosts the Business Breakdowns podcast, where he brings an operator’s lens to media economics, incentives, and structure.
