About this episode

The episode discusses the evolution of games media with Stephen Totilo, focusing on independent journalism, AI's role, and the challenges faced by modern media.

In this episode, host Kalie Moore sits down with Stephen Totilo, founder of Game File and a veteran games journalist with over two decades of experience across MTV News, Kotaku, and Axios to unpack how the media landscape around gaming is rapidly evolving. As traditional outlets shrink and more journalists go independent, Stephen shares what it actually looks like to build a sustainable, subscription-based publication and why he chose to bet on himself rather than join another institution. The conversation explores the shift from institutional media power to individual credibility, and how trust, audience relationships, and direct monetization are reshaping journalism in real time - while also raising new challenges for discovery, sustainability, and the next generation of reporters entering the field. Kalie and Stephen also dive into the realities of running an independent media business, from balancing reporting with entrepreneurship to navigating ethical considerations in a world where sources can also be subscribers. They discuss the growing intersection between journalism, the creator economy, and AI, including how Stephen uses AI tools for transcription and translation to…

People in this episode

Host: Kalie Moore

Guest: Stephen Totilo

Topics covered

• games media
• independent journalism
• AI in journalism
• subscription-based publications
• media landscape
• creator economy
• ethical considerations

Keywords

• games media
• independent journalism
• AI tools
• subscription model
• media landscape
• reporting
• entrepreneurship

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Game File, MTV News, Kotaku, Axios

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