A Letter From The CEO

NGL writes on the inspiration behind starting PBM and why we’re looking for creators such as yourself

Back in 2017 during my senior year of high school, when the weather in central Connecticut had finally turned for the better after a rough winter, I was inside my childhood home, typing feverishly away on my laptop.

Most of my friends were smart, enjoying the waning moments in our hometown at the beach or the park before we went our separate ways off to college. Me, though — I was a kid who lived outdoors, picking up every sport possibly invented, spending every waking moment playing basketball on our driveway or tossing a disc on a grassy field.

So it was only natural for me to take this time to create UNPLUGG’D, a longform sports commentary publication. I used the excuse that I was going hard for my final English project; in reality, I was finally creating something I had always wanted to make.

Fast-forward two years, and we’ve grown to become a full-fledged LLC that’s raised over $15,000 in funding. We’ll be launching our second online publication, Forty-Two, in the coming days; our podcast network has topped 10,000 combined listens across all of our shows.

So, then…what’s next?

In the last five months, I’ve thought a lot about what we wanted to stand for as a company. After all, I have a lot of eclectic interests and passions that made me start it in the first place. Therefore, what was the thread tying it all together?

When I first made the original website, I thought I knew. Here’s a small piece from what I wrote in 2017:

People constantly complain about the lack of intelligent writing online, but in a Huxleyan sort of way, sports fans have grown to love their oppression. Controversial Facebook and Twitter posts receive hundreds and hundreds of comments with takes just as hot, and incoherent argumentation always follows.

That’s where Unplugged slots in. The site’s title draws inspiration from my favorite football team, the Chargers, as well as a desire for censorship-free writing that leaves no stone left unturned. If people are going to spend time reading on their phones, editorial-style and informative content driven by people passionate about sports, entertainment, and life in general is what we need, not random crap posted with the sole purpose of getting some views.

Of course, back then, my plan was just to write about sports. I hadn’t even changed the name yet! Nevertheless, a little bit over a year passed by before I gave it another stab:

UNPLUGG’D is all about good storytelling, and sometimes good stories require a lot of words and time.

While there are so many voices out there, our commitment to quality assures fans that when they like an article about Pusha T destroying Drake’s livelihood, they can expect the same level of professionalism when they come back and check out a podcast on why LeBron is the GOAT. This is important because in topics like sneaker culture, something we’ve been exploring a lot of lately, you just don’t get coherent, well-thought-out articles and shows, even though it’s a diverse subculture that loves good content like the rest of us.

…in today’s day and age, anyone with a wifi hotspot can say whatever the hell they want online. It’s the unbridled passion and commitment to the craft that has and will set UNPLUGG’D apart.

Yes, over time, our brand ethos and direction has changed quite a bit. But whenever I look back and think on the subject at hand, I come back to the same thing that ties it all together:

We want to create dope sh*t.

Or, to put it more elegantly:

We believe that when given the opportunity, passionate young people create incredible things in their own, unique way.

Our goal as a company is to make those things happen.

Moving forward, our main focus will be on our two brands: UNPLUGG’D and Forty-Two.

For UNPLUGG’D, we’ll continue to create sports and culture longform commentary that’s on par with — or even better than — the best of what you can find online today. We’ll have themed series, we’ll have roundtable discussions among our staff, and we’ll continue to put out shows like ‘The Hot Takes Show.’

I’ve teased Forty-Two in the past, but its meaning has changed in recent months, as Sam Baldwin comes on as Editor-in-Chief and Vicky Woodburn will be operating in a managing role. Similar to UNPLUGG’D, the focus will be on longform, only the storytelling will come from our community. We don’t want to tell you everything that you need to know about the Gen Z life, universe, and everything; instead, we’re handing over the microphone to push dialogue and different perspectives in a time where it’s so desperately needed.

Also, we’re still trying to figure out how we want to incorporate our multimedia elements. With that being said, in the near future, look out for new podcasts such as ‘Whistles,’ a show hosted by former star running back Jeremy Larkin as he gives a raw, “unprofessional” take on the student-athlete lifestyle; ‘Shared Space,’ a pseudo-documentary series that focuses on the trials and tribulations of college entrepreneurs building their passions (think Hard Knocks for startups); and ‘The Ninety6 Podcast,’ a look at streetwear culture hosted by fashion entrepreneur Ashton Keys and featuring monthly interviews with influencers in the space.

In conclusion, to sum: We’re looking for creators. We’re looking for entrepreneurs. We’re looking for people who want to tackle the grind head-on. We’re looking for people who want to tell good stories. We’re looking for a diverse group of people who want to start coherent, intelligent dialogue on the things most important to them.

We’re looking for people who want to make dope sh*t.

You might fancy yourself a writer, or an on-air personality. You might spend all your waking time using Adobe, and wanna do nothing more than shoot video and design graphics. You might be a social media marketing wiz. You might be all that and everything in between.

Or maybe you have no idea what you want to do. Maybe you’re interested in the media or entrepreneurial space. Maybe both.

Just know that we’re looking for people that share our core values. We’re a young startup with a lot of passion and excitement. We’ve got some momentum swinging behind us, and the funds to get the ball rolling. We don’t have just one foot in the door — we’re fully in.

Are you?

To keep up with everything we’re creating at Powder Blue Media, make sure to follow UNPLUGG’D and Forty-Two on Twitter! For more press releases from the Powder Blue team, you can follow along right here on Medium. Finally, go check out Nate on Twitter here.

Thanks for reading, and we hope you join us for the ride!