I build local media brands and AI software.
I'm TJ Larkin. I've launched 20+ local newsletters that now reach 175,000+ active subscribers, shipped software, and made a pile of fun internet things because I wanted them to exist. I build every single day, and I'd rather show you than tell you.
Local media operator. Software builder. 10,000+ GitHub commits this year.
Here's the proof.
I don't talk about building. I just build.
Most of my repos are private, since I build for myself and my businesses. But the activity is real, and it's relentless. These numbers are pulled directly from GitHub.
My brands.
The businesses I run.
Local Media HQ
Podcast, newsletter, and consulting brand that helps people launch modern, creator-led local media brands.
Listen now →
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The complete operating system for launching and running a profitable newsletter.
Get the system →
greetform
Turns a newsletter signup into a branded onboarding flow with targeted offers, so operators start earning from a subscriber in minutes.
See it →greetform turns a new subscriber into revenue in minutes.
Most newsletter operators wait weeks to make a dollar from a subscriber. greetform changes the game: the moment someone signs up, they drop into a short, branded flow that asks a few smart questions and matches them to local offers. Operators can start monetizing within five minutes of a new subscriber.
- 01Branded onboarding flow. Questions that branch on every answer, fully styled to the publication.
- 02Offers that appear in the moment. Each subscriber is matched to local advertiser offers as they respond.
- 03Tracked leads, real payouts. Every lead is captured and attributed, so the signup becomes a profit center.
Words I keep coming back to.
A rotating shelf of lines I come back to when I am thinking about incentives, trade-offs, and how the world actually works.
Show me the incentives, and I'll show you the outcome.
Side projects.
Websites, experiments, and side businesses I build. Some make money. Some are just interesting ideas I wanted to see exist.
Your Story
Custom AI songs for people, businesses, and brands.
Vibe
Interactive site exploring simulation theory. The math, the clues.
Bot
Soviet-era ChatGPT. Monitored, censored, ideologically correct.
Jukebox
Music for people who believe the individual is worth defending.
Jukebox
Growth mindset songs about great books, business leaders, and life concepts.
Music
A course teaching you how to make your own amazing AI songs in under five minutes.
Subscriber onboarding and offer-routing SaaS for newsletter operators. Surveys, conditional logic, lead capture, and Beehiiv sync.
Sounds I make.
I make music with AI. Growth-mindset tracks for my kids. Songs about our life. Weird ideas I wanted to hear out loud.
Ahead & Behind
One More Prompt
Sunk Cost
Comfort Will Cost You
Every Day Adds Up
What If We Win
Tip: hit play on the corner player to listen while you browse the site.
Who am I?
I spent nearly twenty years in insurance. I loved clients but hated the speed. So I quit to build media.
I've launched twenty-plus local newsletters and grown them to over 175,000 active subscribers.
Now I share what works, help other operators get off the ground, and partner on the most interesting projects in local media.
How I think.
Operating principles for business and life.
Act with high agency
If I want something to exist, I move first. I assume it’s on me to push the ball forward, not someone out there.
Action reveals information
Most questions get answered faster by doing the thing. I’d rather run a small real-world test than endlessly debate hypotheticals.
Skin in the game
If I benefit from a decision, I should share the risk too. I trust people more when their downside is tied to their own ideas.
Give first, without keeping score
I try to help long before I need anything. The best opportunities usually show up months or years after the first favor.
Latest episodes.
Breaking down what works in local media. No theory.
Resources_
The weekly breakdown
What's actually working in local media, sent every week. No theory.
Subscribe → YouTubeBehind the builds
Operator playbooks, growth breakdowns, and real builds on the Local Media HQ channel.
Watch → ArticlesThe full playbook
My story and the tactics behind 20+ launches, written out in depth.
Read →Family first.
Most of my favorite ideas come from trying to build a good life with them.