TJ Larkin
TJ Larkin

Lives in Williamson County, in the greater Austin area.

AI for media brands.

I run 20+ local publications on software I built with AI. Now I help other media brands do the same through mainstreet gravity and local media HQ.

Read my story

20+ local publications · 175K+ subscribers

Three ways I can help

Run local media

  • The system, the playbook, weekly office hours

Learn the business

  • Podcast, newsletter, Meta ads, strategy calls
  • 88 episodes · 135K+ plays and views

Bring AI to work

  • AI training for you and your team

Want to hire me, or need something else? Say hi.

I also built greetform: free subscriber forms for any newsletter.

MY STORY

Twenty years in insurance. Then I went deep on local media and newsletters.

I spent nearly twenty years in insurance, from catastrophe claims adjuster to running a $9 million Allstate agency. I loved the clients but hated the speed. So I quit to build media.

Since then I've launched 20+ local media brands and grown them to 175,000+ active subscribers. AI changed how fast one person can move, so I started building the software my own publications run on. That became mainstreet gravity.

Now I help other publishers do the same. mainstreet gravity is the system, local media HQ is the show about the business, and so many people asked me for AI help that I started texas AI lab.

Known for

Not Dr. T.J. Larkin, the communications author. Different person.

Local media growth

Meta ads and newsletters. Local news isn't dying; the old business model is.

AI builder

Software my own publications run on. You don't need a dev team to ship real software anymore.

AI-first marketing

SEO, GEO, and founder-led marketing for small businesses. Most aren't bad. They're invisible to AI.

Receipts

Real numbers. As of October 2026.

Local media brands
20+local media brands
Subscribers
175K+subscribers
Lowest cost per subscriber
8¢lowest cost per subscriber, for a few days. It varies widely.
Podcast episodes
88podcast episodes

Field notes

  1. Local beats national. People care most about what happens on their street.
  2. AI does the work, people decide. Let the machine draft, build, and check. A human approves what ships.
  3. Own the audience, rent nothing. An email list you own outlasts any algorithm.
  4. Local news isn't dying. The old business model is.
  5. Most small businesses aren't bad. They're invisible to AI.

Local Media HQ podcast

Real operators. Local media, in plain terms. Hosted by TJ.

88 episodes · 34,163 plays & downloads · 5,283 hours listened · 103,444 YouTube views YouTube checked 2026-10-25; plays & hours as of Oct 26, 2026

Why you shouldn't quit on newsletters because of AIWhy you shouldn't quit on newsletters because of AI Local Directory is his Best Sponsorship Funnel (Part 2)Local Directory is his Best Sponsorship Funnel (Part 2) His Local B2B Newsletter Sells Out Expert Columns (Part 1)His Local B2B Newsletter Sells Out Expert Columns (Part 1) He Left His W-2 to Go All in on Local MediaHe Left His W-2 to Go All in on Local Media
All 88 episodes →

TJ as a guest on other shows

Now

  • Running WilCo Guide locally
  • Building mainstreet gravity: powering the reinvention of local media
  • Keeping greetform available as a free, standalone tool
  • Training business owners on AI through texas AI lab
  • Proving AI can build a site that feels handmade (you're on it)

Shipping log

GitHub contributions across public and private repos, last 12 months, checked 2026-10-25.

contributions
32,792
commits
25,989
pull requests opened
6,616
repositories I own
123
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294 active days out of 365. Busiest day: Feb 24, 2026, 1,659 contributions.
busiest week: 2,890Oct 2025Oct 2026
Contributions per week

Last 30 days

  • Contributions5,772
  • Commits3,191
  • Pull requests2,417

6,175 pull requests merged in 2026

tjlark23 · github

Source: GitHub API, account tjlark23. Most repos are private, so their work shows up as counts only.

Straight answers

The questions people ask me most. See them all →

What does a subscriber cost on Meta ads?

It swings a lot. I've seen 8 cents for a few days, and several times that on the same campaign. Creative and local targeting matter more than budget.

Can a local newsletter be a real business?

Yes, if you run it like one. Show up on schedule, grow cheap, and earn from local business packages, directories, and events.

Can AI build a real business website?

This one was. AI did most of the design and code. I brought the facts and photos, and approved every word.

How does a business show up in ChatGPT?

Be easy to verify: one clear website, the same facts everywhere, real reviews, and plain answers. Nobody can guarantee it, but messy facts kill your chances.

Family album

Real photos, off the clock.

  • TJ with his wife and their two young kids, a Ferris wheel lit up behind them
    Ferris wheel night, all four of us
  • Selfie of TJ and his son in front of the castle at Disneyland
    Disneyland, Nov 2025
  • Family selfie on a hike with red rock cliffs behind them
    Red rock hike, July 2025
  • TJ running alongside his daughter as she rides a small pink bike down a neighborhood street
    Bike lesson
  • TJ, his wife, their daughter in a tiara and their son in a white suit, dressed up against a stone wall
    Dressed up, all four of us
  • TJ and his son smiling in the upper deck of a baseball stadium
    Ballgame, upper deck
  • Selfie of TJ, his wife and their two kids on a sunny day, his daughter wearing a medal
    Medal day, May 2025
  • TJ, his wife and their two kids smiling at a soccer field, his daughter in her team jersey
    Soccer Saturday, April 2025

Find me

Post card

Say hi.

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