TJ Larkin
TJ Larkin

Lives in Williamson County, in the greater Austin area.

I build local media with AI.

Founder of 8th Replay. 20+ local media brands, 175K+ subscribers.

Read my story

Media • Software • Services

Media

  • 20+ publications

Software

Services

We build the software local media runs on. Then we run our own publications on it.

AI-first: people decide, AI agents do the work.

MY STORY

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

I spent nearly twenty years in insurance. 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 8th Replay.

Now I run WilCo Guide here in Williamson County, ship lightbreak, greetform, and larkfeed, help other operators through Local Media HQ, and teach Texas business owners to use AI through Texas AI Lab.

Known for

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
87podcast 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.

Episode thumbnail: Local Directory is his Best Sponsorship Funnel Local Directory is his Best Sponsorship Funnel (Part 2) Episode thumbnail: His Local B2B Newsletter Sells Out Expert Columns His Local B2B Newsletter Sells Out Expert Columns (Part 1) Episode thumbnail: He Left His W-2 to Go All in on Local Media He Left His W-2 to Go All in on Local Media Episode thumbnail: 170 Roofing Leads From 12 Social Media Videos 170 Roofing Leads From 12 Social Media Videos
All episodes →

TJ as a guest on other shows

Now

  • Running WilCo Guide locally
  • Shipping larkfeed, which powers all our websites and media brands
  • Shipping weekly upgrades to all three software tools: greetform, lightbreak, and larkfeed
  • Training Texas businesses 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, as of October 2026.

contributions
29,444
commits
24,190
pull requests opened
5,206
repositories I own
122
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278 active days out of 367. Busiest day: Feb 24, 2026, 1,659 contributions.
busiest week: 2,890Oct 2025Oct 2026
Contributions per week

Last 30 days

  • Contributions5,530
  • Commits3,381
  • Pull requests2,314

4,890 pull requests merged in 12 months

tjlark23 · github

GitHub account →

Straight answers

The questions people ask me most.

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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