I build local media software and fun little projects.
I'm TJ Larkin. In the last year I launched 22+ local newsletters to 160,000+ 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.
One engine, three businesses. Modern Media Engine is the umbrella, and everything below it is one of its babies.
The company brain for a modern media business. A proactive AI that lives inside your operation, knows everything your business knows, and makes the whole thing run faster every day.
Visit site →
Local Media HQ
Podcast, newsletter, and consulting brand that helps people launch modern, creator-led local media brands.
Listen now →
Lightbreak
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.
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.
AI Lab
AI consulting and training for Austin-area businesses.
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.
In the last year I launched twenty-two local newsletters and grew them to over 160,000 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 22+ launches, written out in depth.
Read →Family first.
Most of my favorite ideas come from trying to build a good life with them.
