The Revenue Room™, by H2K Labs
Welcome to The Revenue Room™, brought to you by H2K Labs. Our podcast is designed for CEOs and their revenue-critical executive teams leading media, events, data/info, and marketplace businesses. We focus on boosting revenue, enhancing profitability, and elevating enterprise value. Each episode delves into cutting-edge data-driven strategies to accelerate revenue, manage risks, and establish scalable, predictable processes. We also discuss elevating revenue to the core of operational excellence, empowering you to consistently outperform your competitors.
The Revenue Room™, by H2K Labs
How the Next Audience Is Rewriting the Media Business Model
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In this episode of The Revenue Room™ Podcast, Heather Holst-Knudsen sits down with Billy Carney, Co-Founder of RocaNews, to explore how a next-generation media company built for Gen Z turned social attention into owned revenue and profitability.
Launched in 2020 as an Instagram experiment, RocaNews has grown to more than 3 million followers and subscribers across social platforms, newsletters, a gamified news app, and YouTube. With a lean team of roughly 11 people, the company became profitable in late 2024 and quickly crossed $1M in annual recurring revenue, challenging long-held assumptions about young audiences, subscriptions, and media economics.
Why Listen
This episode is essential listening for CEOs and media executives who are:
- Rethinking audience growth in a platform-first world
- Looking to diversify revenue beyond advertising
- Exploring product-led growth in media and information services
- Trying to reach Gen Z without eroding brand trust
- Building sustainable, profitable media businesses in a data-driven economy
Connect with Billy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billy-carney-02a041152/
If you’re a CEO, CRO, product leader, or media operator navigating the future of digital media, this conversation delivers practical insight into how new business models are being built from the ground up.
About RevvedUP 2026
RevvedUP 2026 is where CEOs and revenue-critical C-Suite leaders reset their growth playbook for the AI-first economy. Taking place March 23–24, 2026 at The Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg, FL, this two-day strategy lab helps leaders pressure-test how AI moves from cost center to growth driver and turn data and disruption into competitive advantage.
About Heather Holst-Knudsen
Heather Holst-Knudsen is the founder and CEO of H2K Labs and Revenue Room™ Connect. A seasoned executive and operator across media, marketplaces, events, and technology, she specializes in digital transformation, data-driven growth, and customer-centric value creation. Heather shares her insights on multisided business models through The Revenue Room™.
About Revenue Room™ CXO
Revenue Room™ CXO is a private executive community for CEOs and revenue-critical C-Suite leaders navigating growth in the data and AI economy. Through curated peer discussions and strategy sprints, members tackle real-world challenges in revenue transformation, customer intelligence, and business model innovation.
Learn more or apply for membership at info.h2klabs.com/apply-cxo.
00:00 – 02:13 | Introduction
Heather introduces Billy Carney, co-founder of Roca News, a digital media company for 18–35-year-olds with over 3M followers and $1M ARR. Billy shares his background and Roca’s mission to engage younger audiences.
02:13 – 07:32 | Why Roca Exists & Product Approach
Billy explains that legacy media didn’t resonate with young audiences due to bias and assumed knowledge. Roca’s Instagram “Quick Cards” provide short, digestible news bites with memes, making it accessible and engaging.
07:32 – 14:06 | Subscription & Gamified App
Roca launched a gamified news app and a paid newsletter. The app incentivizes engagement through games, while the newsletter delivers daily long-form deep dives. Younger audiences are willing to pay for value-added experiences.
14:06 – 19:00 | Growth Strategy & Social Partnerships
Roca scaled from zero to over a million Instagram followers through scrappy collaborations with niche accounts. Growth now leverages short-form video and Reels across Instagram and YouTube.
19:00 – 25:16 | Revenue Mix & Lean Operations
Roca’s revenue is now about 60% subscription and video, 40% advertising. The model is product-led, minimizing sales headcount, and providing predictable revenue while keeping operations lean.
25:16 – 33:28 | Team & Community Building
The small team handles content creation, video production, and growth. Billy discusses opportunities for online discussion forums and in-person events to build community among Gen Z readers.
33:28 – 38:58 | Lessons for Legacy Media
Billy advises legacy media to engage directly with younger audiences and make news more transparent and conversational rather than preachy.
38:58 – 42:20 | What’s Next & Rapid Fire
Roca focuses on scaling video and subscriptions. Billy shares personal anecdotes about his early YouTube experience and a recommended business book. Heather closes by linking to Roca News, Billy’s LinkedIn, Revenue Room CXO, and Revved Up 2026.
