Founder Spotlight: with AJ Frucci

As part of an ongoing series of conversations with transformational leaders across media, marketing and technology, I recently sat down with AJ Frucci. AJ recently launched Alltogether Media, a network built for the new “creator-led” era of media that connects brands with independent journalists and their audiences.

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What inspired you to launch Alltogether? What role do you see the company playing in reshaping how independent journalists and creators connect with brands?

My inspiration came from repeatedly seeing the same pattern: the most trusted journalists were going independent, building vibrant communities and, often, substantial audience revenue. But going independent meant a complete separation from the advertising market.

I knew these environments were a goldmine of untapped attention for marketers, but also that marketers weren’t willing or able to navigate thousands of independent newsletters, podcasts, and shows to cobble together a Frankenstein media plan. They valued the influence but couldn’t afford the friction.

I built Alltogether to close that gap. We’re uniting the best independent publications across business, tech, and policy under one roof to help them access the ad market in a sophisticated way. The goal is to make it easier for brands to drive trust, credibility, and influence, and for category-defining journalism to thrive.

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Many independent journalists and creators struggle to monetize across newsletters, podcasts and live events without the infrastructure of traditional media companies. How does Alltogether help them build diverse and sustainable revenue streams?

Creator-model journalists often struggle to monetize precisely because they lack the infrastructure of traditional media companies. Launching a new publication and building an audience is incredibly hard work, and most journalists I know aren’t interested in being part-time ad sellers on top of that.

We provide that commercial layer and package our portfolio as a unified collective, centralizing market access to make it as easy for brands to activate across multiple publications as if working with a portfolio media company.

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You’ve built and led advertising sales teams at established media companies, including Vox and Axios. What are the key differences in selling independent creator-led media vs. "institutional" media?

Creator-led media is about authentic human connection. The audience’s relationship to independent media is direct, personal, and parasocial, fundamentally altering the value for brands.

We want to help partners tap into that intimacy and trust to drive influence, impact decision-making, and strengthen reputation. That means focusing on audience, engagement, and long-term credibility more than impressions, clicks, and CPMs.

It also means we’re not for everyone. Alltogether is built for brands seeking influence over impressions, and relationships over reach. Thankfully, that’s a growing list.

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What traits or signals do you look for when evaluating creator talent to bring into a collective like Alltogether — beyond audience size or engagement?

Audience size helps, but isn’t actually a primary signal we evaluate. Our currency is audience and attention quality. Every member of Alltogether's portfolio is a true agenda-setting expert and trust anchor – the type of journalism leaders rely on to stay ahead in a chaotic and complex world.

I want Alltogether to serve as a beacon of trust and quality that marketers know they can lean on to reach the political and business elite in the media environments that matter most to them.

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Looking ahead over the next 12 to 24 months, what trends do you expect to see in the creator economy — particularly in how creators, brands, and commerce intersect — and how should executive leaders in media think about them?

I think we're still in the early innings of the macro shift from institutions to individuals.

With trust in mass media at an all-time low and a tsunami of AI "slop" flooding our screens, audiences will increasingly seek out honest perspectives from real experts they know by name. That dynamic will drive more of the best journalists to make the leap to direct audience connections, and more brands to follow them into these environments.

As a result, the market will move upstream: channels previously dominated by DTC and performance-driven advertisers will attract interest from blue-chip brands who want to be where the culture and conversation are being shaped. Finally, we’ll see more startups emerge to develop the infrastructure and standards this next phase requires.