Story
Helwani quit ESPN to build an independent 'Chinese menu' of media deals
After three unhappy years at his dream job, Helwani left ESPN to assemble a portfolio of partnerships — Vox/The Ringer, Spotify, Substack, BT Sport, his own YouTube channel — under an LLC he calls 'independent helwani.' He owns some pieces and partners on others, trading a single employer for a self-directed slate.
“And what I came to realize was I can almost create this menu, this puzzle as I called it, where I'm doing this here, this here, this here, that here. And I call myself independent, helwani, independent helwani. And yes, I'm working with other people, but I feel very independent because I was able to go out and carve up my duties. Some of it's my own, my own YouTube channel, the Substack, things like that. And some of it is I consider partnering with other people.”
Steal thisInstead of one employer, assemble a 'menu' of partnerships under your own LLC so you own some assets and stay independent.
Story
Helwani gives every passion project zero audience expectation
Helwani launched a weekly non-MMA interview series on his own YouTube channel purely for fulfillment, saying he doesn't care if a million or three people watch. It mirrors how he started in 2007: posting fighter interviews on his own site to prove what he could do, regardless of view count.
“And I don't honestly care at this moment if a million people watch these interviews or 3 people watch the interviews. For me, now I'm doing them to, you know, fulfill, you know, this little, you know, passion of mine to talk to other people, to scratch that itch, but also to eventually show people, the right kind of people, that I could do this, that I could be much more than just an MMA guy.”
Story
He quit Spike TV after one week to bet on his own MMA site
In 2007 Helwani landed a TV production job at Spike TV, the home of the UFC, but quit after a week because the work wasn't creative. His boss said he'd regret it forever; instead he started his own site and built the MMA journalism career nobody else had.
“After a week there, I walked into my boss's office and I quit. And I said, I don't really think this is the right fit for me. I'm not— I really like— they didn't do anything creative. I'm a creative guy. I like to think of ideas, come up with things, and they were just kind of the middleman. The UFC was producing all the content.”
Take
Niches get riches: be the niche guy, not the next Bob Costas
Helwani argues the era of the generalist sports broadcaster is over. With everything à la carte, audiences seek out the single best voice for their narrow interest — so picking a niche (and a niche within the niche) beats competing to be the next polished, generic anchor.
“In this day and age, you don't want to be a generalist. You're a fan of the New York Knicks, you're a fan of the New York Knickerbockers, I'm not gonna go tune in to the radio, ESPN Radio Now, I'm not gonna go in my car, tune in and say, Oh, I hope you guys talk about the Knicks-Celtics game last night. I'm gonna go on my podcast app and I'm going to go to the New York Knicks podcast, as niche as it gets, to hear an hour breakdown of last night's game.”
Steal thisPick the narrowest niche you can own, then find a niche within that niche to get in the door.
Take
Niches get riches: be the niche guy, not the next Bob Costas
Helwani argues the era of the generalist sports broadcaster is over. With everything à la carte, audiences seek out the single best voice for their narrow interest — so picking a niche (and a niche within the niche) beats competing to be the next polished, generic anchor.
“In this day and age, you don't want to be a generalist. You're a fan of the New York Knicks, you're a fan of the New York Knickerbockers, I'm not gonna go tune in to the radio, ESPN Radio Now, I'm not gonna go in my car, tune in and say, Oh, I hope you guys talk about the Knicks-Celtics game last night. I'm gonna go on my podcast app and I'm going to go to the New York Knicks podcast, as niche as it gets, to hear an hour breakdown of last night's game.”
Steal thisPick the narrowest niche you can own, then find a niche within that niche to get in the door.
Take
In the à la carte era, be the niche guy — and have a niche within your niche
Helwani argues generalists lose now: nobody waits in their car hoping ESPN talks about the Knicks — they go straight to the Knicks podcast. Go niche to get in the door, then find a sub-niche (interviews, stats, betting) that's distinctly yours.
“In this day and age, you don't want to be a generalist.”
Take
In the à la carte era, be the niche guy — and have a niche within your niche
Helwani argues generalists lose now: nobody waits in their car hoping ESPN talks about the Knicks — they go straight to the Knicks podcast. Go niche to get in the door, then find a sub-niche (interviews, stats, betting) that's distinctly yours.
“In this day and age, you don't want to be a generalist.”
Number
Helwani's MMA video coverage pulls ~$200K-$250K views per episode
Asked to ballpark his audience, Helwani estimated MMA Fighting's video coverage draws roughly 200,000 to 250,000 views per episode — before the standalone interview clips that get cut from each show.
$250K
Views per episode (video) · views/episode
“So I would guess if we're gonna use those numbers, that's from a few months ago, and I don't feel like we've really missed a beat on MMA fighting since I returned there from the video. You know, we're talking like $200,000, $250,000.”
Billy
Breaking T: real-time merch off the day's sports moments
Helwani marvels at Breaking T, a company that turns viral sports moments into licensed t-shirts overnight — a Masvidal or Diaz catchphrase becomes a shirt the next day. They hold deals with the MLBPA and NHLPA to make officially licensed merch in real time.
“For example, off the top of my head, Jorge Masvidal, or Nick Diaz says, "Don't be scared, homie." The next day, they have a t-shirt out, a really cool one, and they're selling it, but they have deals with MLBPA, NHLPA, so they're making stuff in real time. It's a fascinating business.”
Tactic
Build sources by being human, not transactional
Helwani's audience-building edge is relationship discipline: he checks in with fighters about their dogs, surgeries and kids' games, not just when he needs a booking. The genuine relationship is why they say yes when he finally asks for something.
“One big thing is, you know, I don't just talk to fighters when I need something from them. I don't just reach out to Michael Bisping when I want him on my show. We talk about things all the time. I mean, in some respects, some of these guys have become friends of mine, and they don't feel like they're being used. It's important to be a human being towards your guests, your sources, your things like that.”
Steal thisStay in genuine touch with sources between asks so the relationship isn't transactional when you need them.
Take
Distance makes the heart grow fonder: disappear to stay wanted
Fearing irrelevance after leaving ESPN, Helwani instead took a deliberate two-month break and found that stepping away increased demand. He rejects the Woody Allen 'show up' maxim, arguing strategic absence can make an audience value you more.
“However, I then came to the conclusion, hey, you know what, distance makes the heart grow fonder for me and for them. And so June 15th was my last day at ESPN, and I essentially disappeared until August 15th. I was still on social media, I was still doing stuff here and there, but I took a 2-month break, and it was freaking awesome”
Tactic
Price a founding tier with meaning: Helwani's $180 Substack 'chai' tier
Helwani's Substack offers $5/month or $50/year, plus a $180 founding-member tier that unlocks quarterly VVIP no-holds-barred Zoom calls. He chose $180 because 18 ('chai') is a meaningful number in Judaism — the price itself signals belonging to his audience.
“So the Substack is $5 a month, $50 a year, or there's the founding member deal, which is $180. I picked 180 because the number 18 is a special number for Jewish people. And I'm doing a super secret, VVIP, one night only, no holds barred Zoom chat with the people who signed up, where they can ask me whatever they want for an hour.”
Steal thisAdd a high-priced founding tier with a live perk and a price number that means something to your audience.