A play off of the saying Content Is King, I registered ContextIsKing.com in October 2005 with the intention of using it for my fourth book (here are the first three).

The idea was that content may very well be forever king, but distribution’s relative power had grown thanks to technology disrupting and dis-intermediating gatekeepers’ control. As such, distribution was queen and had benefited from the balance of power tipping in her favor.

Their offspring, was context – the prince and future of media – in that a message took on a different context in a given distribution, especially as viewers were now both consumers, curators and creators of content.

What John Malone envisioned with the advent of the cable industry – 500 channels on the dial – had exploded thanks to the internet. The world wide web would usher a wave of further fragmentation, first via search and portals, then social, and now video platforms. The global nature of the internet would unleash the power of niche content and communities and propel them into huge commercial opportunities. Finally, the mobile revolution would usher an era of 24/7/365 connectivity which would – just as cable did to network television – grow the total consumption pie.

About the Editor

I graduated from college in 1999 with plans to pursue a career as an analyst, equity trader and investor, or investment banker in the media industry. Life had its own plans, and I was drawn to the web & the world of startups. After a brief tenure in search industry, I embraced a career in media, balancing business and editorial duties as partner, executive, columnist and interviewer at AskMen. Eventually in 2005, IGN Entertainment acquired AskMen. Months later, News Corp.’s FOX Interactive Media acquired IGN. I wasn’t a free agent per se, but I got the entrepreneurial bug and launched WatchMojo. After a meritless, frivolous but ultimately seminal lawsuit out of the gates – which I successfully defended and prevailed in – WatchMojo survived long enough to thrive. It came at a cost, though.

We persevered, tinkering long enough to strike platform/format fit before making 4 big bets which paid off. If YouTube has replaced television, WatchMojo has evolved into one of the more successful brands of its era on the platform, spinning out to serve new demographics, geographies and audiences on new platforms. WatchMojo reaches 150 million viewers in over 150 countries. Watch our sizzle here.

Throughout, I’ve always loved to write. From 2000-05, I was a prolific writer for AskMen, covering business, management, investing, travel, food, relationship advice (mainly under a series of pen names). When I launched WatchMojo, I covered the industry on the HipMojo blog, before covering startup life for TechCrunch, online media and digital video for MediaPost. I’ve collected some of those here in the archives. 

About Context

WatchMojo grew through a “Branded House” strategy. After our acquisition of the Unveiled channel, we effectively adopted a “House of Brands” approach (more on our branding strategy here).

As entrepreneurship’s role in society has changed, Context chronicles the entrepreneurial struggle for work/life/play balance through my unique trajectory and perspective. We launched Context TV and now Context Is King to share my education, experience and insights to help you learn from my mistakes and build upon our success so you can chart your course to success faster, with less obstacles, to reach your full potential.

We will also eventually add outside contributors, so if you’d like to join the community, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Ashkan Karbasfrooshan
Founder WatchMojo