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Political Media Strategy and Networking Session

Gary Sheng, Samuel Armes, and Zachary Smith - August 1, 2025​

Austin, Texas​

Executive Summary​

This conversation represents a strategic networking session between three political-media operators discussing various opportunities, schemes, and connections across the conservative media ecosystem. Samuel Armes demonstrates his legislative expertise and political connections, Zachary Smith reveals his media industry access and cross-partisan strategy work, while Gary facilitates connections between them. The discussion covers AI legislation opportunities, campaign finance strategies, conservative networking infrastructure, and ambitious political aspirations, revealing the interconnected nature of money, media, and political influence in contemporary Austin.

Political Media Strategy: Cross-Partisan Podcast Ecosystem​

Jim Himes: Democratic Congressman Seeking Conservative Media​

Zachary's Unique Position:

Zachary: "A bunch of Democratic congressmen have gotten my phone number. I'm starting to blow up my phone if they want to be on a Republican podcast."

Jim Himes Character Assessment:

Zachary: "He's just like, oh man, it's just, it's an experience. It's almost comical. It's almost like The Office, where you're just like, oh this is a normal guy, and weird shit happens because he's in politics, but he's like, I am a normal man, I promise."

Dave Rubin Success:

Zachary: "Dave texts me after and says, hey, interview went great. I'd love to have him on again. I'm sure it'll be a while. But, like, definitely good to have him on rotation."

Media Ecosystem Navigation Strategy​

Building Conservative Media Relationships:

Zachary: "You can't just go from never being on a conservative TV show to going on an all-in podcast. Like, it's not going to happen... He has to work up to it."

Political Neutrality as Strategic Advantage:

Samuel: "I think there's a real chance that I am one of the highest power politically neutral people in the U.S... your network will gravitate toward a side. But that doesn't mean—it will never be 50-50. It will be 60-40, 70-30"

The Project Concept​

Client's Vision:

Samuel: "He wants to make his LLM a person. Like, the LLM is bound by corporate rights... So finally, an actual... It is the actual secretary. Of course, we know it's more like a real human, but, to your example, it can do shit. Independently."

Constitutional Precedent Strategy:

Samuel: "Is code speech? Are the corporations people? And these are things that will always go back and forth... If it's speech, you can't regulate it at all. If code is speech. But if everything is built on code, then everything's free speech, then you can't regulate anything."

Lobbying Cost Structure​

Pricing Framework:

Samuel: "It would be anywhere from $10,000 a month to... $10,000 to $30,000 a month, depending... For, let's say, two years... Between $200,000 and $800,000."

Strategic State Selection:

Samuel: "Wyoming invented the LLC. Did you know that? Wyoming passed the first LLC law in the 80s or 90s... Wyoming is also the first one to create the Dow structure... So, Wyoming is famous for being on the forefront of new entities and new organizations."

Book Deal Strategy​

The Mechanism:

Samuel: "The publisher comes and says you're gonna write a book. Okay, you write a book it's a total piece of shit. The publisher pays you 10 million dollars to write the book. The publisher then buys 10 million of those books copies."

Complete Cycle:

Samuel: "So, once that 10 million is bought you just raise 20 million all under no political oversight or contribution. Now, because they bought 10 million copies you're the New York Times number one bestseller."

Trump's Podcast Strategy​

Undisclosed Paid Media:

Samuel: "You get all this paid media that you're not disclosing. So, I would argue that's not actually illegal but that's fantastic and it makes complete sense... All of this all this is legal money laundering that's what I always thought."

Aiden Ross Model:

Samuel: "That'd be fucking genius if they just paid these giant-ass bounties for him going on these podcasts... their super PACs donate money to that streamer to promote to have them make more clips of when Trump's on"

Arena Hall: Conservative Elite Networking Infrastructure​

Evan Baer and Learn Capital Connection​

The Power Structure:

Samuel: "Evan Baer is one of the most important people in Austin... he was the D.P. of Learn Capital, which is a $1.8 billion fund here in Austin... Their marketing strategy for this fund was to create this thing called Arena Hall."

Membership and Access:

Samuel: "Technically, the membership fee is $250,000... So all the rich conservatives in Austin go there... But you can get in for free. It's possible. I got a free membership."

Speaking Strategy for Access​

The Bar for Entry:

Samuel: "The way that you get into the good group is you get someone crazy to go speak there. But it has to be, like, fucking wild... Like, if Lonsdale is the floor, the bar to even speak, who do you get that could be considered crazy to go there?"

Established Network:

Samuel: "Greg Abbott has spoken there a bunch of times, so it doesn't count. Bill Gurley has spoken there a bunch of times. Lonsdale, all the time. He's a member."

Samuel's Political Ambitions and Strategy​

Media Building for Political Future​

Personal Platform Development:

Samuel: "I post on TikTok like six times a day and Instagram and Twitter. My goal is like, I was just pitched the other day so I'm eventually going to run for office... I need to know how to move attention. To move attention, I need a larger following."

Strategic Skill Set:

Samuel: "I know how to pass legislation. I know how to do the super PACs and all that bullshit. If I can then direct people's eyes towards something while also funding it and then knowing how the players are going to move to make it happen, then I can become a really powerful presidential."

The Game Mentality​

Politics as Entertainment:

Samuel: "I love taking women out on dates not because I'm always sexually interested even though maybe I am but I'm like what's the dynamic?... And it becomes a game. And I really enjoy that. So I really enjoy the game that is politics."

Fundamental Philosophy:

Samuel: "In America you get all the freedom you could afford... Anything's possible if you have the money to do it and you have the long game mindset... If you give me enough media and enough money, anything is possible."

Zachary's Media Industry Insights​

All-In Podcast Ecosystem Access​

Current Projects:

Zachary: "I work with the All In podcast now... I also work with, like, Dave Rubin, College History in Boston, Justin Kahn, Alexis Ohanian. Uh... That kind of crew."

Gary's Assessment:

Gary: "So he has, like, he has so much potential to be, like, not just a Dave Rubin. Just, like, his own flavor... he, like, totally blew up Dave Rubin's, like, show. Like, Dave Rubin's raking in fucking money."

Political Strategy Consulting​

Cross-Partisan Value Proposition:

Zachary: "Democratic congressmen are increasingly reaching out to him to get on Republican podcasts... He understands the conservative media landscape, which is a black box to Democrats."

Jim Himes Presidential Potential:

Zachary: "There's a real chance that even in— Candidate, and you're giving all the damn sides... Joe Rogan's not going to not have you on... And could win."

Networking and Connection Strategies​

Strategic Relationship Building​

Political Scaling Model:

Samuel: "You upscale. You build with these relationships. Then you get to the next tier relationships. Then you get to the next tier relationships. All until you get to the governor or the president, who's Joe Rogan."

Media Relationship Progression:

Samuel: "You have to go on Joe Rogan and quit podcasting... Now you're like, oh, now you go back with a new level. Exactly. Exactly. This is all we'd be doing. So, it's the same on the political level."

Gary's Facilitation Role​

Strategic Introduction:

Gary: "So, Sam's interesting for a lot of reasons. Just to rattle off some stats, he passed six laws in Florida with DeSantis. He's a very charismatic public figure."

Partnership Potential:

Gary: "Sam, talk about how you guys could form a really powerful change agency."

Business Opportunities and Schemes​

Lobbying Service Expansion​

Samuel's Availability:

Samuel: "Are you for hire? Yeah... lobbying, like much consulting, is as much as we decide... It just depends. It depends on what the lift is, what the bandwidth is."

Specialized Knowledge:

Samuel: "I know how to move money. I know how to move people. I need to know how to move attention... Building up my own media because I know how to move money."

Media Production Opportunities​

Content Creation Strategy:

Samuel: "That media thing is very interesting. That's what I need to get better at is I need to get better at starting on all these lower level podcasts and then working my way up."

TikTok Growth:

Samuel: "I finally hit 50K on TikTok today. I was at, like, 49 for the longest fucking time."

Austin Political-Tech Elite Network​

Key Player Connections​

Peter Thiel Network:

Samuel: "Because Vance and them are tight... Thanks, Peter Thiel... Well, thanks, David Zaks... Peter Thiel was in the original fund. So, that relationship is safe. Peter Thiel was Series A."

Local Power Structure:

Samuel: "All the rich conservatives in Austin go there [Arena Hall]... The best way that you get into the good group is you get someone crazy to go speak there."

Capital Deployment Understanding​

Investment vs. Influence:

Samuel: "Listen, I always tell people anything's possible if you have the money to do it and you have the long game mindset... If you give me enough media and enough money, anything is possible."

Personal Dynamics and Character Assessment​

Samuel's Approach to Power​

Game Theory Mindset:

Samuel: "I love this shit. The drama and the politics I find fun... What is my skill set to be able to do that? And it becomes a game. It becomes a game. And I really enjoy that."

Patriotic Justification:

Samuel: "Now obviously like anyone yeah, there's altruism. I love America. I love my country. I want to see like my children be in a better world."

Zachary's Media Sophistication​

Industry Understanding:

Zachary: "No Democrats want to go on conservative media... But there's other Democrats. So why this one, I wonder? No Democrats want to go on conservative media."

Strategic Positioning:

Zachary: "I think there's a real chance that I am one of the highest power politically neutral people in the U.S."

Assessment and Significance​

This conversation reveals the sophisticated interconnections between money, media, and political influence in contemporary conservative politics:

Strategic Alliance Formation: Gary successfully facilitates a connection between Samuel's legislative expertise and Zachary's media industry access, creating potential for powerful collaboration.

Legal Money Laundering Sophistication: The casual discussion of book deals and campaign finance workarounds demonstrates deep understanding of legal methods for circumventing political contribution limits.

Conservative Infrastructure: Arena Hall emerges as a crucial networking hub for Austin's conservative elite, with specific strategies for gaining access and influence.

Media Ecosystem Manipulation: The cross-partisan podcast strategy reveals sophisticated understanding of how to leverage conservative media for Democratic politicians while building personal brands.

Ambitious Political Vision: Samuel's combination of legislative expertise, media aspirations, and game-theory approach to politics positions him as a potentially significant future player.

The conversation demonstrates how political influence operates through personal relationships, strategic media placement, and sophisticated understanding of legal loopholes, all conducted with a casual, almost game-like approach to serious political power.