Ozy Media will return, according to CEO Carlos Watson. The charismatic founder told NBC’s Craig Melvin that this is his company’s “Lazurus moment.” Lazurus was the biblical figure raised from the dead by Jesus Christ. Furthermore, Watson said last week was “tramautic, difficult and heartbreaking.” The week began with the fallout of a New York Times report. That story cast suspicion on Ozy’s audience reach, veracity of its promotional materials and a phone call. The call supposedly was a co-founder pretending to be YouTube exec touting Ozy’s videos.
Watson remained silent in the press during most of last week. To be clear, he regrets not engaging in the media to defend the company. Fast forward to Friday and the company’s board released a statement. “We must announce today that we are closing Ozy’s doors,” the statement to the New York Times read.
Then, this morning, Watson appeared on CNBC and NBC morning TV to defend himself and his company.
Watson says the company will do better on being transparent in data. They’ve hired an unamed firm to provide monthly analytics going forward. Furthermore, they will do better in marketing. The ad copy on some billboards, for example raised eyebrows it terms of sourcing quotes.
OZY has a chance to survive, leaning on it’s premium content witha focus on fresh perspectives and diverse voices. The production values of Watson’s talk show are high. Furthermore, the company values design, which is obvious when examing their website.
“I own the things that we need to do better on data, the things we need to do better on marketing, the things we need to do better on leadership and culture. I clearly own that and clearly have thoughts about where we can go from there.”
Ozy Media CEO Carlos Watson on CNBC’s Squawk Box, October 4, 2021
As evening aproached in New York this evening, Ozy tweeted: “Yes, we’re back! Stay tuned for more.”
