Richard Fitzgerald on Building a Media Empire Across 22 Arab Countries with Lovin’
Richard Fitzgerald, CEO & Founder of Augustus Media, discusses strategic growth, local market expansion, brand decentralization, and integration of new media technologies.
In the ever-evolving landscape of digital media, understanding market dynamics, consumer behavior, and technological advancements is paramount to building successful media enterprises. In a recent episode of The Dollar Diaries, Richard Fitzgerald, CEO & Founder of Augustus Media, shared invaluable insights into his journey and forward-looking vision. Augustus Media, home to popular brands such as Lovin', Smashi, and Odeum, is carving out a unique space in the Middle East’s burgeoning media terrain. This blog delves into the rich conversation with Richard, exploring his thoughts on local journalism, market expansion, brand structure, new media integrations, and the future of media technology—particularly in the MENA region.
The Power of Local Storytelling and Brand Creation
Richard begins by emphasizing a fundamental truth that drives Augustus Media: storytelling and creating local heroes. Unlike many traditional media companies that operate on a national or global scale with less granular attention to local communities, Augustus Media's brands—especially Lovin'—focus on hyper-local content. These local stories are not only engaging but also inspire pride and a sense of identity. He points out, “If your kid is playing in an under-10 female football game in Abu Dhabi, where do you check the score?” This simple question highlights the scarcity of localized content in many Middle Eastern cities despite their massive populations.
Lovin’, therefore, is much more than a digital news platform—it’s a community builder. Its presence in 22 Arab League countries and coverage spanning 4,600 cities underscores the ambition of Augustus Media to serve every local audience authentically.
Hands-On Leadership Evolving Into Strategic Expansion
Richard reflects candidly on his personal leadership evolution at Augustus Media. What started as a small operation with a handful of employees has grown into an organization with five offices and 120 staff members. He shares, “I’m already doing that strategic management. It’s not about being ‘hands-on’ in the old sense, but about steering a growing enterprise with multiple teams and markets.”
This transition reflects a common challenge faced by founders moving from early-stage startups to scalable enterprises. The nuance Richard brings is acknowledging the need for a balance between strategy and operation, particularly in a fast-moving media industry. The roadmap they have developed focuses on core content types—text, audio, and video—with adaptability for emerging formats like AI-driven content and streaming.
Brand Architecture: House of Brands with Local Nuance
A key strength of Augustus Media lies in its brand architecture. Richard explains Lovin’ as a “house of brands” model, where city-based brands exist under a common umbrella but serve distinct local markets—such as Lovin’ Riyadh, Lovin’ Dubai, and Lovin’ Cairo. This decentralization allows each brand to maintain a local voice and relevance while benefiting from the synergy and recognition of the master brand. Similarly, Smashi operates as a vertical vertical brand with sub-brands covering industries like business, style, crypto, and gaming.
This structure allows Augustus Media to cater to the multifaceted and diverse media consumption patterns characteristic of the Middle East. The company’s approach contrasts with many legacy media organizations that maintain a centralized editorial voice often detached from local cultures.
Tiered Market Entry and Profitability Model
Richard provides clarity on their phased approach to market entry and resource allocation, categorizing their 35 brands into three tiers:
Tier 1: Fully active, autonomous, and profitable brands (5-6 brands)
Tier 2: Active but not yet profitable (approx. 10 brands)
Tier 3: Brands in developmental or inactive stages (approx. 20 brands)
This segmentation helps them manage capital and operational focus effectively, investing in promising markets while nurturing those still scaling. He emphasizes the importance of local infrastructure such as licenses, bank accounts, and on-ground sales teams to properly penetrate markets like Lebanon, Jordan, or Syria. However, in some cases, digital growth can happen organically without full local physical presence, creating a hybrid expansion model.
Notably, Richard stresses patience and vision for the long game—his horizon stretches decades ahead, recognizing complex regions like Syria or Iraq require time and navigating sanctions and operational challenges.
Decentralization vs. Centralized Control: Balancing Autonomy and Risk
One of the most nuanced parts of the discussion revolves around decentralization. Augustus Media’s localized brands require autonomy for cultural relevance and authenticity, but this raises questions about brand consistency and risk management. Richard advocates for a middle ground—enough decentralization to maintain local flavor and content authenticity but sufficient editorial control to safeguard legal compliance and brand safety.
He acknowledges the inherent risks media companies face, particularly in politically sensitive regions, and the importance of protecting journalists and staff while maintaining editorial standards. With digital fast news, the risk of misinformation and crises is ever-present, but Richard views challenges as opportunities to strengthen resilience.
The Utility of Media Apps as Ecosystems
Moving beyond traditional media, Augustus Media is evolving Lovin’ into more than a news app—an integrated utility platform. Richard shares plans to embed features such as accurate prayer times, football scores (even for local youth leagues), currency exchange, restaurant listings, and crowdsourced reviews. The rationale is straightforward: people open multiple apps daily for such information, so aggregating it adds significant utility and stickiness to Lovin’.
These developments illustrate a shift from purely content-driven media to multipurpose digital ecosystems catering to user needs. Importantly, accuracy remains paramount, such as calibrating prayer times correctly to local contexts, reflecting deep respect for the audience’s cultural practices.
Embracing New Media and the Role of AI
While Richard admits initial skepticism about artificial intelligence’s role outside coding and automation, he now embraces AI as a powerful force reshaping content creation and media consumption. He notes the coexistence of AI-generated content, human creators, and algorithm-driven content delivery platforms like TikTok.
Augustus Media is experimenting with an AI writer to optimize content creation and exploring how AI can personalize news delivery via “content agents” that respond to users’ preferences—a blend of traditional editorial integrity and machine intelligence.
However, Richard cautions against chasing every hot new technology trend at the expense of core competency. Augustus Media is not VC-backed and doesn’t need explosive scaling or multiple pivots; instead, they prioritize sustainable cash flow with a focus on text, audio, and video IP relevant to the Middle East and North Africa.
Capital Strategy: Self-Funding and Focused Growth
Unlike many startups seeking venture capital, Augustus Media adopts a conservative capital strategy built on profitability and positive cash flow. Richard explains the company focuses on delivering services such as branded content and fast, local video production, which customers value for its speed and creativity.
Though they are aware of broader industry trends toward data-driven advertising and retail media, Augustus Media balances data capabilities with the human touch—such as young hosts creating engaging local content for brand campaigns—delivering value that raw data alone cannot provide.
Expanding Through Strategic Partnerships and Technology Ecosystems
Richard reveals an exciting partnership with a technology OS deployed on smart TVs and automotive platforms. This integration positions Augustus Media’s Smashi TV app to reach hundreds of millions of devices worldwide—a massive B2B distribution channel well beyond traditional mobile and web platforms.
This move exemplifies Augustus Media’s strategy to align with emerging media consumption habits, including streaming fast content on smart devices, capitalizing on built-in audiences, and opening new revenue streams.
Staying True to Brand DNA Amidst Change
Throughout the conversation, a powerful theme emerges: the importance of brand DNA. Richard recognizes the temptation to pivot endlessly in the new media environment but stresses the value of consistency.
Building trust with local audiences, investing in authentic stories, and maintaining editorial control underpin Augustus Media’s ongoing success. The company actively avoids distractions, including unrelated acquisitions or product lines that do not align with their core mission.
A Vision for a Media Future Rooted in the Middle East
Richard’s insights paint a compelling picture of how media companies in the Middle East can innovate while respecting local culture and realities. Augustus Media navigates complex geopolitical landscapes, diverse languages, and rapidly changing technologies with a pragmatic yet visionary approach.
By emphasizing local stories, investing strategically in regional growth, embracing new technology thoughtfully, and building integrated utility platforms, Augustus Media is carving a distinct path forward in the global media ecosystem.
Their multi-decade horizon is a reminder that sustainable media growth requires patience, adaptability, and unwavering commitment to one’s audience and mission.