You Are The Media (YATM) is the home for marketing misfits. It started in 2013 at the seaside, in England 🌊 The community is built around creativity, interdependence, visibility, experimentation and co-learning.
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Hi YATMers, I’m George Beverley, I have two kids, a girlfriend and a midlife crisis that won’t take the hint.
By day, I research / decode what customers think for brands by running research. On Sundays, I lecture at the London College of Contemporary Arts. I’ve written a book and started Barre classes (a mix of ballet and Pilates). Stay flexible says I.
If I had to recommend one book, it would be The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr. It’s a mind-blowing read. The book shows how our minds turn data chaos into stories, how every fact becomes a fable, and why stories are the architecture of understanding itself.
Oh...and my own little book, Research for Growth is a field guide born from three years of SME conversations, turning research into practical, human tools for leaders too busy to overthink it.
We know what AI will take away from us. The bigger question isn’t about what disappears, but about what remains.
When I say ‘take away,’ I mean the blank page, production costs, large teams, even the learning curve to sound professional. AI cuts time, reduces costs, and creates thousands of pieces in seconds.
It also removes the struggle that makes creation meaningful, the curiosity, iteration, tweaks and shared effort that gives work its weight.
Almost everything can now be produced faster, cheaper and more efficiently. The cost of making and sharing ideas keeps dropping. The value doesn’t disappear, it just moves.
When quantity is easy, what becomes scarce is feeling a part of something.
That’s where the opportunity sits.
From Abundance To Meaning
Whatever can be endlessly generated, articles, posts, videos, campaigns, will lose their value. When everyone can make anything, the real value shifts to what can’t be easily copied.
That’s trust, shared purpose and community.
You can see it already. The people and organisations that build genuine connection are the ones who last. They’re not louder, they’re anchored and it’s what people want to belong to.
That’s why this next wave of creativity will belong to the people who can create corners where people feel a part of and want to return to.
What Belonging Looks Like
Belonging doesn’t come from tech, it comes from how we use it.
Over the years with You Are The Media, I’ve learned that belonging can’t be automated, but it can be built.
The framework that now guides everything we do at YATM sits on three parts: identity, belief, and process.
Let me share with you what I mean, so you can apply your side too.
1) Identity. What people can see themselves in
For years, I made the mistake of trying to sound more complicated than we needed to be. I thought depth meant detail.
The clearer your identity, the easier it becomes for people to say, “That’s me.”
The YATM identity is around misfits. It’s for people and businesses who don’t want to fit in or follow what their industry has told them to do or how to behave. The ones who’d rather create their own path and bring others with them. That identity, that permission to be different, is what lets people see themselves here.
If you’re building your own thing, start by asking:
📝 What do people feel when they find you?
📝 Do they recognise themselves in what you stand for?
📝 Can they see a place for themselves beside you, not just as followers, but participants?
📝 What do I want to be remembered for?
When you know who you’re for, it becomes easier for the right people to find you and stay.
2) Belief. What drives the connection
Your belief is what makes connection possible. It’s the thing other people recognise instantly and want to be part of.
At YATM, our belief is simple: people can find their voice, grow their audience, and learn better together.
It’s not about getting ahead of other people, it’s about building alongside each other. That’s been the foundation since the first newsletter in 2013, even if I didn’t always articulate it clearly. It’s what turns what we do into something people believe in, not just attend.
For your own work, consider:
📝 What do you believe about how people grow, create, or succeed?
📝 What principle keeps you showing up every week?
When you’re clear on that belief, others begin to share it, repeat it, and defend it, even when you’re not in the room.
Belief is what turns a project into something you never want to stop and what others recognise instantly.
3) Process. How belonging becomes sustainable
Belonging can’t depend on bursts of inspiration. It’s built through repeatable actions that create consistency and trust.
For YATM, those processes are:
- Consistency of delivery. A newsletter every Thursday since 2013.
- Ways of keeping people together. We have Lunch Clubs, Creator Day, and a Club that feels like a working council.
- Room for experimentation. A safe place to try things, iterate, and learn in public.
That rhythm makes YATM an ecosystem. It means we don’t depend on algorithms or platforms to hold it together. We depend on each other.
And for you?
📝 What’s the small, repeatable act that shows people you’ll keep showing up?
📝 What rhythms build your version of trust?
Belonging doesn’t scale through reach, it grows through reliability.
Why This Matters Now
As we look into 2026, and as AI floods the world with cheap, polished content, trust and belonging will be the rarest commodities.
When technology can create anything, what matters most are the things it can’t, shared effort and shared meaning.
Those who lean into these will become irreplaceable. They’ll build something machines can’t, by this, I mean a place people choose.
At YATM, that’s always been part of the DNA. People don’t just consume what we make, they shape it. They co-create newsletters, lead sessions, and help test ideas. The process is the product.
From Content To Connection
For years, marketing taught us to chase reach. But the next era will not be about getting people to follow you, it’s about helping them know each other.
The creators and organisations that thrive won’t just be known for what they produce; they’ll be known for the spaces they make possible. They’ll give people a role, not just an audience seat.
The shift looks like this:
If you can get this right, if you can turn your community into your creative foundation, you won’t have to fight for attention. People will give it to you because they feel a part of what you’re building.
Let’s Round Up
This next wave of creativity won’t be defined by who uses AI best, but by those who keep the human layer visible.
It’s by people who know that technology might scale output, but community scales meaning.
It means:
✊ Keep the identity visible, misfits finding their space.
✊ Keep the belief alive, learning and growing together.
✊ Keep the process open, letting everyone see how it’s made.
When everything is made by machines, the most valuable thing left will be made by people, together.
👉 Examples of writers who turned their readers into revenue.
Getting People On Your Side
Getting people on your side means honing your skills.
What you need is that safe space to practice, with a trusted group to respond and a rhythm that encourages people to show up.
When you do that, you don’t just build skills, you build confidence, community and momentum.
Practice is how we get better and a community is where figuring out together feels safe.
It's a BIG week for Susanna next week...
Our YATM pal, Susanna Reay has a huge week, next week, for you to join in with.
It's Long-Lasting Authority. It's live, it's online and it's free to attend. The focus is how you standout for your experience and knowledge with a host of talented presenters and sessions.
Check out the people who are a part of the summit and join in with hundreds of others when you book here.
Lunch Club says hi to November...
The November Lunch Club arrives in London in a few hours time and we're off to The Alma, in Wandsworth.
We'll be back for Lunch Club in London from Thursday 5th February.
Next Thursday (13th November), we're in Poole for the session on 'confidence.' Have a lunchtime out and book here. Look forward to seeing you.
Come & Join In (Online & Offline)
Here's what's up and coming...
🔥 Beth Carter's Week Map is Sunday at 7.30pm GMT in YATM Club join here
You Are The Media (YATM) is the home for marketing misfits. It started in 2013 at the seaside, in England 🌊 The community is built around creativity, interdependence, visibility, experimentation and co-learning.
