The Scoop
Two veteran Democratic communications strategists are launching a live politics show inspired by TBPN and prediction markets.
Later this month, Rob Flaherty and Jesse Lehrich will launch Nobody Knows Anything, a 90-minute biweekly show that they say plans to pair “semi-professional quality analysis and aesthetics with entirely unprofessional behavior.”
Flaherty was a deputy campaign manager for former President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ campaign, and led digital strategy for the White House under Biden. Lehrich, who writes the politics and media newsletter Nobody Listens, co-founded the group Accountable Tech, and worked with Flaherty in the communications wing of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign.
The show will incorporate prediction market information and polling, though the duo don’t plan on partnering financially with the major prediction markets. NKA will go live on YouTube and X on Sunday evenings and Thursdays, and will be chopped up for clips on TikTok, Instagram, and X.
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Since Harris’ loss in 2024, Flaherty has devoted much of his time to thinking about the challenges that the new media landscape has presented to Democrats and the left, and where the opportunities are for left-leaning voices to emerge. He told Semafor that in his conversations with podcasters, streamers, and creators over the last several years, he became most interested in the potential of the live video streaming show format. He argued that at the moment, livestreaming is less crowded than podcasting, noting that while there are plenty of podcasts from political vets and experts, there is a greater opportunity to bring a live political streaming show to YouTube and X, where the lane is fairly open.
The show somewhat explicitly borrows from TBPN, the lighthearted three-hour AI and tech-focused podcast, and Breaking and Entering, the insider advertising-focused daily YouTube streaming show.
“Everything is moving toward live video. Even podcasts now seem less intimate and real than streamers,” Flaherty said. “Obviously, there are a ton of excellent political podcasts, but if we can pack that level of expertise and production value into a live video show — that feels like something new. And also what everyone will be doing a year from now.”
The show will be a production of Narrowcast, the new Democratic-aligned agency founded by Flaherty. While the company will maintain clients, Flaherty is also launching a venture studio for developing and incubating left-leaning podcasts and shows. Nobody Knows Anything will be the studio’s first official project, and a testing ground for future ideas.
The attachment to a communications consulting and strategy business creates the risk of conflicts of interest — or, even worse in the world of chat shows, that opinions will get hedged.
Flaherty said the show will disclose if guests or topics overlap with his firm’s clients. But he also noted that other popular political and business shows are hosted by players in their respective fields, like the finance, tech, and politics podcast All-In, and Ruthless, a Fox-backed podcast hosted by Republican consultants.