How an Austin Home Builder Grew a Media Company Beside Its Construction Firm

In 2008, Matt Risinger decided to grow his Austin construction company through architect referrals. By March 2012, he estimated that architects generated 90% of the firm's business. Around the same time, he began publishing YouTube videos on building science, construction materials, and the decisions behind his projects. The videos built his credibility with architects and homeowners, and over time they began bringing in customers directly. 

They also attracted product manufacturers that were willing to pay for sponsorships. In February 2018, marketing author David Meerman Scott reported that the firm had reached $20 million in annual revenue and had 27 employees. The video operation grew into The Build Show, which later partnered with Informa Markets to launch a construction trade show.

The Referral Strategy That Drove 90% of Business

Risinger learned construction as a teenager, repairing houses for elderly homeowners during summers. He worked for a large production builder near Washington, D.C., and then for a semi-custom builder in Portland, Oregon. In 2005, he moved to Austin and founded Risinger Homes. He hired Barley & Pfeiffer Architects to design the company's first house. He also joined the local Congress of Residential Architecture, where an architect introduced him to his first paying client.

In 2008, Risinger and his project manager, Eric Rauser, who had an architecture background, built the business around architect referrals. Their aim was to become a builder that architects could confidently recommend. In March 2012, Architect magazine reported that architects accounted for about 90% of the firm's projects. The company had grown to 9 full time employees during the housing downturn and was receiving more inquiries than it could accept.

YouTube Gives Homeowners a Direct Route to Risinger

Risinger started the channel in 2008. He told Buildertrend he wanted to explain building science topics that national construction publications did not cover in enough depth. The videos took viewers onto job sites. He compared products, showed how building assemblies worked, and explained installation details that builders, architects, and tradespeople usually discuss among themselves.

Within a couple of years, clients began arriving at first meetings already familiar with him. They had watched the videos and decided he knew his subject and would be honest to work with. Under the referral model, an architect introduced Risinger to a homeowner and vouched for him. YouTube let him make that introduction himself. By late 2016, the videos had nearly 10 million views.

In February 2018, Scott reported that the channel had passed 130,000 subscribers and that Risinger was posting two new videos a week. Building product manufacturers paid for sponsorships, and that money covered the professional crew that filmed and edited the videos.

Turning a YouTube Channel Into a Media Business

In 2018, Risinger launched Build Productions to run the video operation as a dedicated media business. The Build Show began featuring builders, architects and tradespeople from across the country, each bringing expertise in different climates, materials and methods. One was Jordan Smith, who had worked with Risinger Build around 2015.

By February 2022, The Build Show Network reported more than 1.2 million followers across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and its podcast. It also sent a newsletter twice a week. In August 2023, Risinger told Buildertrend the channel had passed 1 million subscribers and drew 3 million to 4 million views a month. The larger audience gave manufacturers more reason to sponsor videos that showed their products being installed on job sites.

The Build Show Documents a Home From Start to Finish

On April 18, 2024, The Build Show announced The Risinger Build, a 24-episode series. It followed a custom home in Austin from pre-planning to completion, starting with removing and recycling the existing house. Risinger presented the series with his business partner and co-builder Tim Hill and in-house architect Chelsea Scharbach. Builders FirstSource, a major building materials supplier, partnered on the production. The final episode toured the finished home after about 14 months of planning and construction.

Taking The Build Show From YouTube to the Convention Floor

In July 2024, Informa Markets announced Build Show LIVE, a trade show and conference developed with The Build Show. Informa-owned Trade Show News Network reported that The Build Show had more than 1.7 million subscribers and over 5 million average monthly video views. Organizers held the first show November 7 to 9 at the Austin Convention Center and expected about 150 exhibitors and 3,000 attendees. Kevin Thornton, a senior vice president at Informa Markets Infrastructure and Construction, compared it with JLC LIVE, which grew out of the Journal of Light Construction magazine.

The show combined manufacturer exhibits, education sessions, demonstrations, and access to builders the audience knew from the videos. VIP packages included meeting Risinger and visiting construction projects. The second edition ran in Dallas from October 16 to 18, 2025. Risinger gave the keynote with Brent Hull, founder of Hull Homes and Hull Millwork.

A Digital Construction Brand Draws a National Trade Audience

The third Build Show LIVE closed on September 12, 2026, at the Henry B. González Convention Center in San Antonio. Informa reported more than 75 sessions and attendees from 49 states, the District of Columbia, and seven countries. Exhibitors included Huber Engineered Woods, Pella, Prosoco, Polyguard, and Builders FirstSource, all listed among The Build Show's partners. VIP pass holders toured a high-performance home near San Antonio that was featured in Frame to Finish, a Build Original Series. Sessions also covered the Build HD Standard, The Build Show's framework for high-performance construction.

Informa put The Build Show's following at more than 2 million across YouTube, Instagram, and its podcast, with more than 12 million average monthly video views. The fourth show is set for October 21 to 23, 2027, at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.

How Direct Customer Relationships Created a Media Business

Risinger's original strategy depended on architects recommending his company. YouTube gave homeowners a direct way to discover his work, judge his expertise, and decide whether to hire him.

Over time, the audience created business opportunities beyond attracting construction clients. Manufacturers paid to sponsor videos, other builders joined the network, and Informa partnered with The Build Show to bring its audience together at a trade show. The construction projects kept supplying content, and the media business found customers well beyond the homes Risinger built. 

In 2026, Risinger operates a construction business alongside a media network with sponsored videos, a newsletter, and a trade show partnership. The shift began when homeowners discovered his work on YouTube. That direct audience subsequently became the foundation for a separate media business serving manufacturers and construction professionals.

Risinger's story shows how a business can turn its existing expertise into a media company. The construction projects gave him a steady source of material, while YouTube let him reach homeowners without relying entirely on architect referrals. As the audience grew, it attracted manufacturers willing to fund production and other builders who could contribute their expertise.

The important distinction is that Risinger spent years explaining construction methods and showing actual job sites. That gave homeowners a reason to trust him, manufacturers a relevant audience to reach, and Informa a community around which to build an event. For companies with specialized knowledge, the opportunity is not limited to generating more leads. The same expertise that attracts customers can also support a media business with its own revenue streams.

See you next week.

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