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In 2008, Matt Risinger decided to grow his Austin construction company through referrals from architects. The strategy worked. By March 2012, he estimated that architects generated 90% of the firm's business. Around the same period, Risinger began experimenting with another way to attract customers. He started publishing YouTube videos explaining building science, construction materials, and the decisions behind his projects. Initially, the videos helped establish his credibility with architects and homeowners. Over time, they began bringing customers. 

The videos also attracted construction product manufacturers willing to pay for sponsorships. By February 2018, marketing author David Meerman Scott reported that Risinger's construction firm had reached $20 million in annual revenue and employed 27 people. The media business 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 began learning construction as a teenager, spending summers repairing houses for elderly homeowners. He later worked for a large production builder near Washington, D.C., before joining a semi-custom home builder in Portland, Oregon. 

He moved to Austin in 2005 and founded Risinger Homes. After hearing architect Peter Pfeiffer speak about green design and building science, Risinger hired Barley & Pfeiffer Architects to design his company's first house. He subsequently joined the local Congress of Residential Architecture, where he met an architect who introduced him to his first paying client.

In 2008, Risinger and his project manager, Eric Rauser, who had a background in architecture, decided to build the company’s business around referrals from architects. Their goal was to become an architect's builder, a construction firm that architects could confidently recommend to clients.

The approach produced results during the housing downturn. In March 2012, Architect magazine reported that Risinger estimated architects accounted for about 90% of the firm's projects. The company had grown to 9 full-time employees and was receiving more inquiries than it could accept.

YouTube Gives Homeowners a Direct Route to Risinger

Risinger started publishing YouTube videos in 2008. The channel focused on building science, construction materials, installation methods, and the technical decisions involved in building durable, energy-efficient homes. He told Buildertrend that he wanted to explain topics national construction publications didn't cover in sufficient depth.

The videos took viewers inside construction projects. Risinger demonstrated how building assemblies worked, compared products, explained installation details, and discussed problems builders encountered on job sites. The videos gave homeowners access to technical information normally discussed among builders, architects, and tradespeople.

The channel also changed how prospective customers approached the company. Risinger told Buildertrend that, within a couple of years, clients began arriving at initial meetings already familiar with him. They had watched his videos, formed opinions about his technical knowledge and honesty, and decided he would be a good builder to work with.

Under the architect-referral model, Risinger depended on another professional to introduce him to the homeowner and establish his credibility. YouTube allowed him to do that directly. Prospective clients could review his work and understand his approach before contacting him. The audience also included contractors, architects, and homeowners outside Austin who would never hire Risinger. By late 2016, his videos had accumulated nearly 10 million views. 

In February 2018, David Meerman Scott reported that the channel had surpassed 130,000 subscribers and Risinger was publishing two videos a week. Scott also reported that the construction company had reached $20 million in annual revenue and employed 27 people. The videos were also generating standalone revenue. Building-product manufacturers paid for sponsorships, which covered the professional crew responsible for filming and editing. 

Turning a YouTube Channel Into a Media Business

In 2018, Risinger launched Build Productions to turn his video operation into a dedicated media business. The Build Show expanded beyond his own construction projects, featuring builders, architects, and tradespeople from across the country sharing construction techniques and practical expertise. Contributors brought expertise in different climates, materials, and construction methods. One was Jordan Smith, who had previously worked with Risinger Build around 2015 and later joined The Build Show's network of experts.

By February 2022, The Build Show Network reported more than 1.2 million followers across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and its podcast. It also distributed a twice-weekly newsletter. In August 2023, Risinger told Buildertrend that the YouTube channel had passed 1 million subscribers and was generating between 3 million and 4 million monthly views. Some individual videos had accumulated more than 5 million views.

The larger audience expanded sponsorship opportunities. Manufacturers could place their products in videos showing installation methods, while builders and homeowners could see them used on construction 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 documenting a custom home project in Austin. The production followed the project from pre-planning through completion, including removing and recycling an existing house before construction began.

Risinger introduced the project alongside members of his construction team, including business partner and co-builder Tim Hill and in-house architect Chelsea Scharbach. Builders FirstSource, a major building-materials supplier, partnered with The Build Show on the production. Episodes covered design decisions, structural work, building systems, materials, installation methods, and finishing details. The final episode walked through the completed 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 averaged over 5 million monthly video views.

The first event was scheduled for November 7-9, 2024, at the Austin Convention Center. Organizers expected approximately 150 exhibitors and 3,000 attendees. Kevin Thornton, a senior vice president at Informa Markets Infrastructure and Construction, compared the concept with JLC LIVE, which grew out of the Journal of Light Construction magazine. 

The show combined manufacturer exhibits, educational sessions, demonstrations, and access to builders familiar to the online audience. VIP packages included opportunities to meet Risinger and visit construction projects. The inaugural event took place in Austin in November 2024. The second Build Show LIVE ran in Dallas on October 16-18, 2025. Risinger delivered 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 concluded on September 12, 2026, at the Henry B. González Convention Center in San Antonio. Informa reported more than 75 educational sessions and attendees representing 49 states, the District of Columbia, and seven countries.

Exhibitors included Huber Engineered Woods, Pella, Prosoco, Polyguard, and Builders FirstSource, all of which are also listed among The Build Show's industry partners. VIP pass holders toured a high-performance home under construction near San Antonio, featured in Frame to Finish, a Build Original Series documenting the building process.. The conference also covered the Build HD Standard, The Build Show's framework for high-performance residential construction.

Informa reported that The Build Show had more than 2 million followers across YouTube, Instagram, and its podcast, with average monthly video views exceeding 12 million. The fourth Build Show LIVE is scheduled for October 21-23, 2027, at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.

How Direct Customer Relationships Created a Media Business

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

The audience eventually became valuable beyond customer acquisition. 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 continued to supply content for the media company, while the media business developed customers and revenue opportunities 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.

Growth Curve Score

*** Every week, we pick apart how the world's best media brands got to where they are. This post is the long read. Growth Curve, our weekly newsletter, is the sharp version: same insight, shorter format, straight to your inbox. Subscribe free here. ***