THE CRUDE TRUTH: Hart Energy Exclusive w/ Manal Foty & Jordan Blum

I had the opportunity to Interview Editorial Director Jordan Blum and Business Development Manager Manal Foty of Hart Energy in Fort Worth during Super Dug 2023. Listen here and learn how Hart Energy has been at the heart of the energy sector for 50 years. From their many publications and conferences, to their daily emails. Thank you Manal and Jordan for stopping by THE CRUDE TRUTH studio.

Please reach out to Manal Foty on his LinkedIn HERE

Please reach out to Jordan Blum on his LinkedIn HERE

Check out StatusJet HERE

Highlights

00:00 – Intro
01:57 – Introducing Manal Foty and Jordan Blum
03:41 – Talks about Super Doug
05:08 – Talks about the Giant Conference and how much work they did for preparation
06:01 – Knowing Manal Foty and her backround on Heart Enegy and Oil and Gas Industry
07:06 – Knowing Jordan Blum
10:49 – Talk about some of the guests a job had on this year that were on panels. I mean, it was not a small little group this year
12:08 – What do you all think was in each one in his mind the best thing about this year, Super Doug 23
14:34 – Talk about some of these other conferences that you guys have in highlights
16:08 – Talks about Oil and Gas Investors magazine
18:44 – Where to Find Manal Foty and Jordan Blum
20:34 – Outro

THE CRUDE TRUTH: Hart Energy Exclusive w/ Manal Foty & Jordan Blum

Rey Trevino [00:00:00] 50 years been at the heart of the energy sector. We’re going to talk about that and much more on this episode of The Crude Truth.

Rey Trevino [00:01:06] Well, good afternoon, Good evening, Good night. Welcome to another episode of The Crude Truth and thank you for listening. Whatever time of the day it is for you or watching this episode here on TheCrudeTruth.com, please be sure to Like Subscribe.

Rey Trevino [00:01:23] And also, please leave me five star reviews or if you have any questions, you’ll know how to get a hold of me, Please ask me any questions that you may have. Also, I am on Twitter nowadays @TheCrude_Truth that’s a handful, but that’s my Twitter. So please take a look and if my produce ads in any way, I may be getting an Instagram soon, but we’ll see what Chris has to say about that, my producer so shout out to Chris.

Rey Trevino [00:01:50] Well, hello again and I’m just so excited to be here what a whirlwind of an amazing day it has been. I actually have the opportunity today to have two of the top executives over at Hart Energy. I’ve got Jordan Blue, Editorial Director and Manal Foty, the Business Development and Manager herself. Guys, how are you all doing? And welcome to Fort Worth.

Manal Foty [00:02:14] Doing Great, Thanks for having us.

Jordan Blum [00:02:15] Great, No thank you really excited to be here, you know, we’re conferencing it up all week.

Rey Trevino [00:02:21] I always feel like this is one of those late-night shows where they’re showing up either after the premiere or right before the premiere on like, you know, on one of those shows. Guys, thank you all so much. This is wrapping up the end of the conference and you guys decided to come in, and do an episode of The Crude Truth. Hopefully, it wasn’t that long we drive from the convention center.

Rey Trevino [00:02:45] And Manal Foty we’ve had an opportunity to talk and it was like, Y’all are here I’ve got to get out of the studio. Because Hart Energy, I mean, in my teaser, you guys are literally in so many different aspects and different things going on in the oil and gas industry that I don’t even think people know. In our pre-production meeting Jordan, you know, I was like hey, What all is hart? And we’ve got a list here, and I may name it all for a little while, but I mean, for this list, let me just write it off.

Rey Trevino [00:03:17] Hard energy, Oil and Gas Investor magazine you’ll have just great website. Then you got the magazine card energy. Then you do have your own production company called Gotham Production and then just forget about those daily emails that I don’t know how many people get them, but I know I do. And it comes out at 5:00 in the morning and 3:00 in the afternoon. So you guys and what you guys are up to is just gigantic. And congratulations, first of all, on another successful Doug, and this one is actually the Super Doug. So thank you, George, for coming in.

Jordan Blum [00:03:50] No, thank you. Yeah, It’s our biggest conference of the year. Super Doug that’s developing unconventional gas. It’s really taking on more of an oil tint but, you know, we don’t want to change the Doug name Super Doug.

Jordan Blum [00:04:04] It’s our first time doing super Doug, and not just Doug Permian because it’s for combining the top five oil basins, you know, Permian, Eagle for Bakken, Mid-Continent and DJ Bass. I mean, you get all that.

Jordan Blum [00:04:19] So we also still have our Doug gas conferences like Doug Haynesville and Doug East for up in the Marcellus Utica. That would all be later this year up in Pittsburgh.

Rey Trevino [00:04:29] Okay.

Jordan Blum [00:04:30] That’s our farthest away conference.

Rey Trevino [00:04:33] You know what I, I didn’t even mention the Doug conferences that I have into there in the show. I think there was about a half dozen that I still have coming up this year.

Jordan Blum [00:04:42] Yeah.

Manal Foty [00:04:42] Yeah,.

Jordan Blum [00:04:43] Yeah.

Rey Trevino [00:04:43] They’re all different things there Capital ones are Executive one.

Manal Foty [00:04:46] ESG Carbon Management, Midstream Focus, Cybersecurity, you name it.

Rey Trevino [00:04:51] Yeah. I mean and you guys have really started to use it you’re a big company, but your niche it out in a way that really it’s like, hey, this is this one, this is this. And I know I’m a fourth guy and tons of people were excited talking about this year. I mean, you had companies throwing mixers yesterday and today and it’s like they’re just they were prepared for you guys at this giant conference and it hasn’t disappointed yet.

Manal Foty [00:05:22] So like.

Rey Trevino [00:05:23] How much work went into this? If you don’t mind we’ll talk about that.

Jordan Blum [00:05:26] I’m just along for the ride I’m just happy any fall off the stage moderating. But yeah it’s a lot of work from you know developing agendas, recruiting all the speakers, a lot of marketing, advertising, sales.

Manal Foty [00:05:40] Business development side it’s it’s definitely a lot of work to obviously we want to fill the room, get it, get everyone exposure and yeah, have everyone network get some business. That’s the whole point of these events is make deals, build connections.

Rey Trevino [00:05:55] Well you know let’s say you talk about the business development and networking, let’s let’s kind of dive in a little bit here. You know Manal, how long have you been with Hart Energy and let’s go you your background in the Oil and Gas Industry.

Manal Foty [00:06:07] So I’ve been with her for a year now. I started in the industry when Nabors drilling was with him for five years, got my experience more in the drilling sector, worked in Midland in the field, directly selling oscillating systems and tubular running services, motor rentals of that sort, and had the opportunity actually to get this with Hart business Development from a podcast as well as a shout out to flipping the barrel. So yeah.

Rey Trevino [00:06:37] Well he’s up never had up to the meter but they seem very nice and I’ve heard nothing but great girls.

Manal Foty [00:06:43] Great. So a connection on there just matched on LinkedIn and she helped me, you know, get connected to the CEO and CRO and was really loved the vision of Hart Energy and where it’s going from there so…

Rey Trevino [00:06:57] Awesome, neighbors and I mean that’s no joke being out there.

Manal Foty [00:07:01] Oh, no, it’s no joke.

Rey Trevino [00:07:02] Oh my gosh!

Manal Foty [00:07:03] That’s a whole different story.

Rey Trevino [00:07:06] Jordan Editorial Director Okay, I just steamed off a half a dozen things that’s a lot of reading, and I know I can’t be that joke in preproduction also. I mean, man, let’s talk about you a little bit.

Jordan Blum [00:07:19] Yeah, well, first off, let me go back a little bit just because we’re in Fort Worth, Im a TCU grad so you can.

Rey Trevino [00:07:25] Go Frogs!

Jordan Blum [00:07:26] Go Frogs! Excited to be here old stomping grounds love it downtown. But yeah, Wow! Yeah So I’ve been a political journalist for a while ten years as a political journalist, ten years as an energy journalist. I’ve been in Houston for about ten years now with the Houston Chronicle, S&P Global, and I’ve been at Hart Energy not quite a year, but super excited to be here love the vision, love everything we’re doing.

Jordan Blum [00:07:54] You know, it’s kind of just, you know, I’m going to get into my spiel here a little bit, but please, you know, to kind of be the one stop shop for all things, you know, energy, not just oil and gas. You know, we do a lot with renewables, energy transition as well, a lot of focus on, you know, emissions reduction technologies and we’re doing a lot more global coverage, too.

Jordan Blum [00:08:16] You know, we have like an international managing editor we we don’t have necessarily reporters, we have freelancers all over the world, too, that are contributing. So, you know, we really do want to be that kind of multimedia hub we’re doing a lot with video. You mentioned the production studio with conferences.

Jordan Blum [00:08:34] You know, come to our website, you can, you can read, you can watch, you can listen in every article, you know, has a listen option. If you’re in your car, be safe just listen. You know, if you don’t want to look at my face, you know, you don’t have to do the video, you can read, you know, the face for radio and a voice for print so I do what I can. But yeah, we’ve got the flagship magazine, Oil and Gas Investor, and then almost a dozen newsletters, as many newsletters as we have conferences, so it keeps us busy.

Rey Trevino [00:09:08] Well, you know, you talk about the newsletters you know, how many people subscribe to these? You know.

Jordan Blum [00:09:13] Yeah, it’s it’s over a hundred thousand.

Manal Foty [00:09:16] Oh Yeah well over

Jordan Blum [00:09:17] I don’t know the exact numbers.

Manal Foty [00:09:19] So Daily wrap up, for instance, has over 85-90k alone.

Rey Trevino [00:09:24] Wow!

Jordan Blum [00:09:24] It’s over 100 now.

Manal Foty [00:09:26] That’s over a hundred.

Jordan Blum [00:09:27] Because we actually broke a cap and there was a problem with the email was because we we had to adjust the cap over.

Rey Trevino [00:09:35] Oh you had to add a zero problem. Basically, there’s some.

Jordan Blum [00:09:38] Kind of technical glitch there that it worked out fine, but I love.

Rey Trevino [00:09:42] It. Well, that’s a good time to have if I say so myself that’s a real good thing, Wow! 100,000 people a day. Well, I’ll I’ll do a shameless plug for you guys you know, if you’re not going to sponsor The Crude Truth, I think Hart Energy is where to go, because you would be reaching near 200,000 people a today.

Rey Trevino [00:10:03] And I want to talk real quick, you know, about Charls you know, first of all, again, with you all have your own Social Media Productions. Thank you all very much for coming on so thank you very much.

Rey Trevino [00:10:16] But you guys and y’all’s production is on point all day on Monday. Y’all were of the show. I mean, it was you weren’t going 20 minutes without boom, something coming out. And that’s important. It’s like, what’s going on? It I understand. You know, it drives the people that are coming that it’s patient and it just people like come up oh, man, I’m missing it. But also, I think Chevron had some pretty big news yesterday that probably helped out as well.

Jordan Blum [00:10:43] Certainly.

Rey Trevino [00:10:43] Yeah. But, you know, I want to highlight, if you don’t Manal and Jordan, I’ll just talk about some of the guests a job had on this year that were on panels. I mean, it was not a small little group this year.

Manal Foty [00:10:55] No, absolutely.

Jordan Blum [00:10:57] Yeah, we’ve got Conoco Phillips, we’ve got Devon Energy, you know, Double Eagle. We got the big private to. Yeah. You know just what we had just our keynote speaker General Wesley Clark to talk about global energy security and geopolitical stuff with, you know, China, Russia, everything else. So yeah, we’ve got a lot going on.

Rey Trevino [00:11:23] In that global stuff I know to me that’s very important. You know, I feel like that’s a whole other market or oh, that’s probably really more for a whole other discussion because it’s just it’s just it’s very important in my eyes as a small operator that we need to continue to do great stuff here in America and that’s what Hart Energy is really about.

Rey Trevino [00:11:43] And I think it’s great that you have international because we’re it’s not a it’s not local anymore. I mean, and so you got to know what’s going on in Dubai or as much as we don’t like them Venezuela because they still produce a lot of oils like we all have cause and effect these days. And so I think you guys get that pulse that y’all have is ridiculous. You know, What do you all think was in each one in his mind the best thing about this year, Super Doug 23, if you don’t mind.

Manal Foty [00:12:15] You know I’ve seen a lot of new faces a lot of time you have the the regulars that come to our Doug E AMP companies operators drilling the whole nine lot of new people. And I think that’s the best part of bringing in all types of people from out of all around the industry.

Rey Trevino [00:12:31] Yeah,.

Manal Foty [00:12:31] And that’s the best.

Rey Trevino [00:12:33] Okay.

Jordan Blum [00:12:33] So I just like having the, you know, 2000 people here. It’s a great combination of you get, you know, really great speakers. You can sit and just listen to the main stage all day and, you know, not get bored or, you know, you can walk out to the exhibition hall and there’s so much cool equipment and all out, you know, all the swag you want to pick up.

Rey Trevino [00:12:54] Yeah,.

Manal Foty [00:12:55] Yeah,.

Rey Trevino [00:12:55] I know I got my swag bags over there.

Jordan Blum [00:12:57] It’s it’s a really great mix that I think, you know, other conferences maybe can’t. You know, they do one thing great, not the other. And, you know, I like to think we maybe offer that best of both worlds.

Rey Trevino [00:13:10] And I think you’ll do, First of all, it was packed today and I had an opportunity to run into Manal earlier and I call Manal from now.

Manal Foty [00:13:19] I didn’t want to call you up

Rey Trevino [00:13:21] I know, it’s Manal she’s been always nice. But I went in to the, the the keynote speaker room and I swear there was just as many people, if not maybe a little bit more actually in the keynote listening than actually out in. And you heard people laughing I swear you saw tons of people looking real interested, at least at different products.

Rey Trevino [00:13:47] And as an operator and I’ve shared this with her before that it’s great to go and look at all the new technologies. I mean, one company had an electric frac, the mobil. Oh, Wow! My mind just Blink oh but they have electric flac vehicle out of today. And how cool is that and they were showing it off and then you had some great people with water because God knows water is going to be sufficient in west Texas its gonna be huge.

Manal Foty [00:14:22] Yeah. Yeah.

Rey Trevino [00:14:25] So, I mean, it’s just it’s just too awesome what you guys are doing. Oh, let’s, you know, other than the super Doug, you know, let’s talk about some of these other conferences that you guys have in highlight some of them for me.

Manal Foty [00:14:38] Absolutely. So we like to gathering a lot of our conferences, focus on the ESG, cybersecurity, midstream focus, or even financial conferences to tailor to more CFOs, investment banking and that niche. So we have very targeted conferences.

Jordan Blum [00:14:56] Yeah, we’re doing more like kind of back to back day stuff too, like our energy infrastructure and technology conference and cybersecurity in energy or back to back days, June 27, 28th and Houston.

Rey Trevino [00:15:07] Okay.

Jordan Blum [00:15:08] Then we have Carbon ESG strategies at the end of August also in Houston, but will get back up to DFW for October with our Energy capital conference and our and Strategy and Opportunities conference in Dallas. That’s October 2nd, October 3rd, back to back.

Rey Trevino [00:15:26] And then you’ll also have a golf tournament? No

Manal Foty [00:15:29] Not that I’m aware.

Rey Trevino [00:15:30] No, no thats somebody else No, no.

Manal Foty [00:15:31] I’m pushing for it

Rey Trevino [00:15:33] I mean, everybody else has one I don’t ask you why I thought I didn’t in October. I must be somebody else. Oh,.

Jordan Blum [00:15:38] That’s all right.

Rey Trevino [00:15:39] Brave Heart Sorry.

Manal Foty [00:15:39] We also have the executive oil conference. We can’t forget that one in Midland that’s Permian Basin.

Jordan Blum [00:15:44] November 15 get back to Midland, it’s always nice to get out there and actually get to the field and see stuff.

Rey Trevino [00:15:49] Oh, gosh. You know what is?

Manal Foty [00:15:50] New technologies and that’s great.

Rey Trevino [00:15:52] Oh, man Midland is Midland is where it’s at that’s that’s where everybody is. And there’s so much going on out there all the time. So, yes, you know, and the fact that you all get out there yourselves with Hart Energy, it’s just awesome. The other thing I want to highlight for a lot of people is the Oil and Gas Investors magazine.

Manal Foty [00:16:10] Okay. Oh, yeah.

Rey Trevino [00:16:10] Guys, So how long has that been around?

Manal Foty [00:16:13] 41 years now. Yeah.

Rey Trevino [00:16:17] And I was telling her earlier, I actually did not know until recently that that was Yall! Maybe a year last year so. But that was jobs publication. And and then I even asked us to drop by because it’s been around for ever. So, I mean, I feel like I mean, again, my father got into this in the mid eighties I was born in 84 so, I mean, I’ve seen this magazine for a long time.

Manal Foty [00:16:41] Sure.

Jordan Blum [00:16:42] Yep No, No, it’s a great magazine we actually redesigned it last year. It looks new and fresh. You know, the content was always great, but, you know, visually, it was a little outdated. So now it looks great.

Jordan Blum [00:16:55] But yeah, that’s kind of a thing it’s like, you know, Hart Energy the Oil and Gas Investor.

Rey Trevino [00:16:59] YES.

Jordan Blum [00:17:00] Doug, you know, three decently known brands, I hope more than decently known, but people don’t always know they’re one in the same.

Rey Trevino [00:17:07] Yeah,.

Jordan Blum [00:17:08] But yeah, like this month the May issue of oil and gas investor it’s our cover stories you know sit down with ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods I mean you know that was a great exclusive. Our June issue I guess it was a sneak peek, not yet feature it’s focused on private companies or producers and got a cover story with new burn oil, which is kind of the biggest Producer you never heard of. You know,.

Rey Trevino [00:17:39] I think.We’ve got them on like the cover that’s awesome, they’re awsome they’re they’re a model for sure.

Jordan Blum [00:17:45] They have more active drilling rigs in the Delaware Basin than any other company, more than Devon, more than Oxy, more than Conoco, more than Exxon. I mean.

Rey Trevino [00:17:53] And they’re quiet for the most part,.

Jordan Blum [00:17:55] Intentionally so.

Rey Trevino [00:17:56] Yeah. It’s all purpose and ah So that’s awesome. If I make how many people get that magazine a month?

Jordan Blum [00:18:04] Don’t have those circulation numbers.

Rey Trevino [00:18:06] Okay, okay.

Jordan Blum [00:18:07] I got to be honest.

Rey Trevino [00:18:08] That’s okay. But it’s a lot.

Manal Foty [00:18:10] So it’s also digital as well so we have certain subset of subscribers that are digital focus and that prefer that aspect of it.

Jordan Blum [00:18:17] Really popular in the C-suite especially but yeah, you get get that you can buy the online access only if you don’t want to get the magazine, but get it all together. Get that Ogi plus bundle we call it.

Rey Trevino [00:18:28] Okay, okay,.

Jordan Blum [00:18:29] Let me plug that.

Rey Trevino [00:18:31] There you go, that’s not a I’ll be lying if I’m not asking questions for a reason. Manal right.

Manal Foty [00:18:37] Yeah,.

Rey Trevino [00:18:38] You’ll have a heck of a conference on over yet.

Manal Foty [00:18:41] No.

Rey Trevino [00:18:43] So I know you’ve got to keep moving and doing, where can people find you guys when they’re ready to do something with you guys? You know, how can is the best place that they can get you? and if you got any closing words for everybody else.

Manal Foty [00:18:54] First off, HartEnergyLive.com you want to link up with me on LinkedIn personally finding our photo and yeah, I have all the details on events uh, any kind of digital media exposure, print media that works.

Rey Trevino [00:19:10] Right. And Jordan, you being the editorial guy and I’m going to be sending you some stuff to check out for me here in the very near future. But how can people, you know, any any last last word for you before you all continue this whirlwind of a few days and thank you all for coming to Fort Worth, by the way.

Jordan Blum [00:19:26] Yeah. Yeah. Happy to reach out via email you know, JayBloom@HartEnergy.com You know can reach out.

Manal Foty [00:19:35] that’s a great last Name

Jordan Blum [00:19:39] But yeah come to HartEnergy.com Your one-stop shop for everything you know and play around and hopefully subscribe please.

Rey Trevino [00:19:49] Absolutely I know I do and thank you for continuing to do great, great journalism. And Jordan, I think it starts that you had an opportunity to meet you and it’s awesome what you’ve been able to do, and I think it does trickle down to the rest of your people.

Jordan Blum [00:20:05] No Thank you. Appreciate it.

Rey Trevino [00:20:06] And well, they’ll thank you guys if thank you all again for taking a few minutes. And again everybody out there please be sure to subscribe to The Crude Truth. Check out Hart Energy and we’ll see you next time on another episode of The Crude Truth.