Podcast Of The Week: Musk, Twitter, And Strategy (And Stratechery)

What happens if the world’s richest man becomes in charge of the most important information platform? The “Elon Musk wants to buy Twitter” story may be stale by the time I click send on this email, but this conversation between Derek Thompson and Ben Thompson will still be significant.  Derek has previously called Twitter “a … Continue reading Podcast Of The Week: Musk, Twitter, And Strategy (And Stratechery)

Podcast Of The Week: Making (Applicable) Sense of NFTs

Sometime soon I hope to be sharing some thoughts on Non-Fungible Tokens, aka NFTs, and how they might actually be applicable to creators, artists, and makers (and not just those Lebron James highlight reels that are simultaneously on YouTube and worth a bajillion dollars in NFT form). If there’s a better way for creators to … Continue reading Podcast Of The Week: Making (Applicable) Sense of NFTs

Podcast Of The Week: Matthew Ball On The Future Of Media

Patrick O’Shaughnessy has done it again. His Invest Like The Best interview with Matthew Ball covers all things media, content, and distribution. The range of questions he’s asked in this interview and the sheer depth and clarity of his responses show his craft. Ball’s ideas have widened the way I understand how companies like Disney … Continue reading Podcast Of The Week: Matthew Ball On The Future Of Media

New Religions, Lifetimes Value, And The Age Stack

Something I learned from Matthew Ball* is how multimedia companies who invest in the intellectual property we consume as children(i.e. superheroes and princesses) are simultaneously seeking short-term reward from the latest movie, show or video game as well as the long-term reward of seeding nostalgia that future adults will likely pass to their own kids. … Continue reading New Religions, Lifetimes Value, And The Age Stack

The Cavalry Isn’t Coming (Lessons From The Duplass Brothers)

Mark and Jay Duplass have made careers making TV and movies, mostly on their own terms. In their book, Like Brothers, they tell the story of how when they were just starting to generate some buzz, the industry representatives would tell them “the cavalry is coming.” In theory, “the cavalry” meant others were going to … Continue reading The Cavalry Isn’t Coming (Lessons From The Duplass Brothers)

The Last Blockbuster And What It Means To Have True Fans

The beauty of a small business is its size. The last Blockbuster is still renting DVDs and Blu-Rays in Oregon. Blockbuster used to be a massive business, but as of 2020, they're down from 9,000 global locations to 1. The store in Bend, Oregon has maintained enough customer interest to outlast all of its branded … Continue reading The Last Blockbuster And What It Means To Have True Fans

The Billboard Rule: To Get This, Do That

According to Seth Godin, the most effective billboard ad ever says, “free coffee, next exit.” In four words we know the incentive and what action to take. The ad tells a simple story - to get this, do that. Let’s call it “The Billboard Rule.” The Billboard Rule reminds us that no matter how complex our processes and procedures are, … Continue reading The Billboard Rule: To Get This, Do That