“A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.” — I write best sitting at a coffee shop. Preferably a rustic, downtown coffee shop with the buzz of the people drowned out by my headphones. The fresh aroma of coffee and the concentrated people around me allow me to enter the state of flow and write a single blog post. …

Star Wars. Hunger Games. Karate Kid. — What made those movies highly popular? (If you’d like to debate whether or not they SHOULD be popular meet me in the comments ;) But that’s not the question I’m asking here. What made these movies so intriguing? …

According to “Alphas” — WAGMI? Ape In? Diamond Hands? DYOR? When I joined the NFT space along with Food Fight Studios, the lingo had my head spinning. But the future has arrived, and the NFT space is exploding. With it comes possibilities and confusion for collectors and crypto enthusiasts alike. …

Your brand is the single most important investment you can make in your business.” – Steve Forbes, Editor-in-Chief When I began working at Food Fight Studios, my eyes were opened to the fact that a lot more goes into branding than I thought. It’s not a once-and-done slap-together thing. …

Plus, TikTok’s ‘Bold Glamour’ filter proves AI-enhanced realism might be here to stay. — This week, I started reading The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout — an oldie (but a goodie) written in 1993. While the examples might be dated, the marketing principles hold true today and can be applied across a range of niches or industries today…

Plus, updates on BeReal, LinkedIn’s new article format, and the first month of YouTube Shorts monetization — There’s a lot of AI news happening this week, but before I get to that, let’s reframe a common narrative ONE final time. AI will not replace your work. Rather, it will work to improve it. Instead of looking at AI as if it’s replacing, automating, and removing human minds…

Plus, Twitter could be opening up its algorithm next week. Open source developer, is that you? — Building a community? 5 considerations for the why and how communities can grow around brands. WHY: Build trust. It’s harder for consumers to trust a brand than a community. I don’t know about you, but I’ll scroll through Amazon reviews and take complete stranger’s word on a product over what…

Plus, updates on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and AI — Who watched the Super Bowl Sunday? 🙋🏻‍♀️ I love a good sports ball game, but I was really there for the ads. (And Rihanna’s half-time show… reviews aside, she’s a Queen.) I’m not gonna clog up this newsletter with profound musings on the game and the commercial impact. BUT I…

It’s almost Valentine’s Day — which, if you didn’t know, means the retail cues are in full force. Hearts, chocolates, jewelry, perfume abound. But if there’s anything a creator can take away from commercialized holidays like this, it’s the ad creative. Perfume and cologne ads have always fascinated — or…