If you were traveling during Father’s Day last month like I was, you can make up for it with tickets to Bob Dylan at Forest Hills on July 21st.

Today in Feed Me: A new midtown newsstand selling Iraqi Cokes and old magazines, Recho Omondi on the biggest open secret about New York’s fashion world, Downtown Brooklyn is getting a five-story mall, the latest hobby of Upstate New York teenage boys, and Matthieu Blazy replaced the Chanel bride with a revenge dress.

Browsing and posting on the Feed Me Job Board is free. Roles this week include:

☎️ Communications Manager at The Cutting Room Floor

👖 Creative Marketing Manager at Eckhaus Latta

🎨 Design Director at Day Job

FEED ME JOB BOARD

This interview is part of a Feed Me feature called Guest Lecture. In this series, I introduce you all to an expert who I’m curious about, and give paid readers an opportunity to ask them anything they want. Past guests have included Alison Roman, Rachel Karten, and Jake Sherman.

Recho Omondi is the host of The Cutting Room Floor, a podcast about the fashion industry and the people who occupy it. I started listening during COVID and have been a devout listener since. Today, Recho answers your questions about paywalls, New York’s fashion world secrets, and fandom.

“If you were starting a show again today, what would your strategy be with free vs paywalled content?” - Macy

If I were starting from scratch today, I’d probably go all in on TikTok first. Just to test the market and find out whether people genuinely care about your POV. If you build a loyal audience that consistently shows up for you, then maybe I’d experiment with a paid offering that gives them a compelling reason to come along.

You have to be thoughtful about the relationship between your free and paid content, though. If you’re giving everything away for free, the audience will wonder what’s different about the paywalled experience. The paid offering has to feel meaningfully distinct. There has to be a real value proposition. What is someone getting in exchange for their money? That’s something every creator has to answer for themselves.

“Where do you see the most benefits from paywalling your full conversations as opposed to others who share on YouTube? How and where do those benefits show up and how do you approach growth with that in mind? (thinking a lot about paywalling conversations that often happen behind closed doors as a way to mitigate some of the pain of sharing publicly for *everyone in the world* to weigh back in on)” - Cait

For me, one of the biggest benefits of the paywall is that I’m no longer a slave to the algorithm, which has become more and more tyrannical over the years. I like knowing that my audience knows where to find me. I don’t have to constantly chase trends or make content that feels inauthentic just to stay visible.

The other major benefit is the good-faith conversation. When people are paying to be there, it’s an intentional choice, which creates a positive environment. The comments and discussions happen in much better faith because there are fewer drive-by content consumers and fewer people showing up just to argue for sport. This makes it easier to have nuanced conversations, without every subject getting flattened into a debate.

You and Emily seem to have different ways of publishing content. Recho does episodes every other week vs. Emily does a newsletter essentially every day. I’m curious if there’s anything Recho thinks she’s missing out on by having more intermittent content in a time when people are posting at such high frequencies. - Angela

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Today in Feed Me, Jeremy O. Harris discusses the importance of befriending peers (and seeing movies and plays with them), publishers are still figuring out what role Substack plays in their industry, Madrid fears a “Barcelona-isation” of the city, and who is reading Glucose Goddess?

Have a story you’d like to be included in Feed Me? Reply to this email or text the Feed Me Tip Line: 1 (646) 494-3916

Guest Lecture: Jeremy O. Harris

This interview is part of a Feed Me feature called Guest Lecture. In this series, I introduce you all to an expert who I’m curious about, and give paid readers an opportunity to ask them anything they want. Past guests have included Audrey Hobert, Andrew Ross Sorkin, and Lina Khan.

Jeremy O. Harris is a playwright, screenwriter, producer, and actor. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to moderate a conversation with him (and Pete Ohs and Will Madden) about Erupcja, which he co-produced, co-wrote, and acted in. If you have the opportunity to hear him speak live, you should take it. Today, he answers your questions about developing taste, working with friends, and his favorite book he read during his 23 days in jail in Japan.

“Is there a contemporary playwright or artist right now whose work genuinely excites you and that you feel deserves way more attention?” - Leanne

I produce most of those people. That’s how I choose what it is I want to do next. When there’s someone who is unsung, I cling onto their work like a madman and tell everyone I know to watch it or read it or enjoy it. I’d say contemporary playwrights I’m enjoying right now are Else Went, Tori Sampson, Gracie Gardner, and Misha Chowdhury. I’m missing so many but these are the first I thought about.

“What do you do when you hit an energy slump and need to keep writing? Can any beverage force the muse’s hand?”

No beverage I’ve encountered can force the muse’s hand. At least not a muse that amuses me at all. But everybody meets their muse differently. Patricia Highsmith was drunk 90 percent of her day as she wrote according to her journals. I think her beverage of choice was a gin martini.

“Might be a silly question, but how did you *learn* to write a play? A specific class/program? Watching/reading them? Just starting somewhere and figuring it out?” - Leda

Read a lot of plays. Watch a lot of plays. Act in some plays. Write as you’re doing all of it. This would be how I taught playwriting. Because that’s how I learned.

“What are some practices that help you develop taste?”

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Today’s newsletter includes: A Guest Lecture with Mark Zuckerberg (including a conversation we had on Zoom), Cannes IV drips gone wrong, and Ina Garten is launching a podcast with Vox.

I’m writing to you from the floor of my apartment in Cannes, eating truffle potato chips and salami. The best way to describe the situation here for those who have never been is Disney World for advertisers, but instead of Mickey Mouse and Cinderella, people geek out over and Alex Cooper. The whole festival appears to run on bottles of rosé, which is offered at all times to remedy boring conversations, gaps in the calendar, and the heat. I’m having a blast.

Last night, I stopped by The New York Times dinner hosted by before heading to my own dinner that I hosted with Yahoo. I’ve been working with the Yahoo team for the last few months, and I’ve grown to really admire their CEO Jim Lanzone and chief communications officer Sona Iliffe-Moon (who happened to also be in the WSJ last week). It might’ve been my own espresso martini buzz, but I got a little emotional while watching a (bear with me) drone show with , , , Risa Heller, , , Beehiiv founder Tyler Denk, Willa Bennett, and all in one place — that place being the Yahoo Explorers Society on La Plage du Martinez. My night ended at 1 a.m. by finishing my last drink at Hotel Du Cap with one hand, and shaking ’s hand with the other.

Here’s what I’ve done today so far:

• Spotify Beach hired the world’s best coffee maker, Victor Delpierre, to run the coffee situation at their Cannes set-up. I met him yesterday and was amazed by his coffee skills, so we went back this morning to work and drink more coffee. MVP of my week so far.

• I spoke at Hearst House with Willa Bennett, editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan and Seventeen, and Michael Sebastian, editor-in-chief of Esquire. We were discussing the metrics of a successful media business, and all agreed that one of the most important ones for a leader is unseeable to the rest of the world — the emails and notes from readers who tell editors directly how a publication’s work makes them feel. Afterwards, I met a group of young women from the University of Georgia who are studying abroad in France this summer. Ate a mini chocolate croissant and left.

• Sat in the air conditioning at UTA Beach and drank water, while eavesdropping on other people’s hangovers.

• Adobe hosted a “Group Chat,” a format I really enjoyed. They brought together creators like Sammi Cohen and iJustine to discuss “scaling content and reaching new audiences.” They seated each of us at separate tables, and I sat with several newsletter writers and business creators and talked about building a business on Substack. A big topic throughout this week thus far has been taste, developing creativity, and standing out in a sea of content. On the walk home, I got an ice cream cone and thought about how long I’ve been using Adobe products to build my projects. In 2020, I applied for a creative grant for $2,500 to make my documentary, The End. I got it, and it ending up unlocking my ability to book an Airbnb in Montauk for me and my friends to go out to Long Island and shoot the film.

• I just took a nap and ate some strawberries and drank a Coke Zero, and will be back with more updates from the South of France tomorrow.

Have a news tip from Cannes, New York, or London? Hit the Feed Me Tip Line: (646) 494-3916‬

Guest Lecture: Mark Zuckerberg

This interview is part of a Feed Me feature called Guest Lecture. In this series, I introduce you all to an expert who I’m curious about, and give paid readers an opportunity to ask them anything they want. Past guests have included Jeff Klein, Mark Guiducci, and Audrey Hobert.

Today, we have a rather surreal guest, Mark Zuckerberg. He answers your questions about Harvard style, “not getting” wearables, and the most interesting things he’s thinking about that nobody is asking him about.

“Social feeds have gone from people you know, to creators you follow, to AI recommendations, to AI-generated content. Is the end state a feed where almost nothing was made by a real person? And is this the goal, or a side effect you’re okay with?” - Brad

Yes, feeds have evolved, but we still design our products to help people connect. Today, a lot of that happens through messaging rather than directly within the feed. Previously someone would post, and you’d comment on that post, and that would be the interaction. Now, feeds act more as a discovery engine where there’s content from your friends, from creators, and increasingly content that’s either been created with AI or by AI, and that’s all in service of helping people learn about the world and find content that helps them connect with their friends.

Even as feeds have changed, the content that typically does the best has a voice or perspective that’s unique and genuine to the person posting it. That’s true on our platforms, it’s true here on Substack. And so I think that human creativity is always going to remain a big part of social feeds.

"I’ve never really bought into wearables because ‘I can just use my phone,’ and don’t want to lug around other devices. How do you make the pitch to folks to add another device? Or: is Meta’s wearable tech trying to move in the direction of being a better version of the phone, i.e. replacing the phone, instead of adding to it?” - Zach

I don’t think phones are going to go away completely, but I do think that glasses will be the next major computing device. Today, when I’m sitting at my desk with a computer in front of me, I still reach for my phone to do a lot of things. In the future, I think you’re just going to do more and more stuff on your glasses, so even if you have your phone in your pocket, you’re not going to pull it out. And eventually you may leave it home more of the time. So I think eventually the question might be: “Why should I lug around my phone, when I have my glasses?”

Glasses are already something that almost 2 billion people wear every day -- people are used to using them in their daily lives. We know that we have to make sure that there’s a style for everyone so we’ve been building a pretty deep portfolio. We have over 70 options now so there’s a style that works for any occasion and at an accessible price point.

“Outside of AI and wearables, what’s the most interesting thing you’re thinking about that nobody is asking you about?” - Montague

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Before we get into today’s West Coast letter, let’s address the news that several of you texted to the Feed Me Tip Line last night: at least half of Kiki’s (a Greek Dimes Square cafeteria of sorts that has restaurants on both sides of Division St.) appears to be seized for tax evasion by the state of New York. One reader embarked …

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If I was looking for plans this week, I’d be heading to the Paul Thek opening at Galerie Buchholz tonight, or the Leonora Carrington opening at L’Space tomorrow night. I’m upset that I’ll be out of town for the opening of Klimt’s drawing show, Women, at Gladstone on Friday.

A Feed Me reader who goes by J.M. made that last one sound quite enticing:

This show of Gustav Klimt uptown is just his drawings. We all know immediately at least one or two Klimt paintings of women resplendent in gold leaf that we love. Rather than a bombardment of work like that, we’re given the drawings, the slight whispers of women that surface on the page as the ideas have still yet to form on the canvas. Gladstone’s uptown location is in the Edward Durell Stone House, the Modernist townhouse Stone built for himself in 1956, which you’ve certainly walked past, with the filigreed masonry on the front.

Today’s newsletter includes: An invite to a Feed Me event in New York later this month, unpacking Hot Divorcee Summer, and a downtown gala hosted by Ari Aster and Josh Safdie.

Have a story you want to see in Feed Me? Reply to this email, or text the anonymous Feed Me Tip Line: ‪(646) 494-3916‬

Guest Lecture: Petra Collins

This interview is part of a Feed Me feature called Guest Lecture. In this series, I introduce you all to an expert who I’m curious about, and give paid readers an opportunity to ask them anything they want. Past guests have included Gwyneth Paltrow, J. Crew CMO Julia Collier, and beehiiv founder Tyler Denk.

Today, Petra Collins — artist, photographer, director, author of STAR — answers your questions about directing Selena Gomez’s music video for “Fetish,” whether imitation is truly flattery, and her self-care rituals.

“You’re really the first major visual artist to come out of Toronto in the internet age. What’s one thing about making it from here that you had to figure out on your own, that you wish someone had just told you?” - Parker

I’m not totally sure. For a long time I felt really held back by Toronto, but then I moved to America and realized every place comes with its own trade-offs. In the U.S. there’s this very individualistic energy where everyone is kind of fighting for themselves, whereas Toronto actually has a real sense of community within the arts. I appreciate that a lot more now than I did when I was younger. Lean into that community and don’t underestimate it.

“You recently were talking about how the Hungarian cartoons your mom introduced you to influenced you so deeply. Would you ever consider animation?” - Tatayana

Yes, completely. I would die to work in animation. Those Hungarian cartoons were so dark and psychedelic and beautiful. I think animation can get into the subconscious in this powerful way. I got into Adventure Time a couple years ago and there is one episode that made me cry for almost a year. Animation is such a beautiful way to speak about trauma and abuse and I would love to make something that touches on that.

“Oh boy, this really made me miss Rookie Mag. What’s the most exciting piece of media made by teens you’ve seen recently?” - Samara

Samara! I miss Rookie too!!! I’m not sure about one specific piece of media, but something that’s really captured my heart lately is this spirit of radical self-love I see in a lot of younger girls online. When Alysa Liu started doing interviews again, I kept seeing all this really sincere posi-core content around her that I loved.

I think a lot of teens now are shedding certain fears and shame that I definitely carried when I was younger, and it’s really beautiful to watch. I also recently read this cute New Yorker profile about a tween girl that I implore everyone to read. I was really struck by how aware younger girls are now of predatory culture and the internet in general.

“‘Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.’ Is it?? Have you engaged with your imitators? How much do you pay attention to them and how has it changed your own work?” - Eurry

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Before I get into today’s letter: I am haunted by the fact that I included the wrong link in the lead item in yesterday’s newsletter: THIS IS THE LINK TO RACHEL TASHJIAN’S BIG STYLE. (The link I put was to my friend Shy’s burger biz, Shy’s Burgers. I had the tab open because I was wondering when his next pop-up …

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I’m sitting in my sunny hotel lobby in London, and I’m looking forward to meeting some of you this week. If there’s anything I absolutely must do, see, drink, while I’m here, let me know in the comments.

Today’s newsletter includes: on navigating rooms with people who don’t “get” your vision, food newsletter wants to cover New York Fashion Week, and a South Street Seaport restaurant that seems to have appeared overnight.

Have a piece of news you’d like to see covered in Feed Me? Reply to this email or text the anonymous Feed Me Tip Line: ‪(646) 494-3916‬

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Guest Lecture:

This interview is part of a Feed Me feature called Guest Lecture. In this series, I introduce you all to an expert who I’m curious about, and give paid readers an opportunity to ask them anything they want. Past guests have included Vanity Fair’s Mark Guiducci, Alison Roman, and ’s Rachel Karten.

Today, Lena Dunham — director, creator of Girls, author of Famesick — answers your questions about living in Northwest Connecticut, what she’s learned about her style of leadership on set, and how her parents have influenced her career.

“If you could choose one of your pets to be able to text with, which would you choose and what would they say?” - MacKinley

1000p my dog Ingrid- she’s so snarky, so un-phased and has real opinions about what and who we watch on TV (yes Kerry Washington, no David Attenborough). She’d be that friend who is available for banter and not available for vulnerability, but you know she’s ultimately on your team (so it’s okay that she’s a massive see you next Tuesday).

“I’m curious what it was like to piece together these highly specific anecdotes from over your lifetime. Did you keep diaries? Does your iCloud have all your old photos and texts, and, if so, did you reference those at all?” - Emily

During the six-year period we were shooting Girls, I kept datebooks- that’s how long ago this was! I used to buy them at Papyrus in Soho 🤣 . They contained my schedule, appointments and to do’s, but as time went on I also started taking notes at the end of the day, scribbling thoughts on not just what I’d done (and what I hadn’t done) but what I’d felt.

I have my entire Gmail inbox from that period loaded onto a chunky hard drive, along with more photos than any one person needs of their own life.

I tried hard to take an investigative approach to my own experiences, something I learned from my friend David Carr and his book, The Night of the Gun.

“I’d love to know how spending a significant time in such a rural and small community impacts your work?” - Rebecca

Yesss Northwest CT! I’ve been lucky enough to travel to some beautiful places, and to me it remains the most beautiful place in the world.

My father grew up in Connecticut, on the Long Island Sound. We ended up in Litchfield about thirty years ago, at first as weekend visitors. But slowly it became our base. When people hear Connecticut they usually imagine something suburban, white picket fences, so I always have to explain that this is a different vibe. Our town is tiny, close-knit and gets barely a bar of cell service. For a long time that was our respite from NY, but now it’s our normal, and what I love most is the space it creates for us all to consume and make art. I am also so heartened by our connection to our neighbors, who do nice things expecting nothing in return and I know we could rely on in a variety of situations. Small-town life really does have a quality of safety and connection that, if you tap into it and aren’t resisting, is what it’s all about!

“What are the most niche corners of TikTok and Substack you’ve enjoyed since you started posting on them?” - Samara

I was lurking on TikTok for many moons before ever posting, and my algorithm was pretty much: chronically ill women languishing to Lana in hospital beds, Australian sex workers counting their cash, and piglets learning to trust. What can I say? I’m a simple gal.

“Nerdy question: Having been a show runner/EP/creator on both Girls and Too Much, what have you learned about your own leadership style and how do you get the best out of your teams?” - Conor

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I spent last night at Oramen, an unassuming (but perfect) Flatiron izakaya that I have been eating at once a week. I wouldn’t leave the table until I finished planning the vacation that I’m tacking on to Cannes Lions. Which brings me to my next question: Will you be at Cannes Lions in June? Email me if you’d like to do something together there.

Today’s newsletter includes: An interview with TBPN’s president Dylan Abruscato, Ezra Klein is hiring an assistant, Prada condoms and Rhode’s pimple patches, and a Palm Heights movie appearance.

Have a story you want me to look into this week? Reply to this email or text the anonymous Feed Me Tip Line: ‪(646) 494-3916‬

This interview is part of a Feed Me feature called Guest Lecture. In this series, I introduce you all to an expert who I’m curious about, and give paid readers an opportunity to ask them anything they want. Past guests have included Vanity Fair’s Mark Guiducci, former head of the Federal Trade Commission Lina Khan, and restaurateur Keith McNally.

Today, Dylan Abruscato, President of , answers your questions about how he ended up here — at an OpenAI acquired tech show — at this point in his career. There was one question I felt went unanswered in the interview, so last night I reached out to him and asked about this assertion that TBPN isn’t going to change post-acquisition: How can that possibly be true? He responded: “A huge part of our agreement was a ‘Commitment to Editorial Independence’ clause, which was written in to make sure we keep operating the show as is. So contractually, we still have full creative control over all editorial decisions.”

“I think it’s cool that from such a young age you knew you wanted to work in MEDIA. The Page program can be quite demanding (I’m sure more when you were involved than today). I’m curious what influenced you to get on that path, whether it was growing up near NYC or something that you realized while at school at Wisconsin. Did you watch a lot of TV growing up? Do you still watch a lot of TV?” - Emily

I grew up religiously watching SNL and was completely obsessed with becoming a live TV producer. So when I was in college, I interned at NBC. Growing up near NYC definitely helped (I took the LIRR to my internship every day while living at home that summer). The only internship I could land was in NBC News ad sales, but at least I was in 30 Rock every day.

My boss that summer was a former Page, and that was the first time I had heard about the rotational program and its grueling interview process. She mentioned that beyond giving NBC tours, there were actual SNL Page assignments you could apply to and interview for (a real-life Kenneth), and that was it for me.

So I went back to Wisconsin that fall and put all my free time into my Page Program application and presentation. It is basically an American Idol audition or Shark Tank–style process where you pitch your creativity to a panel of NBC execs. I did an NBC-themed rendition of Oh, the Places You’ll Go (credit to my college girlfriend, now wife, for the idea), got the job, started right after graduation, got the SNL Page assignment, and the rest is history.

I’ve since dedicated my entire career to the future of live TV. And yes, I still watch a ton of TV.

“If you had creative control at SNL today what would you change?” - Tyler

I’d make it easier to get tickets! To this day, the thing I get asked the most is, “Can you help me get SNL tickets?” It’s nearly impossible. There’s a lottery, plus a few occasional standby tickets, but most people who camp out on 5th and 6th Avenue for days still don’t get in. Lorne always says that the best seat to watch SNL from is the couch in your home, but I personally disagree. Nothing beats being in that studio when the show is live.

“You were nominated for an Emmy in 2019, any plans to return on the big screen now that you’ve sold TBPN?” - Tatayana

The nomination in 2019 was actually for my work at HQ Trivia. So despite starting my career in TV, the only time I’ve been nominated has been for a daily live show startup. The good news is TBPN isn’t changing post-acquisition, and we qualify for that same Emerging Media category, so we’ll be on the ballot this year.

“If you could have any piece of art in the world hanging in your house. what would you choose, and why?” - EA

The painting that currently lives in my head rent-free is a still life by Anna Weyant of a bowl of persimmons with a birthday candle inside it. I’m not even sure what it’s titled, but I first came across a paper study for the painting during a Nino Mier group show a few years back and just fell in love with the humor and insane detail. That, or anything by Henri Rousseau.

“Jordi and John said they would never do business without you. What makes you so valuable and what’s your advice on how to do business in the age of new media?” - Mark

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is the co-founder of Sourmilk, a Greek yogurt brand focused on gut health. Couchman started Sourmilk with her friend Elan Halpern. The two met at Stanford, went on to work in tech and finance, and quit their jobs last year to go all in on dairy. Kiki has become the public face of Sourmilk on social media, and in this conversation we discuss everything from “building in public” to packaging design.

Topics discussed include:

Building in public as leverage: “When you’re small, you need to find as many ways as possible to create leverage for yourself as a brand because otherwise everyone else will exploit you essentially because you’re trying to knock and get in the door.”

On bootstrapping and not taking outside capital early: “We wanted to avoid that for as long as possible. No paid media, no Meta ads, nothing. Some people are like, I see your ads all the time. I’m like, girl, that’s organic.”

On choosing yogurt over tech: “Everyone else we know is in AI and in a very different area, but it’s not rocket science. It’s very hard. You have to be super gritty, but ultimately you just need to make a product, have an efficient supply chain and sell it for more than you make it.”

I am looking into the weather-related spritz bump that New York bars are experiencing for all of you, and should have some hard numbers to report on later this week. In the meantime, keep your eyes open while taking your lunch breaks in the city — outdoor seating quickly reveals who has a real job, and who doesn’t.

Today’s Guest Lecture is with Mark Guiducci. I first met Mark last June, at a diner on the Upper East Side. I was struck by his warmth and wit, and overall generosity towards me. He made me feel welcome at both the diner, Viand, and his corner of Condé world.

Today’s letter includes: Mark Guiducci on his plans for Vanity Fair, one way to get an internship at Feed Me, the whisper networks facilitating international Chanel purchases, and one of my favorite New York diners is closing.

Have a story you want me to look into this week? Reply to this email or text the anonymous Feed Me Tip Line: ‪(646) 494-3916‬

This interview is part of a Feed Me feature called Guest Lecture. In this series, I introduce you all to an expert who I’m curious about, and give paid readers an opportunity to ask them anything they want. Past guests include Eliana Gil Rodriguez, Eric Wareheim, and .

Today, Mark Guiducci, the global editorial director of Vanity Fair, answers your questions about landing a job at VF, what Graydon Carter taught him about throwing a party, and how to pronounce his last name.

With the new hires and the editorial direction, I think you’re doing a brilliant job. What does it take to join VF? - L’Amica

“We are always looking for new writers and it really only takes one or two hit stories to spark something. A scoop is a scoop, wherever it publishes. Hit me up, L’Amica!”

What did the title change from Editor in Chief to Global Editorial Director mean to you? Do you feel any frustration around having that title over the classic EIC title? - Natalia

“It means that Vanity Fair is a global magazine, with successful editions and brilliant editors in Italy, France, and Spain. And I’d like to see VF have a larger presence in London soon.

As for the title, I’m the editor of Vanity Fair. I can’t say it really gets me down.”

How do you inherit the VF Oscars Party and keep it relevant, cool, and fresh for today? It seems that was always an important part of the VF lore, and a party that centered it in the conversation. Graydon seemed like one of the best party hosts of all time - how are you thinking about this party now that you’re in charge? - Brooks

“Graydon is one of the best party hosts, and I learned a lot from him. I wrote in my most recent editor’s letter about being an assistant at the Oscar Party when I worked for him at VF fifteen years ago. A lot of credit also goes to Sara Marks, our longtime, highly esteemed director of special events who worked for the Rolling Stones for a decade and is a genius about details. She can be ruthless, but she addresses everyone as “Sweets” in a British accent, which usually softens the blow.

This Sunday, we will have a smaller guest list than in recent years and are cultivating a sense of privacy so that people can let their hair down. So while our red carpet is bigger than ever, the only reporting and photography coming from inside the party will be Vanity Fair’s. We are inviting a mix of legends (including Graydon) and young people who feel very right now, coming from not only Hollywood, but also tech, politics, fashion, and journalism, with a dash of Europeans. The idea is that these are all people who don’t usually meet each other, but will want to. In that way, the party should feel like the magazine itself.”

What does Mark see as the boldest editorial choice he’s made thus far? Can he walk us through that decision, start to finish? - Izzy

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Today’s letter includes: on why nobody could’ve charged for a link aggregation email in 2016, East Village guys are taking sartorial risks in order to dress like JFK Jr., POOG Podcast at London Fashion Week, Boy Smells bottled up the bathhouse boom.

Guest Lecture:

This interview is part of a Feed Me feature called Guest Lecture. In this series, I introduce you all to an expert who I’m curious about, and give paid readers an opportunity to ask them anything they want. Past guests have included Lina Khan, Andrew Ross Sorkin, and Audrey Hobert.

Today, , writer of , answers your questions about how she decides what goes in her newsletter, planning events with the Substack team, and how her feelings about newsletters have changed over the last ten years.

“Will Welch talked about this amazingly and plenty from an editor’s POV but since you have also interviewed plenty of musicians/famous personalities that define cultural moments, it would be cool to learn about this from a writer’s POV.

In a world of social media where famous artists, musicians, or any personalities that already have a large audience – one they can speak to directly (moreso, even monetize it for themselves) how does a writer and publication demonstrate the value of their coverage? How do you make a subject feel that your perception/profile of them holds value and will discover or broadcast something they couldn’t on their own?” - Yanit

When I first started writing at Vanity Fair, my editor Matt Lynch almost always gave me the same note: context, context, context. He was constantly reminding me that perhaps the most important part of any profile (or really, any story) was to be able to succinctly describe why this person or topic was worth the reader’s attention — and why now.

It’s now one of the most common notes I also give when working with writers myself, because any feature must answer the most implicit question of all, which is “Why should you, the reader, care about this one topic in the broad scheme of things?” Because of course we’re swimming in a deluge of self-promotional messages that everyone is already broadcasting. But no one is ever that good at answering that question themselves. Clavicular can go live until he’s blue in the face, but he’s never going to personally give you a nuanced, sociological read on why live-streamed masculinity is having a moment. Subjects need to be perceived by a third party (ideally a writer with a snappy voice, journalistic integrity, and world-class bullshit detection) for us as a public to make sense of them.

Clout/hype/success is never some entirely self-driven phenomenon. It relies on a delicate web of collab posts and institutional co-signs and of course, advertiser dollars — the latter of which depend a lot a lot on the imprimatur of traditional press.

“Delia, how do you decide on what to include in a letter/what are your routine media sources?? Has that changed significantly in 10 years? Also how do you think your roles in legacy media relates to how you run Deez and vice versa?” - Teddy

I used to just sit on Twitter all day and let that be the primary funnel; now my media diet is more so reading favorite sites, newsletters, and group chats to pick up signal on what’s interesting or worthy. The clearest sign that something is worth linking to in Deez Links is when I find myself automatically texting it to friends and wanting to burn up the whole morning talking about it; that’s when I know I have Thoughts and Feelings (and that likely, others will too).

In terms of the influence of working in legacy media…I do feel more pressure to highlight things that are more conventionally in the “news cycle” or that I know other people/newsletters are talking about as a way of “keeping up” or staying relevant. But I am sure you can tell when it’s forced like that. The newsletter always always always works better when I default to the sniff test of like, do I actually want to gossip about this thing to my friends in the chat?

But also, after working in legacy media, I do have a deep fear of image copyright issues. It’s funny to me to watch a lot of newsletters happily grabbing screenshots, etc. from Getty Images or whatever; to me that is very brave! After getting drilled on the ins and outs of image rights at BuzzFeed, amongst other jobs, I’m too scared for all that. So Deez Links is largely unillustrated.

“Hi Delia, Deez Links has always had a super fun/distinct voice, which especially now feels rebellious. How do you decide which topics are worth your perspective, versus just worth the link? How has that changed over the past ten years, or how has your approach to curation changed?” - Ray

A lot of the links I go long on start out as just a regular link + description, but then I’ll find myself writing like three or four or 15 paragraphs on it, and realize oh, okay, I have a lot more to say other than just “this is worth reading!” I probably had more intention when I started out — real “I’m going to write the definitive essay on XYZ” ambitions — but I honestly felt like I didn’t really have the juice once I actually got going on those. You have to let the obsessiveness sneak up on you.

I also used to make myself read/link to things that felt “necessary” in terms of like, here’s the syllabus today. But that kind of felt like trying to win the Empathy/Informed Olympics. So I think I’m trying to avoid more of the obvious (yet still necessary) stuff and surface the gems you probably aren’t seeing yet.

“What do you think people misunderstand about how influence actually accumulates?” - Tatayana

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Today’s newsletter includes: Mexico City’s most famous grilled fish is coming to America, launching a Substack newsletter can get you a New York Magazine interview, and Isabella Rossellini’s farm is making wool.

Have a story idea for me? Reply to this email or text the anonymous Feed Me Tip Line: ‪(646) 494-3916‬

Guest Lecture: Julia Collier

This interview is part of a Feed Me feature called Guest Lecture. In this series, I introduce you all to an expert who I’m curious about, and give paid readers an opportunity to ask them anything they want. Past guests have included Keith McNally, Andrew Ross Sorkin, and Audrey Hobert.

Today, J.Crew’s CMO Julia Collier discusses what she looks for when hiring, the most recent Rollneck Sweater campaign (“We thought about the casting for this campaign as if we were building characters in a John Hughes film”) and that brand trip to Puglia last summer.

“I want to know what the hiring process feels like right now vs. when you got started in your career. Are there any patterns (good or bad) you’re seeing in young people that you’re interviewing?” - Emily

When I was getting started in my career, roles were much more linear: you were hired to do one thing. Now the requirement in creative and communications fields is to flex across many things and pivot constantly to the ever-changing landscape. This is a reflection of how brands need to behave to be successful, but also how younger people naturally think. Social media has changed everything — how we consume news, our access to celebrities, and, of course, the domination of influencer and creator culture — and all at lightning speed.

The qualities I always look for in anyone I’m hiring are excitement, flexibility and a positive attitude. These things may sound obvious, but they go such a long way in being part of a fast-paced culture where working as a team is so important. When interviewing, the people who tend to stand out the most are also curious and active listeners — they ask questions based on the conversation you have had in the interview, which always shows they are engaged and connected.

“What are some lessons you’ve learned from previous bosses that make you a better team leader?” - Tamzin

The best leaders I have worked for were all clear, generous, and most importantly, decisive. They gave context, not just direction, which enabled their teams to feel part of the process instead of executors. Their decisions were always made with conviction — successes were collectively celebrated and failures were learning opportunities. Even in the most high pressure situations, the best leaders I’ve had always made sure you knew that you were in it together — good and bad!

But the main thing I have always carried with me is that first and foremost we are all human beings. This is our job, and if we are lucky enough to work for a brand doing creative and impactful work, then what a gift! But at the end of the day we go home to our family, friends, and pets; that time needs to be preserved and honored. I have always been someone who leads with trust, I don’t need to see you at your desk working until the evening — go home, have time away from the office, live your life, because that is where experience comes from. Having a healthy balance creates the right mental space to think creatively and more freely.

“What tangible materials are you looking for as you seek young talent in the creative brand space? How much is a portfolio of assets and design mockups/use cases weighed compared to just a resume and job experience? Or is it less tangible work examples and more about thought process, ideas and approach now?” - Yanit

Portfolios matter a lot, but not in the traditional sense of perfect mockups. I care less about polish and more about your thinking, how you approach and solve problems. I love to see ideas that didn’t make the cut or were part of a passion project.

Creatives in the brand space have to have a multi-disciplinary approach that balances brand-right decisions with new platforms, mediums, creative partners — they have to think as much about human behavior (where and how the creative output is seen) as they do about how it looks. How does it come to life? What is it intended to do? Image-making has evolved from being about a static shot to being about cultural resonance.

Increasingly, the most compelling work is multidisciplinary. Mood boards, typographic explorations, decks, writing, visual references, and cultural points of view all matter.

“J.Crew does an incredible job at building full experiences — thinking of the Nantucket, Aspen and Hamptons pop-ups. How long do those take to plan, from identifying the locations, to the exclusive merch?” - Sarah

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Today’s letter includes: answers your questions, has no plans to become Barstool, the stamp store where New York businesses like Colleen Allen and Michael’s are shopping, a holiday party for New York’s top “New York’s top builders and investors,” and Substack wants you to try out livestreaming.

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BUT FIRST! on Netflix’s deal to buy Warner Bros. and HBO

“I’ll write a longer piece about this but it’s stunning to finally see this happen, 15 years after Jeff Bewkes’ notorious ‘Albanian army’ dig. Netflix has been dying to get its hands on premium IP for years. You can already find a bunch of HBO shows licensed on Netflix, but if the deal goes through, they’ll acquire one of the best IP libraries in the business: Lord of the Rings films, Harry Potter (with an upcoming TV show), and the DC superhero franchise. The big question is if the deal goes through. You can expect Paramount and the Ellisons to flex their political muscles to block the deal. On the other hand, the $5 billion reverse breakup fee Netflix is committed to pay, on the high end at 7-8% of deal value, suggests they’re pretty confident it’ll go through. While it’ll be nice to not have to pay for both, you can guarantee the price will go up for a combined Netflix/HBO service. It’s also hard to imagine the deal being good for creatives. Theatrical windows will shorten, consumers will be trained even more to think of movies as streaming products instead of theatrical experiences. The top directors and stars who can afford it will take their business to a studio that will give them the releases that they think their movies will want. Everyone else will take what they can get.” -

📱 Have a story you think we should look into? Text the anonymous Feed Me Tip Line: ‪(646) 494-3916‬

This interview is part of a Feed Me feature called Guest Lecture. In this series, I introduce you all to an expert who I’m curious about, and give paid readers an opportunity to ask them anything they want. Past guests have included Olivia Nuzzi, Andrew Ross Sorkin, and Kareem Rahma.

Today, (who served as the youngest Federal Trade Commission chair ever from 2021 to 2025, and was recently appointed co-chair of Zohran Mamdani’s transition team) answers your questions about Adam Friedland’s furniture, her favorite law, and why private equity roll-ups “deserve an enormous amount of scrutiny.”

“Mayor-elect Mamdani and Lina Khan are both known for the ways they engage so personally; Mamdani is everywhere all over the city, and Khan famously conducted extensive listening tours. Beyond shaping the substance of policy, why is this kind of human-centered approach so important to grounding their successes? Why are these so-called soft skills so critical at this moment?” – Amy

“It’s no secret that wealthy and powerful interests often have disproportionate access to government leaders, be it in DC or New York. This can distort how government leaders think about policy. It can also create major blindspots, skewing how top officials understand what challenges and problems working-class people face in their day-to-day lives.

Mayor-elect Mamdani displayed a real interest in understanding what life is like for a broad array of New Yorkers—be it halal truck vendors or families trying to find affordable childcare. Being curious and wanting to learn from the people you serve is important for diagnosing problems and understanding economic realities. Similarly at the FTC we prioritized opening up the agency’s doors—holding regular listening sessions and open commission meetings where any American could come speak directly to the FTC commissioners to explain which economic problems they believed we should be addressing or to give feedback on our ongoing work.

Through this public engagement we heard from everyone ranging from family farmers facing unfair repair restrictions to independent pharmacists being squeezed by major healthcare conglomerates to parents whose kids had taken their own lives after facing abuse on social media to people who were having to skip life-saving medicines because of the exorbitant cost. Regularly hearing from people who don’t usually get a seat at the table in policy discussions gave us a deeper understanding of how Americans are faring in today’s economy and let us develop a more well-informed view of how the FTC should be prioritizing its work.”

“What is the most underappreciated cost of market concentration that regulators and economists still fail to account for?” – Teddy

“One of the most striking effects of concentrated corporate power is fear. I first noticed this when I was a business reporter interviewing chicken farmers in rural Alabama. As mergers have resulted in fewer and fewer firms dominating agriculture markets, chicken farmers often can only do business with a single regional poultry processor. Practically this means that a farmer’s entire economic livelihood can depend on staying in the good graces of a dominant middleman. This type of concentrated power is ripe for abuse, and farmers can face a real threat of retaliation if they push back against unfair contractual terms or even report abusive practices to the government.

Fear of the arbitrary exercise of coercive power is strikingly common across the economy. Small businesses can live in fear of being delisted or demoted by Amazon or Google. Millions of workers captive to a noncompete clause can find themselves locked in bad jobs, fearful of the consequences if they try to leave. Ride-share drivers often fear arbitrary deactivation of their app. Concentrated economic power can be used to coerce people—and one reason we have the antimonopoly laws is to safeguard against coercion and ensure people can experience real freedom.”

“During your time leading the FTC, what is the one concrete thing you changed or got done that you think will be most enduring?” – Renée

“One of the clearest examples is the work we did to reduce the cost of asthma inhalers. Roughly 40 million Americans rely on inhalers to breathe, yet some of the most widely used products were costing patients $500 or more every month—even though the exact same inhalers cost less than $20 in some other countries. When we started digging into why, we found that several major pharmaceutical companies seemed to be abusing the Orange Book, the FDA’s list of drug patents. When a manufacturer lists a patent in the Orange Book, it delays the approval of a generic competitor for 30 months. We found that some companies were exploiting the system, filing junk patent listings for dose counters, inhaler caps, nozzles, or other device components (rather than drug ingredients themselves) in order to box out competitors and keep prices high.

We challenged these junk listings—and, in response, several major pharma companies announced they would cap out-of-pocket costs to $35. We’ve heard directly from people all around the country about what a game changer this has been, saving them hundreds of dollars at the pharmacy.”

“For local groups in metro areas across the country, what would you recommend as a playbook to repeat your successes tangibly helping consumers?” – Emily

“As the federal government drops the ball on protecting Americans from predatory and exploitative business practices, it’s falling on state and municipal governments to step up. We see more states passing laws to curtail or outright ban abusive business practices and to sharpen enforcers’ tools to take on corporate abuse. For example, New York recently codified a state-wide ban on algorithmic rent-fixing.

As a general matter, fully canvassing existing legal authorities can be a useful way of finding laws already on the books that should be vigorously enforced. Most states already have “mini-FTC Acts,” giving them parallel authority. Our FTC work laid out a template that local governments can follow—including on how to take on subscription traps, junk fees, dark patterns, noncompetes, and other exploitative tactics.”

“What’s your favorite law?” – Bianca

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Today’s letter includes: Alison Roman on life post-Substack, another new chic downtown children’s book store, is growing her newsroom, and what Teen Vogue’s collapse says about Condé Nast.

📱 Have a story you think we should look into? Text the anonymous Feed Me Tip Line: ‪(646) 494-3916‬

Guest Lecture:

This interview is part of a Feed Me feature called Guest Lecture. In this series, I introduce you all to an expert who I’m curious about, and give paid readers an opportunity to ask them anything they want. Past guests have included , Kareem Rahma, and Audrey Gelman.

Today, answered all of your questions about the strategy behind launching a CPG brand, life post-Substack, and “selling out.”

“I love the strategy of launching a CPG brand alongside the book. Are there a lot of recipes that….use tomato sauce?” - Emily

Believe it or not, the tomato sauce and book launch were NOT supposed to happen at the same time. I’d call this kismet timing sort of a blessing and a curse — a blessing because when it, rains it pours, and it’s great to have so much to talk about when people want to talk to you. A curse because it can be tough to focus on one thing and I don’t want either to be diluted or wanting for attention.

BUT yes, there is not only the recipe for A Very Good Tomato Sauce in the book (because the whole point isn’t that you can’t make it yourself….it’s that maybe…you simply don’t want to!). There’s also a few recipes (ones you might be familiar with) that use it: Baked (but not stuffed) Shells and A Little Eggplant Parm are both excellent candidates for using a jarred sauce.

“What ingredients do people add too much of? What ingredients do people skimp on?” - Lindsay

I think people generally overstuff sandwiches, which is why they end up on my least-liked food list. I thought Instagram had grown out of this, but I still see it everywhere: photos and videos of the cross sections of sandwiches and bagels that are just completely stuffed and filled beyond a reasonable capacity. A human cannot realistically fit these sandwiches or bagels into their mouths. Even if they could it would be a mess and, I PROMISE YOU, not that enjoyable. The ratios are off, not designed for optimal enjoyment. This is stunt food and it’s disrespectful to people who actually like food.

People really under-use olive oil. You all should be using more!

“I’d love to know your process of naming and ‘marketing’ recipes? Do you have a sense of when something will take off? Brothy Beans and The Stew are truly foundational recipes in my kitchen, and I’ve always wondered how much of their magic comes from how you’ve positioned them.” - Amada

I love this question — I think naming recipes is absolutely important. I think I realized this was important back when I worked at restaurants. Things would sell or not sell based on how you’d describe them on a menu, and the same can go for if someone wants to cook something or not based on how it sounds. I do think I’m good at it — it’s effectively just writing, and the recipe names are an extension of my writing style/voice.

When I name something, it’s genuine — I don’t “market” the recipes and don’t overthink it with the goal of “I’d better give it a great name to convince people to make it.” I think if the recipe is great, it will have a great name, and I won’t have to work that hard to come up with something to make it sound good. That said, I think if the Caramelized Shallot Pasta had the word anchovy in it, I do wonder if it would have been as popular (though I named it that since caramelized shallots, not anchovy, were the dominant technique and flavor there, so I was being the most descriptive and straightforward I could be).

“How do you navigate writer’s block and get through your cookbook copy deadlines with so much going on across your brands and business? How do you navigate all these competing demands? Thank you!” - Rachael

Honestly, most of the time, I don’t. It’s very, very difficult for me to simultaneously keep up the expected cadence of online content and pay attention to all the other things I (try and) do, including writing books which have massively delayed gratification.

Whether it’s because I’m stubborn and hate delegation, am perhaps a bad business person or just simply old school and believe in integrity, I still cook every recipe, write every newsletter, every Instagram caption, etc. This all takes a lot of time. I am the tortoise. Because I insist on this, deadlines definitely suffer, but…I think the work is better (and thankfully, they’re almost always my own deadlines). I do a lot of things, but the goal for me in expansion is so I can spend more time writing and cooking. Hopefully one day everything else I’ve created is doing so well that I get to spend hours of uninterrupted alone time on my laptop, writing.

“It feels like there has been a lot of talk recently about “selling out” and what that means for different creative professions. What is your philosophy on selling out / how do you decide when you’re acting in conflict with your brand (selling out) vs. doing something that supports it (building / evolving)?” - Claire

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Did anyone see me on last week? I discussed why I’d buy Carl Icahn’s apartment in Midtown (so I could always take friends to Il Tinello and order Carl Icahn pasta and remind them I live in his old apartment).

We also discussed this now-viral media map that some people disagreed with, to which I say, take a joke. It was a pleasure to teach the four dozen TBPN interns about what Status, Puck, and Semafor are. Anyway, you can watch it here.

Today’s letter includes: We found out why the SUGARFISH takeout looks different, on whether should bury his money in a shoebox, the podcast on Patreon making over $180k/month, and why hasn’t Trojan done an ad with Hallie Batchelder yet?

Guest Lecture: Andrew Ross Sorkin

This interview is part of a Feed Me feature called Guest Lecture. In this series, I introduce you all to an expert who I’m curious about, and give paid readers an opportunity to ask them anything they want. Past guests have included Keith McNally, Kareem Rahma, and Audrey Gelman.

Today, answered all of your questions about how he wrote 1929 while balancing his day job, where he’d start his career as a young person in finance, and if there’s a common thread in what billionaires order for breakfast.

“What do you think about the state of the media as someone who works daily to educate readers on complicated issues today? As we see more podcasts, streamers and even TikTokers emerge with points of view, and typically not facts, how do we find truth again?” - Andrea

As someone who cares deeply about facts, what’s fascinating about this moment is that the public is often okay consuming something they know isn’t entirely accurate or is being spun a certain way. They do it knowingly. Everyone has become their own reporter, searching for their own version of truth. That makes fact-based journalism more important than ever — and also more complicated.

“How do you think about keeping DealBook relevant in an era where people are pivoting toward Substacks or podcasts? You’ve interviewed so many leaders, how do you differentiate between the ones who are truly visionaries and those who are just power hungry?” - Yasmine

I started DealBook in 2001 — long before newsletters were even a thing. At the time, we were virtually alone and became a model for others. This was before Politico’s Playbook (2007) or Axios (2016). Substack, which is a terrific technology platform, didn’t arrive until 2017.

I like to think we’ve stayed ahead by understanding our audience at a visceral, human level — what they’re thinking about, what motivates them, what intrigues them. Our focus has always been on reaching the most influential people at the intersection of business and policy — and everyone who wants to understand them better. I still marvel at the names on the subscriber list - many of the people who’ve been on stage at the DealBook Summit read it every morning.

As for visionaries vs power-hungry: They are never black and white. Usually, they are both.

“How would you describe your approach to interviewing? What were some mistakes you made early on in your journalism career?” - Kate

One word: Listen. If you’re prepared and then actually listen to the answers, magic can happen. I learned that lesson at 15. I landed an interview with David Stern, the late NBA commissioner. I had a list of questions written on a yellow legal pad — and I never deviated from it. I don’t think I even heard his answers. When I went home and transcribed the tape (yes, an actual tape recorder), I realized how many follow-ups I’d missed. That moment changed everything for me.

“How did you manage to write such a thick book while carrying out your daily duties for CNBC and The New York Times? How did you design your research process for a period that happened so long ago? And when did you become convinced there was more to tell about the crash of 1929?” - Capital Structure

It wasn’t easy — which probably explains why it took me eight years. It was truly a labor of love. About a decade ago, I became convinced there was an opportunity to write an inside-the-room narrative of 1929 after reading so many great books that tackled the topic through the lens of economists or focused only on certain slices of the story.

I’ve always loved narrative nonfiction like Barbarians at the Gate, Den of Thieves, and Erik Larson’s work. I wasn’t sure if I could find enough rich material to make that kind of story possible — but then I uncovered remarkable transcripts, diaries, and letters. That’s when I knew it could be done.

“Is there a common thread of what billionaires order for breakfast?” - Emily

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Today’s letter includes: More Maru coffee news for New Yorkers, how to publicly announce that you’re looking for a new job, a debate over whether a $60k writer salary at n+1 is a “fucking joke,” and I’m curious who you all think should apply for the open reporter job at Styles.

This week on Feed Me’s Job Board: Social Media Coordinator at Martha Stewart’s Elm Biosciences, Public Relations Account Director of Beauty & Lifestyle at Derris, and more.

For our next Guest Lecture, we’re interviewing Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times financial reporter, host of CNBC’s Squawk Box, and author of 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in History—And How It Shattered a Nation (out tomorrow)

Guest Lecture: Kristina O’Neill and Laura Brown

Guest Lecture is a Feed Me series that captures the spirit of that (sometimes unhinged) guest lecturer who would come into your class on a Friday, drop more knowledge than you’ve heard all year, and then leave forever. Past guests include rhode’s co-founder Lauren Ratner, , and Audrey Hobert.

Today, Kristina O’Neill (former editor-in-chief of WSJ. Magazine) and Laura Brown (former editor-in-chief of InStyle) talk about the lived experiences that inspired their new book, All the Cool Girls Get Fired.

“I wonder if they were surprised by any of their friends’ responses to the news. (I mean, I didn’t take it well, ha!)” –

“We were both reassured by our friends’ reactions, actually. Friends are allowed to be angrier on your behalf: to say all the things in the moment that your worst self feels. It’s like a breakup: eff that guy, we never liked him, come meet us at a bar. That’s why they’re your friends!”

“How did you each deal with having so much more free time to yourselves post-firing? When I’ve been between jobs, it’s always felt challenging to enjoy the luxury of an empty schedule without the guilt of not being technically productive creeping in.” – Gabrielle

LB: “I was getting married two months after getting canned, which was a nice distraction, but also like, shit, where is the money coming after that? We traveled a lot, because we had the time, but I would pick up little gigs here and there to keep the pilot light on. I knew the time “off” was finite, but I tried to enjoy it given that I’d worked nonstop for 28 years.”

KO: “Oh, how I loved that in-between time! I really leaned into it. I left WSJ. in June and had my first summer off since 1994, when I graduated from high school. I was present for kid and family stuff in a way I’d never been before. That said, I still got up most mornings, checked emails, did a few calls—just to give the days a bit of scaffolding. (And some days, I opened the rosé at 4 p.m.)

Keeping your oar in the water helps in that gap time: having lunch with someone in your business, keeping up with your industry, and listening to yourself. You have to get your sea legs back before you plunge back into the job market.”

“How do you think differently about the different categories of having your job end on others’ terms (fired vs downsized vs laid off etc.) and do you think there’s one that is a most compelling bounce-back opportunity?” – ATE

“It’s all blending together these days: there are so many bigger forces affecting us that we can’t control (AI, the current administration). It’s like billionaires playing checkers. What we can say is just be straightforward and honest about what happened to you: sadly, you don’t have the exclusive on losing your job, and you’re not alone. The bounce-back, more than anything, is mental. Don’t give the circumstances of your layoff power over you.”

“Any advice for fresh grads looking to start their career? It’s brutal out here.” –Julia.

NOTE: Another reader commented about the Feed Me Job Board in response to this, if you’re interested in looking at it.

“It really is, and we feel for you. It’s so hard to navigate, these days you’re also up against older professionals who’ve been laid off, and it feels like everything’s an algorithm. But sometimes the “old fashioned” ideas are the best: show up, follow up, network, intern. Send hand-written thank you notes. Engage in LinkedIn or social media. Show that the role you want is in your DNA. People hire… people in the end, not someone with the most appropriate keywords on a resume.”

“Which legacy magazines do you think are adapting well to contemporary issues facing the media industry today? What do you think other legacy media institutions are getting wrong?”

“To really thrive in this market, magazines need to be constantly reflecting the culture and have a real sense of occasion. In the fashion space, we think W does that really well, with their themed issues and the whole event program that goes with that. It’s a lot of work to be the coolest party in town, but they do a great job. As for getting it wrong, when you can tell that a magazine is giving it all up to advertisers for survival: that’s so bleak. While you have this platform, shoot your shot! Use everything you got. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”

“How do you rebuild yourself after being fired from your absolute dream job? Do you take it as a sign it’s not meant to be or carve your own path?” – Liz

“We spoke to a lot of experts for All the Cool Girls Get Fired, and a brilliant thing one of them told us is that the job—dream job or otherwise—borrows you, like a library book. They don’t own you, and it’s dangerous to place all your value in that job. We had what could be seen from the outside as “dream jobs” but there was a lot of difficulty too. It’s a matter of constantly editing what that dream is, grounding it in your experience, and honestly, in what makes you feel good. Was that dream job a dream… really? Perhaps not.”

”What are the rules around talking about your former employer online?” – Emily Sundberg

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I’m finishing today’s letter from the backseat of an Uber on the way to the airport. Last night, my friend Jeannie gave me some apples that she picked upstate over the weekend and my friend Krithika gave me a copy of I Am the Brother of XX by Fleur Jaeggy (I enjoyed Sweet Days of Discipline, which she also wrote) so I don’t see how anything could go wrong on this flight.

Today’s letter includes: An interview with rhode’s co-founder and president Lauren Ratner, restaurant gossip from EEEEEATSCON, podcasts are increasingly expanding into retail, and the Bravo Housewife selling her show outfits in Substack chats.

Guest Lecture: Lauren Ratner, President and Chief Brand Officer of rhode

Guest Lecture is a Feed Me series that captures the spirit of that (sometimes unhinged) guest lecturer who would come into your class on a Friday, drop more knowledge than you’ve heard all year, and then leave forever. Past guests include Keith McNally, Audrey Gelman, and Jake Sherman.

Today, Lauren Ratner answers your questions about rhode’s Sephora strategy, her approach to hiring, and what role trends play in building the internet’s favorite beauty business.

“Do you try to keep up with what’s happening trend-wise with Beauty in general (and if so how do you do that), or do you focus on your own brand and goals, not thinking about what anyone else is doing?” – Angelica

I spend most of my time ideating around rhode, what’s next for us, and our own brand goals and perspective.

While I definitely keep up with what’s happening in beauty and fashion and the consumer industry more widely, I would say I actually spend more time keeping up with what consumers and creators are posting online and where those trends are going! I learn a lot from this in terms of what people want to see and how that can help inform our content strategy.

“How did you approach navigating such a crowded celebrity-based beauty space? Where do you see it going in the next couple of years — is it oversaturated, in your opinion, or is there room for more of what the customers don’t know they need yet?” – Olga

When we created rhode, Hailey wanted to create a brand that was bigger than herself, where someone could pick up a rhode product and be obsessed with it without necessarily knowing it was associated with her. In order to do that, it was really important that we were laser-focused on product innovation and that we stayed true to our curated product philosophy. We focused on products to support skin barrier health, bringing in skincare experts like Dhaval Bhanusali and Ron Robinson to help create efficacious products with hero ingredient franchises like peptides.

Consumers definitely have a lot of options these days but I do think there is always room for more brands that have great products and a unique selling proposition!

“Dream guest! Hi Lauren! Rhode has become such a blueprint for brand building. How has world-building (like the Mallorca summer club) contributed to Rhode’s success and set a new standard for other brands? And when it comes to hiring, what qualities have stood out in candidates — even those without traditional CPG backgrounds?” – Sarah

First, thank you! I think world-building has been such a key part of rhode because it allows us to create experiences that go beyond just products. This has become increasingly important as we translate our online expression to offline and build out the world of rhode IRL in our photobooths, pop-up experiences and now at retail with Sephora.

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I love Friday letters like this one. It’s stacked with plenty of information to bring to your weekend conversations, including: founder Andrea Hernández on why founders should “share at their own risk”, ’s Smashion Week contribution, ’s canine-related NYFW gossip, and concerning New York theater news from the Feed Me Tip Line.

📱 Have a story you think I should look into? Text the anonymous Feed Me Hotline: ‪(646) 494-3916‬

Guest Lecture: Andrea Hernández

Guest Lecture is a Feed Me series that captures the spirit of that (sometimes unhinged) guest lecturer who would come into your class on a Friday, drop more knowledge than you’ve heard all year, and then leaves forever.

Today, answers your questions about the line between CPG innovation and CPG gimmick, MAHA, and plans for building her media empire.

“A lot of the founders of CPG brands have also become the faces of the brand from a marketing perspective (Becca from Fishwife, Melanie from Ghia, those girls from Sour Milk). Do you think it’s necessary, or just a strategy that works well?” - Emily

I know this is supposed to be like behind-the-scenes, getting people to see who is behind the brand, give it more familiarity and the brand story substance but I think it’s funny because I’ve seen memes about how snacks have all this founder lore on the packaging that no one asked for. I think the “a day in the life of a founder” is a great template that works if there’s an interesting angle: Melanie’s travel/fashion tips, Becca’s nature content, trips to Europe to source seafood, etc reinforce her as Fishwife, both Good Girls (Leah + Yasaman) and Sour Milk are this new wave of GenZ founders who left cushy job to build in this cutthroat space etc.

I’ve also seen it backfire, there was a founder of a protein soda brand that shared her background and how the product came to be and people were turned off seeing that they didn’t have any experience tied to the actual product so it made them skeptical to buy it.

TLDR: Share at your own risk but I also believe that we could all know less about each other.

“For the love of god, when will we hit peak protein?” - Tamzin?

The thing about this protein craze is that it’s just a rebrand of other protein crazes.

2020s: Protein maxxing
2010s: Keto/Paleo
2000s: Atkins/South Beach Diet

“What was a trend in the CPG space you didn’t understand or like at first and now love?” - Tamzin?

Magnesium, I can believe the stats around how most of us are deficient, now that I’m on magnesium L-threonate, my sleep is much better, and my anxiety feels manageable.

“With the bloodbath that happened with consumer startups in 2022–2023, do you think the world of consumer product investors will get better or continue to stay worse?” - Sumeet

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