New job, same desk
At the beginning of the year an opportunity arose to take a professional leap and join an ambitious new team looking to redefine how art and culture is made for the 21st century.
Grandiose and vague, you say? Fair but it wouldn’t be a vision statement if it wasn’t. And I wouldn’t have joined if I didn’t believe it to be possible.
I can’t share much more for now but in short:
I’ve taken a Head of Product role to help the team build towards that vision.
We’re small but mighty; a diverse bunch with a globally distributed footprint but headquartered in the entertainment capital of the world, Los Angeles.
There’s a number of interesting technical and product challenges, including platform & marketplace dynamics, ML/LLM and complex data structures.
The venture is still prelaunch but we already have some of the world’s most successful artists and key industry groups onboard as foundational investors.
It’s a big jump for me personally, particularly as I closed the book back in January on seven years at venture studio, Josephmark. In short, I can’t thank Ben and the team enough with all the various opportunities, adventures and personal growth had there over the years and since first sliding into Ben’s Twitter DM’s back in 2016. They’re a talented and ambitious bunch that have always attracted genuinely good humans to the team over the years (I somehow snuck in).
Looking ahead, whilst I’ll be based remotely from Melbourne (“same desk”) there will be regular visits to the US office in Los Angeles. If the vision resonates or you’d like to hear a bit more, reach out. We’re always looking for new talent across the board.
Founders and builders network
Building can be a lonely game. I’m also aiming to solidify a bit of a “builder’s group” that’s a light-touch network for us all to lean on via group chat and the odd organized dinner (Melbourne and/or LA). If you’re a founder or product leader that’s interested, reach out here.
Books of note
The Power of Myth – This ended up being so much more accessible and universal than I expected. I won’t try to unpack it too much here but for what it’s worth I went to town on the highlighting here. You can read it from the lens of a wider philosophical/religious perspective but also just as much for creative writing, psychology, brand strategy, etc.
“Mythology is not a lie, mythology is poetry, it is metaphorical. It has been well said that mythology is the penultimate truth--penultimate because the ultimate cannot be put into words. It is beyond words.” — Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth
The Bee Sting – Finding a good all-consuming fiction is always a challenge (at least for me). This one’s a family saga, lighthearted with the right balance of depth and nuance throughout. Irish writer — tick. A decent 600+ pages to properly consume you. Dive in.
Links
Podcast: What is the message of the medium of AI? Ezra Klein sits down with Nilay Patel to discuss how AI will affect the fundamental usage and business models of primarily the general consumer internet experience. The perspective of analyzing it from a “The medium is the message” angle was interesting. Ezra’s theory is, for now, it’s something along the lines of “you’re a derivative, you’re replaceable.” Patel disagrees.
That then pairs well with this essay: The knowledge economy is over, Welcome to the allocation economy. Dan Shipper continues to nerd out deep on AI and we all benefit from his writing on it. Q: How much do you think about AI and the future of your career? Let me know.
“We’ll go from makers to managers, from doing the work to learning how to allocate resources—choosing which work to be done, deciding whether work is good enough, and editing it when it’s not.” — Dan Shipper
Podcast: The Ozempic origin story is wild. A 100+ year company history (Novo Nordisk) filled with Nobel Prizes, bitter personal rivalries, board room dramas and more.
Been a while since you’ve read some short-fiction? This is a fun one by John Jeremiah Sullivan on cracked-out Plumbers.
Can’t read the above because you can’t do long-form on your screen? Put your name down for a transflective LCD tablet (like a Kindle that can do more).
Small teams doing big things.
I’ll close here with a spotlight on an inspiring holding page by a stealth startup named Muddy. It features a gallery that pays tribute to small groups of driven people that have changed the world for many in their own ways.
I feel the photos themselves really bring into perspective the humble humanity behind some of the world’s biggest brands, technologies and experiences out there today. Some favs below but more on their page.
Take care, and be sure to surround yourself with good people.
Loved reading this. I reached out to you via email! Hope you've been well David. :)