Day One FM

The crew unpacks Zohran Mamdani's electoral victory and what it says about a younger generation of New Yorkers who are looking to claw back a sense of agency, power, purpose, and connection beyond the “brand universe.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anu Lingala is a trend strategist and founder of the must-read Substack, WHAT'S ANU. We get a crash course in trend forecasting methodology, and then move on to who killed cool, the collapse of the irony/sincerity cycle, why people are trying to escape being seen by brands, Anu's new theory on “trend bipolarity,” why we need to return to the basics of brand strategy, Anthony Bourdain, shareholder value, the Grimace shake, Peter Thiel, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the pod we unpack what stunt movie marketing, the rise of fan edits, exclusive Glen Powell pics, and the not-advertising-advertising of the Louvre art heist reveal about what it takes to make a film relevant. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daniel-Yaw Miller is an award-winning journalist and writer of the newsletter, SportsVerse. We talk to him about whether or not streamers and influencers are welcome disruptors or interlopers, not watching upstart sports leagues out of principle, what makes Stone Island a “smart collaborator” brand, depth vs. breadth, Loewe and On's partnership with stone skipping GOAT Kurt Steiner, and NIL. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everything is an ad and no one is paying attention. Trey and Eli discuss if it's possible to cut through in an era of calcified apathy, ad blockers, toilet TV, and “brandspeak” afflicted gen pop. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AJ Wolfe is a blogger and author of Disney Adults: Exploring (And Falling In Love With) A Magical Subculture. We dive into Disney Adult culture, what's behind a sort of religious fervor for the House of Mouse, how Disney is shifting its business priorities and offerings to meet an older, childless consumer base, why “the worst part about being a Disney Adult is other Disney Adults,” why you don't have a divine right to fun rides and Star Wars hotels, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We—and the rest of New York—have a few thoughts on the sprawling, million dollar subway campaign for “Friend,” the AI-powered companion pendant that listens to whatever you're doing and offers a running commentary on your interactions. It's yet to ship a single product. Plus, Meta's new “Vibes,” Palantir tote bags, ChatGPT and Claude's new marketing pushes, and we ask “why do some brands have so much disdain for the consumer?” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christina Loff is the Head of Lifestyle on the partnerships team at Substack. She also writes her own newsletter called The Dry Down Diaries. We talk to her about recruiting new writers to the platform, not being held to an algorithm, leaning into “founder-led” brand stories (but not every brand should be, or needs to be on the platform), bathhouse readings, and the importance of downloading the app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We delve into Kyle Raymond Fitzpatrick's apt and unrestrained diatribe on the “era of ad-based psychosis” in his newsletter The Trend Report, and what happens when we leave people with nothing other than products, branding, or a community manager in the comments section to bind their entire identity to. On the brighter side, stay to hear about a hamster riding a motorcycle, Owen Cooper and the return of earnest, Jane Eyre, Benghazi, and Clara's time in The Pitt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Derrick Gee has established himself as one of the internet's most authoritative voices and purveyors of taste in music, amassing almost two million followers across TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. His Sydney home/studio (shoes off, please) is also the backdrop for his show “Solid Air,” where he's welcomed Lorde, beabadoobee, MJ Lenderman, Jamie xx, and more. We discuss the road to becoming a Professional Music Fan, being “selfishly slow,” why he's sympathetic to good A&Rs, how Gen Z is more open to selling out, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we discuss AI's increasingly complex role in advertising, from the way it's used to churn out social feed filler, to how consumers react when they find out the “authentic” campaign they loved was never real in the first place. We talk about the Oasis concert over the weekend—bucket hats and pre-rolls included—J.Crew's faux-vintage lookbook, and Skechers' sketchy subway ads. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode we're joined by our Day One colleague, Jordan Stone. We start off with a quick examination of the global elites' music tastes, recently uncovered via the ‘Panama Playlists,' and then move on to debate what we have to gain, or lose, when we have a more critical, curatorial lens to the ad world and culture at large. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Belly buttons, Morse code, Miami Dolphins colorways… We're talking Taylor Swift's Showgirl Era™. But beneath the bright orange or purple glitter and brand commenting chaos, the creator economy is still grinding away — and not in a good way. We break down why it feels like a “race to the bottom for human dignity,” per ZINE's Matt Klein, how brands are fracking culture for quick hits, and what a more sustainable Creator Economy 2.0 might look like. (Spoiler: the future is scaling up to be micro.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thom Bettridge is the editor in chief of the newly-relaunched i-D magazine. He's previously held stints at 032c, SSENSE, Highsnobiety, and Interview. We talk about building off of the publication's 45+ year legacy, scouting unknown talent, the importance of actually talking to people, how Gen Z insights are just Millennial insights, and why he launched his own Substack, CONTENT. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clara's seeking out angel investors for a pretzel brand by women, for women. Plus, a discussion around why brands just can't help themselves from using bleak insights as jumping off points for gimmicks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Frommer is the founder of The New Consumer: a publication which draws upon his expertise as a business and tech journalist to examine how and why people spend their time and money. He joins us to talk through some of the takeaways from his recent 2025 Mid-Year Report. We cover Gen Z's uneasiness on AI, why people would rather meet their favorite podcaster in the wild than an A-list movie star, and “the humanization of pets” (do you cook for your dog or cat?), as well as how he brings rigor and depth to the crowded, noisy field of consumer insights. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trey kicks things off with a quick (hopefully final) recap of the Coldplay “Jumbotron Incident” and a momentary return of monoculture. You can't just cheat in today's surveillance culture, sorry. Then, Clara shifts gears to talk about the new “gentle-jacked” Superman, and how the film's refreshingly earnest plotline highlights a much-needed cultural shift away from irony-pilled junk. Finally, Eli rounds things out with a watch out around all of this talk of “community marketing.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rachel Janfaza is a writer, political analyst and founder of The Up and Up: the authoritative newsletter tracking the cultural and political forces influencing Gen Z. We discuss how Covid split Gen Z in two, why MAGA appeals to young women, wedge issues, voting against your interests, whether or not young voters who shifted right in 2024 are up for grabs, purpose-driven branding, and a wishful plea for the return of civil discourse. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We discuss snack jail (aka CVS's shopping-proof shelves) and Crumbl's Moonbeam Ice Cream Cookie, inspired by the Benson Boone song “Mystical, Magical.” Plus, the Cannes Lions have been marred in controversy over the past few weeks, following several exposés around wonky data and AI-filled case study videos. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zito Madu is an author, sports journalist, and cultural critic. We talk about why there are empty seats at the Club World Cup, why sports betting is here to stay, losing a multi-million dollar contract on a three figure parlay, how pay-to-play sports eliminates a diversity of playing styles, why we need to bring more whimsy back to sports marketing, and the joy of seeing waterfalls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, we're talking about how Blank Street Coffee built a $500 million dollar empire, “Lower East Side Dimes Boy” matcha personas, fellas…, the founder of an Erewhon-adjacent grocery store in Tribeca is letting his “fans” stock the shelves, and betting markets like Kalshi and Polymarket are letting you bet on the end of the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On a very hot day four, Matt Klein joins us to talk about the work exhibit in the Palais basement (where ad-hoc insights and very creative data points abound), what's missing from conversation about the creator economy, and giving up personal data for a piece of fruit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Semafor Media Editor, Max Tani, joins us for day three. We talk about sunburns, the evolving media presence at Cannes, pre-fab buildings, YouTube eating TikTok's lunch, Chat J'ai Pété, Substack's will-they-won't-they dance with advertisers, the changing tide in the culture wars, and where to get the best Thai food in Cannes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day two of Cannes Lions kicks off with former U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, advocating a Dolly Parton approach to brand purpose followed by a refreshing marketing talk break from James Blake. In other news, will.i.am says we're not prepared to be good hosts to aliens, Paris Hilton's husband talks about AI and VC (two things you really don't hear about enough), and our AG1 partnership continues to deepen (jk). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clara and Eli are on the ground reporting from day one of the Cannes Lions. Highlights include: Willa Bennett's plans for rebooting Cosmopolitan's IP, Apple's VP of Marketing saying “human creativity” over 18 times in 20 minutes, a potential new sponsor, Chinese soft power, being in the Nashville of France, and our ideas for a Bravo buildout on the Croisette. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonjour. Eli and Clara will be dropping daily episodes of the podcast, recorded live and uncut from the Cannes Lions Festival next week. We'll break down some of the Croisette's highs and lows, plus get the rundown of what some former D1FM guests are seeing on their end. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Benjamin Edgar is a Chicago-based designer who's been making a lot of very cool things for a very long time. He co-authored the early aughts blog THE BRILLIANCE, founded Boxed Water, and more recently started An Object Company. We talk about the importance of design consistency, how we're at an inflection point with “phone stuff,” Dieter Rams, bar etiquette, applied design, Adrien Brody's art, why it's interesting to know what you're interested in, Chicago, the sin wave of culture and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we're talking about the NBA's “crisis of cool,” and whether that's also inclusive of Timothée Chalamet's Chrome Hearts, Adam Friedland's interview on Mixed Signals, the rise of “establishment podcasts,” cruise ships, space ships, and waiting in line at pop-ups. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recho Omondi is the host and creator of The Cutting Room Floor, the popular fashion podcast featuring guests like Cynthia Erivo and Law Roach. In this episode, we explore why blue chip design names like Steve Madden and Brendon Babenzien of Noah open up on her mic, revealing unfiltered takes on the business of fashion. We also dive into Omondi's “clipping” technique, the politics of taste, and why being a partial outsider gives her the clearest view of fashion's inner workings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Forget the score, on this week's episode we unpack how the real action isn't happening on the court, but instead on the second screen and…OnlyFans? We'll unpack SNY's surprisingly good social content, “Smash City,” Engelbert Humperdinck, pollen, and “water-based cooking.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Paul Brammer is an author, artist, and writer of the popular advice column, ¡Hola Papi!. He joins us on the pod to discuss midwest debauchery, advice on giving advice, high-profile penguins, his top 5 birds, why Bluesky is “giving gas leak,” standing behind something you 100% do not believe in, house parties, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we're talking about friend supply versus “friend demand,” AI designed specifically for cheating on your Costco job interview, naming a sandwich after a disease epidemic (bad idea), thirst trap strategies, and how the West Village is now filled with identikit personalities wearing scrunch bum leggings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Back with another impromptu in-house episode, this week we take stock of the grocery store shelves which are packed with protein: Khloé Kardashian Khloud popcorn, dry as sawdust Quest bars, and… Hormbles Chormbles. Also, why does every new product sound like it was named by a toddler? And are we experiencing a mass cognitive decline or does every advertisement sound nonsensical? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're being scammed. The latest Mr Beast experience was a flop, Fyre Festival is back, Chinese manufacturers are exposing the luxury goods industry, and everyone is buying now and paying later. Between financing your Coachella tickets and your Chilli's baby back ribs, this week on the pod we unveil the many ways scams have gone mainstream. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aidan Walker is an internet culture and meme researcher and writer, former editor at Know Your Meme, and self proclaimed ‘Slopimist'. He joins us to discuss Skibidi toilet and the surveillance state, the “War and Peace” of our times, John Pork lore, why he's optimistic about Gen Alpha's chances, historicizing memes, and how “God didn't want us to drink slushies, red 40, or vapes that taste like crème brûlée”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adolescence on Netflix. White Lotus on Max. Bot on… bot? This week on the pod, people are having withdrawal symptoms from overuse of ChatGPT. Tinder is rolling out the opportunity to practice flirting with AI before moving into the real world, and we question whether or not too much conversational practice with a digital entity is turning every man into an incel. The one good use of AI: a new app that will make annoying customer service calls on your behalf. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chloé Desaulles is a multidisciplinary artist based out of New York. She specializes in using “new tools to tell old stories about people, habits and environments.” She previously held stints at The New York Times R&D with a focus on mixed reality and VR, and has also done work for Megan Thee Stallion, Apple, and Alicia Keys. She joins us to explore the ways AI is shaping the art world, rising interest in analog mediums, “hyper optimization,” Netflix shows made for you to fold your laundry to, and why hot yoga is a scam. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laundry day but make it ~aesthetic~. Willy Wonka but make it a Netflix competition series. Today on the pod we discuss unoriginal ideas disguised as masquerading as new, trace Mr. Beast's similarities to Jigsaw in ‘Saw,' and mourn the loss of six-figure media jobs. We also take a moment for ‘White Lotus' theories and predictions, like everyone else online. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kevin Weisner and Lukas Bentel are the Chief Creative Officers of MSCHF, the subversive Brooklyn-based art collective known for “drops” like the Big Red Boots, Key4All, Tax Heaven, Satan Shoes and more. They join us to discuss their new book, "Made By MSCHF", the importance of creative antagonists, defending Rothko, never having KPIs, virality is cheap and hating on golf. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on the pod, Eli and Trey explore both ends of the content quality spectrum, between Slopaganda and our feeds being flooded with AI drudge and the founder-led menswear brands (Nude Project, Le Alfre, Elwood Clothing) doing it right on YouTube. We also get into the infinite scroll, the menswear labels that are unfurling their brand story in a way that isn't possible through short form content, and why the future is unfortunately more AI slop (hope you're hungry). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brian Park is a comedian, actor, writer and host of the Middlebrow podcast. He joins us to dissect the “corporate creative class,” his fear of being pretentious (Trey thinks it's OK to be a little pretentious), LinkedIn baiting, why brands need to stop being people, being a Bryan Johnson apologist, knowing too much about Japanese selvedge denim, and much much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rebecca Jennings is a features writer at New York Magazine and author of Be the Bombshell: What Love Island Teaches Us About Dating. She joins the pod to discuss the Protector app, why all the dudes in Summer House are a sorry bunch, being a Ramona Singer apologist, why young “Republicans” are transgressive, Hasan Piker, and the guy on TikTok calling hanging out with friends a “post luxury status symbol.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seal as a seal, Kendrick's flared jeans, Taylor Swift being booed and the guy with a fleshy cowboy hat for… Tubi? This year's Super Bowl proved (once again) that the real spectacle is in everything but the game. In this episode, we unpack our biggest takeaways from the big night, where 30 second $8M slots (or social conversation) were more memorable than the final score. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kyle Chayka is a staff writer at The New Yorker covering the internet and technology, and the author of Filterworld, which explores how algorithms shape—and flatten—culture. He joins us to discuss the post-election, post-TikTok ban-unban internet landscape, Japanese sock newsletters, niche episodic TikTok account “Titanium Daydream,” media as a cult, and why delivery food is morally reprehensible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maya Man is an artist focused on identity and authenticity on the internet. She joins Day One FM to discuss her browser extension Glance Back, the voyeuristic allure of “A Realistic Day In My Life Living In New York City” (now at The Whitney), property management at HEART, her distaste for ice water, the pleasant appeal of not having WiFi in her apartment, and more. You can learn more about her work on her website, and visit her studio space, HEART, in SoHo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As 2024 fades into the rearview, the crew unpack their lessons and cultural favorites from this year, and cast their hopes and predictions for a ‘Post-Social' 2025. We'll discuss how to find hidden gems in culture, why integrity matters and how brands can shape culture and stand out — spoiler alert it's not just by going viral. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everyone's got a take on the post-election state of media, including us now. We went behind the headlines with Max Tani, media editor at Semafor, to unpack the changes, challenges and opportunities facing new and legacy media: the rise of podcasts, the proliferation of niche outlets, and the sustainability (or not) of the influencer-journalist model. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the pod this week, we're unpacking who and what the Jaguar rebrand is for, (same with The New York Times' advice for how to avoid awkward holiday conversations), “reckless dreamers,” and what Dean Kissick gets right in his polarizing essay, “The Painted Protest.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the pod this week we get serious about unseriousness. The crew discusses lookalike contests, “The Eczema Experience,” tinned fish pop-ups, intergenerational grudges held by crows, ‘joy sobriety', and the growing lack of seriousness in otherwise once serious settings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alex Hartman is the mind behind Nolita Dirtbag, a “niché and nouveau riche” meme page covering greater-downtown Manhattan (and sometimes Brooklyn). We chat about spending $180 before 11AM on “day in the life” videos, Dirtbag messaging hierarchies, why you shouldn't put the place of your employment in your IG bio, bringing showmanship back to restaurants, being in a room full of Nolita Dirtbag reply guys, and “what makes you confident?” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the pod, the crew discusses missing out on Juul settlement money, Philip Morris's new status as a growth stock, Addison Rae, “pasteurized vice,” (more) slop, recalls, betting on the election on Polymarket, “the Nutter B*tter trap,” and why sometimes you should just lean on your product and stop trying to be culturally relevant. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.