I’ve been thinking a lot about “anticipatory intelligence” since discovering the term this holiday season. Typically used in national security settings to sense, predict, and warn of changing conditions or threats that may require a rapid response or shift in priorities, I believe “the other AI” could be so useful when it comes to trends, forecasting, and marketing.  Self-awareness is key to success and the pursuit of happiness, but it’s also crucial for anticipatory intelligence according to war experts. Knowing …

We have the pleasure of working with The Impractical Jokers and their team. The Jokers are a special troupe. These friends from high school grew up in Staten Island and are living life in such a fun way. They write, produce, and star in their show, and constantly crack up everyone around them. The new season kicked off last week on truTV (now TBS) and is a ratings darling. The second episode airs tonight while they’re out on their arena …

It’s almost Superbowl Sunday, the biggest single day sporting event of the year. All eyes will be on the big game and even more eyes will be on the commercials and halftime show. For many reasons, this year won’t be the “Crypto Bowl” many had expected, mostly because of posterity, but also because one of the main advertisers no longer exists. R.I.P., FTX, we won’t miss you! The game in “Web3” right now is how to avoid saying the word. …

Does anyone else feel it in the air? It took a month to settle in, but the 2023 renaissance has arrived, and I’m not only talking about the Beyonce tour announced this AM. This weekend is music’s biggest night, then the Super Bowl is right on its heels. The commonality between the two is the amount of money advertisers and brands pour into each of these cultural tentpole moments. Between the ads, shows, pre-parties, afterparties, traditional TV spots, and guerrilla …

Nue Agency was built on the promise of doing something “new”; something different; something the mainstream agencies weren’t thinking of. That’s why in the early days we focused on two areas where we knew we could form an advantage: the burgeoning tech scene and the college market. When our company launched, the music industry was being decimated by the digital revolution. Gone were the days of fat CD profits (I never experienced those days beyond being a regular at Sam …

We’re two weeks into the year, and I’m disappointed with Web3’s performance so far. Back when we were spending way too much time on Clubhouse (yes, I’m waxing slightly nostalgic about the pandemic) Web3 was really giving WAGMI vibes. Now, it’s clearly not. The main reason NFTs resonated was the promise of revolutionizing fine artwork in terms of royalties, secondary sales, and smart contracts. “Dead was the day of the starving artist” because, thanks to Web3, artists would be able …

Welcome to what has been officially dubbed “Circle Back Week”. 2023 is starting to fire on all cylinders. This week, there’s a lot of talk about ChatGPT, The Golden Globes, and the new music industry business models that Lucian is calling for. I have thoughts on those for another day, but I want to kick things off with a slightly more niche prediction: I believe this is going to be a big year for the racquet. I recently spoke to …

Unless you’re in Vegas for CES, most of us only have one foot in the office this week. Truth be told, I’m back on the road today headed to Minnesota for a retreat. Having offered my list of 2023 predictions across multiple industries – and having come to terms with the fact that the recession will have a real impact on us all – I’m ready to build. It’s fun to think about the future because “seeing the invisible” is …

I’m not going to lie, the roaring twenty twenties are not playing out the way I hoped. We went from a pandemic to a recession to a paranormal state of potential crisis. But there is opportunity in crisis. The world is shifting fast and big evolutions are on the horizon. Last week I broke down some of the trends I saw in 2022. This week, we’re onto 2023. Here are some fun predictions for how the year of the rabbit might …

As the year winds down, it’s a great time to reflect. 2022 was rough, but it had a few key themes. The new normal of inflation is out of control. There has been massive economic pain inflicted on the global economy that will have a ripple affect for some time. A recession is imminent and companies are hemorrhaging good people. There’s a lot of talent back on the streets and a lot of money sitting on the sidelines. This will …

While Art Basel celebrates its 20th year in Miami, it’s really Miami Art Week as a whole that has everyone’s attention. It feels like the early days of SXSW down here and it’s so much bigger than Basel now. Don’t get me wrong: the main events – Basel, Scope, Miami Art Design, Untitled – and hot-button galleries are still doing their thing. But what’s most exciting is how many brands are showing up and how much Web3’s presence is being …

As wild and uncertain as times are, and as hard as this year has been, I’m steadfast in counting my blessings and doing my best to live in the present. There’s a lot to be grateful for. Tonight is Thanksgiving Eve, which is the third biggest party night of the year. I’ll never forget my early promoter days, when we rented out the Tunnel and had Funk Flex DJ for everyone we knew; or the many Friendsgiving dinners my high …

I’m coming off a long week on the road where I met so many interesting folks at both Summit Series and Future Wave. Hello, new friends! I’m glad to be back home in Miami for a bit. From my travels, one thing is clear: the sentiment is shifting in the overall business landscape and even more so in Web3. We’re watching one of the biggest scandals in the history of modern finance unfold like a docuseries live on Twitter. This …

A sea change is coming as we begin to wind down 2022. The much discussed “red wave” didn’t crest in the election last night (phew), FTX traded to Binance (wow), and Elon Musk took control (if you can call it that) of Twitter, which has rapidly introduced unexpected possibilities and concerns for one of the world’s most important social media sites. Although advertisers and brands are cautiously pulling back, usership is actually going up. It’s nothing if not fascinating. I’ll …

At Drexel last week, I guest lectured on the topic of Web3 and music. At the end of the session, the professor, Monika Julien, asked me what I thought was “next for music.” It got me thinking. What is next for this industry? The game is changing as rapidly as the world. We’re dealing with global chaos; information overload; misinformation; post-Covid health and supply chain issues; huge shifts in consumer habits; inflation run amok; market and economic reconfiguration; “crypto winter”; political …