You Asked, I Answer

Answering some of your burning questions...

GM everyone. I’ve an extremely packed schedule today involving work, an event tonight, packing for a flight, so in today’s newsletter I’m going to answer some questions readers sent in.

Typically I’m the one asking questions on this newsletter so this is kind of fun to reverse it.

Also BIG shout out to my family at YSL Beauty for sending over their newest mens fragrance, MYSLF.

I tried it on last night and love it. Its woody with floral notes, and feels perfect for a night out. YSL keeps me smelling so good…

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ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS

Q: How do you discern what is valuable to include in your newsletter?

A: Ultimately, this newsletter is a distillation of my personal and professional interests, and I’ve always been a very curious person. Maybe because I’m Type A, I feel the need to constantly know what’s going on, which has its benefits. For work, I have to stay super plugged into news and trends, so I am a voracious reader and bookmarker. When I started this newsletter, I felt as if there were was a real opportunity to provide likeminded individuals with a daily cross section of what is important at the intersection of culture, marketing, business, fashion, design, tech, etc. These world’s often intersect in interesting ways, so when looking for relevant topics, I try to find stories and trends that are shaping the culture before our own eyes, and get to the root of where they’re emerging from. For example, its one thing to love a brand’s products or content, but its more interesting to me to decipher why they chose to do something, and oftentimes the answer to that is money, and the figures behind the scenes orchestrating the operation that we seldom here from. So in an effort to demystify these business relationships that spill out into our cultural discourse, I started this newsletter and use that as the guiding principal for the editorial strategy. If you’re super fresh in your career, who you know is often more important that what you do, which is why I bring on founders and interview them so you can all download some of their cheat codes and get a clear picture of what its like to work at the crossroads of culture, commerce, and tech.

Q: In terms of products/services, how do you determine how something is truly a good product/service and isn’t simply a ploy packaged in solid marketing.

A: I am a very skeptical, active consumer, with a particular taste in pretty much anything I buy: suffice to say I don’t like much. While a lot of brands can put on a great face (packaging, content, social, etc.) that can sway consumers, I’ve found the one thing that gets me to buy something is social proof: is someone I admire and think is cool using this? If I trust their taste, I assume what they’re recommending may also benefit me. Do I always end up satisfied? No. But the only way to know if a product is really good is to actually use it, and think about your relationship with that product or service and articulate why you don’t like it and how it could be improved. From my many convos with founders, thats often how they get inspiration to start their own project: use something, see an area for improvement, and take the initiative to put out their own vision into the world. This answer also speaks to the power of social proof for new brands, getting it in the right hands can sway their following to purchase, this isn’t new, but smart brands are getting savvy about how they seed products, instead of a one size fits all approach where the same influencers get the same PR packages.

Q: What is your daily routine? How do you manage your time and information with regard to research, social media, writing etc?

A: My daily routine is f*cked tbh. I wake up at 5am, and strive to get as much done as possible. I don’t want to waste a second and am very hard on myself when I fall short. I start the day by working out, then I write this newsletter (which often gets started the night before) then I work all day, try to get some time outside, then typically get back to work, attend an event, or catch up with a friend, ending the day around 11pm. I am constantly book marking topics for later, then reading them when I get downtime on the train or waiting in line. This makes it easier when I go to write and already have some ideas I want to hit. When you constantly stay plugged in, its easy to form patterns and mental relationships to ideate on the bigger picture. Additionally, I love what I do, so its easy to keep going at this pace. Our lives are made of what we do everyday, so if you want to get ahead you have to stay locked in every single day. And yes, burnout does set in, but when it does you just have to keep going. Just as in fitness, when you think you’ve put in maximum effort, you often can get through it by silencing the voices in your head telling you to quit.

Q: What are your bar recs in NYC?

A: Your bar mix needs to be eclectic, a little high, a little low. Here’s where I go—

• Tigre: Beautifully designed, tucked away, get the ‘Cigarette’ martini

• Clandestino: Sit outside, hang with bros in carpenter pants reading Joan Didion, chainsmoke.

• With Others: Amazing wine bar in Williamsburg, great outside seating and selection of natural wines.

• Bemelman’s: Pretend you’re richer than you are and get a $30 martini, mixed nuts, and listen to jazz in a classic NYC bar.

• Temple Bar: Checkered floor looks cool, dark, expensive.

• Dolly’s: Very fun bar in Williamsburg!!! Get a beer, get a shot, forget your troubles.

• Demo: Wine bar in West Village.

• St. Jardim: Another bine war in West Village.

• Carousel: Massive bar in Bushwick, great design, conversation pit.

Fav clubs is a different question…

If you have more questions just comment or email me…

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Jake Bell is a content marketing, creative strategist, designer, and writer based in NYC. He specializes in brand building, content strategy, creative direction, business development, and making things cool.

Want to chat? Email me: jake@jb.studio