I’m on a plane back from a week in Los Angeles and some lessons there shocked me. I met w/ a billionaire, Bryan Johnson, a top 10 podcaster, an A24 movie exec, and a Presidential candidate. 12 learnings from too many meetings to count in Hollywood: 1. LA is not dead. Far from it. I ran into 5 people who I needed to meet with at one hotel in 4 days. The epicenter of media may be disaggregating to Austin, NY and globally... but the density is still here. 2. @bryan_johnson is now one of my favorite humans. I hung with him at his house, tried his 20,000 crunches in 30 minutes machine, and talked about the purpose of life. The internet is a sad state that they don’t give him more credit. 3. Digital media today is like distributed news before cable news. We are at a tipping point for expansion in this digital industry. It feels somehow played out to those of us in it, but it’s just starting. 4. Hollywood is watching creators and UGC closely. I met w/ one exec who said in the not so distant future Netflix will have UGC on it. 5. @IAmMarkManson may be this generation's Anthony Bourdain for thinking. I sat down with him and I think the work he’s doing on youtube is going to be something to watch... closely. 6. Buying boring businesses is not at all interesting to those in LA. BUT - asset accumulation and portfolios are. They buy assets (film rights, etc) all day. They are starting to think about the business of celebrities, creators and their work similar to how I think of investment management. 7. LA is a tale of two cities. I spoke at the convention center that was surrounded by derelict minority businesses and houses, then hung out at private members-only clubs that are all over West Hollywood where Lebron, Chris Voss and all the big timers play. The two places are 10 minutes away but an absolute world apart. 8. The mental health and drug crisis is out of control. Stroll along a downtown street and zombie after zombie trails. I saw people shitting and eating next to one another and across from a Starbucks. I asked our corporate host if this was “normal?” They replied, you stop noticing it after awhile. 9. Offices are completely empty. A friend got an office space for 50% off and more than 40% of the highrise is unoccupied. How odd that home prices are high, housing is really tough to come by, but office space is a blue ocean. 10. Met up with @TulsiGabbard, a friend who was traveling to the border to see the situation live. I am grateful to have people fight for the truth even when it is unpopular. We need more leaders like her. 11. Every time I meet with a billionaire I realize all over again that to achieve that level of wealth, you cannot be normal. Truly. He’s weirdly comfortable with discomfort and complete lack of people pleasing. 12. The more I learn about the Kardashians in some ways, the more I respect them. I got the onion peeled back on their business dealings and they are some of the smartest dealmakers I’ve ever seen. Also I hate saying it because I believe gender games are net negative, but I wonder if they’d get so much hate if they weren’t females? I liked the idea of keeping a travel diary like my friend @gregisenberg does… Otherwise these moments pass like sand through my fingers. What do you think? I’m going to name it Where Have Ya Been or Lessons from the Road. Which do you like more?
@Codie_Sanchez Great seeing you @Codie_Sanchez . Always fantastic to sit down with you.
@Codie_Sanchez Codie Sanchez is taking over the internet and I'm all for it.
@Codie_Sanchez I went to SF/LA recently. My biggest takeaways summarized: 1. If you stay in SF long enough, you'll raise a VC round 2. If you stay in LA long enough, you'll be a Vlogger