Day One FM

It's the team's final full day in Cannes. Gen Z trend forecaster Casey Lewis drops by to wait out the thunderstorm/share her top takes of the week, and a trump card celeb-sighting. Eli & Clara share the themes they're taking away from this year's programming after a week of panel discussions, manic dashes for sustenance, and holding meetings in direct sunlight.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Top hits on Day 3 of Cannes: Eli courts an “immersive” hydration partner for the pod, Clara recaps a panel with fan-favorite Survivor season 37 “Brains vs. Brawn” finalist Mike White, both discuss the pleasures and pitfalls of passed hors d’oeuvres.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s a blustery day two at the Cannes Festival of Creativity. Eli discusses what it was like to LARP as an angel investor at an exclusive New York Times dinner, Clara adjusts to life on cam, and uncovers what sports media can learn from OnlyFans. Plus, a discussion on why women’s soccer is “on a rocket ship” ahead of (and following) the 2023 World Cup. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the first of four live-ish dispatches from the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. The lanyards are on. Some, more inconspicuously placed than others. Clara and Eli, having defeated jet lag—and feeling semi-hydrated—discuss an auspicious mic cut that precluded an audience Q&A with the CMO of Open AI, less yachts, more Orcas?  A word from Bud Light, and Clara weighs a permanent life change. Plus, our predictions for the week ahead. 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.