Five hundred, twenty five thousand, six hundred minutes
Ernest Wilkins
29 Nov
Editors Note:
Hope you and yours had a great Thanksgiving and hope there are no leftovers still in the fridge!
Now that we're back in action, I would be a real dick if I didn't provide SOME updates about what's been going on in the year since this email last invaded your inboxes. Here's what's happened since we last communicated:
My wife and I had a baby! This is, without a doubt, the biggest update. Her name is Bernice and she's the best thing that has ever happened to me.
I then started re-just kidding, you thought I wasn't gonna share a pic?
My 2020 lockdown project started to take off a bit. Gameday Grails is a lifestyle brand celebrating the art, culture and style around vintage sports apparel. Our main products are vintage sports apparel-focused content, sponsored events, and a first-to-market concierge service for vintage sports apparel. Quiet as kept, we're the vintage sports gear plug for a lot of ya faves on the sneaky-sneak. If vintage sports gear interests you, follow along on Tiktok and IG.
I did my civic duty. If you're new here, this thing is based out of Chicago. I'm of the opinion that Chicago's rich musical history is undeniable and incontestable. I thought it was absolutely absurd that we didn't have a proper documentation and celebration for said history, so I reached out to the good folks over at the Department of Cultural Affairs and joined a committee of literal legends (including the late Ramsey Lewis) and...we got that fixed. For the first time ever, the City of Chicago now has a set of historical landmark markers all over the city that pay tribute to the spaces, places and people who built Chicago's music history. Sick, right?
I started working at Twitter. This is the largest reason why this newsletter had to hit pause. I joined Twitter's All-Star Social team, helping to increase adoption and develop original content for Twitter Spaces. In my 11 months at the Bird, our team won two Clios, one OneShow pencil, a Cannes Lion and a Webby Jury award for “Best Overall Social - Brand”. I'd like to think we did a good job?
I got laid off from Twitter. You might have heard that the company has been dealing with some issues.
So, that's been my year...not too much going on. What about you? Click the cool button below these words and tell me what's been up!
Around the World
A curated list of interesting stories from around the web
"He didn’t want to be the only Black man in the room sitting at the table,” she said. He wanted not just to model a future for “kids that didn’t know they could be an architect, or the designer of Vuitton instead of a basketball player or a football player,” she said, but also to help make that happen. So while he may have been the first, he won’t ever be the last. “That’s what the foundation will focus on: 12- to 17-year-olds, to give them the portfolios they need. I know what he would want, and I feel just as strongly as he did about it — even though I’m a white female."
Shannon Abloh Is Ready to Talk → NYT
"Over a dozen public libraries in the U.S. and Canada have begun offering their own music streaming services to patrons, with the goal of boosting artists and local music scenes. The services are region-specific, and offer local artists non-exclusive licenses to make their albums available to the community."
Libraries Are Launching Their Own Local Music Streaming Platforms → VICE