Jacob All Trades #324
Football, Movies, Gaza, Horoscopes, Tie Dye, Disney Streaking, A Green Job, Lincoln Logs, Generative AI, and much more
Happy (belated) Winter Solstice and….Good LORD. How did I turn around and somehow not send a newsletter for six weeks?! Well, for half that time I’ve been very busy making some goofs with the fine folks at Bud Light and Omaha Productions. The campaign will start popping up over the next month, but here’s a still:
I also did a quick follow-up to my point from the last newsletter (Movie Companies Should Be Run By People Who Like Movies) where I used AI to puppeteer Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav:
This is a very silly video, for a very niche audience, but it got shared around quite a bit with write-ups in The Wrap, Cartoon Brew, and a niche, pay-to-subscribe, industry newsletter that a friend told me “pretty much guarantees Zaslav or at least his inner circle have seen it.” After news WB is exploring a merger with Paramount, I feel a follow up may be necessary.
I’ve also been gardening quite a bit. Anywho, let’s get to the newsletter!
CONSUMPTION JUNCTION
Three things I’ve read/watched/consumed recently that have been on my mind.
This IndieWire article presents a sobering look at the reality of documentary as a genre. The TL;DR is that corporate capitalism freed by lack of regulation continues to homogenize culture, erase nuance, and gatekeep new voices. Bummer. (Thanks to friend of the newsletter, Danny O’Malley for sharing.)
What’s going on in Israel and Gaza is difficult to talk about but we need to talk about it. It’s a conversation that (especially on the Internet) can be co-opted by bad actors, fogged by whataboutism (often from well meaning people hardened by suffering), and oversimplified. One source I’ve continued to turn to is Standing Together and the above clip from one of their founders, Alon Lee.
Horoscopes have shifted. From this Forbes article (which — side note, why is Forbes covering this?!): “Earth has precessed in the last 3,000 years, which is when the astrological star signs were codified by the Babylonians that lived in Mesopotamia, in what is now Iraq and Syria.
Precession is a natural process lasting 25,800 years that sees Earth wobble on its axis—rather like a spinning top—because of the Moon’s gravitational influence. The result is that the “North Star” constantly changes and so do the equinox points. In short, the apparent positions of the stars have shifted west.”
For example, Taurus is actually* May 13-June 21 (not 4/20-5/20) and Gemini is actually* June 21-July 20 (not 5/21-6/20). So, if your birthday is May 27th and you’ve spent 38 years thinking you were a Gemini… congratulations: you’re a Taurus. And if you disagree, all I have to say is “Classic Taurus.”
*actually with an asterisk b/c all of this is made up
AN INFORMAL POLL
Just for funsies. You’ve got to vote to see the stats :)
DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
You know your boy loves a subculture. I recently discovered the absolutely bonkers level of detail people can get with tie dye… and there’s no turning back. Here are just a few, but follow the IG hashtags #tiedyereveal and #tiedyeart for more.
WORK I AM JEALOUS OF
Make My Money Matter recently released a campaign calling for pension divestment from fossil fuels starring Oscar-winner (and Peep Show alumnus) Olivia Coleman. I’ll post both below. They’re doing a great job.
A few years ago they posted a similar ad with stars Jason Isaacs as a logging baron.
If you are a member of an entertainment union (DGA, WGA, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE) and you don’t want your pensions fueling the destruction of our home planet, please join me in pushing for divestment next year. You can follow on Instagram at @DivestDGA, @DivestWGA, @DivestSAG, @DivestIATSE and sign up for more info at divesthollywood.org
3 THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW I NEEDED TO SEE
The heroes we didn’t know we needed…
Editing wizards The Bell Bros. have created this incredible sequence of Elayne Benes dancing through different TV realities:
This nudist who — either having the best or worst day of their life — streaked through It’s A Small World at Disneyland and — after evading capture — was hogtied by guards. Why the guards didn’t have the decency to cover him before literally parading him past children is beyond me.
This woman who methodically channeled what probably could be some real serial killer energy into simply pranking her dad with Brussel sprouts. Click through for the whole thing…
GREEN JOB ALERT!
Rewiring America — the leading electrification nonprofit — is hiring a graphic designer. Stacey Abrams is part of their leadership. Dr. Leah Stokes works with them. They’re cool. From their ‘about us page’":
We develop accessible, actionable data and tools, and build coalitions and partnerships to make going electric easier for households and communities. Rewiring America helps Americans save money, tackle nationwide emissions goals, improve health, and build the next generation of the clean energy workforce. We believe in an abundant, flourishing, climate-safe future, and know that, together, we can realize one.
The graphic design position is remote and full-time. Starting salary is $75-100k. Honestly, the benefits are pretty good: 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision. 401k automatic contribution and matching. 160 hrs health leave, 2 days casual leave, 20 hrs volunteer leave. Apply here.
THIS SHOULD BE A DOC
It’s time for another edition of “things that I would like to watch a documentary about.” If you’re in the doc world and you’re not beaten down enough by the realities of selling something to actually make something interesting and you’d like to run with one of these ideas… have at them!*
The People Who Pick Up Horse Poop In The Rose Parade
Model Trains Are Nearly Exclusively A Hobby of Older White Men… Some of Them Are Desperate to Diversify the Fanbase So that the Artform Can Survive
*but, like, maybe give me a shout-out in the special thanks? There are a dozen more on this list that I’m keeping for myself. If you’d like to collaborate on any of these docs, or are someone with a shit ton of money you don’t know what to do with and want to hire me… my DMs are open.
I MADE THIS FOR YOU
Adobe Photoshop’s generative AI is a force to be reckoned with… kind of. In this slow-burn tutorial spoof, I show you how it works:
My favorite review so far is from a TikTok user who said “I can’t tell if this is real.”
Alrighty, that’s it for this issue. Feel free to leave a comment or share the newsletter using the links below.
Party on,
Jacob
DELIGHTED by that ferrero tale, and this norwegian town!!!!
Got me giggling! A lot!!