This week Daisy and Francis are joined by Maya Bakhai, founder of Spice Capital, a venture capital firm focused on taking big bets in areas primed for rapid change in the coming decades.__Maya BakhaiNewsletterLinkedInInstagramX/TwitterSpice CapitalWebsiteInstagramTikTokX/Twitter__ReferencesLenny: How tech works really feel about work right nowLinkedIn Post: Why PRIME hit a $3.2B valuation overnightTBPN: Technology Brothers podcastThe Information: How the 'Technology Brothers' Seized Silicon Valley__Timestamps00:00:00 Vineyards and interstates00:06:41 Venture capital: The invisible curator of millennial taste00:14:38 To be investable you must be legible00:19:20 Naive optimism of a startup founder00:29:55 From Crocs to stocks00:36:33 The hype cycle of creator-led products00:44:50 The barnacles of tech industry00:52:18 Embracing the power of cultural arbitrage00:57:02 Taking over Silicon Valley__Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.
--------
1:03:24
Ep. 43: The Scented Mr. Ripley ft. Carly Silverman
This week on Tasteland, Daisy and Francis are joined by comedy, culture, and perfume writer, Carly Silverman. Carly is also a TV and video producer, and host of the new podcast Smell That Movie.__CarlySmell That MovieTwitter/XInstagramLinks & ReferencesDirt / Greta Rainbow: Where will the next literary movement come from?Cosmo / Carly Silverman: The PerfumeTok influencers have got it all wrongSubstack / Kyla Scanlon: The most valuable commodity is friction__Timestamps00:00 Introducing Carly Silverman00:56 The sign of a good party03:35 Literary movement = scene + genre07:09 We're back to selling out11:41 Smell that movie17:32 The Talented Mr. Zierer22:07 Aesthetic perfumes go against the idea of humanity27:19 Smell and friction34:18 The great fragrance and culture writers35:41 What does the internet smell like?41:25 What book do you want to smell like?45:44 Nostalgic summer camp smells53:37 From letterboxd to podcast__Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.
--------
1:03:30
Ep. 42: Old restaurants are the new restaurants ft. Matt Rodbard
This week Daisy and Francis are joined by Matt Rodbard, a seasoned writer, editor and author in the food and culture space. Matt is the Editor in Chief of the award winning food publication TASTE and co-host of podcast This is TASTE.__MattWebsiteInstagramLinkedInTasteWebsiteNewsletterPodcastYouTubeInstagramTwitter/X__Links & ReferencesNieman Lab piece on Clone__Timestamps00:00:00 Introducing Matt Rodbard00:01:39 Food content at The Webbys00:06:39 The shift to creator-first journalism00:14:32 Rising critical food content online00:18:37 Visual identity in a sea of sameness00:27:41 The relationship between written and audio content00:32:10 The financial landscape of the food industry00:35:58 Diners habits are changing00:40:20 Pop-ups are the newsletters of restaurants00:45:40 The old thing is someone's new thing00:55:43 Like it or not, you're a founder01:01:58 The best German food outside of Germany__Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.
--------
1:05:44
Ep. 41: Under the Henfluence ft. Tove Danovich
Francis is out of town this week and Daisy is joined by Tove Danovich, a journalist and writer who has featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Ringer, and Dirt. She is the author of the 'Under the Henfluence: Inside the World of Backyard Chickens and the People Who Love Them', an immersive blend of chicken-keeping memoir and animal welfare reporting.--ToveWebsiteSubstackInstagramBluesky--Links & ReferencesDirt x Boys Club: clone.fyiTove's book list: Nine amazing books about animalsTove's climate change piece: On hope and hopelessnessDaisy's essay: Attention is what makes us human__Timestamps00:00 Introducing Tove01:50 Curiosity is the topic of life06:49 Our relationship with urban wildlife12:33 Impactful responses from Tove's readers17:56 Chicken's in culture through the ages22:04 The political power of the egg27:00 The deeply feminist story of chickens and egg-money31:32 Beekeeping and pollination myths36:00 Nine amazing books about animals41:17 The challenges of writing about climate and nature__Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.
--------
51:25
Ep. 40: Bread and Magazines ft. Sarah Leonard of Lux
This week Daisy and Francis are joined by Sarah Leonard, editor in chief of Lux Magazine, a feminist magazine of politics and culture founded in 2021. Sarah is also a contributing editor to Dissent and The Nation, and her writing has been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Republic, and elsewhere.__Lux MagazineWebsiteTwitter/XInstagramReferencesInterview with Sarah: Creative Independent__Timestamps00:00 American tourists irritate American tourist09:10 The joys and difficulties of print media12:33 Designing a website that feels like a magazine15:02 Customizable databased for your personal life17:18 Fundraising for a politically opinionated media business19:27 The versatility of an editor23:19 Who is the Lux reader?32:13 Helping young writers43:21 Highlights from Lux50:15 Don't fall into the clout trap56:56 How the internet works__ Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.
Creative takes on media, marketing and technology from Daisy Alioto and Francis Zierer. Daisy is the CEO of Dirt Media, a next-generation entertainment brand using emerging technology to tell the coolest stories about culture and collecting. Francis is the editor of Creator Spotlight, a weekly newsletter about creators across the world of newsletters.New episodes every Wednesday.
Colombia