#33 - 2023.
1 January 2023.
So, 2023.
A different Substack to kick off 2023. A *slightly* self-indulgent look back at 2022 and some podcasts, newsletters and books that I liked in 2022, as well as some links I’ve read through the last 10 days or so. It’s a bumper edition so here is the contents list to skip to sections you’re interested in:
But first, 2022.
Which has been nothing short of seismic at a macro and indeed micro level. War, economic turmoil, a cost of living crisis and lots in between. This coming off the back of lockdowns and covid, which we shouldn’t forget were still a thing at the start of 2022.
We’ve had three (five?) years of consistently changeable conditions, with more big things happening than ever. What has this got to do with anything I write about in this Substack? Well, everything. It’s the macro context for all our lives, business and otherwise. How do we work in these conditions? How do we be good friends, family members and everything else?
These things impact us more than we think, I suspect we are still all processing covid - I know I am - before we throw in a war (potentially another or two next year if reports are to be believed) and we are all feeling weary and a little scared. I guess what I think is key now, is how we build tools and support networks to deal with change. Because if it was inevitable before, it’s now omnipresent. Consistency is a super power, now more than ever.
Work reflections.
It’s been a very progressive year for me professionally - perhaps one of the most fulfilling of my career (though it will always be hard to quantify that). I have achieved some of what I wanted, some things I didn’t expect to and I’ve had disappointments and mistakes along the way too, oh boy have I, but that’s just part of the journey and I accept that more than ever. I feel content with what I’ve done and how much I’ve put in. Things could be better, they always can be, but I’m going to take the positive while I feel it.
Reflecting back, there are a few things that felt they made a difference to me:
Sponsorship. I’ve worked just as hard this year as any, but this year I’ve had sponsorship and that’s been a big, big difference. I’d kind of dismissed the principle of sponsorship before, but I’ve seen the results this year. A colleague who started at the same time as me in 2020 said that they’d always had it and it does make a difference, I was a bit sceptical but they were right. I also reflect that actually the other periods of my career that I felt I was performing best, were when I had sponsorship too.
Coaching. At the end of last year, I wrote on Linkedin that I was in essence burnt out, and I was. I had worked for 2 years constantly, with covid in the background and a tiny support team and in hindsight little to no sponsorship. I didn’t think I was balanced. This year I got to work with a coach for a year, on the back of 6 months of therapy in 2021 too. I invested in audiobooks and podcasts (see below) that gave me examples and tools to listen and follow too. Now look, none of this is a one size fits all method, but I have found a much better work-life flow. The concept of work-life balance feels slightly outdated, flowing through both for me, feels easier and reduces my anxiety.
Food and drink. I drink less. I love wine, like I really love it. Like I am certified WSET love. But I’m nearly 40 and drinking less means for me, better sleep. I kept my Peloton up but need to exercise more tbf, something I aim to do in 2023. I’ve started to eat better, but food has never been too much of a problem for me, eating more whole foods and less meat has been relatively simple but it’s made a difference to sleep too. I’ve added a lot of vitamins too.
Belief and positivity. I worked at a startup that was smoke and mirrors, it was all confidence and belief. I kind of rallied against the concept of blind belief and positivity. But this year, I’ve believed in a more pragmatic way, I believed that yes, I have the tools to do things and if I don’t know how I’ll find a way. That has relieved more anxiety than I realised could be possible. It’s easy sometimes to be negative, to give up, to think of the reasons why it may not work, or that you can’t do it and that you’re dumb for not knowing or there’s a secret you don’t know. But long as you’re not blind to that, having belief that you can find out, ego to the side, is powerful.
Confidence. This comes from all the above and competence imo. It’s all well and good saying; “be more confident”, but that’s not how it works. I’ve become more confident because I’ve delivered and mastered parts of my role and indeed, my life, a little better. The tools I’ve learnt along the way from my coaches, audiobooks, mentors, sponsors and from my therapist have been a huge aid to that too.
Some professh highlights, individual and team.
Speaking at Ad Week in NY and Social Media Week in London were nice individual highlights.
Flying 500 drones over New York,
Celebrating 10 Years of *the* ultimate mobile game,
Candy Cup, probably the biggest competition ever?
Meghan Trainor released her banging Tik tok trending single in our game,
*Huge*, *huge* Creator activation.
So much more happened, we launched Tik Tok and a second HTC and loads more - check the earnings etc, etc, it’s been a busy year.
It was also nice being able to travel again in particular to my second favourite city in the world, New York. I was lucky enough to visit the US 4 times this year and Europe three, Going back to NYC three times in 12 months felt special. In November in particular it felt like the City was back to what I remembered pre-pandemic.
I’m very bullish on what we’re building in 2023 and the next 10 years too.
Favourites from 2022. In no particular order, other than TV.
Books (I’ve read this year)
Disrupting the Game: From the Bronx to the Top of Nintendo. By: Reggie Fils-Aimé. I really enjoyed this and found it really inspirational, I listened to this one and Reggie did the audio so felt even more intimate. I’m no Nintendo fanboy, but the brand has always intrigued me. He gives a lot of insight into the difficulty of culture, change and also how a literal top-level person navigated it. As always, a pinch of salt but thoroughly enjoyable.
How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices By: Annie Duke. I used to follow and play poker a lot, physical and online - I even did my MA dissertation on poker and Annie Duke was a legend then and now. She’s written a fantastic book on making better decisions which I think we can all agree is much needed.
Unreasonable Success and how to achieve it by Richard Koch. A funny book with some questionable examples but I found it interesting and some stories I didn’t know.
Master Mentors by Scott Jeffery Miller - I learn from watching or reading/listening to people on how they got through experiences, this book does that well.
Take Charge of You, by David Novak. I’ve found this super helpful alongside formal coaching and his podcast, it works for the way I can take the information.
TV (in a slightly arguable enough order)
The Bear. Intense, the penultimate episode may be the best 21 mins of the year.
White Lotus S2. Totally gripped from mid-way.
Atlanta S3 & S4. So smart, so cutting, satirical, surreal and experimental, it is total and utter genius. Hard to beat the soundtrack, Euphoria runs it close. Donald Glover is special.
Big Boys. Made me cry, more TV like this, please. Warming, fun, good-hearted.
Severance. A superb concept, superbly acted, if Wes Anderson did TV?
Euphoria S2. Intense, anxiety-inducing, banging music.
YellowJackets. Fun, dark, a throw back to simpler times and indeed casting, Christina Ricci forever. S2 has big shoes to fill.
Stranger Things. Thought it wouldn’t be good, was fantastic.
House of Dragons. They took a huge risk after 3 eps and it paid off.
Industry S2. Skins but with sex and drugs. What’s not to like?
The Staircase. I had no idea of the story, remarkable.
Derry Girls S3. Similar to Big Boys, funny, smart and has lots of depth.
The Rehearsal. Never seen anything like it.
Podcasts
Parenting Hell with Josh Widdicombe and Rob Beckett. They make me laugh.
Football Cliches. The absolute niche end of football. I love it.
Rest is Politics. Always been fascinated by Campbell, and this is always a good way to stay on the pulse of what’s going on.
The News Agents. Started a little dodgy but found its feet in a big way. The piece on the German raids a few weeks ago was insane.
Dr Rangan Chatterjee. Thought this would be totally awful but it’s genuinely great. Some episodes get into the 2-hour+ but see each episode as a discreet show or topic and you’ll find something useful.
Eat Sleep Work Repeat. On the pulse of the culture of work, research-based, plainly put.
How Leaders Lead with David Novak. Big guests from business and sport, the 3 question episodes are really good for an intro into the content.
Newsletters
I read *a lot* of newsletters and I find them a huge source of inspiration and learning. So this is a long, long list. My actual Substack list is here. I hope it’s useful. In no particular order.
* denotes that I paid sub.
Benedict Evans* - ahead of the curve on regulation and tech.
Stratchery*. - Incredible resource, on tech, social platforms and business. Everything. A must-read.
Katelyn Donnelly - really well written and I always learn something.
Lenny’s newsletter* - products and engineering, again something I learn from
Garbage Day* (email me if you want a month premium free) - genuinely on the pulse of digital culture - more than any other outlet. Has a great discord.
Platformer* - Great insight into what’s going on in tech platforms. Has a great discord.
After School* - Digital culture, Gen Z and everything that’s cool. I always read it.
New Fatherhood* - A community for dads, it’s nice.
Make work better - Does what it says on the tin. See podcast too.
FPL is Life. - If you like fantasy Premier League and want to take it a little more seriously.
Five things on Friday. - Direct, funny, honest, relevant and always a viewpoint I trust. I read it through every single time.
Today in Tabs*. - What’s going on in internet culture compressed each week. Has a great discord.
Digital Native. - I don’t always agree, but when he gets it right - he really does.
Tweets and Toks
Genius. 👇
Useful-ish.
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Odds and ends, basic links. Pure linkage
*95 (ninty-five) decks on trends and predictions for 2023. From Mintel, IBM, IG, Accenture, Kantar, JP Morgan. Literally everyone. *
Disagreeing better. - old but good.
I mentioned Embracer a few months ago, LA Times covers them here.
Why is game development so expensive - read the linkined post first for context.
Greta
I try not to engage or platform anyone like the dude that Greta replied to. But the narrative is too big to ignore. Though at the heart, absolutely grim and dark.
Another thing
I started this Substack in 2022, 32 editions + 1 flash post later it’s become a really enjoyable ritual to my week. I started writing this Substack for a few reasons:
1) I was sharing less on Twitter where I used to share links a lot and commentary of my thoughts on happenings but the platform was changing and I felt only comfortable talking about TV and Football - little did I know what was coming.
2) For a creative outlet, to be accountable to write more and I like nothing if not an audience and
3) To make sure I read more.
I’ve enjoyed writing and getting more involved in Substack newsletters and discords (see above). I hope you’ve found it useful too. Do message me with improvements or things you’d like to see more of, I don’t think I need to open chat, but let me know.
To 2023. I hope it brings you everything you are willing to work hard enough for and that you get enough luck too. Luck is underrated.
You got to the end. You are my favourite, yes you - thanks mate.
RIP to an icon, what an extraordinary life.
All the spelling and grammatical mistakes in this Substack are on purpose to test you, actually. Well done. You got them all. No, I don’t need to know about them, you have that kudos.