These days everyone seems to have a year end list. Usually, it’s things they appreciated or admired in the prior year; think a “Best Of” or maybe a “Recap.” You know the drill.
I’ve always been partial to “This Year In Photos.”
Anyway. It’s 2024! And I know the people are clamoring, asking - nay - screaming the question: “WHAT IS HIS LIST?!”
Well… it’s late, ok? Blame it on a cocktail of holiday laziness, procrastination, a lack of appreciation for how long this shit takes to actually do (s/o people who post YouTube videos every day. When do you eat?), and just general list exhaustion.
So it’s January 5th and I’m just now getting around to it.
*Shrugs*
But there’s a twist with this list (that’s fun to say!):
Rather than spend all this time hammering away to look back at the year that was, I find it more fun to look ahead. To the stuff that is most exciting in 2024… because 2024 is sure to be a totally chill and normal year with nothing but smooth sailings and normal stuff happening within our totally functioning American institutions.
What’s not to be excited about?!
Ok… in no particular order:
More SKIMS Men’s: My god I love this shit. I am head to toe in it right now as I type this. I mean I don’t look as good as Neymar or SGA, but it is a wildly comfortable, exceptional product — the tees, the boxers, the sweats… all of it is perfect. It’s especially great for the days when home is the office and you can get away with the newscaster fit. Make more stuff for dudes and take my money, Kim.
Apple Vision Pro: Mallory and I already made a rule that due to our work, we are professionally obligated to procure one (1) Apple Vision Pro. We will not sit on the couch wearing them together. No way. But the hopes are high for both of us that Apple will once again delicately and brilliantly create a better human experience from what should by all accounts be alien. I - for one - am excited about what spatial computing could bring.
Playing More Basketball: A few years ago, after decades of playing pickup ball regularly, I finally started feeling it in my knees. Turned out I had a slightly torn patellar tendon, and the only prescription was more cowbell. No, just kidding, I couldn’t play hoops anymore (or at least for a good, long while) - which was way worse. Since then I have finally started taking recovery seriously - nearly nightly knee icing and Hyperice massage gunning have made a huge difference. I’m not sure I’ll ever be back to 100%, but at least with better knees the only thing I’ll need to overcome come springtime is NYC court intimidation.
Cohart: A little bit of shameless self-promo, but I am so excited about what’s in store for Cohart in 2024. Mallory and I started dipping our toes into art collecting in 2023, and it was an intimidating thing… not knowing how to talk about it or find value. But Cohart is changing all that, creating an art world that is accessible and fun - reshaping the way that buyers, collectors, and artists connect, engage, and transact. I had the privilege of helping Kendall, Shyevin and the leadership team with a few initiatives last year to solidify the foundations of their brand, and they are primed for success in 2024 and beyond. Mallory and I bought a commissioned piece through them at the end of this year, and have pieces from a few other artists who are on the site. If you’re an artist looking for a great tool to connect with buyers and sell pieces, or someone looking to collect new original art in 2024 - go to Cohart!
The 2024 Olympics: The Olympics rule. Full stop. Can’t wait to get excited about a random javelin thrower from Battle Creek, MI overcoming some incredible personal struggle to bring home the gold medal. Also the music. Also, also, it means we can start the official LOS ANGELES 2028 countdown! (Assuming that society hasn’t completely collapsed by that point!!)
Snow: As of this writing, it has been 690 days since the last measurable snowfall in NYC. As a native California kid who chose to move to NYC during the biggest snow-drought in history, this is tough. It’ll snow this year… right? Right?!
*Aggressively refreshes NYC Metro Weather on Instagram*Delta Sky Lounges Being Less Crowded: Ok, I know I am in the minority on this one… my elite flyer status is showing. And I’ll start by saying the changes to the SkyMiles program overall are somewhere between disrespectful and abhorrent, but man… a chiller, less crowded lounge? You mean… No more disastrous salad bars with arugula and cheese strewn around like it’s an elementary school? No more awkwardly standing over other patrons waiting for a seat by a charger? No more 10-15 minute waits for a watered down screwdriver? No more LINES OUTSIDE LOUNGES LIKE IT’S A NIGHTCLUB? Yes. Yes please to anything that makes domestic air travel even 1% better.
Grass Clippings @ Rolling Hills: A couple of the homies from Phoenix, AZ are taking their golf apparel business to the next level, and after taking over an “executive” style golf course in Tempe, installing lights on it, and opening up a taco restaurant “club house”, they’re ready to make golf fun and competitive for everyone. Max Homa and Steph Curry have already dropped by to play rounds there since they started booking tee times in the fall, and I can’t wait to get out there next month. Thank Your Local Greenskeeper and #StayGrassy.
Head of State / Mr. Bee: Another one in the category of dope people doing dope things… I met Mr. Bee when I popped into a reputable barber shop on the Lower East Side, needing a trim in NYC. I had been getting my hair cut by the same person for years in LA (s/o BY WEBB!), and desperately needed to find a new spot. As creative souls with an entrepreneurial tilt, Bee and I quickly hit it off, and not long after that he let me know that he was leaving the place I met him at to open his own space. Fast forward 6 months and Head of State is a thriving shop on Orchard in LES, where Bee and his team offer cuts, and has a creative vision for so much more. So pumped for Mr. Bee and what’s in store for this year… and if you need a cut, you know where to go!
Shohei Ohtani & Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Dodger Blue: I mean… I haven’t stopped smiling in a while. How special for Los Angeles to be able to welcome two global icons for the next decade. I already have Dodgers / Yankees in The Bronx circled on my calendar for July…
That A24 Civil War Movie: Well, we won’t dwell on this one for too long other than to say Alex Garland is one of my favorite directors. His direction (Annihilation, Ex Machina, DEVS) is beautiful and prescient and moving and I always look forward to what he does. Apparently, he has decided to make a movie about a hypothetical civil war in the United States of America that A24 is distributing. It’s called “Civil War” and it comes out in April. A24 + Alex Garland is a sure bet, so let’s hope it’s fiction!
SNL’s 50th Season: If you have ever spoken to me for more than five minutes, you know how obsessed I am with all things Saturday Night Live. It’s a tremendous accomplishment for this show to be created and produced in a week. It’s an even tremendous-er accomplishment for that to have been done, 21-ish times a year for 50 years. Rumours are circling that it might be legendary creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels’ last season which will make it even more of a celebration of the cultural institution.
……………still….. waiting for my invite, entertainment friends…………………. :)AI Healthcare: This isn’t a predictions space, but throughout the second half of 2023 I was inundated with readings and conversations about consumer healthcare as one of the first major frontiers where the positive impacts of AI will be felt. In Major Futures work with the medical space, the promise of personalized medicine has always been massive… and with the exponential sophistication of AI at our doorstep, it feels like we are closer than ever to major impact that will accelerate innovation in the health space. Here’s to hoping that starts being felt in earnest in 2024.
Friends doing cool things!!: I’m so proud of my friends and there’s nothing I love more than hyping them up. There was so much of this in 2023, whether it was Kyle Nicolaides releasing his book and starting to open up whole new sources of revenue, Katie Horwitch releasing her book (with a book launch Cabaret!!!), POLLOCK traveling around the world and creating amazing art, or Mallory continuing to help so many professionals have a real, true community to call home… it was so inspiring to watch everyone build longer tables, and I know there is so much more in store for 2024!
Other honorable mentions:
More tattoos: I want to get more tattoos. Too much of my body is un-inked and I’m committed to changing that. Nothing else to add. NYC artist / shop recommendations appreciated!
Getting better @ Notion: This one is pretty simple. As much as I love technology, I’m pretty stuck in my ways when it comes to my personal work flow and tech stack. I finally was nudged to use Notion in 2023, and loved it… so, plainly, I am looking forward to more Notion in 2024.
Major Futures: Ok, this shameless self-promotion, but I am so stoked on, and so proud of everything that Jeremy and I and the rest of the Major Futures team has brewing. We’ve doubled in size each year since starting off in 2021, and entering year three, we couldn’t be more excited to take it to the next level. So much to share as things happen, but for now - more cool projects, more new opportunities, more new partners, more content, and more more more of all of it.
Ok - if you’ve gotten this far: you’re welcome for all the time and hard work and energy I put into this list of things to share with you! I appreciate you so much.
Wishing you and yours happiness, health, and blessings in 2024 and beyond.
Oh, and I guess this is the time that I’ll share that I’ll be writing in this space. Yes. Finally, and For Real. And like… often. Or as often as I can. Because like I mentioned, this shit takes tiiime. I mean I don’t even have a header on this page yet. Baby steps…
So sign up below and be on the lookout for more stuff all year long.
Joseph