INTAKE #41
LITERACY. 2026 MEDIA TRENDS. MARTY SUPREME MARKETING. THE ROW TRIBECA. HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT. RAUSCHENBERG 100. NOTRE DAME'S NEW GLASS. STORYTELLING. KILLINGTON'S ASPIRATIONS. TIKTOK DEAL & MUCH MORE.
This week's INTAKE covers the cultural, business, and tech signals shaping 2026: from the cognitive crisis of declining literacy and Puck's sobering media trends report, to Timothée Chalamet's masterclass film marketing run for Marty Supreme.
We dig into The Row's rumored Tribeca flagship, the luxury arms race hitting East Coast skiing with Killington's $3 billion transformation, and why "Storyteller" is replacing "Coder" as the hot job title. Plus: the TikTok deal finally closes (and the consolidation concerns that come with it), Notre Dame's controversial new stained glass, Instagram's leap to TV, Rauschenberg's centennial at the Museum of the City of New York, and fresh creative talent from DotDotDot's year-end Source Code. We close with studio updates, satellite maps, a West Village gallery worth visiting, and books to carry into the new year.
“If you haven’t read hundreds of books, You’re functionally illiterate”
⁃ general mattis
I found this quote quite applicable, processing the sad fact that literacy is on decline. The deterioration of our collective attention span is no longer anecdotal, it is a measurable cognitive shift.
Technology-driven attention span deterioration is real, I’ve noticed a shift myself, and I love to read. Personally, I’m aware of the increased distraction, apps have gotten better at siphoning off my time.
I just looked at my past goodreads challenges, I’ve gone from over 20 books a year in 2018, to 7 in 2025.
As the New York Times recently highlighted, we are pivoting toward a audio and video-first culture that sacrifices the “stamina” required for long-form literacy. This is reflected in the data: high school reading scores have hit 30-year lows, and a 2024 survey reveals teachers now assign an average of only 2.7 whole books per year, favoring “excerpts” over complete narratives.
This erosion persists into adulthood, where National Endowment for the Arts data reveals adult literary reading at its lowest in decades. Daily reading for pleasure has plummeted 40% over the past two decades, with only 48.5% of adults reading at least one book in the past year.
Cognitive neuroscientist Maryanne Wolf warns that our “digital brains” are being rewired for speed and skimming, eroding our capacity for critical analysis. This is the calculated result of “persuasive design,” where behavioral psychologists engineer dopamine-driven loops that prioritize the infinite scroll.
We are trading our depth for a fragmented digital consciousness, forgetting the warning of the Stoic philosopher Seneca:
"To be everywhere is to be nowhere.
You must linger among a limited number of master-thinkers, and digest their works, if you would derive ideas which shall win firm hold in your mind."
Seneca
PUCK’S 2026 MEDIA TRENDS REPORT
The media landscape is changing in radical ways. The past few years have seen streaming massively disrupt television, big networks lose ground to niche channels, advertising give way to a diversification of revenue streams and other fundamental shifts to the media industry at large.
Puck just dropped a media trends report thats pulling insights from a very targeted audience. They polled over 170 media insiders and executives to bring forth some great findings and predictions for the years to come.
Video streaming is vastly surpassing other sectors for growth potential for advertising (See my coverage on youtub’s meteoric rise).
AI is creating an overwhelming concern about the diminished content quality it’s going to cause. That concern overweighs job displacement.
There is a huge disparity between ‘elite’ news sources and general population. Meaning, of the executives surveyed only 7% get their news from Twitter, Threads, or Bluesky while over 50% of Americans are getting their news from those sources.
There is a general tonality of fear and dismay regarding the future of media, this could be specifically attached to the status quo systems but respondents don’t seem to have a bright outlook. Consolidation, and AI anxieties drove that.
MARTY SUPREME MARKETING RUN
This has got to be the greatest marketing run I’ve ever seen for a film. Really its a run for Timmy, homie’s been everywhere in the past month, dropping viral bombs back to back. First the zoom calls, then the merch and genius seeding. Then a Druski coulda been records collab in Brooklyn, into an underground pingpong tourney.
He’s threading pop culture masterfully, and then he drops a remix of 4 Raws leaning into that theory the he IS Esdeekid.
He’s said that a lot of this he’s paid for himself, and that makes sense because its the only way you can MOVE like this.
Flawless Victory.
THE ROW TRIBECA
Issey Miyake’s Iconic Space in Tribeca closed this month after 24 years in the Frank Gehry designed space on Hudson street. Rumors began circulating this week that The Row will take on the space early next year. The row only operates 5 flagships globally, so the fact that their opening a second NYC location is testament to the strength of this market.
Tribeca is seeing a post pandemic commercial renaissance, largely driven by hospitality moves.
Rigor hill proved the appetite for pricey farm to table vibes which paved the way for Meadow Lane. Jean-Georges is planning to take over De Niro’s Tribeca Grill, and the family behind Beef Bar is bringing Paper Moon to the old Sarabeth’s space next year as well.
YEAR END SOURCE CODE
Christopher continues to be a source of inspiration, his DODOTDOT source codes keep me up on talent often not on my radar. Last week he dropped a year end round up of fresh source material.
Some stand outs for me:
Garance Vallée | Architect & Designer
Cole Furgeson | Photographer
Jack Grange | Photographer
Jake Vanden Berge | Artist
Sienna Murdoch | Prop Designer & Artist
STUDIO PRACTICE
Settled into my new space, painting resumes.
Newly shot diptych in blue. Large format. 72”x 96” | Acrylic on wood.
More of my studio practice and process on my website.
FRONTIER OF THE YEAR 2025
As far as year end lists go, this ones the most enlightening. From Arb Research a fun site listing things humans discovered and did this year.
Some high notes:
We produced the most energy dense molecule ever (hexanitrogen), brought murder rates down 25% since 2020, a malaria treatment is in sight (leading to three new countries now malaria free), for the first time in history China’s emissions may be falling, we’re making antimatter 8x faster now…The list goes on.
If you want to feel good about the human condition and our capabilities as a species, this lists for you.
“Extreme poverty drops from 27% of India to 5% in one decade.”
DIRECTORS LIBRARY
I just came across Directors Library, unsure how long its been around but what a wonderful tool. I’m constantly looking for both inspiration and new talent, looking through this site there is so much of both. Its a lot of films I’ve never seen before as well.
You can sort by Campaigns, Film, Music Video or if your putting mood boards together they have a Frames section. Highly recommend bookmarking this site.
ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG
Part of a larger centennial celebration of Rauschenberg, the Museum of the City of New York presents Robert Rauschenberg’s New York: Pictures from the Real World.
The exhibit is in three sections looking at the evolution the artists photographic practice and how he incorporated it into his paintings.
1220 Fifth Ave at 103rd St. HOURS: Mon-Fri 10-5 | Sat-Sun 10-6
PAULINE FRANSSON
Swedish artist Pauline Fransson will show new work after a residency at Spazio Sassetti in Florence.
The show, “And now I fell as bodies fall, for dead” is a reflection of her exploration of devotional spaces throughout Florence combined with painting while sick.
An interesting approach to a shows manifesto, exploring the limitations of ones body when your fatigued, with fever, and generally feeling like shit. How that reflects in the work.
NOTRE DAME’S NEW STAINED GLASS
Despite controversy, the cathedral of Notre Dame is moving forward with 6 new stained glass windows by French artist Claire Tabouret. Issue surrounds the fact that the original windows from the 19th century were undamaged in the fire, leaving architects and art historians questioning the move to replace them.
“Every time there is a new artistic intervention in a historic part of Paris, there is a controversy, and it’s interesting to be part of that history,
The Buren columns in the Palais-Royal, I. M. Pei’s Pyramid at the Louvre — they go on to become beloved parts of the city. Change should be made with caution, and this project is very cautious, very gentle, harmonious.”
Claire Tabouret
Full-scale, maquettes are now on display at the Grand Palais in Paris.
CODINGS OUT STORYTELLINGS IN
This is the year Vibe Coding took over tech, and decimated what was for the past decade one of the most lucrative and promoted career paths.
As one door shuts another opens. Linkedin postings for the title ‘Storyteller’ doubled in the U.S this year and its becoming one of the go-to buzzwords for executives on earnings calls.
Storyteller is basically a merging of traditional comms, pr and social roles with a rebrand in title. The plethora of new platforms creates opportunities for those great at content creation to catch absurd salaries.
That money could be justified, as were consuming depressing amounts of ‘content.’ Activate Consulting just released a report claiming average time spent on media and technology by U.S. consumers will reach 13 hours and 5 minutes a day. (Multitasking plays a role here, as you can be listening to a podcast while working, allowing consumption to surpass 24 hours.)
This is also an attempt to merge silo’d departments like paid, influencer, social, organic, and other various communication departments into move cohesive structures or ‘storyteller teams’.
Ashwinn Krishnaswamy’s hot take this week made one great point; “Most Companies don’t have a story worth telling”
An area that comes to mind here is PE companies and funds, who are evolving their communication strategies to be considerably more forward facing then they have been in the past.
A16z is an example, not only is Andreessen incredibly outbound, they have begun operating like a media company with their own podcast covering their industry at large, with constant integration of coverage and spokespeople from their portfolio companies. I listen to it, its good.
Founders are becoming much more camera facing, the businesses themselves are acting like brands. I had a call a few weeks back with another top fund looking to develop a comms plan ranging from their social footprint to video podcasts and short form shows.
KILLINGTON’S ASPEN ASPIRATIONS
The East Coast has long been the "brute force" theater of American skiing, defined by bulletproof ice, biting winds, and a culture of grit. However, this identity is facing a massive transformation as the global "luxury arms race" reaches the Green Mountains.
The $3 Billion Bet on the “Aspen of the East”
Great Gulf, a Toronto-based developer, is wagering $3 billion over the next 25 years to transform Killington into a premier destination village. The project, designed by renowned architect Moshe Safdie, plans for 2,300 residential units and a 450-acre commercial hub, fundamentally altering the resort’s “parking lot and a base lodge” aesthetic.
This is part of a broader, high-stakes trend across North America, a broader luxury arms race in skiing, where resorts are chasing high-net-worth crowds amid skyrocketing costs that make the sport feel increasingly elite.
To the west, Deer Valley is investing over $5 billion to double its skiable acreage. I recently wrote about Powder Haven, Reed Hastings’ private mountain development where building lots average $4 million plus annual membership fees up to $100,000.
On the east coast the ‘luxuryification’ has been tried, take Windham Mountain’s 2023 rebrand to a semi-private club: Lifetime memberships hit $200,000, with annual dues around $9,000, emphasizing NYC proximity and hospitality over quality terrain. It’s not a skier’s mountain, it’s fine for kids learning, but the pricing feels off for what you get.
I’m not sure Vermont can capture the après-luxe crowd that flocks to Aspen, Jackson, Sun Valley etc. At over 5 hours from New York, the math starts favoring a flight to Colorado.
Boston is where I’d center marketing efforts.
There’s absolutely an underserved audience on the east coast for luxury amenities, but it will clash with deeply embedded local culture. Vermont’s Act 250, the state’s landmark 1970 land use law, has historically stymied large-scale development. A major point of contention is the planned 50% reduction in resort parking to make room for the village, which critics argue prioritizes overnight high-net-worth guests.
Ultimately, the clash is between the “mid-century shabbiness” of the old lodges and a new “five-star, white-glove” future.
I grew up east coast skiing, you learn to ski on the east, you can ski anything. Writing this stirs gratitude for my dad hauling me to Sunday River and Killington every weekend from ages 4 to 16.
Looking back as a father myself, that is a serious time commitment I’m only now appreciating. My love of skiing can be credited to those trips, and I’ll always have a fond memory of Killington.
ALEX KARPS ASPEN COMPOUND
On the subject of Skiing’s luxury arms race, Palantir CEO Alex Karp just bought a monastery outside aspen, paying a record $120 million (WSJ).
It’s got very Every Battle cult hideaway vibes.
What’s below the paywall:
Instagram Comes to TV. TikTok Deal’s A Go. Live Satellite Tracking Map. K’ab Juun (an incredible west village gallery and store), Book Recommendations.
