How are you? It’s been a minute. Seems like we started the year, looked up, and now it’s May.
The ML team has been hard at work launching some notable new projects, so we thought it was a good time to get back to what makes ML so special: our people.
We’re back with our series Connect the Dots with ML. Every month, one member of our team or #GoodPeople Network will answer three questions: What are you reading? What are you watching? What are you listening to? Plus, they get one (1) hot take™. Get to know us and hopefully soon we’ll get to know you.
You’ve gotten to know our VP of Operations, Nadia Basil and Designer, Kjersti Jorgenson. Now it’s time to say hello to our VP of Marketing Service, Kelly Wrather!
What Are You Reading? 📚
After reading five books in January and February, I hit a major book slump and started and stopped about four different books. The book to break the cycle was The Nobodies by Liza Palmer. I picked it up at my local library solely because I was amused by the cover art. I stuck with it because I enjoyed Palmer’s take on the unraveling of start-up tech culture.
Also, this is my plug for libraries. They are the best.
What Are You Watching? 🎥
The thirty-minute sitcom is where it’s at.
Apple+ TV has been putting out some top-notch content: the brilliant first season of Shrinking, the final season of Ted Lasso, and the musical cult fave, Shmicago. On the network side, I recommend Abbott Elementary to anyone looking for a lighthearted watch, and I’ve gotten into Gina Rodriquez’s (Jane the Virgin for life #TeamRaf) new show, Dead to Me.
I love the storytelling on all these shows, and it’s a good reminder that shows are nothing without their writers.
What Are You Listening to? 🎧
Our work for the Tulsa for You brand at SXSW got me into some local Tulsa artists and bands, including Wilderado. These Tulsa natives recently announced a US fall tour that includes a stop in my hometown, Chicago, and you betcha that I snatched a ticket. In my podcast rotation, I am a loyal listener to Petty Crimes and Normal Gossip. They both fill this void of low-stakes, mid-tier drama, and I am here for it.
Hot Take 🧯
I don’t really care about AI.
I mean, that’s not entirely true, but honestly, if I have to see one more article pontificating whether AI will make our jobs obsolete, I might barf.
Every technological advance can be both a blessing and a curse over time — just look at Facebook.
Instead of obsessing over the future of things, I have a new mantra to stay focused on the present.
Let’s not get too wrapped up in what could be or the next trend we have to get ahead of. Let’s do good work that we can be proud of, whether robots helped us or not. Let’s enjoy what’s in front of us.
We hope you are feeling a little bit more connected, or even inspired to go out and make a new connection through any of the ideas above. And we look forward to connecting with you more. Stay tuned to next month’s edition to learn more about one of the #GoodPeople of ML — VP Product Sameehan Patel — and make even more new connections. Talk soon!
