Tonight is the night! (JoJo Siwa's Single Comes Out)
If I had a wish, I would've never EFFED AROUND!!!!
It’s JoJo time! My entire FYP on TikTok for the past week has been people making fun of JoJo Siwa and I couldn’t be happier. She’s probably made 300 Instagram posts promoting her new adult XXXXX-rated single “Karma” which we’ve basically already heard 90% of.
She attended the iHeart awards in a black rhinestone KISS outfit and said many things, including that people are likening her rebrand to Miley’s Bangers era and Britney’s Slave 4 U and I’m like….are “people” just Jessalyn?
Taylor is officially a billionaire. You can go off on me about how no one needs that much money blah blah blah, but I truly cannot think of another celeb who works harder than Tay. Name a present day celebrity who has been more prolific than she has, not to mention the 3-hr runtime of the Eras concert that she’s been doing nonstop for more than a year. And she has extra time on her hands to feed us PR relationships. As her nemesis Kim K once said, “nobody wants to work these days” but Blondie puts in the reps!!!
Shakira reveals her sons felt “emasculated” by the Barbie movie. Babe, they’re 9 and 7, there’s no “masc” to be “lated.”
Gypsy Rose Blanchard separates from husband. We all saw this coming, lol. The D twas’ not fire enough to compensate for whatever weird dude that guy was, and she’s already been seen having what TMZ called a “whirlwind weekend” with her ex-fiance Ken.
Should she replace Jen as the new Bachelorette??
Zooey Deschanel wants us to know she is not a nepo baby. Sure, her dad may have been nominated for six Academy Awards, but he definitely didn’t know anyone influential in the industry or have any clout whatsoever. It’s basically like having a parent who serves potato salad at Crafty.
Lizzo fake retired for attention. She made a long Instagram post talking about the haters which conclude with a capital “I QUIT.”
She later clarified she just meant that she quits “giving any negative energy attention.”
Because, of course, no one quits being famous. And with the new mansion tax, can anyone even afford to??
Bill Nye drops eclipse-themed thirst traps. In a new cover shoot for Time Out New York, 68-year-old Bill proved he can still pull.
Last week I published another CEO interview with Byline, talking to Melanie Masarin, the founder of non-alcoholic spirits company Ghia! Am I basically the Wall Street Journal now???
Saying Goodbye to Email Sounds Good to Melanie Masarin
Every morning upon waking up, I experience a brief, three-second window of calm before I remember who I am: an empty, corporate drone who must immediately brace herself for the cruel tribulations the day will surely bring. This starts with opening my email, wincing, and bribing myself out of bed with a Starbucks.
For a founder, who probably frets about their company even in their dreams, I can only imagine the anguish that their cloyingly cheerful By The Seaside alarm provokes.
Enter Ghia founder and CEO Melanie Masarin, who has pioneered a revolutionary way to save time and protect her sanity: not answering your dumbass emails.
We chatted with Melanie about the delicious, spirits-free aperitifs she and her team are creating at Ghia, how her no-email policy actually works, and her dream dinner party guests.
ES: Ghia recently launched its new Berry Aperitif, your first foray into non-bitter drinks. What do you love about this product, and how can it best be enjoyed?
MM: I love this new aperitif because it’s tart, but it still has body to it. It’s really good as a balance between a light meal or cutting through dense food. My favorite way to drink it is to cut it with sparkling water.
It's reminiscent of a Lambrusco — maybe the thing that I missed the most now that I’m not drinking is that very dry feeling on the tongue.
ES: You spent part of your career as the head of marketing at Dig Inn, one of the premier corporate lunching destinations. What’s your favorite power lunch for a busy day at the office?
MM: I have been ordering from Organic Oren, which is a local LA luxury. That’s kind of my new thing, but I’m always trying new things. Back when we had more time, we used to cook lunch in the Ghia office, which I miss, but now we try to do a team lunch every two weeks, like a potluck.
ES: One of your endeavors outside of building Ghia has been your popular Substack Night Shade, where you write more creatively about what’s on your mind. A recent entry detailed your “in office but off emails” policy. Do you have any advice for business leaders on how to successfully implement a policy like this and then hold yourself to it?
MM: It’s very hard! People think that I don’t read my emails, but I read all my emails.
I’m very well-supported, which is something I’m transparent about in my Substack. I have an amazing assistant who’s been with me for two years. It takes a long time to train someone to understand how your brain works and basically help grow them into a version of you so that you can decouple yourself — and, by the way, I have like a graveyard of assistants. It's really hard to find a fit.
I'm usually on like 10 to 12 calls during the day, and I send my assistant voice notes in between meetings to try to get to the emails that need to be attended to.
The one that's the toughest is when I get introduced to other founders for informational meetings. I’m trying to re-implement having maybe one of those per week. But it got to a point last year where I was getting 5 or 6 requests per day, and whatever time I spend outside the office, I'm not spending with my team.
Watching: Monkey Man
Listening: KARMA!!!
Reading: “Tween Beauty Influencer Evelyn Has a Lot to Say” (Allure)
