How about the guy with the anon Twitter account critiquing brand design? Well, he's art directing for two Fortune 500s under his real name. That girl who posts her illustration work at 2am? She's ghostwriting LinkedIn manifestos for tech execs by day. But this isn’t the gig economy of 2015, where creatives drive Ubers to pay rent. It’s something weirder and way more resilient. Because while agencies crumble and studios merge, a whole generation of creatives has stopped waiting for one perfect job. Instead, they’ve started building their own empires.

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

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**T&Cs apply

The ego-feud between these two will never not be funny. Turns out Altman has quietly explored possible deals to acquire or partner with rocket company Stoke Space as part of a "broader vision" to build space-based AI data-centres. Or just to be a petty king? The idea was bold: spend billions over time to gain a controlling stake and push computing off-earth. Essentially, to build a competitor to Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

That said, the talks are apparently no longer active, as OpenAI refocuses on more immediate priorities. Aww booooo! Bring back the billionaire drama!

Recently users reported seeing ad-like content inside ChatGPT. This included a screenshot of what looked like a Target ad, prompting concern that monetisation may already be creeping in. But according to ChatGPT leader Nick Turley, those reports are misleading. He says no live ad tests are underway, and what users saw likely wasn’t real advertising.

The truth?? Or gaslighting at its finest?? OpenAI says if it does go down an ad route, it’ll be “thoughtful.” But for now, the platform remains ad-free. Hmmmmm ok, sure, but I’ve got my eye on y’all.

That’s one of the largest single-deal loans in recent memory, an insane $59B to help finance the proposed $83B acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The loan structure raises eyebrows, understandably. Some question how long such a massive debt can remain sustainable on Netflix’s balance sheet, especially given the scale and volatility of media-industry economics. Like?? Let’s be realistic nowww.

With this bet, Netflix is shifting from its original “light-asset, subscription streaming” model toward becoming a heavily leveraged content conglomerate. It's a strategic pivot that could pay off, or backfire spectacularly. As always, I’m here for the show. 

-Sophie Randell, Writer

Because it’s not coming from the agencies, studios or platforms that once defined the industry.

It’s coming from the margins…

The DMs, Notion pages, the midnight Figma boards, anon accounts, the people juggling four side clients while pretending to “transition into consulting.”

Welcome to the "shadow freelancer economy," or the "Gig economy 2.0."

However, that ladder has splintered. As you all know because I’ve gone on about it all week, hehe. (God forbid a woman have passion.) Agencies are dissolving, studios are merging, and staffing budgets are thinner than your ex's hairline.

Job security is something people kind of talk about like an artifact from a lost civilisation now. And while the old guard is mourning the collapse of structure, younger creatives have been building something entirely new in the cracks. As they do so well.

Instead of waiting for promotions, they’re creating alternate identities. And instead of tying their value to one company, they’re diversifying their income across multiple niches, industries and platforms.

It’s less “career path” and more “entire freaking creative ecosystem.”

Some do it under their real names. But many don’t. Pseudonyms protect freedom, and anon accounts allow for more experimentation. Creating an entirely separate persona lets you make the weird, the highbrow, the commercial, and the slightly cursed all at the same time without confusing your boss, your clients or your mother who’s watching patiently through your insta story.

These "shadow freelancers" have entered the creative industries and have never seen a stable day since. They're learning very early that the only person who will protect their creative future is themselves.

When you work across multiple worlds, your taste sharpens. Your skills diversify and your ideas stop moulding themselves to whatever your boss finds acceptable. You belong to yourself and yourself only.

And that kind of freedom is stylistic. You can art direct for a skincare brand in the morning, build a Substack identity at lunch, ghostwrite a LinkedIn thought leader into relevance by 3pm, then design a rave poster for your friend’s underground collective by 11pm.

No single employer on earth could give you that range.

Companies that once expected undivided devotion are now competing for slices of a creative’s time, not the other way around. High-performing creatives know their value. They know they can walk away. They know they can replace a client faster than a client can replace them. That confidence shifts the entire dynamic.

It’s not just individuals benefiting either. The brands hiring them are getting better work. Micro-retainers incentivise honesty. Variety keeps creatives sharp. And without the suffocating bureaucracy of a full-time environment, talent delivers faster, stranger, smarter thinking.

It’s making space for voices that would have been filtered out by traditional career paths. Like, artists who never fit the nine-to-five mould, neurospicy creatives who are brilliant but absolutely incompatible with office politics, migrant workers navigating multiple time zones, mothers and caregivers crafting flexible schedules that honour their actual lives. People who don’t want to choose between art and income.

The new system says you don’t have to.

And yes, like with everything, there are risks. Burnout lurks and structure can totally slip when boundaries blur.

But compared to the precarity of old-school employment, where a single restructure could wipe out your stability overnight, having six small clients is, ironically, safer than having one big boss.

What makes this moment so exciting is that it’s not a stopgap. It’s a prototype of the future. One where creatives don’t ask for permission.

Where they build flexible, resilient careers that can weather industry shifts. Where their value no longer depends on one company’s budget line, but on their own taste, their own voice, their own cultivated niche.

The shadow freelancer economy isn’t a sign of collapse. It’s a sign of evolution. Creatives aren’t being pushed out of the system. They’re outgrowing it. All power to them x

-Sophie Randell, Writer

Instead of stopping filming, Steve Carell fully commits to the moment. Someone posted the clip on TikTok, and now it’s the unofficial soundtrack for every “I swear the good times were real” moment.

This trend's all about acting like you’ve fallen down a memory rabbit hole. Whether that’s old camera roll pics, wholesome friendship times, or those good time relationship memories you only remember after the bad breakup. It’s nostalgic, a little delulu, and highlights moments you probably shouldn’t scroll through if you’re trying to protect your peace. For example:

Use the original audio and record yourself looking down at your phone like you’re deep diving into the archives. Add text over the video explaining what you’re supposedly reminiscing about, and let the audio do the emotional heavy lifting.

A few ideas to get you started:

-Bella Vlasich, Intern

😲WTF Fish x-ray
✨Daily inspo Finish what you started
😊Soooo satisfying Restock and refill
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight Crispy smashed potato salad

Hey Esme!

If you aren't getting sign-ups, I'm going to guess you're coming across a little too salesy in your content OR you don't have good product-market fit. Organic content's for building a relationship with your audience. If they feel like you're constantly trying to sell them something, your audience won't continue to engage. If I were you, I'd pull back on promoting your course. Instead, make your posts around the actual course content. This will draw in people who care about the topics your course covers.

Engage with your audience in the comments to keep building those relationships. In those conversations, you can figure out whether your course content addresses the actual challenges your audience wants help with. This will help you understand whether you need to adjust what you're offering!

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

We get it. Creating content that does numbers is harder than it looks. But doing those big numbers is the fastest way to grow your brand. So if you’re tired of throwing sh*t at the wall and seeing what sticks, you’re in luck. Because making our clients go viral is kinda what we do every single day.