ShortTake is your weekly FYP from The Shorty Awards for quick, new and thought-challenging takes on culture, creativity and TLDR. Things that need a closer look and things that need a completely different perspective.
Live Nation & Jolene: Serving Coffee and Collaborations We Actually Want
Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis has launched Jolene, a canned cold brew brand that’s hitting Live Nation venues and festivals. This isn’t just about caffeine: it’s part of Live Nation’s bigger shift to partner with creators and brands audiences actually want to engage with.
As Russell Wallach pointed out, Live Nation’s moving from concert posters to UGC and shoppable content — and now coffee. Could this be the new blueprint for experiential marketing? Will influencers start showing up in the pit with cold brew in hand? One can only hope.
🔗 Russell’s Post on Live Nation Collabs
Boston’s Creator Scene Levels Up (Tomorrow)
Lindsey Gamble is at it again, this time with a creator meetup happening tomorrow in Boston. If you’re in the area, expect a mix of networking, short-form content chatter, and probably a lot of iced coffee.
Don’t sleep on Boston, this is happening. And it points to the growing need for markets across the country to organize. Content houses are now content communities.
YouTube’s Top Podcasts: Who’s Winning the Ear Wars?
YouTube’s just dropped its first official Top 100 Podcasts chart, and let’s just say Joe Rogan better watch his six. The list, based on watch time (because who doesn’t leave a video running while multitasking?), reveals a shift where video-first platforms are winning the battle for your ears. YouTube’s now the cool kid at the podcast lunch table. Netflix is coming too. Spotify’s sweating.
The Year of “Pressionalization”: Earned, but Make it Pretty
Jasmine Enberg nailed it: 2025 is the “Year of Pressionalization” — the shift from creators cranking out raw content to treating their channels like glossy mini-media companies. Think: cinematic cuts, polished UGC, and strategies that wouldn’t look out of place at a Condé Nast offsite. But will audiences buy it, or are we all just doing a professional-level job of making it look casual?
B2B Marketing: Influencer Collabs Go Corporate
Keith Bendes is ringing the B2B influencer bell loud and clear. His latest post spotlights how brands are pairing with creators to bring life to traditionally dry business topics (think: SaaS explained through memes). He calls for better integration of social strategies into corporate campaigns — and maybe fewer 50-slide webinars. No shame if that’s your thing.
