Breakfast Clubbing #26
Week of October 7th. BC is ON in PDX, Williamsburg, CDMX, Hamptons, Miami, Manhattan, DTBK, Cincy, Vegas, LA (both East AND West sides) PLUS a special Paris pop-up and Amsterdam debuts!
Hi all.
I posted a question to the Linkedin group last Friday (btw: you can join the LinkedIn group here), to the effect of:
Now that the newsletter roundup has hit 1000+ subscribers, I think it'd be interesting to add some elements that help the community get to know others within. (I'd also LOVE some some design/layout help but that's another post) Substack has a live-streaming video feature I've used and it made me think about acting on an idea from Ryan Babenzien to 'podcast' from BC (in Williamsburg we'd call it 'corner conversations' or something. Something you'd potentially be interested in? Or, any other bright ideas for the BC community as it expands internationally?
BK OG Leann Abad pinged back: “Love this idea, could be interesting to place like an omnidirectional mic on the table wherever you sit and capture those convos. That said, I think a large part of what makes BC appealing is not having to be performative when it comes to what's discussed. So would likely have to just call out that the mic is live wherever you're sitting and if anyone doesn't feel comfortable being recorded they can sit at another section of the table.”
And DTBK co-host Kat Popiel chimed in: “Articles, podcast, doc film recos, playlists from the community? List of roles from BC members who are hiring? Highlight peoples unusual side projects/hustles? (One of our members is an insights strategist by day but is also a MAGICIAN)”
I like these suggestions. And will look at actioning both (feel free to raise a hand to help!!). And feel free to add yours in the comments.
Meantime, TONS of breakfast this week. See you there. And if not this time, another one soon. Read on and share, meantime.
The Breakfast Esprit de Corps:
* Everyone’s invited - especially you.
* Feel free to share, bring friends, colleagues, family, anyone.
* No agenda, no required buy-in, no RSVP. And no pitches.
* Everyone pays their own way.
* Everyone is welcome to subscribe. Join the Linkedin group here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14449223/
Breakfast Club Events Week of October 7th, 2024
Tuesday, October 8th
Portland, OR
Co-hosted by Scott Crane and Nina Sers
9a @ Proud Mary
Wednesday, October 9th
London
Hosted by Victoria Gates-Fleming
9a @ Crêpes, Coffee & Chai
Brooklyn (Williamsburg)
Hosted by me and a gang of regulars
8:30a @ Le Crocodile at The Wythe Hotel
The Hamptons
Co-hosted by Mike Kilcoyne
8:30a @ Tutto Cafe
Mexico City
Co-Hosted by Steve Bryant
8am @ Lardo
Miami
Co-Hosted by Jeff Carvalho and Jesse Kirshbaum
8:30a @ Oasis Wynwood
Thursday, Oct 10th
Paris
Co-Hosted by Amy Daroukakis and Chloe du Ruffray
8:30-10:30 @ La Petite Place
Downtown Brooklyn
Co-Hosted by Jeff Weiner, Kat Popiel and Alia Aljunied
8:30am @ As You Are (in the Ace Hotel DTBK)
Manhattan
Co-Hosted by Heidi Hartwig and Radhika Malhan
9am @ Eva’s Kitchen on Grand
Cincinnati
Co-Hosted by Theo Erasmus and Emmit Jones (The Rare Beast)
8:30a @ Mom n Em Coffee
Las Vegas
Co-Hosted by Steph Balzer
8a @PublicUs
Friday, Oct 11th
Los Angeles (Eastside)
Co-Hosted by Isaac Bess, Sam Valenti and Friends
9a @ Friends & Family, Thai Town
Los Angeles (Westside)
Co-Hosted by Scott Donaton, Anita Schillhorn van Veen and Kirsten Ludwig
9a @ The Rose
Per Scott’s Post: “LA Westsiders (or anyone in the area willing to make the journey): Please join me, Anita Schillhorn van Veen and Kirsten Ludwig this Friday morning (Oct. 11) at The Rose in Venice at 9 am for the second round of The Breakfast Club.
You don't need to RSVP; just show up. Everyone is welcome, everyone covers their own meal and there's no agenda beyond sharing good company and conversation. Hope to see you there.
Saturday, Oct 12th
Amsterdam
Co-Hosted by Sheila Guo
10:30a at Uncommon Cafe
Selected Breakfast Club Events Upcoming:
* Oct 15th: Paris, Portland OR
* Oct 16th: Williamsburg, Miami, Mexico City, Philly
* Oct 17th: Manhattan, Downtown Brooklyn, Las Vegas, Cincinnati
* November 6th: Barcelona
* November 21st: Portland, ME
Breakfast Club Last Week:
BC Barcelona Report 2.10.24
per Kevin’s Post: This week Ben Dietz's Breakfast Club arrived in Barcelona.
We talked about the optimal commute time for a co-working space, “accidentally” ending up with Soho House towels at home, turning an abandoned car mechanic into a studio, how the definition of success shifts between the US and Europe, how you can be gregarious in one language while shy in another, what makes a good newsletter, and "the capitalist perversion of ambition."
Much more, too. I must remember to bring a pen and a Post-It next time.
Thanks to Nicole Ingra for co-hosting and to Anthony Fox-Davies, Anoek Eckhardt, matteo loglio, Kyle Raymond Fitzpatrick, Ariana Romano, Syed Salman Ali, Alessandra Pacheco, Sidra Salman, Jenni Babayode for coming along.
And huge apologies to our waiter who had to deal with a great turnout of 12, when I said we'd need a table for "5-6, or maybe 8 at the max?!"
We'll be doing this monthly, every first Wednesday.
So that makes the next one 6th November @ 9.30 am
Maybe see you there?
London 2.10.24 Report
From Victoria’s note: Last week's BC London was really special. We were an intimate group of 6 and our conversation was honest and open. We talked a lot, but some highlights: the state of strategy in 2024, why LinkedIn feels so aggressive right now, the endless Burger King hot takes, mothers in (and out of) adland, rat-core, star charts for grown ups, ta-da lists over to do lists (a personal fave and something I WILL start doing), writing your own job description, vibes in New York, vibes in London, nomad living, coaching courses, the prices of industry events ($$$), why IRL meetups feel so good and how we were all exactly where we needed to be. 🥰
This week we are testing out a move to Thursday. Same timing, same place - Crêpes, Coffee & Chai 9-11. But alsa, without Lauren Wallett who I deeply miss already but YOU HAVE HER in NYC now! :D
Look after her! Also the group was me, Lauren, Aisha Al-Abdallah, Annabelle Black, Cecilia Toro, Charlotte Soussan.
Wmsburg: Breakfast Club 10.2.24 Report
As I wrote: In my zone we talked "The Art of Gathering," traveling to Europe, running into old friends, the John and Alice Coltrane Home, fundraisers, asking ChatGPT to mimic Matt Klein, estimating ecosystems, failing to find furniture via AI, the futility of finding factual information, driving in Lake Como, the inefficiency of US fuel standards, last week in Breakfast Club, seeing INTERPOL for Christmas, the documentary series ‘Social Studies’ on Hulu, college kids asking for books as gifts, growing up digital, phone-free schools, the age-specific effects of Covid, Roberta's in Penn Plaza, lunching with DJs, national Taco Day, Taqueria Ramirez, Michaeladas with black ale, Steve Bryant's Breakfast Club CDMX, commuting from the Upper West Side, using a Peleton without the screen, hitting the annual insurance deductible before scheduling surgery, working out at the gym vs at home, Hong Kong-style modular furniture design, learning to love cognitive neuroscience, synaptic pruning, the hero’s dose as metaphorical Snowcat, ketamine treatments for depression and lots more.
The crew today was Paul Greenberg, Rebecca Grierson, Alban de Pury, Chaz Mee, Ben Hudson, Cheryl Miller Houser, Justin Crayton, Eric Korsh, Zachary Mallard, Nick Bodor, Kalil Greenberg, Julie Stein, Sebastian Ade, Erica DeLorenzo, Ian Edgar, allie dietzek, Paula Herrera, Trixie Ferguson Gray, Marc Weissman and me.
Photo: Emily @ Le Crocodile Restaurant
Hamptons 10.2.24 Report(?!)
Per Mike’s Post: Am I doing this for myself, or because I want to look cool...?
A few months ago, when nobody showed up for Breakfast Club Hamptons I thought of ending it.
I felt like it had failed, and I was super disappointed.
It was disheartening, because it felt like my attempt to build community had hit a wall. And maybe I just wasn't good at it, you know?
The next week, people showed up again.
The week after that, even more.
Eventually, people started asking about it; telling their friends; bringing siblings. It's been cool to see it grow.
(Even though it's still TINY compared to the New York City ones.)
I believe that in doing anything new, we often face an inflection point when the external validation either stops hitting the same way or just completely goes away.
And at that point we either decide:
A. Is this a thing that I'm doing for myself because I enjoy it?
B. Or because I want to look cool? For external validation? To appease our parents?
Inevitably, that stuff stops working and we have to take an honest look at what we're doing and decide, "Is this actually what I want to be doing?"
For me, Breakfast Club has become a powerful motivator and a big WHY behind why I love living out here. It's helped me build community; connect with amazing people; build great relationships.
And I genuinely love that aspect of community-building, which is why I'll gladly do it for free.
And even when nobody shows up, I'm OK with it because at least I'm trying.
And, uh, I can just journal which is what I do anyway.
What's an unconventional thing you do to build community?
ps Join us every Wednesday at Tutto Cafe in East Hampton @ 830am.
Miami 10.2.24 Report
Per Jeff’s post: Jesse Kirshbaum held down Breakfast Club Miami today as I handled dad duties (getting a kid to move from bed on a no-school day is a difficult feat).
Thanks to the crew who made it through. This week they were: Sigal Cohen, Sarween Salih, Simone Berry 🇯🇲 !!!!!, Justin Elliott, Daniel Allen Cohen, Erika G., Arnel San Pedro, MBA, Daniel Feldstein, Rene Pereda, Bill Spector, Laura Martinez, JNSilva, and yournewaccountant.
cc: Ben Dietz
Portland, ME 10.3.24 Report
Breakfast Club Portland, ME
🍁October edition
Topics included: Moo Deng and Pesto, LinkedIn video content, Moving from LA to Maine and related, 8 lane to 2 lane highway driving, gap years, parenting, houses that were once churches, climbing Katahdin and Knife’s Edge (YouTube it), small music venues, Jon Batiste, Brandweek, the appropriate date to start turning the heat on…and more.
Great seeing a lot of new faces and happy that Lydia Wagner will co-host going forward! Michael Krishnan Jared Cash Colleen Quint Nicole Avery Chris Bonacci Meggy Ralston Emily Carter
See you next time - Thursday, November 21, 8am at The Salt Yard.
DTBK Report 10.3.24
Per Jeff’s Post: As I write this, I am staring at Ben Dietz's report from Breakfast Club Williamsburg and feeling like I have utterly failed to capture the contents of today's conversation. But a picture says it all... coffee, breakfast and conversation. Great start to the day.
Special thanks to Christine Huang for co-hosting.
8:30AM every Thursday at ACE Hotel (As You Are). Everyone is invited. Especially you!
Jill Meisner Kat Popiel Julie Wilson Berton Ridley Mimi Richman Delaney Strittmatter Donalee Curtis Eva Rebek
Breakfast Club Cincy Report: 241003
Per the Rare Beast’s Post: Fall is moving us indoors, with a slight chill sweeping in. Ah, there goes sweet summer.
Some Topics of Note — the Eames, the direness of a culture of conformity, the taste of Skyline Chili, the Hit King, America's malaise, the voids we create in our souls (and how marketing aims to fill them), curated music, gaming the algorithms, how to manage more than a hundred teenagers at a time, the implied menace of bouncers, Paris, why Americans think steak is the ultimate luxury, finding your voice, why we should argue more, respectfully, should we drink so much coffee without eating an egg sandwich, berets, the best Martinis in New York, is everyone listening to Coltrane everywhere?, noir.
Theo Erasmus, Emmit Jones, Jeff Kobberdahl, Brandon Faris, CYNTHIA MARSHALL, Sable Bender, Ben Dietz.
Join us every week Mom 'n 'em Coffee Camp Washington | 8:30am for inspired, creative, conversation. All are welcome.
BC Vegas 10.3.24
Per Steph’s Post: I am late with a post about last week's Vegas Breakfast Club! So late that I decided to pair it with a promo for this week's gathering:
Vegas Breakfast Club
Every Thursday | 8a
PublicUs (1126 E. Fremont)
We were a party of three last week, including Terry Perry and Kylie Rosario. Table topics included how many steps you get in a day at conferences, Amazon bringing people back to the office full time, serving on the board of Opera Las Vegas, job shadowing at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, leveraging talent in companies and the concept of "painting the target around the person," living in an ashram in New York City and what that's like, how living in an ashram and going to college are alike or different, and whether there's trust in nonprofits today.
Hope to see you at breakfast soooooooooon. They say it's the most important meal of the day.
Melbourne 4.10.24
Per Steph’s post: Melbourne breakfast club is now, officially, *a thing*. And in the very fitting, very saturated, Brooklyn-esq location of The StandardX.
Thanks to everyone who came out on Friday and christened BCMEL with coffee and conversation at this inaugural event hosted by Celeste Blewitt MBus (ACM) and Josh Gardiner.
💬 Things we discussed… 💬
punk
why VICE had the best style guides
rationalised exclamation marks (!!)
different brands of salt and why pepper gets left behind in the gourmet stakes
Gen Z leading print revival
visual scribing and the artform of listening
unexpected career paths
learning to surf and the chicken leg vs the pop
how snowboarding sucks
the latest Netflix series reviving OC actors careers
study in real life versus online
Join us fortnightly. I’m hosting in Richmond on October 17th (exact location tbc this week).
No RSVP required. Everyone is invited (especially you), everyone pays their own way, come for the conversation and connection, not a pitch-fest.
Ping ping: Cat Drysdale, Aleksandra Nedeljkovic, Thihan C., Stephanie Hume, Myki Slonim, Alanna Lynch, Fathia T. , Fiona Brand and anyone else who came along but we didn’t take attendance of!