Welcome to a new week, FutureParty people. If you’re looking for a little shot of ambition to start your day, check out the first trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis. The legendary Godfather and Apocalypse Now filmmaker spent decades writing the project and then proceeded to literally bet the farm to self-finance the $120 million movie (which is apparently pretty wild). Talk about self-confidence.

In other news… AB InBev tries to crack open Hollywood, young workers pride themselves on a global workforce, and Paramount may pass on Skydance.

We hope you enjoy this and all upcoming issues, but we have one request: please share your feedback. If you have any thoughts at all about our new look, format, and direction, please reply to this email. It’ll go straight to us. Do not hold back.

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• YouTube – The Boys - Season 4 

• X (Twitter) – Unfrosted

• Google – Bernard Hill

• Reddit – Baby Reindeer

• TikTok – “Devil Doesn’t Bargain” - Alec Benjamin

• Spotify – “Last Night On Earth” - U2

.ENTERTAINMENT.

AB InBev refreshes its Hollywood aspirations with Superconnector Studios

The Future. The beer empire behind Bud Light and Stella Artois has dreams of the big screen and has brought in a new partner to help double down on those dreams. Considering how many brands are now looking to film and TV as a way to eventize their marketing, AB InBev may have the money and influence to make a blockbuster right out the gate… and re-establish a new kind of marketing flex.

Product programming
AB InBev has hired Superconnector Studios, run by the creators of CAA’s first marketing consultancy, to help connect it with studios and production companies.

• Superconnector had previously made headlines by partnering with LVMH on its own in-house production company, 22 Montaigne Entertainment, and helped build Nike’s own Waffle Iron Entertainment.

• AB InBev is looking to develop, produce, and finance projects around the creation of its brands and beverages, which has worked successfully in recent years with titles like Flamin’ Hot (Hot Cheetos), Air (Nike), and The New Look (Dior).

Last year, AB InBev tapped Sugar23 to build its own in-house entertainment company, DraftLine Entertainment. Sugar23 is still working with AB InBev on titles, but it seems to have shifted to running “The Way Upfronts” to help as many brands as possible.

AB InBev’s partnership with Superconnector may show that the company still wants some mostly one-on-one attention… and its marketing execs don’t want to make any more wrong moves.

67.1% of you voted Hotel in Friday’s poll: Do you prefer to stay at an Airbnb or a hotel while traveling?

“Bar and restaurant downstairs.”

“No Airbnb loyalty points.”

“I’ve had some really bad experiences with Airbnb, in particular with their hosts claiming we’d done damage to property (one was for the sum of $15,000) when we hadn’t. Was a scary time and put a bad taste in my mouth. You know what you get with hotels.”

.A WORD FROM OUR FRIENDS AT FOCL

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USDA Organic Mushrooms. We’re talking Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, Reishi — and 100% fruiting bodies.

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Get some gummies today for 25% off + free shipping using the code Futureparty.

Media, Music, & Entertainment

• Skydance’s proposed deal to merge with Paramount Global may not come together, after all… and with the proposed Sony/Apollo deal also seeming like a nonstarter, Paramount may end up selling to no one. [Read More]

• Meow Wolf, the immersive art production company, is looking to open a permanent location inside of a Los Angeles movie theater. [Read More]

• Thanks to Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s diss war, hip-hop has officially entered its own binge era. [Read More]

Fashion & E-Commerce

• Buyout equity firm Sycamore Partners may potentially take Nordstrom, which is currently worth $3.3 billion, private. [Read more]

• British streetwear brand Represent is planning to open its first flagship store… and has chosen Los Angeles for its location. [Read More]

• Protein Revolution has used AI to create a unique enzyme that can eat away plastic waste. [Read More]

Tech, Web3, & AI

• A US judge is set to rule on whether Google’s search dominance comes from the fact that it pays $20 billion per year to Apple to be the default search engine on iOS devices. [Read More]

• TikTok claimed at its annual sales presentation to marketers that it plans to fight the potential TikTok ban tooth and nail in an effort to make sure brands stay on the platform. [Read More]

• Adam Neumann failed in his attempt to buy back WeWork out of bankruptcy… and now may position his startup, Flow, as a direct competitor. [Read More]

Creator Economy

• Instagram is pushing engagement on Stories with a new slate of interactive stickers, including “Reveal” (which makes users DM the poster to view the photo) and “Frames” (which prompts users to shake their phones to turn the story from black and white to color). [Read More]

• Elon Musk announced some complicated new rules for how the block function works on X. [Read More]

• Star Wars is now officially on Fortnite in celebration of May the 4th weekend. [Read More]

.WORK.

“Gen Global” wants their work to be everywhere

The Future. Young workers don’t just believe in the work-from-anywhere arrangement… they believe their employers should “work from anywhere,” too. As technology makes it possible for employees to be stationed anywhere they want to be, the next era of employee recruitment may be all about setting up satellite offices in vacation destinations.

World-changing
“Gen Global” is a term coined by Fast Company for the new generation of young workers who grew up with social media connecting them to anyone, anywhere, at all times.

They would like their employers to lean into their lifestyles.

• A study by G-P found that 79% of employees want to work for a global company, with those under 27 feeling the most passionate about it.

• In fact, 85% of workers under 27 felt that global companies provided more opportunities for career growth. 

• Additionally, Gen Global believes that global companies attract top talent, keep up-to-date on tech, are more culturally diverse, and provide better pay and more job flexibility.

Luckily, the feeling is mutual with employers. The same study found that 66% of business leaders say having employees across the globe is part of their strategy, while 28% say it’s “pivotal” to their firm’s future.

.A WORD FROM OUR FRIENDS AT MASTERWORKS.

$47 million in artwork sales equals profits for these everyday investors

Masterworks is beating billionaires at their own game by buying paintings from world-class artists like Banksy and Picasso and securitizing them for its investors.

When Masterworks sells a painting, its investors reap their portion of the net proceeds. They’ve already received proceeds from more than $47 million in sales, realizing annualized net returns of 17.8%, 21.5%, 35%, and more.

Now, Masterworks wants to do the same thing for you. By qualifying every offering with the SEC, Masterworks makes it easy for anyone to invest in multi-million-dollar paintings.

Offerings can sell out in minutes, but TFP readers can skip the waitlist to join here.

Skip the waitlist.

^{Past performance is not indicative of future returns; investing involves risk. See disclosures at masterworks.com/cd.}

• Watch: Bloomberg details the strange fall of Gucci this year… and gives some pointers on how it can become luxury royalty again.

• Listen: WSJ digs deep with Precision Neuroscience co-founder and neurosurgeon Benjamin Rapoport on how brain chips could change medical treatment by allowing patients to interact with digital tools.

• Read: Intelligencer profiles Joanna Coles, the former chief content officer of Hearst Magazines, who’s been tapped to revamp The Daily Beast.

New beef level unlocked.

LATEST PODCAST EPISODE

Today we get into how new legislation is aiming at protecting music fans from predatory ticket sales, a professor's idea at how we can save our jobs from AI, and Drake's use of AI in his beef with Kendrick Lamar.