Harvard House and Chocolate Coins
matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match
The new Netflix miniseries Adolescence is a “must-watch”; Teen Vogue went backstage at All Nighter, the off-Broadway play that’s a “crash course in the female college experience”; another nepo baby gets her runway wings at Paris Fashion Week; and 21-year-old Alex Consani walked 17 runways this fashion month.
YOUTUBE’S BIGGEST STAR MRBEAST MAKES MORE MONEY FROM CHOCOLATE THAN VIDEOS, bloomberg
MrBeast’s chocolate brand generated $250 million in sales and over $20 million in profit, while his media business lost nearly $80 million last year. I’ve been thinking a lot about the sustainability of YouTube now that creators are being forced to adapt their content for TV screens — in February, TV surpassed phones as the main place consumers watch YouTube in the U.S. — which means producing longer, more expensive videos to keep up. Just last month, beloved food personality
T-SHIRTS, THONGS AND PERFECT TWERKING: ANORA SPENT $18M ON MARKETING – THREE TIMES ITS BUDGET, theguardian
Indie distributor Neon spent $18 million, or three times Anora's $6 million budget, on an unconventional marketing campaign that leaned into the film’s Gen Z appeal rather than vying for the approval of traditional Oscar voters. Tactics included a one-day pop-up shop in an LA auto yard selling $15 thongs and $35 slogan tees like “F*ckin’ Cinderella,” and the first screening was filled with sex workers instead of industry insiders. Needless to say, the strategy paid off — not only did Anora win Best Picture, but it brought in over $40 million in box office revenue.
TEENS ARE FORGOING A CLASSIC RITE OF PASSAGE, theatlantic
I don’t think anyone will be surprised to learn that fewer teens are entering romantic relationships, with only 56% of today’s teens reporting ever having dated, compared to 76% of Gen X and 78% of Boomers when they were the same age. Researchers believe that fear of rejection (56%) and concerns about emotional vulnerability (57%) contribute to this trend, but I suspect there’s more to it.
CAN MATCHMAKING PLATFORMS SAVE US FROM DATING APP FATIGUE?, wired
A continuation of the online-to-offline dating shift I mentioned last week: While “Big Dating got singles hooked on convenience culture,” Gen Z wants more and they’re turning to — among other things — curated matchmaking platforms. Tawkify, for instance, provides a high-end, concierge-style matchmaking experience, with packages costing up to $15,000 (though at least one former client who paid $10,000 called it a “huge waste of money”). So, to answer the question posed in the headline, no. Still, there’s clearly room for innovation.
GEN Z STUDENTS ARE REBELLING AGAINST THEIR PARENTS’ IVY LEAGUE DREAM AND CHOOSING A DIFFERENT IDEAL UNIVERSITY INSTEAD, fortune
While parents prefer Princeton University, MIT is Gen Z’s top dream school for 2025, according to a new Princeton Review survey. Two decades ago, about 16% of applicants were accepted into MIT; now, it’s only about 4.5%, which helps to explain the rise of the “college counselor rock stars” that I mentioned yesterday. Both Harvard and Stanford also topped kids' and parents’ lists of dream schools, but acceptance for those is a little easier — you just gotta buy this Palo Alto home.
One last thought:
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