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# Modest Operations | Newsletter Volume 8
- URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/modest-operations-newsletter-volume-8/
- Published: 2019-01-15T18:07:30.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-13T22:24:31.000Z
- Description: Modest Operations email newsletter Volume 8 (January 15, 2019).
- Author: Drew Shannon
- Tags: david itzkoff, fast company, kc ifeanyi, khe hy, kim severson, l2inc, modest operations, newsletter, radreads, scott galloway, the new york times, #import-mailchimp-2026-09-13

It took me a few weeks to get back into the swing of things after the normal post-holiday lethargy, but I'm feeling energized and excited about 2019 so far. 

Since mid-December, I've been working on something that's as close to a dream project as I can imagine, and while most of my experience over the last 7 or 8 years has been with startups, this one has been with a large corporation. It's been an eye-opening reminder to get out of my bubble more often.

Finally, I'm looking for some new reading material - ***what are you reading these days?***

**This Week's Links** *A list of things I've been reading & thinking about.*\* "But she, like others close to him, worries about how much time he spends on the road, and how much emotional capital he gives away. 'It feeds him in a very important ways, but because I love Andrew I am concerned about him,” she said.'" - [Andrew Zimmern’s Nonstop Road (and Food) Show (Kim Severson for The New York Times)](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/11/dining/andrew-zimmern-profile.html?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "The rundle The consumer world begins to distill to a small number of mega brands or networks that are recurring revenue bundles ('rundle'). Business has mistaken 'choice' as a good thing. Consumers want less choice, but instead confidence in the (fewer) choices presented to them. We begin to witness a finite series of consumer networks: media, apparel, travel, and health. It’s going to be an arms race, with cheap capital as the munitions, to see what brands and retailers can establish credible/compelling bundles." - [2019 Predictions (Scott Galloway for L2Inc)](https://www.l2inc.com/daily-insights/no-mercy-no-malice/2019-predictions?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Knowing that each entity is strong enough to stand on its own has given Stone and Cohen the impetus to dismantle the barrier between the two companies in an effort to make better use of resources and to fortify the magazine/agency model they’ve pioneered–a model that has been duplicated by other outlets including Vice and its agency arm Virtue Worldwide, as well as Complex magazine’s aggressive branded content strategy." - [How Fader Magazine And Its Creative Agency Are “Bucking Traditions” To Shape Culture](https://www.fastcompany.com/40454019/how-fader-magazine-and-its-creative-agency-are-bucking-traditions-to-shape-culture?ref=drewshannon.net) [(KC Ifeanyi for Fast Company)](https://www.fastcompany.com/40454019/how-fader-magazine-and-its-creative-agency-are-bucking-traditions-to-shape-culture?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "Your first encounter with a Pomodoro will feel like a religious experience. The amount of crap you can get done without interruption is staggering; I find that on 2-pomodoro-days, I confidently wrap up my work day an hour earlier than normal. And no one’s offended that I waited 25 minutes to respond to them." - [Here's to an Epic 2019 (in 7 steps) (Khe Hy for RadReads)](https://www.khehy.com/epic-2019?ref=drewshannon.net) \* "'We’re trying to be anarchists, but I’m trying to be a good boy and do a good job for the network,' he said. What he’s engaged in now, he said, 'is this gradual progression toward me making the job fit me more — what do I like?'" - [Conan O’Brien Wants to Scare Himself with the New, Shorter ‘Conan’ (David Itzkoff for The New York Times)](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/14/arts/television/conan-obrien-tbs-show-reboot-half-hour.html?ref=drewshannon.net)