Whaddup Fam. Happy July!
As some of you know, this month we are celebrating America’s Semiquincentennial birthday. I’m writing this newsletter in a hotel room in DC while finishing up the final touches on the next video.
Hopefully you are celebrating with your friends and family in a restful way this weekend. Jenny and I are taking the kids to the beach — our first big vacation as a family — so we’re pumped.
LOTS to share about the month of June. Some good, some sad. But overall, there is SO much momentum it’s crazy.
Behind the Scenes
15 days ago I was let go of my role at Sweet Fish Media due to market conditions.
Obviously — huge bummer. I would have LOVED to have this change happen on my own terms. However, I cannot tell this story without what happened that morning.
I was on my walk and just asked the Lord with open hands: “What do you have for me here?”
I knew there was something bigger He was calling me into and I’ve been able to feel it for a while. I just didn’t know what it was. I genuinely was ready to hear from Him.
And 4 hours later I got an answer.
The craziest part about this? I’m not worried.
Why? Because a TON of friends and family have come around me and supported me, and I feel the Lord is calling me into this season. I literally walk with Him every morning around a lake near my house and just try to listen to what He has for me. Not only that, but opportunities are seemingly popping up out of the wazoo — work connections, business conversations, job opportunities, and so many more.
My plan for the next 30 days is to do a full analysis of the options in front of me and choose what’s best for my family during this season. A few I’ve been wrestling with:
- Rebuilding my marketing agency, Mercury Media, that I did full time from 2021–2024
- Pursuing two full time job opportunities that are in front of me to lead their marketing and social team
- YOLO-ing and just doing YouTube full time
That last option isn’t viable right now, but I believe with an updated posting cadence and a weekly rhythm of reaching out to brands, this could be very achievable in the next 6 months.
Through this, I appreciate YOUR support. I’ve been thinking about how to write this without it reading like a “poor me” and instead more like a “check out this new opportunity to grow the channel.”
The wildest part is that I’d scheduled our big kickoff call weeks ago, and it happened to fall the literal day after I got the news. Talk about a perfect segue into this next stage. Coincidence? I think not.
What’s On My Mind
No Comments of the Month this go around, but in the meantime I’d like to share some things I’ve been working through. Maybe you’re in a similar season. Maybe not. But if you’ve been looking for book, music, or media recs — hopefully this is interesting to you.
Books
- The Book of Joshua in the Bible. Homeboy stepped into leadership of Israel after Moses died and he truly had to let the Lord guide his steps. Lots of lessons I’m learning from this.
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I’m re-reading it but it’s such a banger if you’ve ever wanted to DO something.
Music
- My All-Time Top Songs on Spotify. No AI was used in creating this playlist — just raw amount of plays. Everything in order from most listened to minimum, plus my first stream ever on the account. It takes me through every season of life.
- 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman. Oldie but a goodie. Have the CD at home from when I bought it my senior year of high school and I can just listen to the whole thing without worrying about a stray Maverick City Music song jump scaring me during my quiet time.
Media
- A video by Ali Gallop that I’d encourage you to just put on the TV with an open mind. Unironically I would love to create a video like this one day.
- Cinematic dancing to Michael Jackson’s popular music. I watched one of these close to 40 times already and now that’s all I see — which I’m totally fine with.
Okay!
Well that’s it. I hope you enjoyed this issue of The Yearbook and I apologize for it being a few days late.
Happy 4th of July to all who celebrate and please reach out if you have any questions. Love chatting with you.
Talk Soon,
Dino 🤘🏼