Content Consumed: A24, tech golf, and student debt

Hey folks! Happy Wednesday.

In today’s edition of Content Consumed, we’re discussing…
😎 The cult of A24
🏌️‍♂️ Tiger and Rory’s new tech-y golf league
👑 It’s about to be Aubrey Plaza’s year
💰 On the topic of student loan debt forgiveness
💥 The first Gen-Z in Congress

The cult of A24

“The iconoclastic studio has bred superfans, dropped swag, and perfected a house style,” Vulture writes. “It’s also teetering on the verge of self-parody.”

For the newbies out there: A24 is a movie studio, founded in 2012, that specializes in edgier projects with big budgets and bigger releases. Some of their most popular movies include Midsommar, Moonlight, Zola, Lady Bird, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and of course Uncut Gems. They also produce a handful of acclaimed shows, like Euphoria, Ramy, and Ziwe.

So what makes it so special? No one’s buying merch with “Focus Features” or other film studios’ logos on them. No one’s having birthday parties with film studios as the theme — besides for A24 I guess.

A24 has become known for originality, idiosyncrasy, and prestige—for being not just a movie but a film. This, of course, inspires jokes like writer Willy Staley’s: “A24 is short for ‘A 24-year-old guy will think this is the best movie ever made.’”

They’re also really smart marketers. Billboards and TV spots won’t do it today, but viral sensations on social media will. They did Brand Twitter before Brand Twitter in the early 2010s. And how many times have you seen that Florence Pugh face now? Or Julia Fox moaning “unCUT ggeeaammms”?

Tiger and Rory’s new tech-y golf league

Sorry, you might feel me rolling my eyes here. Because this just sounds silly to me. In an attempt to draw the attention—and the $$$—away from the LIV tour, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are launching a tech-infused golf league with the PGA Tour.

Players will compete on six three-man teams, in 15 regular-season matches with two-hour, 18-hole matches on a virtual course and then a playoff, starting in January 2024. The new league is called TGL and its matches will take place in prime time on Monday nights in a custom-made venue in a yet-to-be-determined location.

I know, I know, someone’s gotta stop LIV. But… I don’t think “stadium golf” is it. Prove me wrong, though.

It’s about to be Aubrey Plaza’s year

Oh, how we’ve missed her. A brief list of current and upcoming projects you should be excited to see the deadpan-comedian-turned-drama actress in:

• White Lotus, an HBO Original series. I gasp a little every time a new photo comes out from the White Lotus sequel set in Sicily. I was late to the first season of White Lotus and I refuse to be late to this one, especially with Plaza, Theo James, Jennifer Coolidge (reprising her S1 role), and a bunch of exciting newcomers on the cast list.
• Spin Me Round, an IFC film. As soon as I can get my hands on an IFC subscription or pirated version, I am watching this. Alison Brie stars opposite Plaza in a star-studded cast, in another Italy-based thriller. This one’s certainly got more of a rom-com spin than White Lotus. Watch the trailer here.
• Little Demon, an animated FXX series. The premise: an estranged father (Danny DeVito) attempts to reconnect with his teenage daughter Chrissy (DeVito’s daughter Lucy), much to the chagrin of Chrissy’s mother, Laura (Plaza). Read AV Club’s review here.

Also on the list are the films Emily the Criminal (out now) and Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (coming soon).

On the topic of student loan debt forgiveness

I have the firm belief that student debt should be systemically forgiven, tuition should be lower at public universities/state schools, community colleges should be free, school lunches should be provided without cost (especially in lower-income communities), etc. In the most basic sense, I believe in more accessible — financially and otherwise — education in America.

But I’m always trying to see the other side too. Here’s what I’ve been reading to make sense of all sides of the student loan forgiveness argument.

The first Gen-Z in Congress

First, remember that Gen Z supposedly starts in 1997. With that in mind — America just elected the first Gen Z in a primary for the U.S. House! Quite a day.

Meet Maxwell Frost. He’s worked for March for Our Lives and the ACLU, fought for gun violence prevention, interrupted the truly villainous Ron DiSantis, and secured endorsements from Bernie, Warren and other progressive leaders. His primary political focuses are criminal justice system reform, Medicare for all, the climate crisis, and working-class POCs.

The 25-year-old from Florida is almost certain to win the final election in November in Orlando’s blue district.

And that’s the content I’ve been consuming today. Thanks for reading!

Besos,
Casey