Separate note, separate podcast:
A few weeks ago, the New Yorker published
this article on the future of e-books and e-readers. I've been a longtime Amazon shopper, but this article casts them in a bit of an odd light. At times, the author's description of sales and marketing make it sound like Amazon is the Wal-Mart of the web: whatever it takes to drive prices down and an product selection that can be infinitely horizontal.
I also enjoyed this article because of the respect it affords to editors and their understanding and ability to help facilitate the creative process and develop careers.
To jump to a tangent, who do you guys look towards when it comes to creative branding? For example:
I expect to like HBO productions over Shotime productions (the latter tend to be more soap-opera-esque and seem to have difficulty sustaining long running narratives).
I trust Jesse Thorn and Maximum Fun as a collection of productions.
Recently, I got turned on to Leo Koenig Gallery, which has a stable of artists that all seem to share a somewhat comedic sensibility.
How about you? Particular critics? Movie studios? Record labels? Power tool manufacturers?