Strands of Genius: Tendencias 2023, Five Trends For 2023, State of Facilitation 2023
Guest curated by Ci En Lee - Planner, Publicis Groupe (Singapore) & Gonzalo Gregori - Strategy Lead, PHD Media (Beijing)
Each year we aim to highlight 50 creative thinkers that have inspired us by giving them the opportunity to guest curate this newsletter, Strands of Genius. This edition is guest curated by Ci En Lee and Gonzalo Gregori.
:: A BIT MORE ABOUT GUEST CURATORS, CI EN & GONZALO::
LOCATION: Singapore
Hello! We are Ci En and Gonzalo, and we are on a mission to democratise insights for all. If you have not heard of us yet, you might have probably seen or used something that we have worked on… say COVID-19 or 2023 Trend Reports? Together with a handpicked set of peers, we have a tradition to collect and curate every trends report you might be interested, in one easily accessible folder. Just in case it didn’t reach your inbox already… please find it here.
Editor’s Note (Genius Steals): If you haven’t already been snooping on the shared Google Drive link that these two put together, you’re going to want to bookmark it! Filled with trend reports on all sorts of topics, for many different geographies, it’s a great reference to have in your back pocket.
:: THE LINKS ::
DDB LATINA - TENDENCIAS 2023
Our first choice has gotta be Juan Isaza’s report. Not only because he does a massive job of curation and consolidation bringing only the best of every other report out there, but also because he does it in Spanish and Portuguese, democratising the access to this kind of knowledge to all those who are not too comfortable reading in English (and he is kind enough to publish his report in English as well). Gonzalo is rooting for “Power To The Underdogs” and Ci En’s is “Speaking In TikTok.” (DDB Latina)
MARIAN SALZMAN - FIVE TRENDS FOR 2023
Gonzalo: Marian Salzman is one of the world’s best trendspotters, not my words, but a sentiment that I can get behind. Year after year, her predictions are spot on (pun intended). And even though her reports are getting shorter and shorter, she never disappoints. I particularly like her take on “Calling BS” this year. (Marian Salzman)
SESSION LAB - STATE OF FACILITATION 2023
Ci En: This was a really interesting unconventional trends report that I chanced across. Even if you don’t run workshops, the insights are still applicable if you chair meetings – which is technically a workshop too)! The lockdowns forced a shift towards online sessions but as we return to in-person events or hybrid/blended environments, this is an interesting space to watch on what environment (and tools) remains. (Session Lab)
Looking for more from Ci En Lee and Gonzalo Gregori? Coming Friday, look for an interview from them in your inbox!
:: AND NOW… SOME FAST FAVORITES ::
:: Game :: Gonzalo: Backgammon if we are talking board games… The “Monkey Island” saga on PC, “Red Dead Redemption 2” on console, and “Really Bad Chess” on smartphone. Ci En: Mini Metro
:: City :: Tokyo! Every revisit feels like the future.
:: Book :: Gonzalo: This is a hard one to answer… there are many. But “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes holds a special place in my heart. Ci En: Before the Coffee Gets Cold
:: Podcast :: Gonzalo: Definitely “The Infinite Monkey Cage”. Hilarious and educative at equal parts. Ci En: “The Media Weekly by PHD Media” #nostalgia
:: Album :: Gonzalo: It really depends on the moment… so I will just go for a bit of shameless self-promotion and will recommend you to take a listen to “Opus 1” by Chertov Karas :) Ci En: Divenire - Ludovico Einaudi. I actually discover music from watching ads!
::WORDS OF WISDOM::
Regret is worse than embarrassment.
We’re always on the lookout for rare and interesting reports so if you see one, connect with us on LinkedIn and we will credit you!
Linkedin Ci En Lee | Linkedin Gonzalo Gregori
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It's called Genius Steals because we believe ideas are new combinations and that nothing can come from nothing. But copying is lazy. We believe the best way to innovate is to look at the best of that which came before and combine those elements into new solutions.
Co-Founders Faris & Rosie are award-winning strategists and creative directors, writers, consultants and public speakers who have been living on the road/runway since March 2013, working with companies all over the world. Our Director of Operations is nomadic like us, our accounting team is based out of Washington, our company is registered in Tennessee, and our collaborators are all over the world. Being nomadic allows us to go wherever clients need us to be, and to be inspired by the world in between.
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