The Monday Media Diet with Zachary Weiss

Zachary Weiss (ZW) is a brand consultant and writer. He’s also a man on the move. Thanks to WITI contributor Robert Spangle for the introduction. Have a great week. -Colin (CJN)

Tell us about yourself.

Zachary Weiss here! I’m a brand consultant and writer based in Manhattan. During the day, I work with two longtime friends on a men’s sock, underwear, and loungewear brand called Nice Laundry, and a warehousing & logistics provider for omnichannel brands called Outerspace. Both of these “Head of Brand” gigs are atypical roles that range from traditional public relations to product design, copywriting, photo production, etc. 

I write for fun on the side, which started when I moved to New York at the age of 23 and wrote the “Shindigger” party column in the weekly print edition of The New York Observer. These days, I still do some party writing, among other beats, for Vogue.com, as well as some sporadic features for Ralph Lauren’s RL Mag, Wm Brown Magazine, YOLO Journal, and a few others as they pop up. 

Every now and then, I also dabble in some product design of my own, which includes a 12-pair capsule collection of slippers produced alongside Stubbs & Wootton, which are still going strong three years after launching. 

Describe your media diet. 

Like any good New Yorker, my guilty pleasure is The New York Post, specifically Page Six, although it sadly skews more toward reality TV personalities. I spent 3 days in their newsroom when I graduated from school in 2014 covering an editor’s desk while they were out of office, and got to see the madness that goes into that publication every day, so I have a particular appreciation for their breakneck pace. 

During the runway collections, I usually turn to Tim Blanks at Business of Fashion for his reviews. I’ve admired Tim since he did the video reviews for the now-defunct Style.com, which was so ahead of its time. I appreciate that if he doesn’t enjoy something, he usually keeps it to himself and omits the collection versus whining, which I think many publications now use as clickbait. 

Pete Wells for food reviews. On top of the fact that he’s so mysterious, he seems genuinely self aware in that he’s just as likely to enjoy a hot dog on a skateboard as he is to enjoy a five hour tasting menu.

For more serious things — conflict, elections, and the occasional bank collapse — I rely on the morning and evening newsletter from Axios and The Information, and pop-up alerts form The Wall Street Journal. If I get too deep into any of it though, I tend to spiral and it consumes my day. 

As far as podcasts, I can usually only listen to them when I have absolutely no distractions, so that often happens on a flight. I love 99% Invisible for cocktail party fodder, Throwing Fits for pure comedy, and The Grand Tourist for travel ideas. If I need a particular jolt of entrepreneurial spirit I tune into How I Built This. 

WITI Classifieds:

We are experimenting with running some weekly classifieds in WITI. If you’re interested in running an ad, you can purchase one through this form. If you buy this week, we’ll throw an extra week in for free on any ad. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to drop a line.

How to Make New Friends: Nobody teaches adults this! But after hosting 100s of small parties, I found what works. The 2-Hour Cocktail Party

What’s the last great book you read?

My friend Trent Preszler makes canoes in his shed on the North Fork of Long Island, and recently wrote a book entitled “Little & Often” that looks back on his journey toward making his first canoe with a set of tools left to him by his estranged father. It’s fascinating and heart-wrenching and eye-opening all in one. 

What are you reading now?

I just bought a large stack of old GQ print issues from the 70s and 80s, which were intended for visual inspiration for some product design, but it’s turned into hours sifting through every page, line by line. Even the old cigarette ads are incredible.  

What’s your reading strategy when you pick up a print copy of your favorite publication?

I’m always tempted to jump straight to the cover story, especially if its something topical, but if I can harness any self control I like to enjoy the sort of rising action, climax, and denouement that’s crafted around the cover. It gives the reader a better idea of how the editorial team is (or isn’t) approaching their magazine in a holistic way versus filing pages with fluff. With this in mind, I’ve come to enjoy quarterly print magazines more than monthly issues. To me, putting out one issue every three months raises the stakes of what gets printed, and the resulting product is treated more like a coffee table book that should be kept versus chucked out once you’re done with it. I think it’s where all print magazines are headed in the next 5-10 years. 

Who should everyone be reading that they’re not?

Rachel Tashjian at Harper’s Bazaar for trends and collection reviews. She also runs a newsletter called Opulent Tips. 

What is the best non-famous app you love on your phone? 

I use HiNote to create on-the-fly invitations for little things like a lunch meeting, or if I’m running 10 minutes late. It brings a bit of stylization to texting. I use Send By Bag to ship luggage ahead of me if I’m on a trip with multiple destinations that require different clothes. Shazam will never not blow my mind too. The novelty of that app never wears off for me. 

Plane or train?

Train if I’m feeling romantic. Ferry if I have all the time in the world. Plane for efficiency. Private plane if I’m mooching off of a friend. 

What is one place everyone should visit? 

The Hamptons… KIDDING. I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface when it comes to my list of dream destinations, but places like Tokyo, Marrakech, and Reykjavik are among my favorites for the simple fact that you feel very, very far from home. Tokyo in particular really feels like you’ve been put on another planet, in a good way. I’m toying with the idea of living there at some point. 

Tell us the story of a rabbit hole you fell deep into. 

All good rabbit holes start on TikTok. These have included (but are not limited to) the deep cleaning and restoration of old appliances, middle schoolers detailing their relationship drama, capybaras, the handsome new guard in front of Buckingham Palace who only says, “Good Morning," and a dog that befriended a dolphin. My ultimate rabbit hole though will always be the horseshoe crab. I’d encourage everyone to take a few minutes to read about their incredible survival over three mass extinctions, and their (literally) blue blood. (ZW)

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Thanks for reading,

Noah (NRB) & Colin (CJN) & Zachary (ZW)

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