Intellectual Influencers, Stablecoins 101 & Seth Rogen's Ode to Hollywood
Out with the old, in with the new... kinda
Issue #10
Hello, hello and welcome back to Culture Curve, your weekly cheat sheet for decoding what's shaping how we think, live, and interact. This week, we’re diving into the path “Intellectual Influencers” are paving, why you need to pay attention to stablecoins, and unpacking Seth Rogen’s latest Apple TV show, The Studio.
Grab your favorite snack, this one's juicy.
A New World Order: Intellectual Influencers
Gone are the days when influencers simply taught us how to perfect winged eyeliner or nail a trending dance. Today, content creators shape our politics, our culture, and even our careers.
The obvious ones
Just in this past year, we've seen powerful examples. Joe Rogan’s podcast significantly influenced the outcome of the 2024 US elections by resonating deeply with younger conservative voters. Candace Owens turned high-profile events—such as the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni lawsuit and her provocative series about Brigitte Macron—into major cultural and political talking points. Even Taylor Swift, with her immense 284-million-strong fanbase, sparked a stunning 115% increase in first-time voter registrations. She might not have swung the election toward Kamala Harris, but her impact was undeniable.
Social media certainly has its troubling side: echo chambers, misinformation, and influencer power sometimes shaping our worldview negatively. Yet, amidst the noise, I've discovered refreshing pockets of the internet that energize rather than drain me.
My favorites
Every once in a while, I find myself thanking the algo gods (usually through an extra 15 minutes of grateful doom-scrolling) for guiding me to my favorite new breed of influencers—the Intellectual Influencers. This past year, amidst my career pivot from sportswear to fintech, I’ve had to un-learn and re-learn a lot about traditional marketing as I know it. A big part of the process meant discovering authentic thought leaders that helped me stay connected to sport while expanding my horizons in fintech, marketing, & business strategy. And since gate-keeping is not my style, here is a (non-exhaustive but representative) list of my favorite voices on social media today:
Chloe Shih - product marketer who got laid off from her tech job last year, created raw, fun content about her journey and is now invited to the biggest tech events. I love how intentional and differentiated her LinkedIn and Instagram content - she’s really nailed the algo & audience for both.
Rachel Karten - marketing & social media strategist who has a great pulse on what’s hot and what’s not. Her newsletter, Link In Bio is one of my favorite reads.
Jordan Rogers - fellow Nike alum like myself! Love his takes on all things sports marketing & how he breaks down the BTS of sports brand strategies.
Oren - the most up-to-speed resource on the latest marketing tech tools.
Ashwinn - the spiciest takes on brand marketing, especially when it comes to copy writing.
Mrs. Dow Jones - the OG female finance influencer educating women on improving their financial health.
What I love about the personalities on this list is that they break down complex marketing, branding, and tech tools into digestible, engaging content on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube… away from the stiff, homogeneous AI-generated articles flooding LinkedIn.
Redefining professional success
These creators aren't just educating; they're reshaping how we think about professional growth. Chloe, for example, has turned a layoff into an inspiring comeback, signing with UTA and becoming a familiar face at FAANG industry events. Ashwinn and Oren are taking their saucy insights straight to Cannes Lions last week, decoding brand strategy for global agencies.
The rise of this crop of Intellectual Influencers feels like a hopeful shift in digital culture, especially now when AI is breaking down the barriers to entry for true industry thought-leaders and making it that much harder to sort through all the noise to find real substance.
But perhaps what I love most is that these personalities are redefining what success looks like in the corporate world. Make no mistake: it takes real courage to put your views on the internet, open for trolls, brands and leaders to rip apart. Not everyone has the stomach for it and it takes a lot of work.
Yet, these creators are proving that by building deep knowledge, authenticity, and relatability, you can cultivate an online community where your voice can be as influential & impactful (or dare I say… even more so?) than it could in a traditional 9-5.
Stablecoins: the steady crypto cousins
My husband talks about stablecoins as much as I talk about food and after resisting it for months (ok… years)—and since it’s now relevant in my job working at Chipp, a fintech startup—I finally caved and decided to educate myself more on the subject. What I’ve discovered has truly surprised me in how revolutionary it is and instrumental I believe stablecoins will be in shaping the way we manage our money in the future.
So what exactly are stablecoins?
Imagine cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin as rollercoasters: thrilling but unpredictable. Stablecoins, on the other hand, are more like your trusty merry-go-rounds: digital tokens pegged directly to stable assets, typically the US dollar. Essentially, for every stablecoin issued, there's usually one real dollar sitting somewhere in a bank, providing stability and predictability. This makes stablecoins particularly useful for everyday transactions, international money transfers, and the rapidly growing field of decentralized finance (DeFi) which is basically banking, but without banks.
Why should you care?
Well, stablecoins like USDC and Tether aren't just crypto bro jargon; they're quietly reshaping global finance, especially in places where sending money home traditionally costs a fortune. As reported by Reuters, in Nigeria, people use stablecoins to avoid expensive transfer fees, saving large amounts of money when sending funds to their families abroad. On a personal note, my sister travels frequently for golf tournaments across different countries. Whenever we split the cost of gifts for our parents, who live in India, it's always complicated, dealing with fluctuating exchange rates, hefty transfer fees, and frustrating delays. Stablecoins could simplify all that by offering quick, affordable, and transparent transfers, fundamentally changing how families like mine manage money across borders.
That said, stablecoins aren't without risks. Last year's TerraUST meltdown was a stark reminder that not all stablecoins are created equal, especially those reliant solely on algorithms. For stablecoins to become commercially viable for everyday people like you and me, there must be robust oversight, transparency in reserves, and clear regulatory frameworks ensuring their stability and trustworthiness - all issues that big tech has struggled with for years.
So what happens culturally if our money becomes completely digital, programmable, and instantly traceable?
A few everyday wins pop to mind:
Instant pay for freelancers. Stablecoins move like email: hit “send,” and your freelance designer in Bangalore or Manila sees the money in minutes—no bank queues, no hidden exchange fees.
Refunds that show up right away. When you return a pair of sneakers, the store can shoot the same stablecoins back to your wallet immediately, instead of the one-to-two-week credit-card refund wait.
Automatic paycheck sorting. The moment your salary lands, your money app can split it: 20 % straight to rent, 15 % to savings, the rest to everyday spending—done before you even unlock your phone.
We’re still 3-5 years from widespread adoption, but when stablecoins finally go mainstream, they could transform money management across borders and generations. We need to make significant advancements in regulations, technological infrastructure, and consumer trust to get there.
But when that does happen, stablecoins could globalize us financially like never before, creating a world where money moves instantly and effortlessly across borders, connecting us in ways we've only imagined.
You need to watch The Studio
Phew… lots to unpack here, but let’s bring it home with something lighter: Apple TV’s brilliant collaboration with Seth Rogen on The Studio. If you haven't watched it yet, clear your schedule immediately. It's a fast-paced, unhinged behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood, reminiscent of a 2025 version of Entourage (forever a fav—I literally chose my apartment in LA because it's walking distance from Urth Caffé… iykyk).
The show doesn't just entertain… it’s a romantic ode to Hollywood, pulling back the curtain on all the things that make it wonderful and weird—from the politically incorrect lengths actors and executives will go to seem politically correct to what actually happens behind the scenes at an awards show and who gets credit in the speeches.
The cinematography is absolutely stunning, celebrating iconic LA locations from midcentury Mulholland Drive mansions to beloved institutions like Smoke House Restaurant. It beautifully captures so much of what drew me to this city in the first place—the glamor, the eccentricity, and the old-school Hollywood charm.
Each episode is cinematically unique, with crisp dialogue and phenomenal performances, especially from Seth Rogen and Catherine O'Hara. It even features real-world directors and personalities, such as Martin Scorsese playing themselves. One of my favorite episodes was Ep 3 with the doctor - the entire episode is dedicated to the timeless tension between art and science.
Back in February, I actually stood next to Seth Rogen waiting for a table at my (I guess… our) fav KBBQ spot. If only The Studio had come out sooner—I wasn’t a big fan of his then, but this show has converted me and I’d have definitely geeked out with him about it.
Maybe time for another trip to Koreatown.
Coming Up Next on Culture Curve…
🎯 Labubu mania: what the heck is all the hype about?!
💍 Oura’s new marketing campaign: a cheeky tagline targeting a not-so-cheeky audience.
💭 How is the attention economy impacting the quality of content? Something I’ve been pondering over recently.
See you soon!
Stay curious, stay connected.
- Kasvi
Loved this dispatch! Thank you for leading me to Ashwinn. Love his takes and insights on branding/marketing/design - feel like I'm listening to a colleague from my agency days. Except, cooler and current. I made my first investment in crypto thanks to the insights of your husband, maybe it's time to understand Stablecoins 🤔 And let me tell you, for a fintech agnostic person, you broke it down perfectly. Studio! Now we're talking. I breezed through it and agree with every word you've written. Except——here's the bizarre thing——I am still not a Seth Rogen fan. Always annoyed me, still does. But here, I admit, reluctantly, he totally owns it.