Good morning 👋🏼 The internet has been internet-ing this week, and there’s a lot to unpack. So today, you’re getting a 3-for-1 digest of what’s been top of mind—and, more importantly, what we can learn from it.

I’m also beyond thrilled to share that we crossed the 500 subscriber mark this week. It’s not just about the number—it’s a sign that what we’re building here is resonating. And for that, I can’t thank you enough.

There are already some wild developments in the works (more on that soon 👀), but for now—let’s get into it.

📣 Grammys Goes Gaga

Beyond Beyoncé's historic Album of the Year win and the inspiring $9M raised for wildfire relief, this year's Grammy Awards shattered expectations in two game-changing ways:

1. Social Media Supremacy: While traditional viewership dipped, the show generated an unprecedented 102.2 million social media interactions (per Talkwalker), making it the most socially engaged TV broadcast ever. This isn't just a number—it's a clear signal that the future of live events lies in creating moments worth sharing, not just watching.

2. Gaga's New Game Plan: The surprise drop of "Abracadabra" wasn't just about the music (though I’m absolutely addicted to the song—I’ve had on literal loop all week). What's wild is how Team Gaga has completely flipped the script on celebrity engagement. Instead of staying in that familiar ivory tower, they've jumped right into the social media pool with the rest of us.

Gaga and her team have been diving into thousands of TikToks, leaving comments and reposting videos like they're part of the community. Every time they interact with a video, they're not just sending a notification—they're creating a genuine moment of connection that transforms fans from observers into collaborators.

🥡 The Takeaway: The most powerful marketing in 2025 doesn't happen to your audience—it happens with them. When you empower your community to be co-creators of the conversation, they'll amplify your message in ways no traditional campaign could match.

💥 Trish Did That

This week, social media mega-star Trisha Paytas gave us a masterclass in digital storytelling that might just reshape how theater connects with audiences.

For those who haven't spent hours down the YouTube rabbit hole, Trisha has built an empire of over 10 million followers through lifestyle vlogs, music videos, and mukbangs. The sold-out, one-night-only spectacular at the St. James Theatre wasn't just a show—it was a masterclass in bringing audiences along for the ride. While most productions keep rehearsals under strict lock and key, her team threw open the studio doors, sharing intimate (and fun) glimpses of the creative process in near real-time.

Friend of The Fourth Wall, Andrew Patino (who I chatted with a few weeks back about the potential TikTok ban), shared an insightful breakdown of what it took to make this happen.

The results speak for themselves: tickets vanished in five minutes, the steady stream of rehearsal content generated millions of views, and fans who couldn't snag seats joined via StagePilot's livestream. Each behind-the-scenes moment turned viewers from observers into invested participants in Trisha's journey.

To be clear: current union regulations mean most Broadway shows can't share this kind of intimate rehearsal content. But Trisha's success might just help spark an overdue conversation about how Broadway can thoughtfully embrace digital access while also protecting artists.

🥡 The Takeaway: Even with current limitations on rehearsal content, there's a clear message here: audiences are hungry for these authentic glimpses into the creative process. The question isn't if theater will embrace digital access, but how.

📊 Dance of the Data

Last season’s Broadway League audience report just dropped, and the story it tells about who's filling those seats is fascinating.

Recovery Mode: Broadway sold 12.29 million tickets this season—a slight increase from last year's 12.28 million, but still 17% below the pre-COVID peak. The good news? International tourism is making a serious comeback, accounting for 21% of all admissions (2.62 million tickets—the second-highest in three decades).

The Face of Broadway 2024:

• Average age: 42 years old

• Gender breakdown: 65% identify as women

• Average annual household income: $276,375

• Education level: 84% of theatregoers over 25 have completed college

• Location: 21% NYC residents, 13% from suburbs, 45% other U.S., 21% international

But here’s where it gets interesting: "Personal recommendation" remains the #1 driver of ticket sales (28.5%). But what does that even mean in 2024?

Is it your best friend texting you about a must-see show? Or is it the TikTok review that randomly popped up on your FYP? The lines between traditional word-of-mouth and digital discovery are blurring more than ever.

🥡 The Takeaway: The data confirms it: people trust people, not brands. But in an era where our biggest conversations happen online, organic buzz isn’t enough—we have to actively create moments worth sharing. The future? Meeting audiences where they already are—and giving them something they can’t help but talk about.

☝🏼 One last thing…

Because this newsletter is both an observatory and a laboratory (as I mentioned in the peek behind the curtain), I’m constantly learning what it takes to grow and share a creative project. Here are a few things that became clear to me this week:

• Picking platforms matters. Focusing on just two—Instagram and LinkedIn—hasn’t just improved engagement, it’s sharpened how I think about content itself. Which leads me to…

• Shares and saves are the new currency. A carousel I put together on the importance of the arts resonated way more than I expected. And I want to be transparent: I intentionally didn’t include a call-to-action for this newsletter. The goal was to provide something valuable (and shareable) first.

• Bringing people into the process is powerful. Documenting this newsletter’s growth (in a new video series) isn’t just about inspiring others—it helps me make sense of what I’m learning. The act of distilling insights into clear, digestible takeaways forces me to process them more deeply.

Our next big goal: hit 1000 subscribers by the end of March 🫠

I think it’s possible but I’ll definitely need your help—so share this with a friend if you can? As the data shows, personal recs work better than anything else!

I appreciate you being here more than I can express.

See you next week!