One Last Rodeo ☃️
We're finishing the year strong
Neighbors,
This year, we’ve hosted…
One “Short Story Long,” a full-day storytelling workshop and event
Three Block Parties, celebrating each new Creator Mag release
And over twenty gatherings (like Show Your Work!) at Studio Powder Blue
But we’re not done yet. Join writers, filmmakers, and artists from around Chicago this Friday, December 19, for The Powder Blue Holiday Function.
It’ll be an end-of-year mixer—and a night of revelry. Drink some eggnog, meet other creatives, and dust off your best Ugly Christmas Sweater; we’ll be raffling off some prizes to the best fit knits, too. You can RSVP here.
It’s been a wonderful ride building this creative neighborhood alongside you all, and we couldn’t think of a better way to close out 2025. Across our stories and gatherings, it’s really felt like our mission to Make The Internet Feel Smaller is coming into focus, and 2026 is shaping up to be our biggest year yet.
For this week’s Five Things, I figured I’d switch it up a bit—sharing five photos from the last twelve months and the (brief) stories behind them.
— NGL
P.S. I’m hopping on 20-minute calls with readers to get to know you better—and listen to your feedback as we wrap up 2025. Grab time on my calendar here.
P.P.S. Last blog, we reviewed Drew Gooden’s evolution from early Vine star to a standout voice in cultural commentary. You can read it here.
1.
I moved back to Chicago on January 7. By January 19, we’d closed on our studio. And on January 31, we officially opened our doors for the first time.
It was a cold winter day, and (save for our Facebook Marketplace-acquired green couch) the space was quite bare. But twenty-five of you joined us for our Housewarming anyway, with conversations and games raging late into the night.
I’m a little biased, yet the energy in that room felt like the start of something special. After nearly three years away, thanks for welcoming me back in with open arms, Chicago.
2.
Our first Block Party at the end of March was an opportunity to bring the neighborhood together, in one place, for the first time. We congregated on the top floor of 800 Fulton Market in the West Loop, with a beautiful view of the Chicago skyline. It was a pretty magical moment.
A lot of small things have to go right for any event to run smoothly. Credit to our producer, Zak Chaouki, who I was introduced to via text at the beginning of March—and met in person just several weeks later, on the morning of the Block Party.
The team finished cleaning everything up around midnight and, when the dust had settled, ordered a forty-wing tray from Buffalo Wild Wings at two-thirty in the morning. Unfortunately, the restaurant committed a Midwestern cardinal sin by forgetting to include the ranch—a canon event in our inevitable supervillain arc.
3.
We hosted “Short Story Long” in May alongside the great Colleen Yu. Sixty creatives joined us (about a third flew in) for a full day of instruction, breakout groups, an open mic, and a couple of musical performances.
Scott Whitehair, the award-winning storyteller who MC’d the first half of the event, kicked things off by embracing imperfection. We were all here to work on our craft, and—while he shared tangible skills to improve on, from body language to delivery—Scott remarked that there’s no wrong way to tell a story.
This thread weaved the entire day together…which is why I selected the photo above. At the end of the event, ten attendees got in front of the entire room to perform their stories. Even when some slipped up, everyone clapped and encouraged them on.
People still bring up Short Story Long to me and mention how inspired they were leaving the venue. Should we run it back in 2026? 👀
4.
We hosted our third Block Party of the year in Los Angeles. Given this one was a flight away from our home turf, we needed to coordinate pretty much everything—selecting a venue, finding a live jazz band, hiring a bartender—remotely.
When searching for dinner options, we decided to bring out a surprise food truck to really double down on the Block Party feel. As soon as I saw Ardi’s Eats & Sweets on a vendor’s website, I knew Ardi (and his one hundred percent grass-fed beef) was the guy.
It turns out he runs the family-owned business with his son and serves legitimately one of the best burgers I’ve ever had in my life. “We have a secret, homemade ketchup recipe,” he informed me, carrying an air of (deserved) self-confidence upon arriving at the venue.
Hosting in Los Angeles may have come with constraints, but as the saying goes, constraints breed creativity. And really, really good burgers.
5.
To conclude, I wanted to highlight three pieces that folks shared at last Thursday’s Show Your Work!
First up: Kyle Leland Cullerton’s Mid-To-Late. Kyle directed and edited this trailer for his series pilot; it’s simultaneously haunting, emotional, and (dare I say) quite funny. The whole room couldn’t wait to watch the full thing.
Next, Louis Banda shared his short Run For Your Life. Written, directed, and shot by Louis, the thriller film shows so much without telling. Oh, did I mention it looks absolutely stunning, too?
Finally, Johnny Thai shared his latest upload, Arcade Fashion Shouldn’t Be This Good. This was the second installment in his new series, pivoting away from strictly fashion tips videos in favor of more personality-driven rides out in the real world. Come for the lightsaber lavalier mic, stay for the genuinely beautiful concluding message.
It’s amazing how comfortable people have gotten with showing their work in front of complete strangers. The feedback dished out is great, sure. But each time we host this, the conversations that arise—from the news, pop culture, or the pieces themselves—are just getting better and better.
We’re already planning our event series for 2026, from Block Parties and workshops to (bigger) Show Your Work! nights and more.
The best way to stay in the loop? This newsletter. We’ll be sharing each and every event right here.
For now, though, we still need to close 2025 off right. See you at the function.
Thanks for reading! Shoot us a reply, comment, or DM if anything resonated with you in particular—we respond to them all.