I wrote about the five things we’ve learned about digital from the 2026 elections so far. Click for the full analysis, but the TL;DR: 1. Don't Be Boring 2. Money Can’t Fix a Losing Message 3. AI Is Infrastructure, Not Strategy

We’re thrilled to debut Val at the @netrootsnation.bsky.social New Tools Showcase, in partnership with Higher Ground Labs. Still in beta, Val opens up influencer marketing to campaigns, organizations, and SMBs of all sizes for just $299.

Gift link on Jack Schlossberg’s nepo- and nap-powered campaign to grift his way into his first job. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/14/n...

New today in The Month in Digital: will the AI Slop Loop break the internet, and are we at peak social video? monthindigital.substack.com/p/april-2026...

On this episode of Influencer Impact, I sat down with @sarahsteinlubrano.bsky.social to unpack her recent book, Don’t Talk About Politics: Changing 21st Century Minds, and what the science actually says about political persuasion. people1st.substack.com/p/dont-talk-...

The best indication so far the WHCD Trump shooting wasn't staged? No evidence yet of huge insider bets just before it happened on Polymarket or Kalshi :-)

The new biopic Adolf tells the story of a young Austrian painter.

📲 Creator content is AI-search infrastructure and we know how to do something about it. www.notus.org/2026-electio...

Two trends from the @peoplefirsthq.bsky.social team to keep an eye on: AI in ads (a new study from AAPC), and why you need to stop focusing so much on individual creators’ followers and instead consider the algorithmic distribution. people1st.substack.com/p/ai-kills-t...

Don’t miss Val co-founders Valerie Cheney and me next week at the AI for Nonprofits and Advocacy Summit, April 8–10. It’s free and virtual! We will be presenting “Using Agentic AI to Run Affordable Influencer Campaigns” on Thursday at 4 ET / 1 PT.

Lots happened in March, from historic lawsuits to GenAI app shutdowns to multiple important platform updates. Here’s what you missed: monthindigital.substack.com/p/march-2026...

The influencer economy isn’t just marketing anymore, it’s political infrastructure. people1st.substack.com/p/building-t...

[email protected] took home another Reed Award last night, this time for Best Influencer Partnership for a campaign we ran with the Gill Foundation in support of trans youth. My partners Nicole Dunger and Val Cheney were on hand in Charleston, SC to accept it.

Overheard on Slack: "I don’t vibe code anymore. I speak to my agents and then I have one master one that vibe codes"

Tracking Iran War Spending: iran.pbor250.org

If you're heading to the Reed Awards in Charleston this week, Nicole & Val will be there representing @peoplefirsthq.bsky.social & hopefully picking up another Reed or two. If you want to talk about influencers in politics, shoot Nicole an email: nicole.dunger at peoplefirst.cc.

Two campaign platforms we probably aren’t talking about enough: Nextdoor and… serialized content.

Was great talking with @jlemonsk.bsky.social about the role influencers play in modern social impact and political communications. We started @peoplefirsthq.bsky.social more than seven years ago as the only influencer agency focused on Democratic campaigns and causes. youtu.be/8URpoFSHpfE

There's a lot happening in the world, so you probably missed a few things in digital. No worries, I can get you caught up. monthindigital.substack.com/p/february-2...

GOP members of the FCC clearly have never heard of the Streisand Effect.

[email protected] is thrilled to once again be recognized by The Reed Awards as finalists for Best Influencer Marketing Firm and Best Influencer Partnership. Thank you to our incredible team and partners who make this work possible!

Six homeless people have died of hypothermia in Milan in the past month, local police said. Some of them were found close to Olympic venues where spectators are paying as much as $1,650 a ticket to watch athletes compete at the Winter Games.

So much happened in the real world in January that you’ve got plenty of excuses to catch up on what happened in digital. monthindigital.substack.com/p/ai-slop-ev...

Happy to see that there is no need to worry about the historical accuracy of new 1776 AI slop because it happens in the mystical land of Λamereedd.

Extrajudicial killings, disappeared children, unprecedented corruption. We're becoming Latin America in the 1980s.

In the latest Influencer Impact, @peoplefirsthq.bsky.social analyzed public’s digital responses to ICE’s extrajudicial killings in Minnesota. TLDR: “These moments did not stay contained to one political corner of the internet. They broke through everywhere.” people1st.substack.com/p/how-we-as-...

@peoplefirsthq.bsky.social helps political campaigns and advocacy organizations start or scale their influencer programs for 2026. We have the largest creator network in social impact, with influencers ready to create for your cause. Reach out to chat.

Spot-on analysis of how a non-political influencer, best known for videos like “riding a bike over a ramp lit on fire,” took on the MN fraud scandal. His videos reached 10ms+ views & generated enough outrage that Walz ultimately stepped aside from the race. www.wakeuptopolitics.com/p/tim-walz-i...

I read 79 digital media trend reports for 2026 so you don’t have to. You’re welcome, internet. Here's what I learned: monthindigital.substack.com/p/what-79-tr...

Happy New Year! If you’re checking in on work this Friday before the first weekend of 2026, check out December’s Month in Digital, fresh out this morning. monthindigital.substack.com/p/december-o...

Please watch and share this 60 Minutes piece that the Trump Administration didn't want you to see. These crimes are being committed in our name. x.com/imatweet25/s...

Check out what you might have missed in The Month In Digital by @ryannewyork.bsky.social ! You definitely don’t want to miss this!

The @peoplefirsthq.bsky.social team wrote a guide to working with influencers in politics and advocacy for Election 2026. Check it out! people1st.substack.com/p/2026-elect...

This week on Out Of Office: A Travel Podcast, Kiernan and I unwrap our favorite holiday book picks, spanning globe-trotting history, eccentric presidential tales, and even the secret lives of Southern gas stations. Give it a listen. 🎧📚 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...

Everything you missed in digital in November. open.substack.com/pub/monthind...

Always fun chatting with Karen Jagoda about digital and politics. This time Nicole Dunger joined us. Give it a listen: digitalpoliticsradio.com/combining-in...

We have a brand new Newsletter written by our very own @ryannewyork.bsky.social where we talk about Zoran Mamndanis big win as mayor of the New York City and how paid media has gotten smarter! Click the link down below! substack.com/home/post/p-17…

Everything you missed in digital this October. open.substack.com/pub/monthind...

Pressure money may be accidentally fueilong the MAGA machine. In our latest Influencer Impact, we unconver how some left-leaning orgs are unknowingly paying pro-Trump influencer firms and what that means for 2026! Read more on our Substack! Written by @ryannewyork.bsky.social

Over the past weeks, I’ve learned several progressive advocacy organizations may be accidentally paying MAGA-aligned influencer firms to source content for them. In doing so, they’re directly helping MAGA Republicans build & strengthen their influencer databases ahead of 2026.

Boy do we got a crazy The Month in Digital for ya! @ryannewyork.bsky.social goes all the way from what’s going on with the new deal with TikTok all the way down to who Nigel Thistledown is! Read more here!

Jimmy Kimmel's return monologue already has 14m views on YouTube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1tj...

Never seen an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live in my entire life, tuning in tonight and will buy from at least one advertiser.

Cancel Culture was always a fascist tactic that the left was just borrowing.

Don’t forget to check out our brand new Influencer Impact Newsletter by our very own @ryannewyork.bsky.social speaking on what it really means to build campaigns for today’s social media landscape! substack.com/home/post/p-...

Check out my latest piece on Influencer Impact about how Democrats are losing ground in voter registration and how creator content can drive more targeted C3 and C4 efforts to close the gap. people1st.substack.com/p/modern-pro... @peoplefirsthq.bsky.social

We got a brand new The Month In Digital newsletter by our very own @ryannewyork.bsky.social ! Make sure to check it out below! Read all things you possibly missed in the digital world! open.substack.com/pub/monthindig…

Your customers don't like your AI advertising. monthindigital.substack.com/p/what-your-...

Vicky Dávila, leading contender in Colombia for the Presidency, has serious Trump-populist-media vibes.