The Recommendation Engine is Campaign US' weekly feature in which we learn about the media young people in the ad industry are currently consuming. This week, we get to know Rose Chirillo, copywriter at Los Angeles-based digital studio Madison + Vine.
What I'm watching
Oh man, what am I NOT watching? I feel oppressed by how much good TV there is right now—I’ve actually had to make a list, so I can keep track.
I’m currently obsessed with "The Handmaid’s Tale," which I watch on Hulu, "The Leftovers," which I watch on my mom’s HBONow account (don’t tell HBO...or my mom), and "Better Call Saul," which I make my boyfriend buy on Amazon because I can’t wait for it to become free on Netflix. I definitely date around streaming services!
As I say this, I’m realizing these shows are all thematically super heavy, so it’s worth mentioning that I also barrel through comedies like "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" or old episodes of "The Office" to maintain my sanity—because when it comes to TV, I’m partial to binging.
What I'm listening to
When I love music, I tend to listen to it over and over until I’m sick of it, which takes longer than the people around me would prefer. You just notice these subtleties that you might have missed or feel something different depending on your emotional context.
I’ve been listening to Frank Ocean’s "Blond" on repeat. "Self Control" is the song that has me swooning hardest.
I also haven’t stopped listening to Chance the Rapper’s "Coloring Book" since it came out. What he’s done with the genre is so mind-blowing, and I’ve been following his music since his first mixtape that he created when he was suspended from high school for 10 days—aptly called "10 Day."
Actually, "Blond" and "Coloring Book" have some parallels in that they do really interesting things with sound. They manage to make autotune and voice warping really beautiful in a specific way.
Spotify is my platform all the way. Their "Discover Weekly" playlists consistently kill it. And shoutout to KCRW’s "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with JB!
What I'm reading
I’m currently reading "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" by Oliver Sacks. This one has been on my list for a while since I love studies into the mind. The stories are fascinating, and I think the concept of personalizing and humanizing neurology is so special and crucial. After all, how can you really separate someone from their brain? It’s an old paperback copy; I can’t get into the e-book thing. I’m too overwhelmed by technology as is.
Who I'm following
So, here’s where the chorus of gasps erupts, but I actually don’t have Instagram, Twitter or Snapchat. I tend to feel like I’m already drowning in distraction without the bombardment of brunch photos and triggering tirades. But I follow a lot of sites for creative inspiration, like Creativity, Dazed & Confused magazine, Fast Company and Adweek.
For news, I read the New York Times and The New Yorker almost daily and enter the New Yorker Caption Contest almost weekly.
For my commute, I rely on my go-to podcasts: Radiolab, This American Life, and You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes because comedy is my lifeblood.
I also count on my more social media savvy friends to consistently supply me with the "dopest memes." I’m a sucker for a good meme.
What I'm ignoring
The advice of everyone around me to not Google my symptoms. And the impending apocalypse.