Throwback / Paul Squirrell
Greetings, ladies and gentlemen (the term is to be generously applied),
Welcome to those new to Serendipity. If you are reading this for the first time, the premises of these musings can be found in the provenance email. (In short, it could be described as the result of a letter and a mix tape hooking up for the evening. Sort of a formally written personal thing.)
Thank you to everyone who sent a note rambling about their own delights and smites regarding AI adoption. Alas, it was barely apparent who had used ChatGPT and who hadn’t in the responses.
I am keenly interested to see how the social media ban for children under 16 in Australia pans out. As many of you know, I deplore social media. No single person or trusted data source will convince me that it has been a net positive for humanity. Regardless, like all addictive and harmful toxins, having age restrictions until you are of age to make informed decisions to rot your brain seems sensible.
Zooming out a little, I didn't think I was supposed to be this grumpy and stuck in my ways until I was a little older. As children, when we knocked on doors and ran away, I remember the old men with canes who could barely get out of their recliners waving and yelling about “back in their day.” How is it that I hate 90% of modern music, I only use two buttons on the TV remote, I don’t understand what my kids say, I long for the days when people couldn't contact me easily, and I am still 25 years from social security?
I surmise that the frequent leaps in the consultant's favorite word from 2007, ‘paradigm-shifting,’ technology is causing the shortening of the “back in my day” cycles. I imagine that my three-year-old, Margaux, will one day ask me in the not-too-distant future about life before robots and what it was like when people went to work. I will tell her how glorious sitting at a computer, clicking a mouse, and typing for 10 hours was, the extraordinary posture problems it caused, and how incredibly fulfilling we all felt each night driving home.
There I go, being grumpy again. So, let’s turn my frown upside down.
Moving on.
This month’s ‘Serendipitous moment’:
This month’s serendipitous moment comes from the feature all the way back in September 2023. I caught up with the swashbuckling director Si Cox, who told me that he too had become digitally disenfranchised, so he started his own newsletter. It is an ode to beautiful human-created videography and photography with personal stories that help him connect with like-mind individuals - just like this one!
Moving on, on.
This month, I would like to introduce you to a gentleman who has never grumbled a day in his life, Paul Squirrell.
Paul Squirrell
Paul is the eternally curious and sophisticated Managing Director of the MISSION Hubs Network. He has spent his illustrious career globe-trotting with the world’s elite creative and advertising talent. Now, he brings agencies together to collaborate (no easy task, have you seen those egos) to help one another augment the services and talents they lack.
Beyond being the leader of the network and talent spotter extraordinaire, Paul is a warm and genuine human being who always has the time and patience to have interesting conversations with people who are doing amazing things. From Japan to Dubai, Brazil to sunny England, Paul’s global network is filled with people who can regale you with tales of adventure.
If you want to get in touch with Paul, connect with him here.
Extra points if you talk to Paul and can guess which part of England he is originally from.
To end, I truly appreciate all those who read these stories of people who are important to me. I hope that by sharing their stories, they can help you in some way, too. As a bonus for reading this far, here is an easter egg teaser for something big in the works.