Underrepresentation of women in key media roles has been a consistent theme throughout the years. The discrepancy has been even more pronounced among minorities. Brande Victorian, Managing Editor at Madamnoire, and Robyn Moreno, Co-President at Latina Media Ventures join us on Cheddar to discuss diversity in media.
Victorian chats about the biggest challenges of being part of a minority-run publication. Victorian said a big challenge is advertising. Competition is stiff, and they don't typically have the same funding as large corporations such as Vice and Complex.
Moreno weighed in by saying minority work has never been more important due to the current political climate.
Latinos made up just 3% of speaking roles in the top 100 films in 2016, despite making up about 26% of the U.S. population. Moreno said Latinos are holding up the movie industry. She said 1 in 4 movie tickets are bought by Latinos. Not only isn't it insulting, she said, but it's also bad business.
Mattel’s Hot Wheels 2022 Legend Tour will be coming to New York City after a tour of 14 countries and five continents. The company is also launching Hot Wheels into the NFT space with the Hot Wheels Garage allowing users to customize digital cars. Richard Dickson, president and COO of Mattel, joined Cheddar News to talk about the tour and the efforts the iconic brand is taking to stay relevant in the digital age. "I think as you look at what's successful brands and toy brands in particular in this particular chapter are going to be about nostalgic brands that have longevity," he said. "We're generational in the context of our portfolio."
Ghost Financial emerged from stealth to raise $2.5M from investors to provide financial tools to the growing ghost kitchens space. CEO and founder John Meyer joined Cheddar News to discuss the company's future plans as well as potentially getting former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick on board. "The one thing I can say about my time spent with Travis Kalanick is that he definitely believes in the future of Ghost kitchens, given that, he's gone all-in on Cloud Kitchens as a company," Meyer said. "So he's not an investor in us yet. We welcome it, and I'll probably reach out to him today and ask."
The pandemic has seen a historic shift in brand loyalty.
Since the beginning of COVID-19, more than 75% of shoppers have changed their buying habits, and 39% have switched brands or retailers entirely, as inflation and supply shortages have forced them to rethink their purchases, according to McKinsey. Barbara Connors, VP of Commercial Insights at 84.51°, breaks down this shift in brand loyalty and how brands are adapting to it.
Despite headwinds from COVID-19, Omni Hotels and Resorts has been able to stay on track, with many new properties in the works. The hotel and resorts chain has also seen a 50% uptick in revenue across all of its locations compared to its levels in 2019. Peter Strebel, President & CEO of Omni Hotels & Resorts, joined Cheddar to talk about how Omni was able to emerge from the pandemic stronger than ever, and give insight into the expected summer travel surge.
Keri Miller, HOA Treasurer at Mallard Creek, and Mike Hunter, Attorney at Offit Kurman, discuss how residents feel about the rise in corporate rentals and what is being done to curtail the short-term rentals trend.
Rick Tumlinson, Founding Partner of SpaceFund, discusses the industries driving the space economy and what should investors look for when investing in space companies.
Elon Musk is set to join Twitter's board of directors. This comes shortly after the Tesla CEO purchased a 9.2% stake in Twitter, sending shares surging as much as 27% and making him the largest shareholder in the social media company. Angelo Zino, Senior Industry Analyst at CFRA Research, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to gives his take on the social media saga.
President Biden has announced a historic release of oil from the U.S. reserves in an attempt to cut down surging gas prices across the country. The administration will release 1 million barrels of oil per day for the next six months, marking the largest withdrawal in the nearly 50-year history of the country's emergency supply of oil. Patrick DeHaan, Head of Petroleum Analysis at GasBuddy, breaks down why the Biden administration is making this unprecedented move, and what impact it could have on prices at the pump.
Rhea Thomas, Senior Economist at Wilmington Trust, breaks down the highlights from the latest jobs report and discusses how inflation could impact economic growth.
