Why Marco?
I met Marco when I was a grad school intern at Wasserman, a sports marketing agency with an office in Raleigh, North Carolina. Several years later we reconnected when I noticed that Marco started a substack (more to come). He is a gifted social media strategist and a good follow on Linkedin!
Follow
on Linkedin and on Twitter @mjsernaSelf-Description
The energy of Jim Carrey, with the look of George Lopez. Self-proclaimed funniest guy in the room. Storms into parties like my name is El Niño.
Marco’s Recommendations
Written in his own words…
Content
I am a big reader and love me some podcasts too! Below are some of my favorites that have stuck with me the last few months.
The Chris Farley Show - Autobiography on who I think is one of our best comic actors of all time. The book is equal parts hilarious and moving and will make you want to rewatch the best SNL clips.
Tinderbox: HBO's Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers - Oral history books fascinate me and this one about HBO is a must-read. I am a big movie and TV guy, as I will talk about later, but to see the inception of one of the great content machines of our time is a WILD ride. Even better it's from the perspective of the people who lived it.
The Dog Walk - Podcast - I love this podcast because it's tailored for everyone and meant to be listened on your commute or walking your dog. They are typically short and the guys who run it are hilarious. Everything from news to funny conspiracy theories, the pod covers it all and it's just a bunch of guys hanging out and talking to their friends.
@PFTCommenter is by far my favorite twitter account. Whatever your feelings are about the company he works for, his brand and type of humor is just perfect and what Twitter should be about. The perfect mix of sports takes with a mix of internet commenter type humor.
Digital Products
Since I run my own digital business, I am all about productivity and maximizing my time:
Rectangle - Mac App - While simple, this app is my favorite. What it does is snap your windows to specific parts of your screen to be able to work on multiple screens.
ChatGPT app - This was just released this past week, but I LOVE IT. I am a big Ai user, and it helps me with my business working in social media. Also, just helps me learn. I can ask any question and get a stripped-down explanation of it and or help me with some brainstorming.
Libby - This is my audiobook app, and I can't live without it. If your city library offers a digital library card, you can get audiobooks and ebooks for free. I love it, and it's a must-have for me on my walks during the day.
Watch
Oh gosh, where do I start? I run a newsletter about this very thing. Below are my top picks for each category:
TV Show:
Black Mirror - When I discovered this many years ago, I had to use some shady sites to watch it because it was a BBC show and wasn't in America yet. Now, on NETFLIX, it's worth a watch, and I love every episode. It talks about the pitfalls of technology in our lives but to an extreme level.
Happy Endings - By far one of my favorite comedies that was canceled too soon. Happy Endings is essentially an updated 'Friends.' It's very underrated and so dang funny. I am sad that it was canceled, but it's worth a watch because it's definitely a mood booster.
Movie:
Wind River - This is a VERY underrated movie IMO, and it has Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen. The plot centers around an FBI agent and a game warden investigating the murder of an Indian girl on the reservation.
Hell or High Water - Your classic bank robber/heist movie but with some grit. This has Chris Pine and Ben Foster, and the legendary Jeff Bridges.
Documentary:
The Inventor - We have all heard about Elizabeth Holmes now, but I remember seeing this doc before the HULU show was made, and it is a fascinating downward spiral full of fraud and a very sad look at a person who wanted to be 'Steve Jobs' so bad that it ruined lives.
Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind - I love Robin Williams. He was my childhood. Mrs. Doubtfire, Hook, and Jumanji are childhood classics and will have a place in my heart forever. This doc takes a look into the mind of a legend in his own words.
Well-Being
For me, it's all about staying moving. Since I work from home and like most I sit down for a long period of time.
I try to get an early morning walk, when I wake up I try not to look at my phone, I go outside and get some sun. It really is a game changer.
I do Yoga 2-3 times a week, I am a bigger guy as you can see from my picture, so I need to be able to move and be mobile and yoga really helps keep me lean and mean.
I try to schedule at least 2 nights with friends, you can get super isolated working for yourself and working from home so being able to see people really boosts the good vibes.
Professional
Scheduling an hour in my schedule for just me. It truly is a HUGE difference and breaks apart the day. It's my time to work out, meditate or just go for a walk. It keeps me sane.
Personal Plug from Marco
I love a shameless plug but follow my substack:
I write a weekly post about the best thing I LOVE in streaming for that weekend.
Also, find me on LinkedIn that's where I talk about my social media business:
I am taking new clients, BTW, so if you're interested in learning more about social and digital or just want to connect, I would love to talk.
Want to get in touch with Marco? DM him on Linkedin.
Thank You, Marco!