FEBRUARY 14TH, 2025

Good vibes presented by Your Startup Operations

FRIDAY’S VIBES

^SUBSCRIBE

HAPPY

VALENTINE’S DAY!

HI CUTIE! ❤️ Plan for a Cozy Valentine’s Day Weekend:

• Hey CuratedLA Family! It's Valentine's Day, but don't let the rainy weather dampen your spirits, as it's a perfect excuse to cozy up with your loved one or explore the city's indoor charms. Speaking of local talent, dive into our exclusive interview with Courtney Ferris below, the creative gem from Amazon's Beast Games who captured hearts. Plus, we've got your weekend sorted with both content and guides on the best rainy day activities and romantic escapes for this Valentine's Day Weekend. Have a wonderful weekend, LA and I will see everyone back in the inbox on Tuesday. - Wyatt

ON THIS DAY ⏪️ Los Angeles History

CURATORS: Newsletter links for Curators did not work Tuesday afternoon as I transitioned the platform to branded links b/c of growth. But the issue was resolved swiftly by the wonderful team at beehiiv. They pointed out that I had a typo within certain settings. So that’s good…thank you beehiiv! #NERDSTUFF

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YOUR STARTUP OPERATIONS

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HOV LANES

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EATS

HEADLINES

LAS VEGAS 🍿 Culinary Curations Inspired by Netflix Shows:

• Netflix unveils Netflix Bites at MGM Grand, merging iconic show themes with a diverse menu of burgers, seafood, and more. Now open for walk-ins, reservations start next week. Exclusive Mastercard perks include priority and VIP seating. Following a hit LA launch in 2023, Vegas diners can now experience this unique dining concept.

IN-N-OUT 🍔 In-N-Out Burger Moves HQ Back to Los Angeles::

• In-N-Out Burger is relocating its headquarters to Baldwin Park, its birthplace, from Irvine by 2029, celebrating its roots and aiming to enhance customer service. Owner Lynsi Snyder highlighted the family and historical significance of this return. The move coincides with expansion plans, including a new office in Tennessee.

OPENINGS

SANTA MONICA 🎡 Din Tai Fung, Soup/Dumplings:

• Din Tai Fung is set to open a 10,615-square-foot restaurant at Santa Monica Place by the end of the month, marking its long-anticipated entry into the area. Known for its soup dumplings and Michelin-starred locations, the Taiwanese chain will feature both indoor and outdoor seating with ocean views. In support of local businesses impacted by recent wildfires, 100% of profits from the opening will go toward rebuilding efforts. This new location across from the upcoming Arte Museum is a positive development for the mall, which has seen declining occupancy rates.

  • Website + Menu + Instagram

LITTLE TOKYO 🥢 JinCook, Korean Cuisine:

• JinCook has finally graced 1st Street in Little Tokyo, bringing its renowned Korean cuisine closer to home. Early reviews rave about the swift service, generous banchan, and must-try dishes like garlic suyuk and katsu hot stone specials. With a cozy ambiance featuring traditional Korean decor, JinCook is quickly becoming a hotspot for authentic Korean dining amidst the Japanese culinary landscape of Little Tokyo.

  • Website + Menu + Instagram

WESTSIDE 🧁 Sweet Red Peach Sweetens The Westside:

• Sweet Red Peach, the beloved SoCal bakery known for its legendary cakes and pies, is set to open a new location on Olympic Blvd. in West LA. Owner Karolyn Plummer, who started with her retirement funds in 2000, brings her famous blue velvet, sweet potato pie, and peach cobbler from Inglewood to the Westside, continuing to delight fans with her baking passion.

  • Website + Menu + Instagram

UNIVERSAL CITY🎢 Insomnia Cookies Expands to University City:

• Following a record-setting 2024 with 55 new locations, Insomnia Cookies is set to open at Universal CityWalk Hollywood, offering the only late-night cookie fix in the area. This new spot joins the recently announced Slice House by Tony Gemignani, enhancing the food scene at Universal Studios Hollywood. Insomnia Cookies, celebrated for its warm cookies delivered well into the night, continues its growth spree with this new addition.

  • Website + Menu + Instagram

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EVENTS

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

FIVE FUTURES

GUIDES

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ACTIVITIES

IVY STATION 💘 Valentine’s Night Market, Tonight

• Celebrate Valentine's Day at Ivy Station on this evening from 5:00pm - 10:00pm with the Love for LA Night Market. Enjoy a night of romance and community support with local vendors, gourmet food trucks, craft beers, and family-friendly activities like pet photos and tarot readings. Plus, every purchase aids LA fire relief efforts. Free admission and parking in Culver City. 💸 🎈 

DOWNTOWN 🎻 LA Phil’s Valentine’s Concert, Tonight:

• Celebrate love at Walt Disney Concert Hall tonight with Drinks in the Garden, starting at 6:30pm., where you'll enjoy a free drink, a rose, and a personalized poem. The evening continues with a performance by pianist Seong-Jin Cho and conductor Paavo Järvi at 8:00pm. Get your tickets for this romantic musical journey. 🎈 

VENICE BEACH 💋 Dating Chaos, Tonight - Starts at 6:00pm

• Embrace the madness this Friday at NeueHouse Venice Beach for the Chaotic Singles Party, where 200+ singles gather for a night of themed drinks, V-Day games, and heartbreak anthems. With a special performance by Social House, expect chaos, connections, and maybe even love. Tickets from $17, doors open 6:00pm-10:00pm.

CULVER CITY 🍺 Culver City Dive Bar, Tonight at 8:00pm:

• Escape the Valentine’s clichés and dive into a night of love readings, themed drinks, and games at a Culver City dive bar tonight, starting at 8:00pm. Enjoy a night of jukebox hits, darts, and pool, where you might just find romance or at least have a good time.

PASADENA 🌹 Black History Festival, This Saturday:

• Join the community this Saturday at Robinson Park from 10:00am to 3:00pm for the Pasadena Black History Festival, emphasizing recovery from the Eaton Fire with live music, dance, speakers, and food. Free admission, all are welcome. 💸 🎈 

ECHO PARK 🎛️ Dre Day LA, Saturday at Echoplex:

• Celebrate a decade of Dre with Dre Day LA this Saturday at Echoplex. Enjoy classics, rarities, and more from Dr. Dre's catalog spun by legends like BATTLECAT and J.ROCC, alongside residents INKA ONE and DJ EXPO. Starts at 9:00pm, tickets $12.51, benefiting Mutual Aid LA. 🪙

ARTS DISTRICT 💿️ LA Record Fair, This Sunday:

• Dive into the world of vinyl every this Sunday at Arts District Brewing for the Los Angeles Record Fair from 12:00pm - 5:00pm. Swap, buy, or sell records while enjoying craft beer and food, with DJs spinning rare tracks. No entry fee, all ages welcome with an adult. 💸 🎈 

PASADENA 🎮️ Pokémon GO Tour: Unova, Next Weekend

• Dive into the world of Pokémon at the Rose Bowl Stadium next weekend, this February 21st-23rd, where over 30,000 Trainers will gather for Pokémon GO Tour: Unova. Experience themed habitats, meet live mascots, and capture rare Pokémon, all while supporting wildfire relief in SoCal with a $1m donation from Niantic and The Pokémon Company. Limited tickets available, register via the Pokémon GO app or online.

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COMMUNITY

STORM SURGE ⛈️ Heavy Rain, Flood Risks + Snowfall:

• Southern California braces for its most significant storm of the year, with heavy rain continuing into this morning. Forecasts predict up to 3 inches in lower elevations and 3-6 inches in the mountains, with snowfall exceeding 2 feet above 6,000 feet. Burn areas face heightened risks of debris flows, and flood watches will be in effect. Strong winds may bring down trees and power lines, and emergency crews are on standby. While this storm could mark the end of fire season, it won’t ease drought conditions. Prepare for road closures, possible evacuations, and stay updated with emergency alerts.

KUSC X KDFC 📻️ Classical Music Stations Merge:

• Los Angeles' KUSC and San Francisco’s KDFC are merging their operations under the unified name ‘Classical California’ starting this summer. The merger aims to streamline services while maintaining separate announcer teams in each city. The stations will continue to support local arts institutions and emphasize their commitment to enriching community engagement, despite potential funding challenges due to government budget cuts.

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DEVELOPMENT

HOLLYWOOD 🎬️ New Housing Near Hollywood/Western Station:

• Plans filed with the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council unveil an eight-story, 139-unit residential development on W. Carlton Way from ROM Investments. Designed by Steinberg Hart, the project will feature a modern mid-rise with a central courtyard, a pool deck, and subterranean parking for 148 vehicles. Seventeen units will be designated as affordable housing, with displaced tenants granted a right of return and financial assistance. Construction is set to begin in late 2025, aiming for a 2027 completion. Nearby, new projects continue to add density, including a nine-story build on Western Avenue and an adaptive reuse of the historic Hollywood Western Building.

DEL RAY 🏡 Affordable Housing Plans Take Shape on Culver Blvd:

• Community Corp. of Santa Monica is advancing plans for a 100-unit affordable housing development on Culver Blvd., on land owned by Marina Christian Fellowship. Designed by FSY Architects, the project replaces a surface lot and a former Ocean Charter School building with a four-to-six-story complex featuring one- to three-bedroom units, outdoor decks, and a 97-car garage. Enabled by SB 4, which streamlines housing on church-owned land, the development follows Community Corp.’s model seen at IKAR and Culver-Palms United Methodist. If approved, it will expand the non-profit’s footprint beyond Santa Monica, where it has recently completed multiple projects.

SAN PEDRO 🚢 Vivo on Harbor Nears Completion:

• The Vivo on Harbor project on South Harbor Boulevard is nearing completion, bringing a new eight-story mixed-use building to Downtown San Pedro. The development will offer 137 residential units, ranging from studios to two-bedroom apartments, along with 1,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Designed by KFA Architecture and developed by Trammell Crow Company’s subsidiary High Street Residential, the building will feature amenities such as a rooftop deck, fitness center, co-working space, and a clubhouse. The project includes sixteen affordable housing units and a podium parking garage, with rents ranging from $2,410 to $4,750 per month.

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BUSINESS

YOUTUBE 📺️ The Big Screen Takeover:

• YouTube is officially a living room staple. CEO Neal Mohan’s annual letter reveals that Americans now watch more YouTube on their TVs than on phones, flipping the mobile-first video strategy of the past decade. Despite Netflix’s dominance in originals, YouTube still leads in Nielsen ratings, proving its grip on U.S. streaming. Even YouTube Shorts—designed for quick phone scrolling—are making their way onto TVs, challenging assumptions that younger viewers prefer mobile. For content creators and platforms banking on mobile engagement, this shift could mean a major strategy reset.

  • 🔗 GO FURTHER: YouTube CEO’s four priorities in 2025, what creators need to know, via The Publish Press.

AMAZON MGM 🎞️ Global Box Office Play:

• Amazon MGM Studios is gearing up to launch its own international theatrical distribution arm as its deal with Warner Bros. expires at year’s end, signaling a major expansion in its film strategy. Since acquiring MGM for $8.45bn, Amazon has leaned back into theatrical releases, with hits like Creed III proving its box office potential. The studio’s 2026 slate includes Mercy with Chris Pratt, Project Hail Mary starring Ryan Gosling, and Masters of the Universe. With its first CinemaCon appearance set for April, Amazon MGM is positioning itself as a serious global contender.

CULVER CITY 💰️ Liberty SBF Launches $100m Credit Fund:

• Liberty SBF introduces its debut $10m credit fund, aiming for mid-to-high teen returns over four years through investments in SBA loans, multifamily, and preferred equity. Led by new managing director Zev Nagel, this fund taps into high-interest rates for growth, targeting deals from $1m to $15m.

NETFLIX 🎧️ Netflix Enters Podcasting:

• YouTube may reign supreme in video podcasts, but Netflix is eyeing the space as its next content frontier. Business Insider reports that Netflix has explored deals with podcasters, even bidding for Alex Cooper’s Unwell network before she landed a $125m deal with SiriusXM. With past partnerships like The Sidemen and Ms. Rachel, plus record-breaking signups from the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight, Netflix sees creator-led content as a cost-effective way to boost engagement. While it won’t dethrone YouTube anytime soon, expect Netflix to test the waters with exclusive podcast-adjacent programming in the near future.

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ENTERTAINMENT

AMAZON PRIME 🇺🇸 Trailer Drop for ‘G20,’ High-Stakes Action Thriller:

• Viola Davis steps into full action-hero mode as President Taylor Sutton in G20, an Amazon MGM Studios thriller streaming on Prime Video April 10th. When terrorists seize the G20 summit in Cape Town, Davis’ commander-in-chief must fight to protect her family and global leaders from a financial reset plot called Project Deepfake. Directed by Patricia Riggen (The 33), the film also stars Anthony Anderson, Marsai Martin, Ramón Rodríguez, and The Boys’ Antony Starr as the lead antagonist. Riggen describes G20 as a high-stakes, modern action classic—one where Davis, in her own words, is ready to ‘kick tons of ass.’

BOX OFFICE 🍿 Captain America Leads, Paddington + Dog Man Follow:

• Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World is set to dominate the domestic box office over Presidents’ Day weekend, with an estimated $80m–$90m in its three-day opening and up to $110m over four days. Despite Marvel’s recent struggles, strong brand recognition and the introduction of Harrison Ford’s Red Hulk keep expectations high. Paddington in Peru aims for a solid family-friendly counterprogramming slot, projecting $16m–$20m domestically, benefiting from international success and a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score. Meanwhile, DreamWorks’ Dog Man continues its modest run in week three, likely earning $5m–$7m, though it faces competition from both Paddington and Captain America.

HULU 🥊 A Thousand Blows:

• Dive into the gritty world of 1880s London with Hulu's ‘A Thousand Blows,’ premiering next Friday. Follow Hezekiah and Alec as they navigate the perilous boxing underworld, drawing the eye of formidable figures like gang leader Mary Carr and boxing mogul Sugar Goodson.

YOUTUBE TV 📺️ Lights Out for CBS on YouTube TV?

• Brace yourselves, sports enthusiasts: CBS and 21 Paramount networks might vanish from YouTube TV screens starting if no deal is struck today. This blackout could hit hard with March Madness and The Masters looming, although both can still be streamed on Paramount Plus. Both sides are finger-pointing, with YouTube TV offering a small credit as a peace offering amidst the standoff.

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SPORTS

QB SHUFFLE 🐏 Giants Eye Stafford, Rams Look to Rodgers?

• The NFL rumor mill is buzzing with the Jets parting ways with Aaron Rodgers, igniting talks of Matthew Stafford's potential move from the Rams to the Giants for the third overall pick in the 2025 draft. The Giants, desperate for a QB after a 3-14 season, could rejuvenate with Stafford's experience, while the Rams eye future drafts and possibly Rodgers as a short-term fix under Sean McVay.

PGA TOUR ⛳️ Genesis Invitational Rallies for Fire Relief:

• The 2025 Genesis Invitational shifts from Riviera to Torrey Pines as Los Angeles recovers from devastating fires, with Genesis pledging $8m to California Rises. The initiative includes 100 donated vehicles for affected families and donations tied to tournament play—$300 per birdie, $10,000 for a hole-in-one. All ticket fees and merch proceeds support relief efforts, while attendees can send postcards to first responders.

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HAVE A GREAT WKND, LA!

🤙 Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day Weekend, Los Angeles!

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