At Day One Agency, we’re constantly fueled by the moments that make us think, wonder, laugh and cry. We asked our team to share some of their favorite cultural moments from 2024, and we learned that inspiration doesn’t play favorites. It hides in the riff of a song, the pages of a book, or even the chaos of a sports arena. From this year’s standout plays and albums, to the films and art exhibits we’re still raving about, these picks aren’t just what moved us, they’re a sneak peek into what shaped our ideas and pushed our creativity forward.
Read on for more.
Oh, Mary!
Brilliant, joyful, singular — there's not much better than being packed into the Lucille Lortel Theatre like sardines and laughing until your stomach hurts. -Britt Aboutaleb
Radiolab: Aphantasia
This year I revisited Radiolab, one of my favorite podcasts. The show plays with sound and investigative journalism in an experimental way by layering voices and sound effects. The episode, "Aphantasia," really stuck with me. It's about the ability to create mental images of things without it being there in real life. The episode starts with the question, “if you close your eyes and imagine a red apple, what do you see?” But I was stuck — I couldn't imagine that apple! It turns out I, along with the host of the episode, are in the 1% of people with aphantasia, meaning we can’t picture things in our heads. Cool episode for sure, but definitely gave me a mini existential crisis. It reminded me no two people see something the same way. -Jamila Jalloh
Lou Reed: The King of New York by Will Hermes
Will Hermes' biography "The King Of New York" is a must-read for any creative who battles the big judge in their mind. Lou Reed had a relentless dedication to spilling what was in him through writing — even when it was corny or disgusting. It’s also a great insight into the lives of key New York figures of the '60s and '70s, including Candy Darling, Lester Bangs, Andy Warhol and more. -John Portis
Pérez Galdós House Museum
Visiting the Pérez Galdós House Museum during my time in Gran Canaria this summer was a profound moment for me. While I don't usually read realist literature, and haven't read any of Benito Galdós' books (though I probably will now), stepping into the space where he lived and wrote was like being transported back in time. The carefully preserved details of his home offered a glimpse into his creative process. I was particularly interested in the contrast between his two writing desks — one situated in an open space connected to the rest of the house — and the other tucked, with the curtains drawn, at the farthest corner of the home. It was inspiring to see how his environment shaped his storytelling, making me reflect on the connection between place and art. -Fiona Ye
La Chimera
I spent my spring vacation traveling Italy by train, so I was probably predisposed to liking "La Chimera," Alice Rohrwacher’s film about an English archeologist-turned-Etruscan grave robber played by Josh O’Connor. But it became one of my favorite watches of the year — a moving, yet deeply funny, exploration of lost love, grief and purpose. (O’Connor’s dirty white linen suit has also been discussed by many a group chat.) Luckily, now you can find it streaming. -Colleen Kelsey
The Mets Playoffs Run
I'm by no means a die-hard baseball fan — but I moved to Queens this year and spent many nights grabbing last-minute tickets to games with friends. (Somehow, The Mets didn't suck this year!) What I loved about the team, and their playoffs run specifically, was the sheer number of memes and inside jokes created by the fans. OMG. Grimace. The Playoff Pumpkin. Even the Rizzler showed up (...eye roll). It all really spoke to the power of community and humor — and it was fun to see the team (the "brand") play it up. -Maggie Fischer
Gatz
One weekend in November, I spent eight hours at The Public Theater watching "Gatz," a stage adaptation of "The Great Gatsby." And by adaptation, I actually mean it's an enactment of the entirety of "The Great Gatsby" — every single word F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote. People have called me crazy for going (I don't even like "The Great Gatsby"), but the hours flew by and I was completely blown away. I've always disagreed with the widely-held belief that Gen Z's attention span is short, and here's proof that at least one Gen Zer (me) can enjoy a full work day's length of a play. -Sinead Chang
Endurance by Alfred Lansing
Definitely slots into the category of "nerd shit," but also undeniably cool. Pulled from diary entries and extensive interviews with the surviving crew members, Lansing’s book tells the story of Sir Earnest Shackleton and his crew’s three year struggle for survival after their ship got locked in ice trying to cross Antarctica.
There’s not a book that will make you feel colder, or humble you more. (It’s big, “men used to be men” canon.) On earnest-mode though (no pun intended), it’s also just a real testament to the power of optimism and camaraderie in the face of seemingly insurmountable adversity. -Eli Williams
Tim Walker: Wonderful Things
I went to the Getty in LA for the first time this year and stumbled into what turned out to be one of my favorite museum exhibits to date. On display was a stunning photography collection by Tim Walker, Wonderful Things. His work is wildly decorative and conceptual, making me pause to ponder if I was observing art or a photograph. His collaboration with talented set designers, stylists and makeup artists brought the work to a new heights by creating elaborate worlds and bringing characters to life. -Paige Nuckols
Timeless - Kaytranada
While I'm incredibly tempted to choose "brat" (I'm an OG angel, you don't understand!) I'm awarding my top pick of the year to the incomparable Kaytranada. Although each of his albums is a masterpiece in their own right, there's something extra special about the way Kaytranada melds house, R&B and dance/electronic in "Timeless," and the pure, unabashed joy radiating from the album is just what we needed in 2024. Plus, as always, Kaytranada secures the best features, with incredible women like PinkPantheress, Ravyn Lenae, Rochelle Jordan and Tinashe (to name a few) elevating the album to a new level. -Emma Fecko
Patrimony by Philip Roth
I read this book at the beginning of the year and it helped me reset multiple areas of my life. It altered the course of my interests, what I wanted to keep reading and what I'm looking for beyond books because of its impactful depiction of a father/son relationship. It was a pivotal reality check that altered my perspective on aging and the passage of time, the parent-child relationship and love. From there, I shifted course to reading non-fiction memoirs/essays and literary fiction. A lot more of Roth, Paul Auster, Martin Amis, Saul Bellow, Vivian Gornick, Rebecca Solnit, Roberto Bolaño and James Baldwin. -Emily Russo
Inter Milan at the San Siro
Just before Thanksgiving, I finally got to see my favorite soccer team, Inter Milan, play live with my brother. The game itself was great — we watched them beat Arsenal 1-0 in the Champions League. It was an amazing experience to embrace the Interista lifestyle, grabbing panini and a few beers in Milan before cramming onto a train with chanting fans en route to the Giuseppe Meazza San Siro stadium. Stepping off the train to see it was insane. It’s a colossal concrete structure with a mesmerizing spiral exterior, and also one of football's most historic landmarks that comes alive with 80,000 fans singing and chanting nonstop. (They really didn't stop until the final whistle. I'm not joking.) While the game was thrilling, the San Siro itself was the highlight — the atmosphere for the game was unmatched, as well as the beauty of the stadium itself. Sadly though, Inter plans to leave for a new stadium soon. So, if you’re ever in Milan, make sure to catch a game there before it’s too late! -Jacques Boffa
An Afghanistan Picture Show by William Vollmann
Comprised of vignettes that follow a young wannabe photojournalist as he attempts to document Afghanistan in the early 1980s, "An Afghanistan Picture Show" is really about the human desire to help one another despite not having the tools — and the difficult, but liberating realization that hope can only be realized when we rely on one another. It's a story that reminds me we all play an important role in building the world around us, and Vollmann's ability to make that lesson resonate while simultaneously depicting misadventures and failures touched me. -Izzi Sneider
Romance - Fontaines D.C.
This year, I saw a lot of chatter online about the lack of good, new rock bands out there (which is a take I don't agree with), so it was great to see such a deserving group receive high praise from the music press and their OG fans for their efforts, all capped off by a well deserved Grammy nomination (even if the Grammys mean less and less to me every year).
Apart from being an exciting album that ventured into new sonic territories for the band, it explores themes of anxiety, melancholy and hope that all feel incredibly relevant going into 2025. With so much global chaos going on and people everywhere struggling to make sense of it all, it's encouraging to see a band express themselves so eloquently and inspiring young people to start their own musical projects and find their voice and place in the world. -Alexis Castro
Perfect Days
Admittedly what made me stop and bump this movie to the top of my unending "to watch" list was a film meme account that described "Perfect Days" as "free therapy." This film is simultaneously a breath of fresh air and the feeling of being wrapped in a warm blanket, or maybe that weightlessness after a long talk with your best friend. A meditative, day-in-the-life movie about an elderly man in Tokyo who cleans public bathrooms for a living, it brings attention to the endless joy that is to be found in the mundane. It’s the perfect antidote to our dizzyingly fast-moving culture that is forever reaching for more. When I find myself feeling stressed and unsatisfied with my life at present, I always come back to this movie. It also has a great soundtrack consisting of classic Americana that creates a fun juxtaposition against the backdrop of Japan. -Anna Eastman
The Molly Brown House Museum
On vacation in Denver this fall, I visited the Molly Brown House, a museum honoring Margaret Brown, a survivor of the Titanic and a progressive, suffragette and labor leader. I was moved by how ahead of her time she was advocating for gender equality and some of the most vulnerable groups in society. Although she lived over 100 years ago, this palpable moment of my trip struck a chord back in October, when I was reminded that even during trying circumstances, we can advocate for better working, living, social and political conditions in society. -Carolyn Cutrone
POWER ANDRE 99 - Silica Gel
I discovered the South Korean indie rock band Silica Gel earlier this year through my YouTube algorithm, and their album "POWER ANDRE 99" has been on repeat ever since. The visuals in their music videos initially caught my eye, but it was the album’s unpredictable soundscapes that really drew me in. Every listen feels like a rollercoaster ride, with intense emotional highs and lows. Their fearless creativity and willingness to explore the unconventional is also the kind of boldness I want to implement in my creative practice. -Jasmine Bae
My Anti-Aircraft Friend - Julie
This album came to me exactly how I want new music to arrive in front of me. My usual cadence is taking screenshots from people's Instagram stories when they post new music. Someone unexpected had posted this album saying "late on this but this rocks." Sometimes it take me months to look up the music from these screenshots. In this case I thought, "if he's late then I'm really late," so I dived right in. Completely blown away on the first listen, I couldn't believe this. I needed to know more. I thought I had found something that no one has ever heard. I was wrong, as I am a lot lately. It gave me promise that, even when I feel an overwhelming sense that everything is corny, something like this spawns — and my hope for the future is completely rejuvenated. -Brandon Galosi
