Why Creative Gen Z is Done with Corporate Gatekeepers

And more on “GQ for Intellectuals”

It’s 5 pm on a Friday. We have a family trip to Herne Bay tomorrow, we’re looking forward to it. There’s a neat Laphroaig Oak Select because I can’t personally taste the difference in spending £20 more for the “better” Laphroaig at my local. I mean that as a compliment. Both are smoky, heavily peated goodness.

The low hum of the washing machine fades into the distance behind the the kitchen door as I ponder the existence of gatekeeping and gatekeepers. It’s been on my mind a lot lately, but less so than yours. Maybe it’s because we’re living in an era where someone like myself can carve out a quaint corner of the internet through emails, newsletters, and social media to circumvent “the man.”

I’ve long believed that tastemakers are the angels and the gatekeepers are the demons. There is a thin line between the two, but if you’re unsure, it’s basically defined by who’s still punk rock about this stuff and who isn’t.

Gen X has a different relationship to gatekeepers, especially if they’re not entrepreneurs. You’ll find graphic tees on very cool, accomplished people who are happy to collect a consistent paycheque from the gatekeeper. Let’s call them Company X.

Company X employs a decent number of people and spends a respectable amount keeping its creative Gen X and millennial workforce from wandering. Nice expense accounts. Good perks. Solid salaries. No critique here, just the facts.

But the modern millennial and the ever-intriguing Gen Z aren’t buying this notion the same way. Their view is that the gatekeeper holds the power, and the creative is expected to build the company brand while accepting a value mismatch in return. You give them your voice, your point of view, your whole aesthetic. In return, they give you perks (cheap for Company X, high status for you), the occasional premium economy flight, and a platform to sink or swim on. The platform is valuable, but it’s a bit like gig work on performance-enhancing drugs.

What’s interesting is how gatekeeper resistance now includes AI, creator platforms, and the explosion of new technology. It’s not original. It’s hackneyed. There have always been members of the old guard who hated the new tools. Whether it was the printing press, the iPod, or a kid using AI to organise his first screenplay, there has always been a panic from those whose power rests on having first and exclusive access. They say it’s about quality and safeguards. Sometimes it is. But mostly, it’s about control.

There are many forms of gatekeeper, but they all stand behind the gate. And more often than not, the young ones and people who look like me tend to get the short end of the stick.

The kids are pushing back on this, much to the chagrin of the editor class and the upward-mobility-loving, tenured creative class. These are your modern gatekeepers. The ones who told you to buy plastic “luxury” sunglasses over independent Japanese titanium frames. The ones who will drop ten affiliate links breaking down the key elements of the latest celebrity to achieve a viral moment of accidental cool.

Yes, those writers are cool. They have good taste, even when it’s compromised and steeped in payola. I wouldn’t trade places with anyone in this world, but the old me probably would have. And I still would’ve ended up with these same thoughts eventually.

So. GQ for Intellectuals. During the Berlin trip, I was interviewed by friend and site contributor Caton Vance and the topic came up. He mentioned the old site tagline, “GQ for Intellectuals,” and asked why.

You’ll need to listen to the episode to hear my full stance on the matter and why it’s no longer the overt tagline. But here’s part of it. I love GQ.

No smoke or snark here. They make content for men like me, and a lot of people not like me. I don’t personally write for myself to read. Too self-indulgent. You get the idea.

These are my own thoughts. I’m not so narcissistic that I want to write for people who solely share the same challenges and triumphs as I do. I write to impart my views and tastes upon those with the means and the taste to benefit. To share my experience with those still finding their lane. GQ and publications like it have exceptional writers who are better than me today. They have a longstanding brand that people still pay money to receive as a physical subscription. That’s earned. But I’m also not dropping ten affiliate links on my posts without providing proper reviews of the products. We’re not in the business of hocking anything that doesn’t deserve a genuine recommendation.

That stuff should be gatekept. Yes, even if it keeps the lights on for more artistic and respectable endeavours.

GQ for Intellectuals. The tagline was never permanent. It was always a bit of punk rock.

Brands and institutions we can trust based on heritage are a good thing. They’re like Starbucks. Pike Place is always consistent in every city. But this? T2LA is the speciality coffee brewed on the Flair 58. That’s what we’re serving, and it works both in the boardroom and the trendy coffee bar.

For the record, I’d work with them in a heartbeat.

TIME 2 LIVE AGAIN. “Like GQ, but for intellectuals.”