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04/21/2026

CO/INSIGHT // Brand OS as an Operating Moat

Brand is often treated as output.
Campaigns. Visuals. Messaging.

In practice, it functions as infrastructure.

Brand OS is the system that connects what a company builds to how it operates. It defines the rules, decision logic, and standards that keep product, operations, sales, and marketing moving in the same direction.

* Product — what you build and deliver
* Brand — the connective logic across functions
* Operations — how the company executes, hires, and scales
* Sales — how the company converts and grows
* Marketing — how the company reaches and engages

When this system is absent, each function optimizes independently. Over time, that creates drift, friction, and unnecessary cost.

When it is in place, alignment becomes structural. Decisions compound. Ex*****on speeds up. The organization can scale without breaking.

In markets where products can be replicated and distribution can be purchased, advantage comes from how a company operates internally.

That is where Brand OS becomes a moat.

04/19/2026

CO/MMUNITY // Creator Gold Exchange

CO/STUDIOS participated in the Creator Gold Exchange in San Francisco, hosted by Creator Gold and Perkins Coie.

The event brought together a cross-section of creators, founders, operators, investors, and brands working across the evolving creator economy.

As the space continues to mature, the overlap between content, ownership, and business infrastructure becomes more visible. The conversations in the room reflected that shift.

Appreciate the invitation and the opportunity to engage with others building in this category.

04/08/2026

CO/INSIGHT // Emerging Industries

Emerging industries are not defined by novelty.
They are defined by change happening faster than structure can keep up.

They sit at the intersection of:
• shifting consumer behavior
• evolving regulation
• accelerating cultural influence

In these environments, categories form before the rules are fully written.

What looks like opportunity on the surface is often complexity underneath.
Distribution opens early. Demand shows up quickly.
But infrastructure, compliance, and operating models are still catching up.

That creates the defining tension of emerging industries:

complexity early, scale later.

The companies that win are not the fastest to launch.
They are the first to build structure around that complexity.

That’s the difference between participating in a category
and defining it.

03/26/2026

CO/MMUNITY // SOLE at Stanford

CO/STUDIOS spent yesterday at the State of Latino Entrepreneurship (SOLE) Summit, hosted by in partnership with the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

The State of Latino Entrepreneurship (SOLE) Summit at Stanford is LBAN’s flagship convening, bringing together founders, investors, researchers, and operators focused on the growth of Latino entrepreneurship in the U.S.

The conversations remain grounded in data, ex*****on, and access to capital — the factors that continue to drive real business growth across the ecosystem.

CO/STUDIOS is proud to be part of the LBAN community and to support the work, including sponsoring a hole at this year’s Alumni Golf Tournament.

03/26/2026

CO/MMUNITY // SOLE at Stanford

CO/STUDIOS spent yesterday at the State of Latino Entrepreneurship (SOLE) Summit at Stanford, hosted by LBAN in partnership with the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

The State of Latino Entrepreneurship (SOLE) Summit at Stanford is LBAN’s flagship convening, bringing together founders, investors, researchers, and operators focused on the growth of Latino entrepreneurship in the U.S.

The conversations remain grounded in data, ex*****on, and access to capital — the factors that continue to drive real business growth across the ecosystem.

CO/STUDIOS is proud to be part of the LBAN community and to support the work, including sponsoring a hole at this year’s Alumni Golf Tournament.

03/21/2026

CO/NEWS // Proposal for Federal Film Incentive Targets U.S. Production Decline

Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) has introduced legislation to establish a federal tax incentive for film and television production, as policymakers respond to the continued migration of production activity outside the United States.

The proposal would create a nationwide incentive designed to complement existing state-level tax credit programs, which currently drive most U.S. production decisions. While states such as Georgia and New York have attracted significant filming through local incentives, the U.S. lacks a coordinated federal framework comparable to those offered by countries including the U.K., Canada, and Australia.

Industry data shows the scale of what is at stake. According to the Motion Picture Association (MPA), film and television production supports more than 2.7 million jobs and contributes over $229 billion annually to the U.S. economy. At the same time, studios have increasingly shifted production overseas to take advantage of more competitive national incentives and lower production costs.

The proposed legislation is aimed at retaining domestic production jobs, stabilizing long-term studio investment, and strengthening the U.S. production ecosystem as global competition intensifies. Details around the structure and eligibility of the incentive have not yet been finalized, and the bill will require congressional approval.

Sources:
U.S. Senate Office of Sen. Adam Schiff
Motion Picture Association (MPA)
Variety

03/07/2026

CO/MMUNITY // Expo West

CO/STUDIOS spent the week at Expo West, where thousands of founders, operators, and investors come together to show what’s next in consumer products.

Walking the floor, one thing becomes clear quickly: the “future of” most CPG categories is already out there. It’s sitting on shelves, in early-stage booths, and in the hands of founders trying to prove their product belongs.

Innovation in this industry is harder than ever. New brands can launch quickly, but building something that lasts requires stronger foundations — real product, disciplined production, and the ability to operate at scale.

The companies that understand how to make and move what they sell will be the ones still standing.

02/11/2026

CO/INSIGHT // Brand Operations in Emerging Industries

In emerging industries, most companies don’t fail because the category is wrong. They fail because the structure can’t hold early growth.

McKinsey’s 2023 research shows that companies that integrate brand with commercial ex*****on significantly outperform peers in long-term value creation. The common thread is alignment.

Brand Operations is that alignment.

It connects what a startup builds, how it positions itself, and how it runs internally. In early-stage environments, those three elements often drift apart. Product evolves faster than positioning. Messaging outpaces operational capacity. Hiring accelerates before clarity is established.

That misalignment is expensive in emerging industries, where regulation, distribution, and consumer behavior are still forming.

Brand Operations reduces that friction. It creates cohesion between product, narrative, and ex*****on so early momentum compounds instead of collapses.

In new categories, clarity is leverage.

This is the discipline we focus on.

01/14/2026

01/01/2026

CO/NEWS // MTV Shuts Down Multiple Linear Channels Today

Paramount Global shut down several MTV-branded linear television channels today, continuing its pullback from traditional cable distribution as audiences move toward streaming and social platforms.

The closures affect a mix of international and music-focused MTV channels that have seen sustained declines in viewership. Paramount cited changes in consumer behavior and the economics of maintaining legacy cable networks as reasons for the decision.

MTV, launched in 1981, was once among the most disruptive innovations in media — redefining how music, youth culture, and visual storytelling converged. Today’s shutdowns mark the end of formats built for a different era of distribution, not the end of the brand’s influence.

Paramount has indicated that resources will be redirected toward digital and streaming strategies, including Paramount+ and social channels, as MTV continues to exist primarily as a content and cultural brand rather than a linear network.

The move highlights a broader reality across media: even the most innovative platforms must eventually sunset the formats that made them famous.

LegacyMedia

12/30/2025

NEWS // EU Fines on U.S. Tech Outpace Taxes Collected from EU Tech Firms

European Union regulators have imposed substantially more in fines on U.S.-based technology companies than the EU collects in corporate tax revenue from its own domestic tech sector, according to publicly available enforcement and tax data.

Since 2017, the European Commission has levied more than €20 billion in antitrust and data-protection fines, the overwhelming majority targeting U.S. firms including Google, Meta, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft.
(Source: European Commission Competition Cases; GDPR Enforcement Tracker)

By comparison, corporate tax contributions from EU-based digital and technology firms remain materially lower, reflecting both the smaller scale of Europe’s domestic tech champions and the region’s continued reliance on non-European platforms for consumer and enterprise digital infrastructure.
(Source: OECD Corporate Tax Statistics; European Court of Auditors)

This imbalance underscores a broader structural reality: while the EU has developed strong regulatory authority over global technology markets, it has produced relatively few technology companies operating at comparable scale. As a result, regulation and enforcement have become primary tools for shaping the digital economy.

For U.S. operators, investors, and founders with European exposure, the takeaway is clear. Regulatory risk in the EU is not evenly distributed and continues to fall most heavily on foreign platforms operating at scale, with fines functioning as both policy enforcement and economic pressure.