When I was first brainstorming MeetWell, one seller mentioned how they’d love help keeping track of the latest ‘it’ thing to bring into an office for a meeting.

From Sprinkles cupcakes to matcha lattes to Erewhon smoothies, there’s the ever-evolving target of small things you can bring to make your office arrival a tiny bit more special. 

This week I saw a few videos like this about Nyletta, a pop-up operation that makes bougie French cruller donuts. 

If you have meetings near Culver City, Nyletta operates inside the Platform from 12-4pm Wednesday to Friday. I’m yet to try one, but they look damn good, and I plan to get a few next time I’m meeting clients in the area.

— Robbie

Forma is an AI training company that runs hands-on sessions on how to use AI in day-to-day work. 

Without sounding like an annoying tech preroll ad, everyone from the CEO to the entry-level assistant has the willies about whether they could be using AI more effectively. 

This is one of those rare client outings where instead of downing three espresso martinis, everyone walks out better at their jobs.

I spoke with Forma founders Brett Whelan and Yoav Shahar, who both come from media sales and agency backgrounds. The classes and private workshops are specifically tuned to how the media business works. You'll tearfully wave goodbye to your most mundane, repetitive tasks and discover new uses for AI you hadn't thought to try.

They’ve trained 3,000+ executives across 50+ organizations, including teams at Fox, iHeartMedia, Spotify, TelevisaUnivision, and Mediahub. 

Three ways to set this up:

Book an Open Program Seat: The Open Program is a scheduled full-day group session anyone can join. The next one is Thursday, September 24 at Forma's El Segundo location. If that’s too soon, keep an eye on the Open Program section of their website for the next one. Each seat costs $750 and includes a catered lunch.

Schedule an Interactive AI Session: A focused 90-minute session hosted at your offices for a specific client or full account team, priced at $5,000.

Design a Private Session: Hosted at your offices and built entirely around your needs. Can be a half-day, full-day, or multi-part series. Contact for a quote.

To connect with Forma on any of these options, go to formamedia.ai.

Added Value: One of my goals with MeetWell has been to expand the spectrum of what client entertainment can even be. We’ll always have the classics, but options like this give you a chance to spend time together while learning something useful.

It’s especially worth considering for senior clients who are tough to get out for a more traditional dinner or game. An opportunity to get better at something that’s changing their business might be a more compelling reason to clear some space on the calendar.

The Rams host the Buffalo Bills for Monday Night Football at SoFi on October 12, with kickoff at 5:15pm PT. 

Besides being one of the few midweek NFL games in town this season, this one is worth circling because both teams are stacked with MVP QBs and great storylines. The Rams are going all in on their quest for the Super Bowl, and the Bills, who have been knocking on the door for years, are determined to finally push through.

If you have a football fan in your client orbit, here are three ways to see it:

In person at SoFi. Client-worthy tickets run $350 to $1,000 on Ticketmaster.

Cosm across the street at Hollywood Park. Watch inside the Dome for the feeling of being at the game, but with comfy seats and servers bringing you food and drinks.

Tickets aren’t publicly on sale yet, so sign up to get notified. For a group of 10 or more, contact sales lead Tiffany Watkins, who can give you some options before tickets go on sale ([email protected]). Once tickets go on sale, expect $100 to $500 a seat in the Dome, or $30 to $40 for reserved seats in the Hall, their massive sportsbook-style room with a wall of screens. See here for the full MeetWell rundown on Cosm.

Pawn Shop for an elevated sports bar night in WeHo. Pawn Shop is an impressive new Mark Cuban-backed sports bar on Melrose I covered a while back here. Book a table for up to eight on OpenTable, or a private room for 7 to 30 (contact: [email protected]).

Added Value: I’m originally from Chicago and a long-suffering Bears fan (admittedly less depressing lately!), but my wife and in-laws are all from St. Louis. Before the Rams moved to LA, I’d visit St. Louis and watch the Rams, who became my de facto second team. 

My bandwagon Rams fandom only increased when they moved to LA and won a Super Bowl. I’ll always be a Bears fan first, but it’s nice to occasionally watch football without seeing that graphic comparing the Bears’ endless parade of QBs to the Packers’ annoyingly short list.

The Painted Peach runs instructor-led paint-and-sip classes out of an outdoor studio at 4th and Rose Ave in Venice. 

You’ll bring your own food and drinks and spend about 75–90 minutes paintin’ and sippin’ together (they provide glassware). With gentle Bob Ross-supportiveness and Venice-cool vibes, the instructor will walk everyone through the painting, so no experience is needed. 

Private classes cost $100 per person, accommodate up to 50 people, and can be scheduled any day of the week.

Communication is easy. I reached out through their private event form, and the owner, Amanda, texted me within 15 minutes to answer any questions.

If the weather stinks or you’d prefer a more intimate space, they also host indoor classes in their garage just down the street. 

If Venice is a trek for your client, the class can also be brought to an office or whatever space you choose. 

Basics:

Added Value: My wife is a heat-seeking missile for heartwarming and hilarious internet content. 

A recent rabbit hole she’s gone down is videos of couples doing a painting class together, usually creating portraits of each other. The woman turns hers around first, and the guy is genuinely stunned by how well it came out. Then he anxiously turns his around, and she dies laughing at whatever kindergarten-level creature he produced. This was her favorite.

That’s how I think about this one. I’m a horrific artist, but laughing with your client at whatever you’ve both managed to paint sounds like a fun evening.  

Ever been hanging with a client and conversation just runs dry? Whether it’s recent and topical, or general and evergreen, the Oasis is about giving you one idea for helping in that moment.

What’s the weirdest thing your algorithm thinks you’re into?

As social media morphs into entertainment media, we all get served up some supremely random stuff like couples creating crappy portraits of each other. You linger an extra second on a video about fixing a rusty frying pan, and suddenly your phone thinks you’re opening a blacksmith shop. 

I like this one because almost everyone has a weird corner of their feed they can’t really explain. Bring up one of the funny, unexplainable ones you’ve come across, and see if anyone else in the group has had a similar experience.

Thanks for reading. Any feedback is appreciated - just hit reply to this email.