Cowboy Carter and the creator economy

Self-driving Ubers: yay or nay?

May 28, 2025

📍 Dispatch from San Fran

Last week I was in San Francisco for a demo day with Jamie to represent Conteur Capital. We participated in a GP accelerator hosted by a company called Coolwater. Jamie went through the full two-month program and it all culminated in a pitch day to LPs (limited partners) for a mix of institutional and individual investors.

There were 26 pitches total and only six were by women, so it was especially meaningful to be part of that group. Jamie absolutely crushed our pitch for Conteur Capital and out of 3,000 applicants, we were selected as part of Coolwater’s twelfth cohort which was amazing.

While I was in SF, Brendan told me to try Waymo, the self-driving Uber, which honestly freaked me out a little. Something about San Francisco always feels a little off to me vibe-wise (no offense to anyone who lives in SF) but I ended the trip on a high: margaritas with Jamie and one of my girlfriends, celebrating the pitch win and good energy all around.

I red-eyed it back to New York (I always say I’m never going to do red-eyes anymore but then low and behold always end up booked on them anyway) and landed straight into a full day of filming followed by dinner with an investor visiting from Italy. I want to be clear: I will always rally when needed but my body definitely pays for it later.

Cowboy Carter and the creator economy

But the highlight of the week? Cowboy Carter. I went to the Beyoncé concert at MetLife with Medicube which was an absolute dream because if you know me, you know how obsessed I am with their products. I travel with my Medicube wand everywhere and I swear by their overnight masks and collagen gels. (I feel like their hero product, the wand, got really popular after Hailey Bieber used it on a Vogue GRWM and it’s basically a tool that helps all the other products in your routine work better). I was invited by Sir John, Beyonce’s makeup artist and now Medicube’s Creative Director, which made the night even more special. Seeing Blue and Rumi onstage was absolutely unreal. Even the cold rain couldn’t kill the vibe.

Something I’ve been thinking about lately is how much brand activations have changed, and a lot of the time for the better. When the creator economy first started booming, you had your standard press events and standard press mailers (I have about a million water bottles with brand logos on them I swear). But lately brands have been really leaning into concerts. It’s a brilliant marketing strategy because it’s basically guaranteed that press and creators like myself will post even if it’s not a paid obligation because of course you’re going to post Beyonce or Charli XCX or whoever on your IG. So beauty brands, if you’re looking to make a guaranteed splash without heavy paid partnership investments: I highly rec the concert route.

The next morning, Brendan and I drove out super early to the Hamptons to shoot a campaign. We got the kids out there by 10:30 a.m., powered through the shoot, and finally got to unwind. We checked out the new Swifty’s at The Hedges Inn from the team behind The Colony in Palm Beach and spent Saturday night at a friend’s dinner party. Be on the lookout for different kinds of dinner recs coming this summer: I’ll be doing a lot of reviews from the Hamptons and am excited to give this weekly digest a bit of a summer spin.

Finishing the week, I flew to Rome with Dior for their annual Cruise Show. This is the final show from Maria Grazia and it’s the first time I’ve traveled somewhere other than Paris with Dior. I've worked with them on and off for nearly eight years so this feels like a special full-circle moment. The show is today, so expect updates on Instagram soon and on the newsletter next week.

New favorite snack: The zucchini ricotta tart

This was one of the most simple and most delicious things I’ve made in a while. It came together in under 10 minutes and was a total crowd pleaser (even the kids loved it). Here’s the gist:

Ingredients:

2–3 fresh zucchinis
Olive oil
Salt
1 cup ricotta
Zest of 1 lemon + a squeeze of juice
Freshly ground black pepper
A handful of fresh basil (some chopped, some for topping)
1 sheet of store-bought puff pastry (thawed)
1–2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions:

Prep the zucchini: Use a vegetable peeler to slice zucchinis into long, thin ribbons. Toss with a bit of olive oil and salt, and let them sit while you prep everything else.
Make the ricotta spread: In a bowl, mix ricotta with lemon zest, a small squeeze of lemon juice, cracked pepper, and chopped basil.
Assemble the tart: Lay out the puff pastry on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Lightly make a border around the edges. Spread the ricotta mixture inside the border. Arrange the zucchini ribbons over the ricotta, layering them as you go. Tuck in the garlic slices and grate fresh Parmesan on top.
Bake: Bake at 400°F until the pastry is golden and puffed. About 18–20 minutes, but keep an eye on it.
Finish: Top with more chopped basil, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of flaky salt, if you’d like.

It’s one of those dishes that looks so much fancier than it is and it’s really adaptable which is awesome. I’d probably try topping it with caramelized onions, roasted cherry tomatoes, or whatever summer veg you have on hand to make it completely your own. I can’t wait to serve this as an app when we’re hosting from our house out east come summer. I’ve been cooking a ton this week in my limited spare time in anticipation for all the parties we’re hosting this summer, so expect this new weekly recipe in your inbox every Tuesday.

Hannah’s List Recs

Packing for Italy with three essentials. As mentioned before, medicube is one of my favorite brands and I don’t travel without their wand device. It basically helps all the other products in your routine become more effective, especially helpful when your skin is dry af from travel.
Honestly: bless the Topicals under-eye patches. I love these so much. They help with eye bags and darkness and more importantly, they hydrate that area of the skin which helps concealer last way longer + helps it remain crease-free the entire day.
Snacks in a carry-on = essential. These GoMacro protein bars are so good and the flavors are amazing. I’m a fan of the lemon one but here's also banana and almond, mocha chocolate, blueberry and cashew. You can’t go wrong with any of them.
And am I being repetitive? Maybe. But when it comes to travel I’m never without my staples: Ultima hydration travel packs, Beekeeper’s Naturals Liposomal + Vitamin C (you can use my code HANNAH25 for a discount), and Alice Mushroom Sleep Chocolates.