The Take Down
Issue #003, 18 months in, our first NYSE shoot
Hi, it’s Caroline.
A few weeks ago I told you we had two cities and two trips on the calendar. Well, one of them is checked off: this week we were back in New York to film our first-ever Ticker Take episode at the NYSE and a really awesome creator event.
Yes, first-ever. After all the visits, the closing bells, the wall signatures, this was the first time we actually shot the show inside the building. A big, big deal.
If you’re keeping score: that’s two NYSE moments in three issues of this newsletter. I’m not saying we’re regulars, but the security guards are starting to wave.
Oh, and one other thing happened this week. Ticker Take is officially trademarked. More on that in a sec.
NYC: our first-ever Ticker Take episode at the NYSE
This is the one I want to slow down on, because it’s a moment we’ll remember.
We were up in Studio 2, with the NYSE floor visible right below us through the glass. The energy of that building is unmatched. The history is everywhere. And there we were, filming our very first episode of Ticker Take inside it. For a brand that, 18 months ago, didn’t exist.
Let me say that again: 18 months from launch to filming our show at the New York Stock Exchange. I still have to say it out loud sometimes to believe it.
The baseball cards finally happened. Jon loves baseball, and he dreamed up the Ticker Take baseball cards idea ages ago. We'd been talking about it for months and months, and I finally pushed it across the finish line in time for the NYSE event. People loved them. There's something fun about a tactile, collectible thing in an industry that lives mostly on screens. They were a hit.
Reunions on the floor. Jon got to reconnect with his former Bloomberg colleague Michele Steele right there on the floor of the exchange, which felt very full-circle for him. And in the Board Room (a stunning, ornate space of gold and white reserved for the NYSE’s distinguished guests), we ran into our old friend Jane King, a finance reporter we knew well from our New York years. We used to live in this city. Coming back, especially to the NYSE, is like a warm hug. Like coming home for an afternoon.
The CRTR event at NYSE. The room was packed, including a strong showing from creators, which says a lot about where this industry is heading. Got to connect with partners, hear what’s happening from the people actually moving things, and remember why we love this corner of finance in the first place.
And then this happened. During the panel at the event, Joe Benarroch, the NYSE’s head of media partnerships, gave us a shoutout from the stage. He named CNBC, TBPN, and TICKER TAKE / Jon Erlichman in the same breath. Sitting in that room, in that building, hearing our name listed alongside those names, it’s a moment.
Here is the clip:
We also have big things in the works for Ticker Take that we’ll be sharing soon. Strategy meetings happened, plans were made, and I left the week with that specific kind of excited-anxious feeling that means something good is coming.
That’s all I’m saying for now. (I know. I’m sorry. Soon.)
We are officially trademarked
This week, Ticker Take received its trademark. Officially. Legally. Forever.
It’s the kind of thing that sounds like a formality until you’re the one waiting for it. We’ve been working toward this since the very early days, and now it’s done. Our name, our brand, our thing, protected. It feels small and enormous at the same time.
A note for fellow founders: I filed it myself. Every trademark agent and lawyer I spoke to wanted to charge a lot of money to do it on our behalf. The form is not what I’d call intuitive, but it’s doable. If you’re scrappy and have a little time, you can do it on your own. Trademark your name early. Future you will thank you.
The video this week: 5 Software Stocks AI Can’t Replace
We dropped 5 Software Stocks AI Can’t Replace this week, and it’s one of those topics that seems to find a new layer every time we revisit it. AI is eating a lot of categories. But there are software companies whose moats are real, whose customers are sticky, and whose value goes beyond what a model can spit out.
If you’ve been wondering where to look in software right now, this one’s for you. Worth a watch.
Caroline’s corner: AI Under the Hood
Outside of the long-format videos, I’ve been running a shorts series called AI Under the Hood, where I dig into the companies actually powering the AI boom. I break it down in plain English, no jargon, no buzzwords, just what these companies actually do and why they matter.
This week’s episode was on SanDisk and Western Digital, and it took off, almost 100 shares on Instagram, which is a serious moment for a short. (For the uninitiated: Instagram users do not share things lightly. You earn that share button.)
I’ll drop the video in here so you can watch it. If you’ve been enjoying the series, the best thing you can do is share it forward.
What I actually do around here
Since I’ve been getting some questions about what my role is in all of this beyond “co-founder and Jon’s wife”: here’s the rough rundown.
I co-host our YouTube show. I run overarching strategy, where Ticker Take is going, who we partner with, and what we say yes and no to. Jon calls me the “boss.” I’m essentially the business brain side of the operation.
I also shoot the long-form YouTube show and handle all video production, sound, mics, equipment, field-shoot gear, and the whole technical setup. I make thumbnails. I help shape script ideas. I produce and edit the AI Under the Hood weekly shorts. I manage the handover pipeline for our partner BNN Bloomberg’s digital properties (ensuring our content lands cleanly on their end). I write this Substack. I edit promos. I run the brand partnership operations side. And I wear a billion other hats I’m probably forgetting.
Oh, and apparently now I also make baseball cards.
Glamorous? No. Necessary? Extremely.
The Week
Jon’s content factory. Jon was shooting for Global X this week on top of our regular Ticker Take production. Between his shoots, our shoots, his writing, and editing, I’m not sure he sat down for more than 12 minutes.
Editing marathons. Jon and I lived inside CapCut this week, editing shorts late into every night. (We have a whole post-production pipeline for the long videos, but the shorts are ours.)
Partner meetings. Several this week. Conversations about where things are going, what we want to build next, and how to keep delivering for the brands that have shown up for us. (Brands: thank you. We see you.)
Strategy sessions. The kind where you walk in with a whiteboard and walk out with a roadmap. More to share soon.
Tax payments, paid. The Canadian government generously accepted all of our money this week. They were very gracious about it. We’ll begin the process of earning it back tomorrow.
Older daughter at the orthodontist. Her jaw has decided to start clicking, which is fun and not stressful at all. We’ll figure it out.
Younger daughter at the dermatologist (virtually). A telehealth appointment, which I am genuinely grateful for. One less waiting room, one less commute, same medical advice. The future is now and I am here for it.
Softball games at night. Our older daughter had games this week, played at 8:30 PM in Canadian May weather (which is to say, cold). Bundled up in the bleachers, watching her play, is genuinely one of the best parts of my schedule. There’s something about a softball field, even a freezing one, that resets your brain.
Two years of kickboxing. April marked my two-year kickboxing-iversary. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, in the morning. Meanwhile Jon, ever the morning person, continued his early jogs. Between us, we cover most of the cardio bases.
The 50 Strong experiment (and my failures within it). Jon and I are doing 50 Strong, a 50-day program that tasks you with: 30 minutes of movement a day, 30 minutes of no screens before bed, no junk food, drinking lots of water, and no alcohol Monday through Friday. The fitness, the no junk food, the screen-free wind-down, the water, all going great. The “no alcohol” part? Reader, I am failing miserably. Between travel, late nights, and the occasional after-NYSE glass of Pinot Grigio, the dry weeknights have been more aspirational than actual. I’m still showing up. I’m just also, sometimes, showing up with a Pinot.
Devil Wears Prada 2 with our 13-year-old. Saturday night, before our early Sunday flight, we took her to see The Devil Wears Prada 2. The theater’s “Butter Birkin” bucket was sold out (a tragedy I’m still processing), but the rest of the night more than made up for it. She rested her head on my shoulder during the movie. Eye rolls were down. There were maybe two, lol, but I’m choosing to remember the head-on-shoulder part. These moments are increasingly rare with a 13-year-old and I am collecting them like trading cards. (Yes, this meant we missed the Kentucky Derby. The movie won. No regrets.)
About that Kentucky Derby... When life isn't quite this hectic, I'm one of those people who loves throwing a Derby party. Hats, mint juleps, big colorful brunch, full commitment to the bit. But it's been two years now. Last year, Jon was in the hospital with pneumonia, and both girls had pneumonia at the same time (yes, all three at once, a moment in our family history we do not speak of). This year, we were heading to NYC for the show. So the Derby has been bumped two years running. The hats will return. I'm already manifesting next year.
The Milli Vanilli doc, watched. Wild ride. I have thoughts.
Jon’s AM vs. Caroline’s PM
Jon this week: up early, jogging at an hour when most people are still in REM sleep, then onto the Global X shoot, then onto Ticker Take, then writing for BNN Bloomberg, then his Trade Off piece for The Globe and Mail, then probably a meeting I forgot about. The man does not stop.
Me this week: CapCut by day, thumbnails by every available minute, kickboxing on Mon/Wed/Fri mornings, partner emails by night, and a small but persistent attempt to get to bed before midnight that has, so far, failed every single night. The 11 PM brain is winning.
The Juggle
This week, in no particular order:
NYC: our first-ever Ticker Take episode filmed at the NYSE + ETF event + Joe Benarroch shoutout
Ticker Take baseball cards, finally made and finally a hit
Reunions on the NYSE floor (Michele Steele) and in the Board Room (Jane King)
Ticker Take officially trademarked (DIY edition)
New video live: 5 Software Stocks AI Can’t Replace
New AI Under the Hood short on SanDisk and Western Digital (and a near-100-share moment on Instagram!)
Thumbnails, scripts, edits, promos, BNN Bloomberg digital handover, this Substack
Jon shooting for Global X
Strategy meetings about big upcoming things
Partner meetings
Older daughter’s ortho appointment + freezing 8:30 PM softball games
Younger daughter’s virtual dermatologist appointment
Kickboxing (Mon/Wed/Fri mornings) and jogging (Jon, certified morning person)
50 Strong, mostly winning, with one notable Pinot-shaped exception
A meaningful contribution to the Government of Canada
Devil Wears Prada 2 with our 13-year-old (and a tragically sold-out Butter Birkin)
Milli Vanilli documentary, finally watched
Recording, editing, scripting, posting, repeat
The Wins This Week
Ticker Take is officially trademarked. Our name, our brand, ours.
First-ever Ticker Take episode filmed at the NYSE. I’m still processing it.
The baseball cards, finally launched. People loved them. Worth every late night I spent on them.
Reuniting with Michele Steele and Jane King in the building where so much of our New York life used to happen
Joe Benarroch shoutout. CNBC, TBPN, Ticker Take. That sentence will live in my head for a while.
New video live: 5 Software Stocks AI Can’t Replace. Watch it.
AI Under the Hood: SanDisk + Western Digital had its biggest week yet, almost 100 Instagram shares.
Attended a great ETF event packed with creators, partners, and people we genuinely like working with
Strategy sessions for big upcoming things. More soon.
Jon’s Global X shoot in the books
Family appointments handled, softball games attended, kids fed. A clean sweep.
Two years of kickboxing. I’m choosing to count this as a personal milestone.
A 13-year-old’s head on my shoulder in a movie theater. Top win of the week, full stop.
The Losses This Week
Sleep: Still insufficient. New shocking development: none.
Tax day: Funded a portion of public infrastructure. Proud, in theory. Lighter in the wallet, in practice.
Ortho mysteries: Older daughter’s clicking jaw is now an open investigation
8:30 PM softball in Canadian May weather: I have rediscovered all my lost feeling in my fingers, eventually
50 Strong, the “dry weeknight” portion: Pinot Grigio, 1. Caroline, 0.
The Kentucky Derby: Two years and counting. Hats benched. Hopes high.
The Butter Birkin bucket: Sold out. We will recover.
The takeaway
Filming our first-ever Ticker Take episode at the NYSE was the kind of milestone you don’t really plan for. You hope for it. You imagine it. And then one day, you’re sitting in Studio 2 with the floor below you, your husband across the desk, baseball cards in your bag, an old friend in the Board Room, and you realize that 18 months of building has quietly added up to this.
Hearing our name said out loud from a stage there, alongside CNBC and TBPN, was a moment I’ll carry. And then you come home, build thumbnails, edit shorts in CapCut, drive your kid to the orthodontist, sit in a freezing bleacher, take your 13-year-old to a movie, and remember that the actual work happens in the small daily things, not the marquee ones.
This week had both. The first-ever NYSE shoot and the orthodontist waiting room. The trademark certificate and the tax bill. The Joe Benarroch shoutout and a head on my shoulder during a movie I will fully admit I enjoyed. The 50 Strong fitness wins and the 50 Strong Pinot losses. The reunion in the Board Room and the freezing softball bleacher.
That’s the deal. You don’t get one without the other.
Big things coming. Stay tuned.
Thanks for being here. See you next week.
Caroline
P.S. Jon’s Substack this week is worth a read, subscribe if you haven’t, you’ll get both sides of our brain.