Jen Maffessanti
FEE
Lilburn, GA, United States
Contact Jen
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Past articles by Jen:
In Peacock’s ‘Brave New World,’ Everyone Is Very Happy… or So It Seems
In the new Peacock original series Brave New World, as well as the 1932 Aldous Huxley novel it’s based on, happiness in the fictional society of New London is mandated by the powers that be. Everyone is happy, except that they’re not. One key component is missing. → Read More
‘Mr. Jones’ Shows Fake News Is a Historic Reality—And No Laughing Matter
The term “fake news” has been abused to the point of uselessness, but false reporting has been with us long before the internet. The movie “Mr. Jones” brilliantly depicts one of the most egregious examples: a New York Times cover-up of one of communism’s worst atrocities. → Read More
Why We're Drawn to Dystopian Fiction
Police violence, civil unrest, riots, fires, looting, destruction, a “no-go zone” in a major American city, and media suppression, all set against the backdrop of a global pandemic and economic upheaval. It’s our current reality, although it sounds an awful lot like the setting of the next dystopian bestseller/blockbuster. → Read More
Frank Herbert Was Right: Fear Is the Mind-Killer
When the smoke has cleared and we emerge from our quarantines, will we have faced our fears, permitted them to pass over and through us, and remain free individuals? Or will we, in a flash of terror, have allowed ourselves to be bound by the dictates of others? → Read More
Send the Draft
You want to know what impresses me more than a good idea? A draft. Any draft, even a bad one, says more to me than a well-crafted pitch. → Read More
Dreams Are Not Enough
But reading and watching and listening aren’t enough. Preparation is not enough. Dreaming is not enough. You have to actually do. → Read More
Entrepreneurs Can Solve Our Biggest Challenges—If Government Gets out of the Way
Entrepreneurs are the ones at the forefront of efforts to improve our world. The quality of life of everyone suffers when don't let them. → Read More
Satire’s Censors Should Lighten Up
It can be confusing and upsetting and embarrassing when we mistake fiction for fact. But that’s the entire point of satire. It’s supposed to make us critically examine our pre-existing assumptions about ourselves and our world. → Read More
Consumer Sovereignty: When Customers Have the Power
If a business is not meeting your expectations, you have the power to cause it to change or even close completely but only if you’re free to choose a different provider. → Read More
Be Brave Enough to Walk Away
What good is social status when you’re trading away pieces of your soul to have it? Not much. → Read More
Is It Time for a New They?
As with so many things in life, friendship is more about quality than quantity. → Read More
Why the Movie Industry Is Fleeing California
Filmmakers once fled to California to pursue freedom in making movies, now they're fleeing from California for the exact same reason. → Read More
Why the Movie Industry Is Fleeing California
It’s no secret that the entire state of California is experiencing a large and sustained out-flow of residents, but Los Angeles County, in particular, is showing the biggest losses. The question is why. → Read More
How the Founder of LÄRABAR Learned the Retail Business
Lara Merriken knew that she was going to start this snack food business, but she had very little idea of how a business like that would actually work. → Read More
What 'The Witcher' Gets Right about Reputation and Business
Here's what makes Geralt of Rivia, the main character, such a great capitalist. → Read More
What 'The Witcher' Gets Right about Reputation and Business
Here's what makes Geralt of Rivia, the main character, such a great capitalist. → Read More
When You Feel Like a Fake, Fix Yourself
I really did feel like I didn’t deserve those early successes. And the truth of it is that I probably didn’t. But nobody else seemed to know that. I didn’t want them ever to know that. So I took that feeling of not being worthy and channeled it into making myself worthy. → Read More
The Little-Known History of the Wild West Is the Ultimate "Mandalorian" Easter Egg
This little sliver of vague historical accuracy is absolutely fascinating from a storytelling standpoint. → Read More
In a World of Vast Streaming Options, the Customer Is Still King
According to the research firm Parks Associates, the number of streaming video services is now at 271. How is it that such a relatively new kind of service has so many different available options? → Read More
Sage Advice From a Master Writer
The overarching theme for all of Neil Gaiman’s advice is simply: do the work. Like many worthwhile things in life, writing—or any creative process—isn’t always, or even often, fun while you’re doing it. It’s work and hard work, at that. But it is rewarding. → Read More