Terrence O’Connor on Why Cultural Relevance Can’t Be Manufactured

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

Hey, we're Nick and Jack, hosts of The Best One Yet.

SPEAKER_2 (0:02)

Behind every episode, there's research, email, spreadsheets, and our shared Google Doc, the headline hammer.

SPEAKER_1 (0:07)

With Google Workspace with Gemini, Google's AI is built right into the premium versions of tools we already use, like Gmail, Docs, and Sheets. No new tools or extra logins, just personalized AI for the way we work.

SPEAKER_2 (0:18)

That means less time on the work, around the work, and more time finding the stories worth talking about.

SPEAKER_1 (0:23)

Get AI tools for work. Upgrade to Google Workspace with Gemini at goo.gle slash Workspace with Gemini.

SPEAKER_2 (0:30)

That's goo.gle slash Workspace with Gemini.

SPEAKER_3 (0:34)

Hi, this is Elise Hu from TED Talks Daily brought to you by Okta. As organizations rush to deploy AI, agents operating in the dark create massive security blind spots. To bring them out of the shadows, Okta answers four critical questions. Where are my agents? What can they do? What are they doing? And how do I respond if they go rogue? Okta secures AI. Learn more at okta.com.

Imran Amed (1:05)

Hi, this is Imran Amed, founder and CEO of The Business of Fashion. Welcome to The BoF Podcast. It's Friday, November 16th. Terrence O'Connor has built an unconventional career as a creative director and strategist working across fashion, music and digital media. Raised in an academic household in Massachusetts, he initially saw few clear routes into a creative career before moving to New York and later to Los Angeles, where he recognized the commercial and creative potential of social platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

He started out by helping actor and comedian Benito Skinner build his online presence before going on to work with artists, including Charli XCX, whose brat rollout became a defining cultural moment. Alongside his client work, he produces a cultural digest video series, offering sharp observations on internet culture, entertainment and the trends shaping our world, making him a closely followed observer of how and why ideas gain traction online.

Terrence O'Connor (2:13)

I think the strongest perspectives don't come from group think, it comes from like personal conviction.

It's kind of like a belief I think I have of like the power of the individual artist.

So I think when we get art that is so uncompromising in that way and so allowed to exist in that pure form, it hits us like a wave.

Imran Amed (2:45)

This week, Terrence joins me to discuss what fashion brands can learn from the success of Brat, why the best creative partnerships are built over time, and how friendship and collaboration have shaped his unconventional career. Here's Terrence O'Connor on The BoF Podcast.

Terrence O'Connor, welcome to The BoF Podcast.

Terrence O'Connor (3:09)

Hello. So honored to be here.

Imran Amed (3:14)

It's good. It's one of those weeks where I feel like I'm running around, doing 100 million things, but I get a moment of real connection in conversations like this. This is my favorite part of my job, is chatting with people like you, and I'm really keen to get to know you better.

Terrence O'Connor (3:38)

No. Well, I feel like I very rarely do a podcast, so it's always like a fun format of conversation.

Imran Amed (3:47)

Where in the world are you today?

Terrence O'Connor (3:50)

I am home in LA for the first time in so long. I've kind of been on this year-long odyssey, and my house in LA has just been collecting dust, so it's nice to brush off the cobwebs, and have coffee in my kitchen.

Imran Amed (4:11)

Yeah. Well, I'm glad you've had a moment of respite. You are leading an interesting life. You are on an odyssey, and that's what we're actually here to explore today. Because I wanted to, of course, like the way I first came across you was the cultural digest, the really smart observations, encapsulations, situations that you string together in this weekly overview. And I was immediately like, wow, that's interesting. But it's also been interesting to just see how you've taken that and grown it into something bigger. So when you were growing up, yes, and where you were growing up, what counted as a good job? Like what did people put into your head of what a good job looked like and why?

Yeah.

Terrence O'Connor (5:13)

So I'm from Massachusetts, which is a very traditional place. I mean, it's a cool place.

It's where our country began. We have the oldest universities in America. And so education is a central tenet of life in Massachusetts. And you can sort of like see which families are like, oh, that's like sort of a Wake Forest family. That's like a Harvard, Penn family. And it's like kind of a huge part of the culture.