- Matt Williams cofounded fortune-cookie provider OpenFortune after running a sports-media business.
- He runs a team of five and writes many of the fortunes himself.
- “I get inspiration from different philosophies, but stoicism is my favorite,” he said.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Matt Williams, a cofounder of the fortune-cookie provider OpenFortune from New York. It has been edited for length and clarity.
Our cofounder Shawn Porat used to eat a lot of Chinese food. Most of the fortune cookies he read were boring; the messaging had been recycled for the past 40 to 50 years with only a few being refreshed.
I met Shawn through an investor for my first company. He pitched me the idea for OpenFortune, and I immediately loved it.
I was running a sports-media business at the time, so he wondered whether I could help with brand and factory relations.
People love sharing their fortunes. We did a study with Nielsen that found many people posted their fortune on social media.
Shawn also noticed that the backs of fortunes were blank. He realized these things were tiny billboards sent directly to customers at the dinner table. Why not put an advertisement on them?
It was a light-bulb moment. We had an opportunity to refresh fortune cookies, while upholding the integrity of them. But we also had a blank slate on the back.
There is so much emotion tied to fortunes and so much emotion tied to brands, and we could nicely marry those two things. Our fortune cookies don’t say, “Insurance brand X is in your future.” We will say, “You will want to protect the life you love,” and then have an insurance brand on the back.
Courtesy of OpenFortune
When we launched in 2018, we had a lot of pushback because there had never been ads on the back of a fortune before, similar to how there hadn’t always been ads at the beginning of a movie.
The first person who saw that was probably confused and annoyed. But now we all expect it, and some people even look forward to the ads before the movie — it’s the same with us.
We still get negativity, but it results in posts on the front page of Reddit because people are arguing about it in the comments.
Brands see people engaging with their brand. They see more than 600 comments on a post with their logo on it. That’s incredible awareness just from one cookie.
We have a creative team of five, including copywriters, graphic designers, and art directors who work on the fortunes. I run that team and write a lot of fortunes myself.
I take inspiration from many areas of life. I love reading philosophy. I’m a big self-help guy and a big gratitude guy. And I meditate every day to get into the right headspace.
I think a lot of the emotionality in fortune cookies is the same: Your life is short; go do that thing; apply for that job; go ask that girl on a date. I get inspiration from different philosophies, but stoicism is my favorite.
We also get inspiration from social media because we want to see what is resonating.
If you look on Instagram and search the hashtag #FortuneCookie, there are millions of posts of just the slip. You’ll realize that there are sentiments around different fortunes. People are happy. They get emotional, or it brings up memories.
We research what is really hitting home on social media at the time, then inject that into our work.
Right now, optimism is a hot theme because of COVID-19. People were cooped up, and after that, people wanted to feel optimistic.
We work with brands to distinguish which themes, emotions, and key words they want to include and work around that.
Fortune-cookie land is very mysterious. It was hard to find who the distributors are, who the factory owners are, and things like that. This was a major hurdle for us.
Once we found out all this, we had an issue with printing in full color. Before us, full-color printing at scale had never been done.
Shawn and I had to reverse engineer the printing process and make sure the ink was food quality. That was probably the hardest obstacle.
It’s hard to put an exact figure on what I earn, as I’m a cofounder. The copywriters on the team, who also write fortunes, earn between $50,000 and $60,000 a year.
Our database is endless. There are so many fortunes I couldn’t put a number on it. We try to write 10 fortunes every day just to keep it fresh, even when we’re not doing a campaign.
They’re printed on a big piece of paper that includes 118 fortunes. Our goal is to write at least 100 per campaign so that people sitting around the same table don’t get the same one. We never want that to happen.
buy levaquin 500mg online cheap levofloxacin uk
avodart over the counter tamsulosin sale buy ondansetron 8mg online
buy aldactone 100mg sale order spironolactone 100mg for sale fluconazole 200mg pills
order ampicillin sale cephalexin 500mg canada purchase erythromycin without prescription
fildena 50mg usa robaxin medication robaxin cost
sildenafil 100mg sale sildenafil drug estrace 1mg for sale
lamotrigine for sale online lamictal pill retin cream canada
buy tadalafil 10mg generic purchase tadacip generic voltaren 50mg without prescription
order isotretinoin 20mg without prescription azithromycin 250mg drug azithromycin 500mg cost
purchase indomethacin online cheap buy cefixime 200mg without prescription amoxicillin 500mg sale
tadalafil generic name Buy viagra from canada viagra overnight shipping
order anastrozole generic clarithromycin buy online sildenafil 50mg without prescription
generique tadalafil sildenafil sans ordonnance acheter 25mg viagra en ligne
purchase prednisone online cheap approved cialis viagra sildenafil 50mg
cialis kaufen für männer original viagra 200mg rezeptfrei sicher kaufen sildenafil 100mg generika
provigil buy online cheap provigil 100mg acetazolamide 250mg price
altace 10mg over the counter order altace 10mg online buy azelastine sprayer
order catapres 0.1 mg without prescription order clonidine 0.1mg online buy tiotropium bromide 9 mcg pills
buspirone over the counter buy buspar 5mg sale order oxybutynin 5mg
buy fosamax 70mg for sale generic ibuprofen 600mg buy generic famotidine 20mg
order olmesartan 10mg without prescription calan buy online generic acetazolamide 250 mg
generic prograf requip usa order ursodiol 300mg
imdur pill imdur 20mg without prescription micardis 20mg tablet
purchase bupropion online buy quetiapine 100mg pill order seroquel 100mg generic
cheap molnupiravir 200mg buy molnunat 200mg generic prevacid cheap
sertraline oral purchase sildenafil online cheap cheap viagra pills
salbutamol 100mcg sale cheap pantoprazole viagra 50mg brand
order tadalafil 5mg pill buy prozac 40mg for sale sildenafil 50mg without prescription
buy cialis 5mg online cheap oral amantadine 100mg buy symmetrel 100mg online
revia 50 mg over the counter buy aripiprazole 20mg online cheap order aripiprazole 30mg generic
avlosulfon canada order adalat 30mg sale brand perindopril
brand medroxyprogesterone 10mg buy hydrochlorothiazide pills periactin 4mg cost
order provigil generic buy stromectol 6mg online buy stromectol europe
brand luvox order nizoral 200 mg online cheap glucotrol pill
buy generic accutane 10mg amoxil brand deltasone 40mg pill
nootropil 800 mg over the counter purchase sildenafil generic viagra 100mg pill
azithromycin 250mg pill prednisolone without prescription order neurontin 600mg for sale
cheap cialis generic cialis without a doctor prescription generic sildenafil 100mg
order lasix 100mg online cheap furosemide over the counter buy plaquenil 200mg online
buy cialis 20mg order clomipramine buy generic anafranil
chloroquine order online baricitinib for sale baricitinib 4mg canada
sporanox for sale online buy sporanox generic buy tinidazole for sale
purchase metformin purchase tadalafil order cialis 40mg online cheap
cost olanzapine 10mg nebivolol sale diovan without prescription
order generic norvasc 5mg female cialis cvs cialis sales
viagra 100mg tablet buy lisinopril 5mg pill lisinopril buy online
zyvox 600 mg uk online gambling best online casino for money
omeprazole 10mg pills buy an essay cheap online casinos for real money
buy metoprolol generic buy atenolol generic purchase levitra online
buying an essay casino world best poker online real money
clomiphene 100mg cheap real money casino games casino arizona
tadalafil 5mg ca tadalafil over counter sildenafil viagra
triamcinolone canada triamcinolone 10mg generic clarinex pills
order priligy online purchase levothyroxine online synthroid canada
buy cialis 40mg online cheap viagra 50mg oral genuine viagra
brand xenical 60mg order diltiazem 180mg generic zovirax 800mg generic
cheap cialis pill plavix 150mg usa clopidogrel pills
allopurinol brand buy zyloprim online zetia pill
domperidone cost buy tetracycline 500mg cyclobenzaprine 15mg for sale
order cozaar 25mg generic buy cozaar 25mg for sale order topiramate 200mg generic
buy baclofen generic cost tizanidine purchase toradol online cheap
sumatriptan 25mg pill levaquin usa dutasteride for sale online
purchase colchicine pills real money slots online casinos
ranitidine drug purchase celebrex buy celecoxib 100mg pill
best casinos best casino that roulette
order flomax 0.4mg without prescription order aldactone sale cost spironolactone 100mg
buy tadalafil 20mg for sale buy ampicillin 500mg without prescription order ciprofloxacin generic
order generic metronidazole brand bactrim 960mg buy sulfamethoxazole generic
diflucan order online brand sildenafil 50mg free shipping viagra
cost cephalexin 250mg buy generic keflex 250mg erythromycin 500mg cheap
cialis pills 10mg cialis viagra sales viagra mail order usa
sildenafil canada buy cialis 5mg online cialis for sales
purchase cefuroxime for sale bimatoprost cheap robaxin cheap
order trazodone 100mg without prescription buy suhagra 100mg sale aurogra 100mg pills
help with thesis term papers writing service ivermectin cost canada
sildenafil canada sildenafil for men order lamictal generic
buy deltasone 5mg without prescription order isotretinoin 10mg sale amoxil 500mg sale
sildenafil australia cialis discount order cialis 40mg sale
online poker free red dog casino order cialis 40mg pill
buy zithromax pill azithromycin pills gabapentin 100mg price
ocean casino online generic stromectol 12mg order provigil 200mg sale
lasix 40mg oral buy hydroxychloroquine 200mg pills buy hydroxychloroquine 200mg
order fildena 100mg generic order nolvadex generic buy budesonide generic
buy retin gel for sale avana online order order avana 100mg without prescription
buy tadalafil 20mg sale buy indomethacin 50mg for sale order indocin 50mg generic
order terbinafine 250mg sale purchase lamisil generic buy amoxicillin 500mg pills
purchase naprosyn sale naprosyn 500mg usa order prevacid sale
albuterol 100 mcg ca ciprofloxacin 1000mg ca buy ciprofloxacin for sale
tiotropium bromide over the counter buy hytrin generic terazosin drug
singulair 10mg sale sildenafil otc cialis viagra sales
order pioglitazone 15mg generic sildenafil 25mg oral sildenafil 50mg
buy tadalafil online generic ed pills buy generic tadalafil 5mg
buy tadalafil 5mg for sale best online gambling online casino slots
casino online online blackjack for real money usa slot online
ivermectin 6mg tablet for lice avlosulfon us avlosulfon 100mg over the counter
roulette games casinos play roulette free for fun
adalat 10mg uk aceon without prescription buy fexofenadine 180mg pill
gambling game wind creek casino online games best essay writers online
oral altace 5mg glimepiride 1mg tablet arcoxia 60mg without prescription
order doxycycline 100mg pills cleocin 150mg without prescription clindamycin brand
college essay service brand leflunomide sulfasalazine price
asacol for sale online buy astelin nasal spray irbesartan 300mg uk
olmesartan for sale buy verapamil 120mg without prescription divalproex 250mg tablet
purchase diamox online cheap imuran pills order azathioprine 25mg generic
clobetasol medication purchase cordarone pill amiodarone pill
lanoxin medication order generic telmisartan order molnunat 200 mg pill
coreg 6.25mg over the counter amitriptyline 50mg oral amitriptyline 10mg brand
fosamax 35mg ca ibuprofen pill order motrin 400mg
buy dapoxetine 90mg avana over the counter buy motilium 10mg
nortriptyline 25 mg tablet panadol 500mg ca paroxetine 20mg pills
indocin order tamsulosin 0.2mg tablet cenforce 100mg pills
oral famotidine 20mg famotidine buy online order generic mirtazapine 15mg
purchase doxycycline without prescription generic doxycycline cost methylprednisolone
buy ropinirole labetalol 100mg cost trandate usa
tricor 160mg usa usa viagra sales viagra pill
nexium usa oral esomeprazole 40mg order furosemide 100mg online cheap
brand name cialis pfizer viagra 50mg order viagra 100mg sale
purchase minocin generic order gabapentin 100mg pill buy terazosin pill
order tadalafil pill best ed pill generic ed pills
glycomet 1000mg ca order calan online order nolvadex 10mg online
order modafinil 100mg pills buy promethazine 25mg order promethazine 25mg for sale
order clomid 100mg generic generic clomiphene buy prednisolone sale
buy prednisone 40mg generic order amoxil for sale amoxicillin 250mg sale
buy accutane 10mg sale ampicillin cost buy acillin generic
oral sildenafil 100mg fildena online order cost proscar
stromectol generic best ed pill for diabetics deltasone 20mg cheap
purchase zofran pill amoxil 250mg tablet bactrim 960mg us
generic isotretinoin purchase accutane cheap azithromycin
purchase ventolin sale ventolin inhalator drug order amoxiclav generic
provigil uk buy zestril generic order lopressor 100mg generic
brand prednisolone 20mg lasix 40mg oral furosemide 40mg usa
buy dutasteride pill order orlistat 120mg pills buy orlistat 120mg generic
purchase vibra-tabs without prescription brand doxycycline 200mg brand acyclovir
order oxybutynin generic generic ditropan 5mg trileptal for sale
cefdinir online buy omnicef protonix 20mg uk
simvastatin without prescription order simvastatin 20mg online oral sildalis
dapsone over the counter order asacol without prescription buy generic atenolol online
viagra 25mg price sildenafil overnight shipping cialis mail order usa
order phenergan online oral modafinil 200mg female cialis pill
oral ezetimibe 10mg buy sumycin 250mg without prescription order generic methotrexate
order levaquin 500mg generic buy urso 300mg for sale purchase zyban generic
warfarin where to buy buy metoclopramide 10mg for sale buy allopurinol 300mg online
zyrtec 5mg cost buy strattera cheap buy sertraline sale
cenforce drug buy glycomet 1000mg generic buy cheap glucophage
order escitalopram 10mg generic order sarafem pills buy naltrexone 50mg for sale
cheap lipitor 20mg viagra 100 mg sildenafil women
buy femara 2.5 mg online buy generic viagra buy sildenafil 100mg sale
tadalafil oral cheap cialis 20mg buy erectile dysfunction medications
tadalafil 40mg us buy generic cialis buy cheap ed pills
ivermectin brand buy accutane medication order isotretinoin online cheap
purchase modafinil generic buy prednisone 40mg generic buy deltasone 40mg generic
amoxil 250mg over the counter amoxicillin oral order prednisolone 40mg sale
isotretinoin online buy isotretinoin 20mg cheap purchase azithromycin for sale
buy gabapentin 800mg doxycycline sale order doxycycline 200mg sale
order generic prednisolone 40mg cheap prednisolone tablets buy generic furosemide
how to get clomiphene without a prescription oral plaquenil hydroxychloroquine 200mg over the counter
levothyroxine online order order generic levitra 10mg where can i buy levitra
albendazole online buy order albendazole 400 mg for sale provera over the counter
glycomet uk norvasc 5mg pills order norvasc 10mg pill
order biltricide 600 mg order periactin 4mg generic cyproheptadine sale
buy lyrica for sale dapoxetine cost purchase priligy
methotrexate 10mg pills warfarin order order reglan 10mg sale
generic xenical 60mg allopurinol 300mg us allopurinol 100mg for sale
order rosuvastatin 20mg generic buy rosuvastatin 10mg generic buy domperidone online cheap
order sumatriptan generic buy levaquin online cheap dutasteride pills
buy tetracycline 500mg generic purchase lioresal sale purchase baclofen pill
toradol buy online ketorolac pills inderal cost
buy cheap ranitidine order meloxicam 15mg sale celecoxib 100mg canada
clopidogrel 150mg oral generic ketoconazole nizoral 200mg over the counter
tamsulosin us zofran 8mg uk buy generic spironolactone for sale
buy cymbalta 20mg online cheap buy piracetam 800mg generic nootropil 800mg pills
betamethasone 20gm cream order betamethasone 20 gm sale purchase sporanox
order combivent 100mcg for sale buy ipratropium 100mcg zyvox 600mg pills
order progesterone generic tindamax price olanzapine 10mg sale
order nateglinide 120mg pills buy cheap nateglinide buy atacand for sale
buy nebivolol 20mg sale buy clozaril no prescription clozapine 100mg over the counter
simvastatin online order valacyclovir 1000mg cheap buy viagra without prescription
tadalafil order online Canadian sildenafil 50mg sildenafil viagra
duricef sale duricef online order buy generic propecia 1mg
cheap fluconazole 100mg diflucan cost order cipro generic
estrace 2mg usa estrace online buy order generic minipress
metronidazole cost septra pill buy generic cephalexin 125mg
buy vermox 100mg generic buy retin gel without prescription buy cheap generic tadalis
cleocin 150mg ca best ed pills non prescription uk sildenafil sale
indocin pill order terbinafine sale order cefixime 100mg for sale
careprost drug buy bimatoprost medication cost trazodone 50mg
buy amoxicillin without prescription oral anastrozole 1 mg buy biaxin 500mg pills
order catapres generic spiriva 9 mcg sale spiriva 9 mcg uk
sildenafil us purchase sildalis sale generic sildalis
buy minocin generic order minomycin online cheap pioglitazone online buy
buy cheap accutane azithromycin 500mg for sale azithromycin over the counter
arava ca order sildenafil 50mg without prescription generic sulfasalazine 500 mg
http://edmeds.pro/# best erection pills
brand azipro 500mg omnacortil 5mg tablet gabapentin 800mg cost
generic tadalafil 10mg 50mg viagra cialis for daily use
stromectol ebay deltasone 10mg oral buy deltasone 20mg online
order levitra 10mg for sale buy tizanidine pills for sale brand plaquenil 200mg
ramipril 5mg generic ramipril online order arcoxia price
buy vardenafil 10mg sale buy vardenafil no prescription buy hydroxychloroquine 200mg sale
oral olmesartan 20mg verapamil 240mg ca order divalproex 500mg generic
mesalamine 800mg sale astelin 10ml us buy irbesartan medication
coreg 25mg drug where can i buy chloroquine order generic chloroquine 250mg
buy digoxin 250 mg sale buy generic molnunat over the counter buy molnupiravir 200mg online cheap
buy naproxen 500mg purchase prevacid pills order lansoprazole for sale
baricitinib pills order baricitinib 4mg order atorvastatin 80mg for sale
singulair 10mg cheap montelukast ca avlosulfon 100mg cheap
buy adalat 10mg perindopril 4mg ca fexofenadine 180mg canada
order dapoxetine 60mg online orlistat 60mg usa buy orlistat 120mg sale
buy lopressor order lopressor 50mg without prescription medrol without a doctor prescription
diltiazem 180mg ca acyclovir cost zyloprim generic
triamcinolone 10mg without prescription buy desloratadine 5mg sale order loratadine 10mg generic
rosuvastatin where to buy order domperidone pills domperidone 10mg pill
buy acillin medication order ampicillin pill metronidazole online buy
sumycin 250mg for sale buy sumycin 500mg pill oral lioresal
buy bactrim 960mg cleocin 150mg ca buy cleocin 150mg for sale
buy clopidogrel order generic methotrexate 5mg order coumadin 2mg pills
buy rhinocort inhalers for sale order budesonide online cheap buy bimatoprost eye drops
order generic metoclopramide order losartan 50mg online cheap order generic nexium 20mg
purchase robaxin generic order robaxin 500mg without prescription buy suhagra 100mg pill
buy generic topiramate buy topamax 100mg for sale levaquin 250mg oral
dutasteride online order buy zantac 300mg pill order mobic 7.5mg pills
sildenafil buy online order sildalis generic buy generic estradiol over the counter
oral celebrex order ondansetron pill buy ondansetron pills
buy lamictal 200mg for sale generic vermox buy generic prazosin 2mg
brand spironolactone purchase simvastatin generic valtrex online order
where to buy retin without a prescription tretinoin for sale buy avanafil generic
proscar online order generic viagra viagra 50mg us
buy tadalafil without prescription purchase tadalafil for sale indocin cheap
brand cialis 10mg tadalafil 10mg pfizer viagra 50mg
cheap tadalafil buy diflucan tablets buy generic ed pills
how to get lamisil without a prescription suprax usa order amoxicillin without prescription
molnunat order purchase omnicef for sale buy omnicef generic
prevacid 30mg over the counter pantoprazole usa pantoprazole 40mg cost
phenazopyridine 200 mg brand buy cheap generic singulair generic amantadine 100 mg
best otc ed pills tadalafil 5mg cheapest cialis online
brand dapsone order generic avlosulfon how to get perindopril without a prescription
buy fexofenadine 180mg where can i buy glimepiride order glimepiride 4mg pills
order hytrin 1mg without prescription order actos 30mg sale cialis pill
purchase etoricoxib generic purchase azelastine online astelin 10ml brand
buy generic cordarone 200mg purchase dilantin without prescription where to buy dilantin without a prescription
generic albendazole 400mg buy abilify 30mg for sale medroxyprogesterone 10mg uk
oral ditropan 5mg order fosamax 35mg generic buy fosamax 70mg pills
brand biltricide 600 mg microzide online buy buy generic cyproheptadine online
buy furadantin 100 mg online cheap generic motrin 600mg nortriptyline 25mg generic
brand acetaminophen 500mg famotidine 40mg price order famotidine without prescription
glucotrol 10mg tablet cheap glucotrol 10mg buy betnovate 20 gm without prescription
purchase clomipramine online cheap prometrium 100mg generic prometrium 100mg usa
buy diovan 160mg without prescription ipratropium 100 mcg uk order ipratropium 100 mcg generic
buy trileptal online buy oxcarbazepine 300mg sale order urso 300mg online cheap
buy zyban 150 mg bupropion 150mg canada buy strattera 10mg without prescription
capoten 120mg cost captopril cost tegretol 200mg price
quetiapine over the counter quetiapine price order escitalopram 20mg sale
order ciplox without prescription ciprofloxacin 500 mg sale buy duricef 500mg
buy cheap generic epivir buy combivir cheap where to buy quinapril without a prescription
sarafem price order letrozole 2.5 mg online femara 2.5 mg over the counter
purchase frumil pills clindac a brand acivir generic
order bisoprolol 5mg generic buy indapamide 1.5mg for sale order oxytetracycline sale
valcivir pills buy floxin order floxin 400mg generic
cost cefpodoxime order theo-24 Cr 400mg sale flixotide online buy
levetiracetam online generic bactrim 960mg buy sildenafil 50mg sale
brand cialis 10mg cialis 20mg without prescription sildenafil 100mg price
ketotifen online buy cost doxepin 25mg imipramine 75mg generic
buy minoxidil paypal buy generic cialis 20mg ed pills that work
aspirin sale order aspirin online cheap order imiquimod online cheap
buy dipyridamole pill order pravachol online pill pravachol 20mg
meloset 3 mg cost danocrine 100mg sale danazol 100 mg ca
buy duphaston medication cheap januvia order empagliflozin 25mg without prescription
cheap fludrocortisone buy imodium buy loperamide 2 mg online cheap
buy monograph for sale pletal 100mg without prescription buy pletal 100mg generic
prasugrel pill where can i buy chlorpromazine cheap detrol 1mg
buy generic vasotec online order bicalutamide 50 mg generic duphalac without prescription
buy xalatan online exelon price rivastigmine 6mg over the counter
buy cheap generic betahistine purchase latanoprost online cheap probenecid 500mg canada
buy premarin 0.625mg sale us viagra sales buy sildenafil 100mg pills
generic omeprazole 10mg order metoprolol online cheap buy lopressor 100mg generic
telmisartan 80mg pills molnupiravir usa buy molnunat 200 mg pill
generic tadalafil 20mg cialis mail order usa buy viagra 50mg pills
buy cenforce online cheap order naprosyn sale chloroquine buy online
purchase provigil generic prednisone 10mg brand deltasone pills
accutane 40mg sale amoxicillin online buy azithromycin 500mg uk
order azipro 500mg online prednisolone 20mg pills buy gabapentin 100mg
atorvastatin 20mg ca buy albuterol pill buy amlodipine 10mg generic