Episodi
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Mike Tyson said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” That's how I feel every time I try to write something. You don't really realize how hard writing is until you actually sit down and do it. If it’s any consolation, just remember the copywriting law of physics from this episode’s guest: If a problem exists, so does the solution.
Thomas Kemeny has made a career writing for advertising, one of the most challenging written mediums. You need the copy to sell, but it can't be salesy. It's gotta make people smile, but you can't come off as trying to be funny. The shorter the better, but make sure to pack in all the features and benefits. Got it?
For people who have practiced this all their life, like Thomas, writing for advertising is an art, a science, and a business. And for the rest of us to learn, Thomas wrote one of the very few books on how to write advertising copy. The book is called Junior, and today we'll talk about many of the lessons he shares in this book.
In this episode, Thomas will take us through copywriting exercises to generate headlines using the shortcuts and “dirty tricks” the industry has used for decades. He talks about how his creative process involves tricking your brain into never thinking it’s done, so that you can push from the logical and into the nonsensical before arriving at an unexpected solution. Best of all, Thomas reveals what he calls “the secret rule for great work” which no company will ever actually abide by.
Enjoy the show, enjoy his book, and enjoy making Hungarian chicken paprikash.
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Website Show Notes:
Junior: Writing Your Way Ahead in Advertising
Hey Whipple, Squeeze This
Oscar Health campaign
Sir Kensington’s Fries of New York
Hungarian chicken paprikash
📸@swhnorton
🐦@swhnorton
🖥️www.atlargeshow.com
…….
This podcast is made available solely for entertainment and educational purposes. The information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of any investment advisor. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services.
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a 5 star rating on your podcast app and comment below. -
My guest today is Clare Vivier: celebrated fashion designer and entrepreneur known for her eponymous brand, Clare V. Over 16 years in business, she has quietly, yet undeniably, reshaped the landscape of accessories.
The French-inflected simplicity of her designs—leather handbags adorned with bold stripes, understated totes that whisper rather than shout—echo her essence: practical and deliberate, with an artist’s cool. Vivier has managed to bottle up California ease and Parisian sophistication, infusing it into a brand that feels both timeless and strikingly now.
Born and raised in the Midwest, Vivier's path to the fashion world was anything but linear. A former journalist, she honed her style sensibilities while living in France, where she noticed a glaring gap in the accessories market: bags that married utility with understated luxury. Armed with curiosity, entrepreneurial spirit, and a sewing machine purchased with found money, she taught herself the art of leather working to make a laptop bag that she herself would want to carry.
What began as a modest operation soon blossomed into Clare V., a brand that has come to define West Coast chic. From its early cult following in indie boutiques to its current status as a staple among tastemakers, Clare V. has grown into a quietly powerful force in the fashion industry, without compromising integrity or its signature style. Her pieces, whether carried by Hollywood A-listers or creative professionals on the go, feel both egalitarian and aspirational, a reflection of the woman behind the brand.
Yet for Vivier, success is as much about community as it is about commerce. With stores across the country—each one a carefully curated love letter to its neighborhood—and a commitment to ethical production practices, she has proven that achieving scale doesn't require sacrificing the values that guide you in the early days.
Without further adieu, please enjoy my conversation with Clare.
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Website Show Notes:
Clare V Instagram
La Vie de Clare V.
Wabi-sabi
The Cult of Clare V Sample Sales
The Hidden Staircases of Los Angeles
Vélib' Métropole
All Fours: A Novel
Alice Neel
Jules et Jim
Crispy Smashed Potatoes and Chimichurri
📸@swhnorton
🐦@swhnorton
🖥️www.atlargeshow.com
…….
This podcast is made available solely for entertainment and educational purposes. The information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of any investment advisor. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services.
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a 5 star rating on your audio platform and comment below your favorite part of the episode. See you next week! -
Episodi mancanti?
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Alex Bogusky didn’t just change advertising — he rewrote the rules.
Many people have been called the father of modern advertising, but today you're going to hear from the man I call the father of postmodern advertising.
Alex was named creative director of the decade by Ad Age for the work he led as a partner at his agency, Crispin Porter and Bogusky. His work has received countless awards and he's in the hall of fame of both the Art Directors Club and the American Advertising Federation.
Alex is best known for launching Mini Cooper in America, anti-smoking ads for the Truth campaign that enraged big tobacco, ads for Domino’s Pizza that ignited an 80-fold increase in their stock price, and arguably his most groundbreaking work: Burger King’s Subservient chicken - one of the first digitally native campaigns to go viral online, and one that changed marketing forever.
This is an episode with two chapters. In chapter one, we'll talk to Alex about the creative process that went into his best known campaigns. In chapter two, we'll talk about his spiritual journey of finding peace, and healing after the death of someone very close to him. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you from Boulder Colorado, Alex Bogusky.
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Show Notes:
Alex Bogusky Website
Ikea - Lamp
Volkswagen - Driver’s Wanted
Truth Anti Smoking - Body Bag
Pizza Turnaround
Mini Cooper Ads
Subservient Chicken Ad
📸@swhnorton
🐦@swhnorton
🖥️www.atlargeshow.com
…….
This podcast is made available solely for entertainment and educational purposes. The information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of any investment advisor. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services.
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a 5 star rating on your audio platform and comment below your favorite part of the episode. See you next week! -
My guest today is Alexis Gay. While on the rise in her career in tech, Alexis took to the internet to lampoon her own industry as her social alter ego, @yayalexisgay. With razor sharp comedic instincts and magnetic screen presence, she pokes fun at the absurdity of a new professional class that’s trying to put a dent in the universe while navigating petty personal problems. After 25 million video views, countless industry conference keynotes, and over a hundred episodes of her podcast Non-Technical, Alexis has left her desk job and incessant slack notifications behind. She’s now started a new chapter as an entertainer, trading annual performance reviews for nightly standing ovations.
After debuting her one woman show Unprofessional at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, she’s taking it on an eight city tour across the United States. We sat down a day before her performance in Los Angeles to talk about her travels in the creator economy and her craft of self-parody.
Please enjoy my conversation with the consummate unprofessional professional, Alexis Gay.
Show Notes:
Alexis Gay Website
Alexis Gay Instagram
“Unprofessional” tour dates and tickets
The War of Art Book
The Body Keeps the Score book
Box Breathing
Cat Cohen
Alex Edelman
The Artist’s Way
📸@swhnorton
🐦@swhnorton
🖥️www.atlargeshow.com
…….
This podcast is made available solely for entertainment and educational purposes. The information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of any investment advisor. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services.
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a 5 star rating on your audio platform and comment below your favorite part of the episode. See you next week! -
Years ago, I made a pilgrimage up the Hudson river to visit a guru. Conscientious, soft spoken, and sporting a shiny bald head, he had the profile of a wiseman in eastern philosophy. But in fact, he was a guru in the secular (yet mystical) philosophy of marketing.
Towards the end of our meeting, as I asked for advice on growing our startup Sir Kensington’s, he wrote a note on a piece of torn paper and slipped it across the table. I picked it up and read it: “People Like Us Do Things Like This.”
Huh?
My guest today is Seth Godin, whose work I've followed for nearly 20 years, and has informed both the businesses I've built and how I evaluate companies for investment.
Seth is the poet laureate of modern marketing. His genius lies in his ability to distill complex ideas into clear, actionable insights that resonate in today's attention-scarce world. And in a world addicted to shortcuts and quick wins, Godin’s message is refreshingly real and profoundly human: great work takes guts, vision, and the courage to stand out. As Seth says, "safe is risky."
Today we'll talk about his greatest hits -- though we took this occasion to talk about his brand new book, "This is Strategy" which he simplifies strategy into what he calls "a philosophy of becoming."
In Seth's world, marketing isn't just about selling - it's about making a difference. So if you want to build something consequential, queue up Seth's books on your kindle and please enjoy my conversation with Mr. Seth Godin.
Website Show Notes:
First, ten blog post https://seths.blog/2009/04/first-ten/
The Purple Cow https://www.amazon.com/Purple-Cow-Transform-Business-Remarkable/dp/014101640X
Tribes https://www.amazon.com/Tribes-We-Need-You-Lead/dp/1491514736
This is Marketing https://www.amazon.com/This-Marketing-Cant-Until-Learn/dp/0525540830/
This is Strategy https://www.amazon.com/This-Strategy-Better-Elevate-Community-ebook/dp/B0CXWV8G29/
The Carbon Almanac https://thecarbonalmanac.org/
Askinosie Chocolate https://askinosie.com/
Dürer's Rhinoceros https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%BCrer%27s_Rhinoceros
Your business card is crap https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YBxeDN4tbk
Seth’s dosa recipe https://seths.blog/modern-dosa-cookbook/
📸@swhnorton
🐦@swhnorton
🖥️www.atlargeshow.com
…….
This podcast is made available solely for entertainment and educational purposes. The information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of any investment advisor. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services.
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a 5 star rating on your audio platform and comment below your favorite part of the episode. See you next week! -
Sometimes you’ll meet someone, and halfway through the conversation it dawns on you: This person is different. This is a person doing their life’s work. Nicholas Coleman is undeniably one of those people. And with eloquence to match his passion, the more he shares the more interesting he becomes.
Nick is one of the world’s foremost experts on olive oil. He is an educator, speaker, and co-founder of Grove and Vine, a full service bespoke olive oil merchant and producer. Nick chases the harvest annually through the northern and southern hemispheres to deliver a curated selection of the freshest extra virgin olive oils to both home cooks and Michelin starred restaurants.
Nick was the chief oleologist at Eataly for seven years, a position they created for him and has judged countless olive oil competitions around the globe. He is a lifelong musician and bassist alongside Action Bronson in their band, Dr. Bachlava and Human Growth Hormone.
In this interview, Nick will teach us how to properly select and taste olive oil, how to squeeze two days into every one, what it’s like to collaborate with Action both with oil and music, and the secret to landing your dream job.
Prepare to learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about olive oil and the business surrounding it, and enjoy my conversation with oleologist Nicholas Coleman.
Want to try Nick’s oil? Listeners can use the code "atlarge" at https://groveandvine.com/ for $20 off a Grove and Vine membership.
Recorded at studio and community space 57 NYC.
Show Notes:
Grove & Vine https://groveandvine.com/
Grove & Vine Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1vsz8letvc
Eataly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eataly
Action Bronson https://www.instagram.com/bambambaklava/?hl=en
Dr. Bachlava and Human Growth Hormone - Tiny Desk Concert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUN8pdgA0m8
Ribollita Recipe https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016052-ribollita
Nick’s Instagram @oleologist https://www.instagram.com/oleologist/?hl=en
📸@swhnorton
🐦@swhnorton
🖥️www.atlargeshow.com
…….
This podcast is made available solely for entertainment and educational purposes. The information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of any investment advisor. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services.
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a 5 star rating on your audio platform and comment below your favorite part of the episode. See you next week! -
A decade ago, Gabe Whaley figured out how to light the internet ablaze and has been leading a relentless scorched earth campaign ever since.
Gabe is CEO and co-founder of MSCHF, a Brooklyn-based high-output for-profit art collective behind hundreds of radical and delightful projects. These range from shoes filled with holy water, to anime tax software, to forged picassos, to the mega-viral Big Red Boots. He’s been dragged into court for ticking off big companies, sold a laptop full of viruses for over one million dollars, and gotten MSCHF represented by Perrotin, a leading global contemporary art gallery.
Softspoken and understated, Gabe has an unlikely history for a provocateur. He grew up in rural North Carolina, insulated from popular culture, and attended West Point where he learned military discipline before dropping out. After working dead-end jobs back home, he flew up to New York City wearing an ill-fitting suit for a long shot interview with Buzzfeed, where he landed a job working on viral content. Then once his extracurricular MSCHF projects took off, it launched as an undefinable N-of-one company with both adoring fans and corporate nemeses around the world.
In this interview, we’ll hear the backstory of some of the collective’s most radical works, how he leads a team with world class ideas and execution, and how creativity and commerce coexist amidst explosive growth for MSCHF.
If you do not know MSCHF today, prepare to have your mind cracked open – and prepare to start seeing them everywhere.
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"Creativity is a shared international language"
Website Show Notes:
MSCHF https://www.instagram.com/mschf/?hl=en
Sink of Theseus https://www.perrotin.com/artists/mschf/1181/mets-sink-of-theseus/73733
Tax Heaven 3000 https://taxheaven3000.com/
Marcel Duchamp - "Fountain" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_(Duchamp)
MSCHF Perrotin Art 2 - https://leaflet.perrotin.com/view/751/art-2
Art Basel Miami Beach https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/251364524/art-basel-miami-beach/
Leaderboard ATM https://www.instagram.com/mschf/p/ClrA9dRulbA/?img_index=1
Colette https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colette_(boutique)
Deal Sleds https://transacted.io/best-deal-sleds/
Big Red Boots https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/mschf-big-red-boots-explained-1234656780/
NOTHING IS SACRED - MSCHF retrospective at Daelim Museum https://hypebeast.com/2023/10/mschf-nothing-is-sacred-daelim-museum-retrospective
Magazine B https://en.magazine-b.com/
US Military Academy West Point https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Military_Academy
Maurizio Cattelan - Comedian (Banana) https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/08/arts/design/a-critics-defense-of-cattelan-banana-.html
Paola Pivi https://www.paolapivi.com/
📸@swhnorton
🐦@swhnorton
🖥️www.atlargeshow.com
…….
This podcast is made available solely for entertainment and educational purposes. The information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of any investment advisor. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services.
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a 5 star rating on your audio platform and comment below your favorite part of the episode. See you next week! -
So far, Kareem Rahma has packed more into his 38 years than most people do into a lifetime.
Egyptian? Yes. Midwesterner? Yes. New Yorker? Yes. Brooklynite? Yes.
Corporate employee? Yes. Post-exit founder? Yes. Media entrepreneur? Yes.
Comedian? Yes. Musician? Yes. Published author? Yes. Film producer? Yes. Pizza gallerist? Improbably, yes
Is there anything that isn’t a “yes” for Kareem? Well, tune into his viral Instagram series @subwaytakes and indeed, he’s not afraid to blast “100% disagree” when it’s time to say no.
In this episode of At Large, we’ll hear how Kareem Rahma built a livelihood pioneering essentialist internet video formats for a divided nation with a shrinking attention span, without losing his fresh optimism and vibe of disheveled cool.
Between commandeering the L train for his impromptu hit talk show and hopping into yellow cabs to tell drivers “take me to your favorite place in the city and keep the meter running,” Kareem has collapsed the distance between what he wants and what he does by refusing to let asking for permission be part of his creative process.
Thanks to Primary Venture Partners, who generously provided their office studio for this interview in NYC.
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Website Show Notes:
Subway takes https://www.instagram.com/subwaytakes/
Keep the meter running https://www.youtube.com/channel/UComL0zTx23pc036EI4qojcQ
Vice media https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_Media
Vice guide to North Korea https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL10943F1A08C72A17
The Museum of Pizza https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcbWIEm14z0
Out of order https://youtu.be/MVu4igkDcgM?si=tL8uKix4_eRG7Vvz
Or Something film - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26599297/
No Worries if Not https://open.spotify.com/album/4RUqfq8D23n9XIQOKEUVJx?si=2oElDnPaT8KngoZPqZLTMA
The Last Stop: https://youtu.be/1w7qwsROk10?si=Z8hIDuPBB26Y6J1J
Sheel Mohnot's takes: https://x.com/pitdesi/status/1832599305699651754
Jacques Pepin scrambled eggs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqKq0bQHnZU
📸@swhnorton
🐦@swhnorton
🖥️www.atlargeshow.com
…….
This podcast is made available solely for entertainment and educational purposes. The information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of any investment advisor. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services.
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a 5 star rating on your audio platform and comment below your favorite part of the episode. See you next week! -
Cool, calm, and collected, you’d never peg Food52 founder Amanda Hesser as having an insatiable appetite for risk. Self-described as “impulsive” and described by others as “frighteningly ambitious,” Amanda comes off as conscientious and considered as she does intelligent and industrious. So what makes her tick?
After following her sense of adventure and love of food to a chateau in Burgundy where she wrote about seasonal cooking, she went on to unexpectedly land a job writing for the food section of the New York Times, where she ultimately rose to food editor of the Times Magazine, and authored The Essential New York Times cookbook. Then in 2009, when internet media and food media were becoming intertwined, she co-founded Food52 as a website and marketplace for people who put food at the center of their life.
In this conversation, Amanda talks about the interconnected ecosystem of Food52’s business model, including its strong community, advertising model, marketplace, and recent acquisitions for vertical integration with heritage brands. She’ll share stories of partnering with private equity investors, the importance of delighting customers in inefficient yet effective ways, and operating in “founder mode.” Prepare to be very hungry (and itching to make chocolate cake) by the end of this episode.
Thanks to Primary Venture Partners, who generously provided their office studio for this interview in NYC.
“In so many ‘consumer’ business, the consumer gets forgotten and treated like some sort of widget”
Website Show notes:
Food52 http://food52.com
The Essential New York Times Cookbook https://store.nytimes.com/products/the-essential-new-york-times-cookbook?variant=39431971176518
Paul Graham - Founder Mode https://paulgraham.com/foundermode.html
Paul Graham - Do Things that Don't Scale https://paulgraham.com/ds.html
Food52’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/food52/?hl=en
Amanda Hesser’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/amandahesser/?hl=en
TCG - The Chernin Group https://tcg.co/
Dansk Købenstyle https://www.dansk.com/collections/kobenstyle
Uunifetapasta https://www.tiktok.com/@liemessa/video/6923943550111550726?lang=en
A2 Milk https://www.bonappetit.com/story/what-is-a2-milk
https://puck.news/
Amanda’s Chocolate Dump It Cake recipe https://food52.com/recipes/5102-chocolate-dump-it-cake
📸@swhnorton
🐦@swhnorton
🖥️www.atlargeshow.com
…….
This podcast is made available solely for entertainment and educational purposes. The information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of any investment advisor. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services.
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a 5 star rating on your audio platform and comment below your favorite part of the episode. See you next week! -
For someone who’s ridden the highs and lows of life’s roller coaster, Shane Heath comes across as remarkably grounded.
Between the death of a college roommate, the unexpected chapter of fatherhood, and leading a hypergrowth company in an ultra-competitive industry, there are plenty of challenges that most people would be overwhelmed by. Shane doesn’t easily get overwhelmed, but he isn’t exactly easygoing. As charismatic as he is introverted, his cool demeanour belies a deep-seated intensity and unrelenting quest for existential investigation. He’s propelled forward by the moments of intensity in his life to keep creating, keep asking why, and will literally wake up compelled to do a surprise triathlon just because it’s hard.
As Shane would say: No mud, no lotus.
Shane is the CEO and co-founder of MUD\WTR, a product he created to drink less coffee which turned into a category-creating company of significant scale that he continues to lead.
In this interview, we’ll talk about Shane’s co-existing roles of interdisciplinary creative and CEO, his daily practices for energy and creativity, and the changing perception of psychedelics in American society.
Note that as of the time of this episode’s publishing, I am an investor in MUD\WTR and that this interview is separate from my professional relationship with the company.
Website Show notes:
MUD\WTR http://mudwtr.com
Sympathetic Nervous System https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sympathetic_nervous_system
Ikigai https://hyperisland.com/en/blog/thought-leadership/feeling-drained-at-work
Iboga https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWdLGJkdS_U
The Confident Mind & Journaling practices https://www.amazon.com/Confident-Mind-Battle-Tested-Unshakable-Performance/dp/0063014831
📸@swhnorton
🐦@swhnorton
🖥️www.atlargeshow.com
…….
This podcast is made available solely for entertainment and educational purposes. The information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of any investment advisor. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services.
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a 5 star rating on your audio platform and comment below your favorite part of the episode. See you next week! -
Most people just dream of going viral. Michael Dubin has actually pulled it off.
Mike went from being rejected from every business school he applied to and being laid off from Sports Illustrated to revolutionizing how razors are sold in America with Dollar Shave Club. Beyond operational ingenuity and opportunity spotting, Mike made use of his talents in sketch comedy and improvisation to create a video in 2012 that lit the internet on fire and birthed a generation of “direct-to-consumer” businesses. Four years later, Dollar Shave Club counted over 3M subscribers and secured a $1B sale to Unilever.
Has fame and fortune changed him? Not really.
In this interview, we’ll talk about the cultural undercurrents that enabled Dollar Shave Club and provide a peek behind the curtain of how multinational corporations approach acquisitions and divestitures. We’ll also drink a lot of MUD\WTR as Mike talks about his latest creative endeavors in screenwriting, his pause practice with Vedic meditation, and the sentimental bowl in which I serve mike a homemade peach and fennel salad.
Finally, if you’re interested in joining our Friday morning Santa Monica swim club called The Starfish, send me a DM on Twitter or Instagram @swhnorton
—
Website Show notes:
Dollar Shave Club Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUG9qYTJMsI
Michael Dubin on How I Built This with Guy Raz https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/live-episode-dollar-shave-club-michael-dubin/id1150510297?i=1000425929182
Career advice from Barack Obama https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNY4UFaHbP4
LTV/CAC explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orzsmq2_oXU&t=1s
Dan Deacon - Drinking out of cups (Not my chair, not my problem) [Explicit] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrIPLAo0_iQ
Vedic Meditation https://thomknoles.com/what-is-vedic-meditation/
SNAG: Sensitive New Age Guy https://www.thesensitiveman.com/blog/the-sensitive-man-are-you-a-sensitive-new-age-guy-snag
📸@swhnorton
🐦@swhnorton
🖥️www.atlargeshow.com
…….
This podcast is made available solely for entertainment and educational purposes. The information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of any investment advisor. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services.
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a 5 star rating on your audio platform and comment below your favorite part of the episode. See you next week! -
This week, Scott turns the tables by serving as guest on his own show. The adept interviewer Kyle Thiermann graciously hosts this episode so listeners can better get to know Scott as the host of At Large. Kyle is a journalist, copywriter, activist, humorist, and a professionally sponsored big wave surfer. On today’s episode, we discuss the moment that sparked the idea for Sir Kensington’s, the power of play in business, and threading the needle in product design between novelty and nostalgia. Scott shares the emotional experience of building a startup and the unexpected emotions around selling a company. He gives hot takes on non-alcoholic beer, what he looks for in startups as an investor, and provides a detailed recipe for Japanese Tonkatsu.
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Website Show notes:
Kyle Thiermann https://www.kylethiermann.com/
Sir Kensington’s http://sirkensingtons.com
Fela Kuti https://open.spotify.com/track/6jzbUvXYVbH6NrUS3WRMoL
Sir Kensington’s Story on How I Built This https://open.spotify.com/episode/1SdBI4ymo58bJgk6dcsETL
Jonathan Swift - A Modest Proposal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Modest_Proposal
Fries of New York https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/11/17/side
Japanese Tonkatsu https://www.justonecookbook.com/tonkatsu/
The Kyle Thiermann Show https://open.spotify.com/show/5cAqgvVo9x4T8aDFx2Dp0v
📸@swhnorton
🐦@swhnorton
🖥️www.atlargeshow.com
…….
This podcast is made available solely for entertainment and educational purposes. The information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of any investment advisor. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services.
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a 5 star rating on your audio platform and comment below your favorite part of the episode. See you next week! -
Is there any greater responsibility than educating and entertaining children?
Our guest today is an inspiring, creative, and formidable television screenwriter and producer who created Doc McStuffins. Her show went on to be a global sensation and Disney’s longest running series other than Mickey Mouse, featuring a Black girl who looks up to her mother, a doctor, and cares for her many ailing stuffed animals. Working with both Disney and Netflix, Chris has created a fleet of shows, both independently and with the Obamas, for which she’s won three Emmys, five NAACP Image awards, a peabody award, and the humanitas prize.
She explains the key negotiation points for creatives in the TV industry, including “overall” deals, “backend” performance participation, and the imperative of controlling your own IP.
Chris and I talk about how ocean swimming develops muscles of courage, her views on wokeness in America, and advice to creatives coming up in the entertainment industry.
Website Show Notes:
Doc McStuffins https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doc_McStuffins
Vampirina https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampirina
Joan Ganz Cooney https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Ganz_Cooney
Cocomelon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1nCXPPiVL8
📸@swhnorton
🐦@swhnorton
🖥️www.atlargeshow.com
…….
This podcast is made available solely for entertainment and educational purposes. The information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of any investment advisor. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services.
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a 5 star rating on your audio platform and comment below your favorite part of the episode. See you next week! -
Sooner or later, we needed to do a show about film.
With its potential for scale, resource intensiveness, and power to transfix the viewer, film is in many ways the ultimate creative business.
Fabien Riggall is the founder of Secret Cinema, a London-based immersive theatrical experience that puts the audience at the heart of the story. He is the inventor of a hybrid genre between film and theater, creating inhabitable cinematic worlds in which participants are both members of the scene and audience to a film screening. Under Fabien’s direction, Secret Cinema welcomed over 1.5 million guests to 60 productions from Shanghai to Los Angeles, and after 16 years was acquired in a reported $100M sale.
During this interview, Fabien walks listeners through what it’s like to attend a Secret Cinema production and the narrative devices used for immersive worldbuilding. He answers questions about scaling the business and the human desire for escapist, transportive experiences. We discuss social media addiction, UK rave culture, the allure of wild swimming, and the imperative to choose investors wisely.
We conducted this interview in London’s Somerset House, former seat of the Royal Navy Admiralty.
Website Show notes:
Secret Cinema: https://www.secretcinema.com/
Once Upon a Time in America (1984) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_Upon_a_Time_in_America
Stanford prisoner experiment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment
La Haine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Haine
Battle of Algiers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Battle_of_Algiers
Black Flies / Asphalt City https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asphalt_City
Johnny Mad Dog https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Mad_Dog
The Printworks London https://printworkslondon.co.uk/
Guy Debord & Situationist International https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situationist_International
Everybody in the Place - An Incomplete History of Britain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Thr8PUAQuag
Adam Curtis - Hypernormalisation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr7T07WfIhM&themeRefresh=1
Lost in London https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_in_London
Love in the time of Cholera https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_in_the_Time_of_Cholera
Victoria (2015): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_(2015_film)
Good Time (2017) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Time_(film)
Hampstead Heath - Wild Swimming: https://www.hampsteadheath.net/swimming-ponds
📸@swhnorton
🐦@swhnorton
🖥️www.atlargeshow.com
…….
This podcast is made available solely for entertainment and educational purposes. The information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of any investment advisor. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services. -
Silicon valley used to be the domain of the fringe. Wild ideas of social experiments, merry pranksters, and pioneering technologists building tools for imagined utopias. Somewhere along the line, this maverick spirit gave way to SaaS playbooks, an alphabet soup of soup of venture financings, and regimented productivity routines.
Today’s guest Danielle Baskin keeps the experimental instinct of Silicon Valley’s past alive. Danielle has been called an artist, provocateur, businesswoman, and satirist - all at the same time. Motivated by the curiosity of how the public will make use of the tools and artworks she builds, Danielle combines art, technology, and business to go viral time after time. With a background in experimental theater and Runescape commerce, Danielle has launched over three dozen standalone companies including Dialup, an audio social network which at one point had 90,000 global concurrent users, and now Moonlight, an interactive tarot reading app and her first business with outside funding.
Tune in to hear how she gets her best ideas, her bird calls, what she’s learned about managing concurrent projects, and a live tarot reading to help me make a big decision.
Website Show notes:
Odyssey Works: https://www.odysseyworks.org/
James Turrell: https://www.pacegallery.com/artists/james-turrell/
Inkwell Helmets: https://www.inkwellhelmets.com/
Social Sculpture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_sculpture
Dialup: https://dialup.com/
Seagull Girl: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialilovetour/video/7361790577635003680
Moonlight: https://moonlight.world/
📸@swhnorton
🐦@swhnorton
🖥️www.atlargeshow.com
…….
This podcast is made available solely for entertainment and educational purposes. The information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of any investment advisor. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services. -
Where do art and commerce collide if not at auction?
Episode four of At Large brings us Alexander Gilkes, a serial entrepreneur and former chief auctioneer for Philips. At the world’s third largest auction house and as founder of Paddle 8, he hammered in over $1B of art, and adapted what he learned there to the craft of marketing. We’ll hear how his Etonian upbringing and passion for contemporary art led him to a career selling such rarities as a one of a kind album by Wu Tang Clan, and founding Squared Circles, an incubator hatching businesses at the intersection of science and culture. We speak with Alex in his now home city of Los Angeles, on the heels of a $40M fundraise led by L Catterton, the world’s largest consumer-focused private equity firm.
Beyond what you’ll learn about the art market, hip hop, algae oil, and English boarding schools, perhaps the most important lesson of this episode is about developing the instinct of generosity.
Adam Grant's book Give and Take (Amazon)
Eton Mess https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/eton_mess_97585
Sensation (Art Exhibit) https://magazine.artland.com/shows-that-made-contemporary-art-history-sensation/
Dean di Simone https://www.gq.com/gallery/dean-desimone-tokyo-bike-new-york-apartment-2014
A startup that helps startups start up https://kaamranhafeez.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Startups.jpg
Conscious maximalism https://squaredcircles.com/conscious-maximalism
Phillips (Auction house) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillips_(auctioneers)
Once Upon a Time in Shaolin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_Upon_a_Time_in_Shaolin
Horiatiki Salad https://www.seriouseats.com/the-best-greek-salad-tomato-feta-summer-recipe
Alex's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/gilkesa/
📸@swhnorton
🐦@swhnorton
🖥️www.atlargeshow.com
…….
This podcast is made available solely for entertainment and educational purposes. The information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of any investment advisor. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services. -
She’s been called Martha Stewart meets the Royal Tenenbaums, and the facts of Susan’s life story rival characters from fiction.
After schooling in a Scottish castle and gaining a toe-hold as a journalist, she founded Best PR, representing technology companies through the rise and fall of the first dot-com bubble. That put her at the center of technology, business, and culture, and an offline matchmaker in an increasingly online world.
A natural and generous connector, Susan led a renaissance in the lost art of salons, connecting fascinating people to each other around food, drink, and merriment. As founder and CEO of Posthoc, which has been called “a rave for the intellect,” Susan’s craft comes to life for the diverse and lucky attendees of her events. In this conversation, she shares insights on the art and power of gathering in real life, and stories that impacted the direction of her multi-faceted career.
The world needs more people like Susan, and after listening, you’ll know why.
Charles Best: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Best_(medical_scientist)
Franca Sozzani, EIC Vogue Italia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franca_Sozzani
Starya: https://www.instagram.com/iamstarya/?hl=en
📸@swhnorton
🐦@swhnorton
🖥️www.atlargeshow.com
…….
This podcast is made available solely for entertainment and educational purposes. The information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of any investment advisor. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services. -
For John Fiorentino, finding creative ideas is like hunting big game. It’s unpredictable, requires innate skill, and is an all-consuming quest defined by feast and famine.
John’s hunt for ideas led him to create a product inspired by nights sleeping on the New York City subway which invented a category: the Gravity Blanket. Since launching this product, John has founded a collection of other product-driven businesses which have generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue since inception without relying on outside investment.
With an evident contrarian streak, John embraces his “truth-telling phase” in this interview and holds forth on how good ideas are undervalued, how organized religion has become counterculture, whether G-Wagons are tacky, and the hidden trap of fame.
📸@swhnorton
🐦@swhnorton
🖥️www.atlargeshow.com
…….
This podcast is made available solely for entertainment and educational purposes. The information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of any investment advisor. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services. -
Today we sit down with Eric Ryan, founder of Method Soap, OLLY Vitamins, and a growing collection of new brands. We discuss Eric’s creative practices when originating companies and the leadership lessons he’s learned over 25 years as a serial entrepreneur and marketing strategist.
📸 @swhnorton
🐦 @swhnorton
🖥️ www.atlargeshow.com
…….
This podcast is made available solely for entertainment and educational purposes. The information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of any investment advisor. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services. -
Join Scott Norton for conversations with world-class creatives who have achieved commercial success and lived to tell the tale. At Large explores the many ways the creatives that have shaped our world navigate business and use commerce to scale their craft.
Whether guests are artists, actors, designers, authors, or inventors of their own genre, this show illustrates that there is no one way for a creative to make a living. A creative entrepreneur behind Sir Kensington’s condiments, Scott evokes candor and intimacy in these luminaries about their unexpected, perhaps chaotic, and sometimes deliberate path integrating their artistic vision into their livelihood.
Scott will also quiz guests to share their hot takes, critique cultural phenomena, explain topics of their expertise in fine detail, comment on the trending memes and describe their favorite recipes. First episode comes out June 26th!
Learn more at atlargeshow.com and @swhnorton
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This podcast is made available solely for entertainment and educational purposes. The information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of any investment advisor. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services.
