At Large with Scott Norton

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. 

Susan MacTavish Best, a PR founder, shares insights on hosting salons, storytelling, and the power of real-life connections. She discusses her transition from journalism, the importance of design in social spaces, and tips for hosting engaging events. Susan also talks about her inspiration for DJing, art collecting, and nurturing relationships, offering a versatile olive recipe for hosting gatherings.

Entrepreneur John Fiorentino discusses the value of unique ideas, shares the journey of creating the Gravity Blanket from homelessness to success, and explores the impact of Kickstarter. He delves into the intertwining of innovation, creativity, and spiritual beliefs in business, emphasizes the power of owning ideas, and wraps up with quirky discussions on toothpaste ideas and vehicle customization.

Eric Ryan, founder of Method Soap and OLLY Vitamins, shares insights on creativity, sustainable branding, and forming successful partnerships. He discusses building company culture, embracing social responsibility with B Corp, and the impact of social media. Exploring legacy and inspiration, he aims to leave a positive influence on society.

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…….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.