At Large with Scott Norton

W. David Marx lives in Tokyo, which is perhaps the only place left on earth where one can still observe culture operating according to pre-internet logic—where scarcity creates value, where obscurity breeds desire, where you still have to know a guy to know about the thing. From this vantage point, thirteen time zones away from the algorithmic churn of American pop culture, Marx has written what m...

On a sun-bleached afternoon in Venice, California, where the ghost of the counterculture still haunts every exposed-brick studio and cosmic juice bar, Raed Khawaja sits beneath an iconic skylight that once illuminated the work of James Turrell and Robert Irwin. The light here is different. Anyone who's spent time in Los Angeles knows this instinctively: it's the reason artists have migrate...

My guest today is Nick Guillen, co-founder of Truff, the brand that dared to ask: what if hot sauce had swag? What started as an Instagram handle became a culinary empire, it's sold at nearly every major grocery store, served at Starbucks, and backed by Kim Kardashian’s investment firm. But behind the viral moments and celebrity co-signs is something deeper: a commitment to craft that borders...

Following in the tradition of artists before him like Madonna and Prince, our guest today refers to himself by a single name: Wiz. Wiz is co-founder and general partner of Spacecadet ventures, which invests in breakthrough technologies at the edge of impossible. But why did I choose Wiz to be the first investor interviewed on At Large? As Wiz says, technology may be the fuel, but storytelling is t...

Working from a home office outfitted with a built-in test kitchen, Jerry Greenberg has launched six distinct restaurant concepts—from elevated sushi to handmade pasta to Philly cheesesteaks. The most iconic of these is Sugarfish, a cult-favorite sushi chain revered for its meticulous yet effortless approach to the dining experience. Tall, trim, and totally composed, Jerry is not what you picture w...

Today’s guest is culinary powerhouse Missy Robbins. Chef and co-owner of the acclaimed Lilia and Misi in Brooklyn, she’s written standout cookbooks and carved her reputation one hand-rolled pasta shape at a time.  But this conversation isn't just about accolades. It’s about brinksmanship. Missy opens up about nearly walking away from cooking altogether, and the unlikely business partner who nudged...

Humberto Leon has spent his life setting the cultural thermostat — somehow always staying a few degrees ahead. He has an uncanny ability to sniff out the world around him, stay true to his personal taste, and craft something that people are attracted to from across the room – or across the city – or across the ocean. A vibesmith of the highest order. Quick background on Humberto: Alongside Carol L...

Hunter S. Thompson said: “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”  Perhaps there is no truer living practitioner of professional weirdness than Eric Wareheim, a polymath of life’s pleasures. If you've heard of Eric Wareheim, you already know that he's one of the greatest living minds in comedy. You practically couldn't press play fast enough when you saw his name pop up in your feed. And i...

Our guest today is Sophia Amoruso, founder of the first internet native fashion brand, Nasty Gal. Since growing Nasty Gal to global prominence and then taking it through a sudden bankruptcy sale, she’s subsequently founded three other businesses including Trust Fund , her VC firm. Sophia coined the term #Girlboss, which is the name of her second business, a Netflix show based on her life, and the...

Today's guest is director Daniel Goldhaber, who blends high-tension genre films with piercing social commentary. His 2018 debut feature, Cam, a provocative, psychological thriller about a camgirl's stolen identity marked him as a director unafraid to dig deep into the darker recesses of contemporary culture. Cam captivated audiences with an unexpectedly feminist perspective using a technique Goldh...

Dinara Kasko is a study in contrasts. The precision of an architect, with the soul of an artist. A playful crafter of haute patisserie, with the grit to escape a Russian invasion. The poise and perfection of a pastry chef, with the daring to dance for days in the dusty desert of Burning Man. There are pastry chefs, and then there’s Dinara Kasko—a woman who doesn’t just bake cakes but sculpts them,...

Henry Ford famously said, "If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse." When sweetgreen was founded in 2007, nobody was asking for a chain of fast casual salad restaurants. But sweetgreen reframes the question - how do you make healthy food convenient and cool? My guest today is Nicolas Jammet, one of the three co-founders of sweetgreen, and the one most resp...

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...

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,...

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'...

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...

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...

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 o...

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...

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, tun...

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...

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 e...

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...

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 po...

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 stuf...