The HPScast

The HPScast is taking a short break this week, but if you’ve missed any of our earlier episodes, we encourage you to listen back to one of those. Or, check out our show notes to find links to hand-picked books, TV shows and more that are worth your while.

We’ll be back next week with all new conversations.

This week, host Colbert Cannon is joined by iconic restaurateur Danny Meyer, the founder and Executive Chairman of Union Square Hospitality Group behind notable dining concepts including Shake Shack, Union Square Cafe and Gramercy Tavern. Danny shares how a series of people and events, from a discerning uncle who turned Danny away from pursuing law school to a close friend who connected him to his first restaurant job, led him to the business of good food – and even better hospitality. We hear how Danny brings that ethos to every team he leads and shares his tips for creating a company culture of belonging that extends to the customer. We also find out how his groundbreaking, global fast-casual concept Shake Shake started as a hotdog cart in Madison Square Park as part of a broader revitalization plan for the public green space – plus, why fast-casual and Michelin-star restaurants aren’t that different. 

Learn more about Danny Meyer’s tenure at Union Square Hospitality Group here. Watch The Bear, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here. And check out Danny’s impromptu recommendation, the Swedish TV seriesThe Restaurant, here.

This week, Colbert sits down with Adam Miller, Managing Director and Global Head of Talent and Professional Development at HPS Investment Partners. Adam shares how the scope and perception of human resources has evolved into high-value add talent management, and he shares insights into how employee’s addressable needs will continue to grow and change in the post-pandemic work environment. He also discusses his early career at First Reserve and private equity firm The Riverside Company before forming his own human capital consulting company, Hygge Capital Partners. Lastly, he shares how his path has led him to HPS – and how he plans to grow a corporate culture here that is “entrepreneurial, down to earth and intellectually gifted”.

Learn more about Adam Miller tenure at HPS Investment Partners here. Watch The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

This week, we’re doing a deep dive into the global shipping business. Join host Colbert Cannon in conversation with George Pasha, CEO of The Pasha Group. George shares his learnings from almost 40 years in the family-owned and operated business – from its beginnings as an asset-lite brokerage to expanding into fleet ownership both organically and through industry-shaping acquisitions. We also hear how George navigated the pandemic as an essential business with frontline workers. And we discuss how the company is currently weathering a historically tight labor market and rising fuel prices.
 

Learn more about George Pasha’s tenure at The Pasha Group here. Watch The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

This week, host Colbert Cannon speaks with John Ridding, the Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Times Group. John breaks down his transition from being a globe-trotting business journalist for the Financial Times to stewarding it for the past 16 years. We hear how John made the tough decision to cross over to the business side of the organization. He also opens up about the pressures he faced while pushing the legacy publication into the digital era, including a controversial decision to pivot to a digital subscription model that now boasts over one million paid subscribers – and how that model has allowed the Financial Times to maintain its place amongst the most trusted business news organizations in an era of media polarization.

Learn more about John Ridding’s tenure at Financial Times here. Read ROGUES: True Stories of Grifters, Killers Rebels and Crooks by Patrick Radden Keefe, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here.

We’re back with Season 6 of the HPScast. To kick it off, Colbert sits down with Michael Davies, who was recently named the Executive Producer of Jeopardy!. We talk about how he plans to honor the legacy of the iconic game show brand while still pushing it forward and keeping it fresh. We also hear stories from Michael’s early television days and how he helped reshape American television by introducing popular British game shows like Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. And he discusses his lifelong passion for soccer, which he’s turned into the successful podcast and digital brand Men in Blazers – and how he’s using his sports coverage to inform his approach to game shows.

Learn more about Michael Davies and his production company, Embassy Row, here. Watch Slow Horses, Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, here. Or listen to our earlier interview with Michael’s Men in Blazers co-host, Roger Bennett, here.

This week marks the end of Season 5 of The HPScast. Join host Colbert Cannon as he looks back at some of the season’s most memorable moments – from guest playbooks’ on how to navigate unprecedented situations to some tried and true career advice. 

We’ll be back in the second half of 2022 with all new episodes, but until then, make sure to catch up on any conversations you might have missed from this season and beyond. Or try out one of the many Best Ideas shared at the end of every episode. You can find links to those in the show notes of each episode. 

On a very special episode of The HPScast, host Colbert Cannon is this week’s guest. He sits down with longtime colleague and former HPSCast guest, Jeff Fitts, to discuss his path to joining HPS and his current role as a Managing Director of the firm. We hear about how Colbert has navigated macroeconomic events like long-term zero interest rates, tech bubbles and now the Coronavirus pandemic, as well as his long term view on how these factors will affect markets and the HPS portfolio. Colbert also shares insights about his formative years as a banker at Goldman Sachs before deciding to move to the principal side of investing. 
 

Learn more about Colbert and his work with HPS here. You can check out Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, the cookbooks’ Dining In and Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman, here. Or, give her cooking a trial run by first making her legendary caramelized shallot pasta recipe here.
 

This week, Colbert sits down with Amor Towles, the author of several New York Times bestselling novels including A Gentleman in Moscow and Rules of Civility. We hear about Amor’s long road back to writing, after spending two decades as a finance executive at Select Equity. Amor offers a look into his writing process and shares practical advice about how to carve out time for passion projects that could turn into a new career chapter. We also discuss how Amor’s business background helped him navigate the publishing industry.

Learn more about Amor and his writing here. You can check out Colbert’s Best Idea for this week, Union Square Cafe, and how to order items to ship nationally here.

The HPScast is taking a brief midseason break, but we'll be back in two weeks with all new episodes. If you’ve missed any of our earlier episodes, we highly encourage you to take a listen to those. Or, take a page from our Best Ideas and check out any one of the many great books or TV shows shared so far. You can find links to all of our Best Ideas in our show notes for every episode.