The Impossible Network

Guest Overview 

Emily Oberman - a partner at the international design firm, Pentagram, was born and raised in New York, to a graphic designer father and illustrator mother, discusses her prolific life in design and branding. 

In part one of this two-part episode Emily recounts the impact of her upbringing based on the idea of art, discovery, and joy, how humor and singing were never far and explains how the work ethic her parents instilled has served her well through her three decades in design. 

Emily discusses how her parents introduced her to Monty Python, The Marx Brothers, and MAD Magazine and how the idea of being a beautiful weirdo has remained with her throughout her career as she seeks out oddness in everyone she meets

We cover Emily’s serendipitous journey from studying design at Cooper Union in NYC, her sojourn into film studies and how that set her on her path to a life in design, content, and storytelling. 

We discuss Emily’s early design influences, her approach to design and the role of story and ideas in her work. We end part one with Emily recounting how she ended up working under her mentor Tibor Kalman at design firm M&Co 

In part two we explore how Emily met and formed a 17-year partnership, with Bonnie Siegler, in the New York design firm Number17 before we dive deep into her 20 seasons of driving the identity of Saturday Night Live. 

We also discuss her leadership experience at Pentagram and the challenges of combining that with motherhood 

Finally, we discuss diversity and of course her quick-fire questions and answers.

I hope you enjoy this curiosity, humor and design principles of Emily Oberman 

What we discuss 

• The environment of art, discovery, and joy that defined her upbringing
• How her parents injected humor and wit in everything they did 
• Her appreciation for art, design and the power of idea-driven design 
• The impact of her parents instilled in her from an early age
• The idea of being a beautiful weirdo 
• How she embraces the off and seeks oddness in all places 
• Why her family all share that goal of beautiful weirdness
• Emily Oberman shares the impact of a teacher who recognized her talent and nurtured it
• Emily explains how she introduced her to Greek literature. 
• Emily breaks down her decision to go to Cooper Union
• Studying acting 
• Why she is a worrier
• The illustrators she was inspired by 
• How her love of theatre and film led her to take a year to study acting 
• How this led her to love film and ultimately motion graphics 
• Design as performance 
• Examples of how she approaches design using examples Ready Player One and the women’s co-working space, The Wing 
• Forming Number17 With Bonnie Siegler
• Working for smart good people and products she likes 
• The experience of creating the credits of SNL 
• The challenge of motherhood and leadership in design
• The hard work she has had to do
• Driving diversity in Pentagram and leading by example 
• 
  

Social Links 

Instagram 

Linkedin 

Links in the Show 

Debbie Millman

Cooper Union

Tibor Kalman

Milton Glaser 

Max Fleischer 

Bob Kane 

Jack Kirby 

Mort Drucker 

Stella Adler

Colors magazine 

VH1 

Viacom

Number17 Agency 

M&Co

DC comics

The Wing 

Ready Player One 

Pentagram 

Lorne Micheals 

Saturday Night Live 

Monty Python 

MAD Comic 

Marx Brothers

Metropolitan museum 

The Highline

Hudson river park 

Devil in the White City Book 

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Ok this is our first weekly bonus roundup where we share some of our discoveries from where our curiosity has taken us.

Starting with A Podcast we loved 

Making sense with Sam Harris - episode 163 Sam has a fabulous interview with British comedian, writer and award show host Ricky Gervais - Ricky is a breathe of fresh air and excludes common sense as speaks with clarity and brutal candor

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-sense-with-sam-harris/id733163012?i=1000444315356

We found this online 

PR agency Porter Noveli published new report on Purpose and Gen Z. It’s well worth a read if you want to understand this generations' expectations of brands, their social impact and purpose

https://www.prdaily.com/what-purpose-driven-companies-need-to-know-about-gen-z/

This was recommended to us by our upcoming guest Joshua Spodek

https://www.drawdown.org/

Project Drawdown is a world-class research organization that reviews, analyses, and identifies the most viable global climate solutions, and shares these findings with the world. You’ll be surprised how simple some of them are 

Movie of the week

Game Changers 

If your not vegetarian or vegan watch this and be prepared to re orientate your view of what you eat and how you live 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSpglxHTJVM

Mulling on...

Could we go zero waste ? Reduce the endless packaging that results in recycling and increase composting in the most efficient manner? after watching Bea Johnson I think I could it’s a wonderful insight into how we live and how we could live https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmfDTtduRh4

A tool we are using

Ever wanted to have Instagram accessible and useable on your desktop and be able to easily add a post or story, The Grids App does just that. We love it. 

https://gridsapp.net/

This weeks podcast

This week Roberto Rabanne - the photographer of some of the most iconic musicians and artists over the last 5 decades and the only photograther to have shot all of the legendary 27 Club. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/050-roberto-rabanne-photographer-icons-imagining-better/id1448602773?i=1000457197944

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Guest Overview

Born in Panama, raised in Brooklyn from age 13, a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, a self taught photographer who’s captured iconic images of music, art, and fashion for over 5 decades, is this week’s guest Roberto Rabanne.  

In part two we delve into how Roberto continues to evolve his career into new multimedia expressions of his art as well as his pursuit of a new entrepreneurial venture that’s centered around the development of hemp-based products and in particular a new supercar the Rabanne 420. 

I hope you enjoy the humor, eloquence, generosity of spirit and expansive vision of Roberto Rabanne

What we discuss 

• His reinvention of his archive work in new mediums
• His creative partner
• Using his imagery on Leon Speakers
• His evolving business model
• Inspired by blotter acid paper   
• His Off the Grid Flat Pack House inspired by Phillip Johnson’s Glass House 
• Rabanne 420 Hemp Car HyperCar 
• Henry Ford Hemp Car 
• Expanding his work into Hemp material development 
• Imagination to make it happen
• The impact of climate change and Hemp as a solution 
• Conscientious Objection to the Vietnam War 

Social Links

Instagram 

Links In the Show

Greta Thunberg

Richard Avedon 

Guy Bourdin 

Helmut Newton 

Alex Liberman 

Henry Ford Hemp Car 

Henry Rollins Testing a Hemp Car 

Claudia Berk 

Noah Kaplin 

Phillip Johnson Glass House

Whole Earth Catalog 

Stewart Brand

Mandela 

Gavrilo Princip 

The Heart of Darkness 

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Born in Panama, raised in Brooklyn from age 13, a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, a self taught photographer who’s captured iconic images of music, art and fashion for over 5 decades, is this week’s guest Roberto Rabanne.  

In part one of this 2 part interview Roberto recounts the experience of growing up in a racially charged 1960’s Brooklyn, his self-directed education and passion for reading, the impact of his mother and aunt, and how his early exposure to Motown and the Beat culture led him to embrace photography as his preferred form of self expression.

Roberto discusses the experience of being at the heart of documenting the 1960’s counter-cultural movement and the writers, artists and musicians he worked with. We also explore the commonalities of the movement with what we are experiencing with the emerging environmental movement and youth leaders like Greta Thunberg.

We also discuss how his curiosity for people lead him to photograph musicians from the Grateful Dead, Dylan, Janice Joplin, Jim Morrison, Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Run DMC, The Beastie Boys, Amy Winehouse, Sade, and Gaga. In fact he’s the only photographer to have shot all members of the 27 Club - those iconic and groundbreaking musicians who died at the age of 27.

Finally in Part One Roberto explains how his career pivoted into fashion when a serendipitous encounter led him to working for the legendary Alex Liberman of Conde Nast.          

I hope you enjoy the humor, eloquence, generosity of spirit and expansive vision of Roberto Rabanne.

Thanks to previous guest Alessandro Armillotta for the recommendation and connection.

What we discuss 

• Coming to New York as a 13 year migrant from Panama 
• Growing up as an only child in Brooklyn in a balkanised community 
• How reading and a love of Russian literature saved him 
• Becoming involved in the counter cultural movement 
• His early exposure to music and Motown
• Meeting members of the beat generation 
• How seeing a Bresson print made him realize his photography future 
• How he worked in a store to save for his first camera 
• How he gravitated toward music photography 
• Moving to Sf and his experience of psychedelics 
• Living in the same house as Neil Cassidy 
• Seeing the Grateful Dead and becoming friends with Gerry Garcia 
• His willingness to sit in the background and observe 
• Being acceptant of everyone 
• Documenting culture 
• How the counter cultural movement is still playing out
• The impact of the movement and that moment in time 
• His views on micro-dozing 
• How he’s using his back catalog to create new artistic expressions 
• The people and bands he shot 
• The 27 club 
• Being curious about people kept him relevant 
• His switch fashion 
• Pivoting in 1979
• Working with Conde Nast

Social Links

Instagram

Links in the Show

West Side Story 

Motown

Allen Ginsberg 

Dostoyevsky 

Tolstoy 

Henri Cartier Bresson 

Yashica 2.25 

Neil Cassidy 

The Grateful Dead 

Jimi Hendrix 

Craw daddy 

Rolling stone 

East village other 

Greta Thunberg

Richard avedon 

Guy Bourdin 

Helmut Newton 

Alex Liberman 

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Guest Overview

Born in England and raised in Italy by a trend-spotting mother and entrepreneurial father, innovation infused his education, welcome this week’s guest, and founder of social impact and sustainability start-up AWorld - Alex Armillotta. 

In this episode, Alex discusses how his childhood prepared him, how his father coached him and his mother inspired him to his life as an e-commerce and now social impact entrepreneur. 

Alex explains the evolution of his entrepreneurial journey in eCommerce, how his experiences led him to conceive and launch the innovative social impact and sustainability eCommerce app, AWorld. 

Alex breaks down the elements of this ground-breaking app and provides insight into how AWorld enables people, companies, and organizations to collectively invest in creating a more sustainable future for our planet.

I hope you enjoy the conviction, faith, and focus of New York-based social and environmental entrepreneur Alessandro Armillotta. 

What We Discuss  

Moving to Italy age six 

Alex’s comfort with difference 

His Father’s approach to educating him and supporting his self-discovery 

Underperforming at school 

Early entrepreneurial risk-taking 

Dropshipping explained 

Creating his most successful business Buy2Bee

Affiliate marketing explained

Building and scaling eCommerce businesses 

Building and selling his technology business 

Being hired and moved to New York  

Gaining insights from China and learning about affiliate marketing 

Building a tech company in Italy 

How he started to connect the dots and form a plan 

How he first conceived the AWorld idea

The importance of making a sustainability impact and not just profit 

The core elements of the AWorld application 

Where the AWorld application could go

His quick-fire questions and answers 

What he has learned from Tommy Hilfiger 

Social Links

AWorld 

Linkedin 

Instagram 

Links In The Show

Juventus 

Tommy Hilfiger

Buy2Bee

Shopify

Sustainable Development Goals

WeChat

DQ Institute 

Commonsense media 

Books 

Contagious 

This is Marketing

Storybrand 

Show 

Chernobyl 

Karaoke Song

WonderWall Oasis 

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Guest Overview 

Jeremy Heimans - a child activist, a McKinsey strategist, founder of social movement agency Purpose, TED speaker, and co-author of NY Times bestseller New Power is this week’s guest 

We start with Australian born Jeremy reflecting on how the combination of his immigrant parent's backstory and his voracious interest in politics led him to become a globe-trotting child activist at age eight. We discuss how this nontraditional upbringing helped him develop skills most children would not, the profound effect on his character development, his idealism and the impact on his life trajectory.

He explains his decision to study at Harvard and work as a strategic consultant at McKinsey were examples of him using institutional power without being institutionalized.

Jeremy Heimans explains the early origins of his movement-building in Australia - the political activation movement to challenge the status quo, Get Up. 

Subsequently, he then dives into why he formed Purpose - a social impact business that builds movements and uses the power of participation to affect positive change in the world. 

Jeremy goes on to discuss the principles underpinning his best selling book New Power and we discuss how these new power values and dynamics are being used by both New Power and Old Power institutions. 

I hope you are stimulated by the insights, vision, and purpose of Jeremy Heimans. 

What we discuss 

His early upbringing

Becoming a child activist

His parent's impact

How he built his first movement GetUp

What he gained from studying at Harvard

The value of working at McKinsey

Forming social movement activation agency Purpose 

How Purpose is structured and operates

How its Labs work

Writing the book New Power 

Old power defined - used as a currency 

New Power defined - works like a current 

How the world is evolving and embracing both sets of values

How serendipity affected his journey

Curiosity and the creation of the new 

Spotting gaps and starting things 

His quick-fire answers 

Social Links 

Purpose Agency

Twitter 

TED

Linkedin

Links in the show 

David Madden 

GetUp

Purpose,

New Power - How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World - and How to Make it Work for You.

ACLU 

New Power HBR 

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Guest Overview 

In Part two of this interview with Carmen D'Alessio, the New York nightlife legend, impresario and co-founder of what is often referred to as the greatest club of all time; Studio 54, we explore the untold story of the nightclub’s formation. 

We start the interview with Carmen recounting her second marriage and leaving Italy and working for Valentino in Rome to return to NYC to build her ‘Queen of the Night’ reputation. 

If you’ve seen the 2018 Netflix documentary on the infamous nightclub you’ll hear the other side of the founder’s story on how the sensational nightclub came into existence.

Carmen also recounts her memories of those unparalleled 33 months of hedonism, having her mother around her and how the era ended and the world changed

We also cover how she’s continued to reinvent herself and nightlife experiences around the world 

Finally, we cover her quick fire questions and answers 

I hope you enjoy the wit, wisdom, and wonder of Carmen D’Alessio. 

What we discuss:

How she moved into fashion

Beginning her career as a nightlife promoter 

How a 1976 bicentennial party reported in the WSJ got her on the map 

How she met Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell and her collaboration with their Enchanted Garden ended up in Time

How she was forced to invite them to collaborate when her Studio 54 backer dropped out 

The evolution of their business arrangement and how that saved her from jail 

How the day to day operation worked

Her superpower of connecting people 

Spontaneity and living without consequences 

How Aids changed everything 

Building her list of 8000 names 

How nightlife has evolved as she has aged

Carmen’s evolution 

Staying young, her sense of adventure and freedom 

Her mother’s lust for life

Acqua fit in her 70’s

Confronting conventions 

The Gospel according to Carmen

Her feeling of youthfulness 

Being thankful 

Her principles 

Establishing an environmental foundation 

Her patience and faith 

Links in the Show 

Steve Rubell

Ian Schrager

Baby Brasa

Andy Warhol 

Imelda Marcos

Federico Fellini 

Infinity club 

Enchanted Garden 

Sterling St Jacques

Grace Jones 

Basquiat

Cher 

Michael Jackson 

Keith Haring 

Las dos lunas

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Last week I had the immense pleasure of sitting feet from the greatness of Don McCullin. I managed to ask the final question of the evening.

http://www.howardgreenberg.com/exhibitions/don-mccullin

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Guest Overview

Born to Peruvian father, and Chilean mother, but grew up to become a legend of New York nightlife, impresario co-founder of Studio 54, and to this day not only continues to reinvent herself but also entertainment experiences, is this week’s guest Carmen D'Alessio.  

We recorded this interview in Carmen’s apartment back in July 2019. With windows open the sounds of the Manhattan provide a suitable city soundscape. 

Like recent episodes this is a two parter 

Part one, Carmen recounts the story of the enduring influence of her mother, escaping her controlling father, her early years in 60’s New York, meeting her first husband, and her magical wedding experience with Salvador Dali as her acting godfather. We skip the sensational Studio 54 story, and cover that in Part 2. But we end part one with how Carmen has remained queen of the night, and now day, with her sun-downer concept in partnership with NY based Tao Group, and more recently with Pervian concept restaurant Baby Brassa. 

I hope you enjoy the entertaining and age defying energy and passion of Carmen D'Alessio

What we discuss:

The impact of her upbringing 

Her father’s upbringing from a wealthy Peruvian family

The influence of his life view on her upbringing 

The positive impact and influence of her mother 

The serendipity of her mother and father meeting

Developing her own identity through her languages

Making a move to New York in the early 60’s

Power of her connections

Building an influential network from her first week 

How she met her first husband 

Carmen’s inclusive view of life

How she has reinvented herself from the queen of the night 

Delivering great evening experiences

Her relationships with the Tao Group and Baby Brasa

Links in the Show 

Carmen D’Alessio 

Guy Burgos 

Lady Sarah Russell 

Edie Sedgwick 

George Hamilton 

Salvador Dali 

Baby Brasa 

Tao Group 

PhD Downtown

Marc Packer 

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