#450 - DAN RUBINSTEIN, Host and Creator of The Grand Tourist Podcast
SUMMARY
This week David and Marina of FAME Architecture & Design are joined by Dan Rubinstein, Host and creator of The Grand Tourist podcast. The three discussed Dan’s career in journalism; change in media production; design field crossovers in media; shift to personality economy; future of journalism & media; hosting The Grand Tourist; common traits of successful people; career exploration freedom constraints; future vision for The Grand Tourist; and more. Enjoy!
ABOUT DAN
For more than 25 years, Dan Rubinstein has been a writer, editor, and consultant based in New York specializing in design, art, and culture. His podcast, The Grand Tourist with Dan Rubinstein, recently began its 11th season of in-depth episodes that explore the worlds of art, design, style, and travel. Prior to The Grand Tourist, he was the Home & Design Director at Departures and the Editor-in-Chief of Surface. A New York native, Rubinstein began his career at the interiors department of Condé Nast’s House & Garden.
The Grand Tourist with Dan Rubinstein explores the greatest tastemakers in the world of luxury today, from world-class chefs to experimental architects. In the show, Rubinstein uses his unique design lens to explore the worlds of fashion, art, interior design, travel, food, and culture. The program is available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Dan's childhood.
(09:26) Early career in journalism.
(17:00) Change in media production.
(24:10) Design fields crossover in media.
(33:38) Shift from design to personality economy.
“It's a personality economy. This runs through everything. Whether it’s design, journalism, art, or politics, it’s personality driven. It's not policy driven. It's not ideas driven. The discourse is not as focused on the work, it's focused on the people. That can be a detriment.” (34:45)
(43:10) Future of journalism & media.
“In art and design, fashion and lifestyle, and architecture, we need something permanent. There's a reason why the Rizzoli monograph is more popular than ever. There's a reason why the book is so sexy, cool and desirable because it's real and because people work on them for years and there's a quality to everything about it. Without the ability to commission new work, [digital journalists] aren't needed. At the end of the day, people will be able to just plug in press releases into an AI algorithm and have these 300-word stories written. We have to compete against all of that. So, I'm trying to run in the opposite direction as fast as I can. It's easier, more successful, fruitful and fulfilling for me to do that than trying to compete with the deluge of digital information, which is increasingly unprofitable.” (45:10)
(49:17) Hosting the Grand Tourist.
(56:53) First issue of the Grand Tourist.
(01:05:40) Common traits of successful people.
“A lot of successful people weren't so focused on success. They were just focused on the experience and doing something new, taking chances and taking risks. They are often trans disciplinary designer, meaning their photography hobby is used directly as a part of their creative process in architecture, for example. I think the people who are the most transdisciplinary and the most unique in the way that they think, the way they approach their life, their clients and their opportunities are the ones that are successful and really make it to be of an interesting person. That's a big part of what makes someone an amazing designer, artist or creative.” (01:08:33)
“If you're a young architect and you are not sure what you want to do, maybe you still want to be an architect, or you are working for a firm. If there’s an opportunity for you to join the Peace Corps and volunteer in Africa for a year, for example, that's not necessarily going to kill your architecture career. It could be the exact thing that your architecture career needs. Outside stimulus, some things that happen in your life that makes you see the world in a different way. Appreciate things differently. Think about things differently. I think that's key, no matter who you are or what you do. So many people I talked to have projects where someone was like, “Oh, that's crazy, but I'm going to do it anyway.” It’s very important for your growth as a person.” (01:10:55)
(01:14:43) Career exploration freedom constraints.
(01:20:53) Future vision for Grand Tourist.
“The era of worrying about, “Is it about social media? Is about TikTok? Is it about this? Is about that? What's new? What's hot? What's gone?” That doesn't matter anymore. It's about the message, not the medium. I think that’s the future. It’s important to be open minded because you will go insane trying to predict the future. Who knows what will happen in the next four years or even one week? So, let's just stick to conveying the message rather than chasing trends.” (01:23:17)
(01:24:05) Dan's favorite Grand Tourist episode.
