October 2, 2023, NEW YORK — The New York–based media company The Slowdown announces the release of the 100th episode of its flagship podcast Time Sensitive, to run on October 25. Featuring the hotel industry legend, Studio 54 co-founder, and real estate developer Ian Schrager, the episode will air as part of the podcast’s eighth season. Other guests featured in the 10-episode season include the theater director and playwright Robert Wilson; artist, master potter, and author Edmund de Waal; novelist and author of Pachinko Min Jin Lee; and artist Sanford Biggers.

Hosted by The Slowdown’s co-founder, the writer, editor, and journalist Spencer Bailey, Time Sensitive features candid, revealing portraits of curious and courageous people who have distinct perspectives on time. On each episode, Bailey interviews a leading mind about their life and work through the lens of time—how they think about time broadly and how specific moments in time have shaped who they are today.

“For our hundredth episode, there’s no one I’d rather be celebrating this moment with than Ian Schrager,” Bailey says. “For more than four decades, he has been a defining cultural catalyst and beacon across industries, from hospitality and nightlife, to art and architecture, to fashion and food. In so many ways, he encapsulates the spirit of The Slowdown.”

On the episode, Schrager discusses why he’s going to be parting ways with Marriott, with which he’s been building the Edition line of hotels for the past 15 years; his tried-and-true design philosophies and definition of luxury today; why the word boutique has become meaningless and irrelevant; his admiration for the visionary thinking of Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Walt Disney; and the enduring aura of Studio 54. “I think I could do a Studio 54 now in a heartbeat,” he says, of the famed 1977–1981 Manhattan nightclub. “It would just be different. I might have to make people check their phones before they come in.”

Since its launch, in 2019, Time Sensitive has profiled some of the most prominent figures in art, architecture, climate activism, design, fashion, food, technology, and beyond, including the jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis; actors Peter Sarsgaard and David Duchovny; NPR radio journalist and “All Things Considered” host Ari Shapiro; fashion designers Eileen Fisher, Gabriela Hearst, and Rachel Comey; chefs Daniel Boulud, Daniel Humm, and Eric Ripert; authors Roxane Gay, Siri Hustvedt, and Jhumpa Lahiri; artists Nick Cave, Teresita Fernández, and Rashid Johnson; architects Elizabeth Diller, Bjarke Ingels, and Billie Tsien; designers Neri Oxman, Tom Dixon, and Samuel Ross; and poets Elizabeth Alexander, Reginald Dwayne Betts, and Claudia Rankine.

With an overall brand reach of 2.6 million, The Slowdown celebrated 2 million total podcast downloads this past June, with more than 1.7 million downloads alone for Time Sensitive.

The 100th episode will be available on October 25 on the podcast’s website, timesensitive.fm, which includes a full transcription, hyperlinks, corresponding visuals, and pull quotes, as well as on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all other major podcast platforms.

ABOUT THE SLOWDOWN
Founded in 2019, The Slowdown is an independent New York–based media company. Through our podcasts, membership-only newsletters, and digital platform, we serve as an indispensable guide to the zeitgeist. Across the cultural spectrum, we bring together leading-edge perspectives to capture an emerging worldview and tell stories that give shape to the abundance of information and noise all around us.

Follow us on Instagram at @slowdown.tv.

For interview requests and media inquiries, contact: press@slowdownmedia.com