Episode 18: Tom Shelly - Beyond Survivor

Episode 18: Tom Shelly - Beyond Survivor

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2440356/fan_mail/new] When Survivor premiered in 2000, Tom Shelly's episodes pulled 30 million viewers. Today, six million would be a hit. In this episode, the Emmy-winning showrunner takes us inside 25 years of building — and watching — the form that taught a generation to perform identity for a camera. Tom Shelly was one of the original, pioneering producers on Survivor. He won a Primetime Emmy, earned five more nominations, and ran the show as EP and showrunner for eight seasons. He launched Dating in the Dark for ABC, Love in the Wild for NBC, Coupled for Fox, and Relationshipped for Facebook Watch. Through his company Steele Mill Productions, he's now developing scripted features with CBS Studios and A24 — including a Brownie Wise biopic starring Sandra Bullock and a Ronnie Spector biopic with Zendaya. Hosts Quinn Harrington and Naila Mir take Tom through the full arc — from his start at America's Most Wanted, through Survivor's no-social-media early seasons, the dating-show era, the AI reckoning sweeping production today, and his pivot to telling scripted stories about women whose brands outlived them. 🎙️ CHAPTERS 00:00  Cold open and welcome 00:43  Around the Room — rainy London, Pride Month in Jacksonville, Encino 03:15  NOW: Why Tom is pivoting from unscripted to scripted features 09:30  The Brownie Wise and Tupperware story 15:50  Cinema verite — letting people create their own drama 21:35  Tom Shelly: the official introduction 22:32  NEAR: Survivor 2000, the iPhone 2007, and how casting had to change 26:42  From reality TV fame to social media fame 31:48  AI in production, voice cloning, and the SAG-AFTRA reckoning 39:41  Editing reality TV down to the frame 42:01  ACROSS THE POND — duty of care and the UK reality TV reckoning 53:02  The A24 model and why small studios are saving the business 59:58  FUTURE: 30 million viewers then, 6 million is a hit now 1:02:13  Where to find Tom's work ✨ ABOUT THE SHOW Now, Near, and the Future is a podcast about brand, business, and culture — exploring what's happening now, what's coming next, and what it all means in the long run. Hosted by Quinn Harrington (CEO, Harrington Design Co.) and Naila Mir (Founder, P3 Connect UK). 🌐 nownearfuture.com 📸 Instagram @nownearfuture 🎧 Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms If today's conversation moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave us a rating. It genuinely helps. #TomShelly #Survivor #RealityTV #Showrunner #A24 #PodcastInterview #NowNearAndTheFuture #BeyondSurvivor

Episode 17: How the Sausage Gets Made

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2440356/fan_mail/new] Pull back the curtain. In this special behind-the-scenes episode, Quinn Harrington joins Naila Mir in a London recording studio — for the very first time — to talk about how Now, Near & the Future actually gets made. With Yannis and Naz from P3 Connect UK and Rachel from HDco around the table, this one covers all of it: the origin story (a 2013 Nielsen video shoot and a 2023 LinkedIn DM), how they find and book guests, what episode prep really looks like, the full post-production workflow from Riverside to YouTube, and the surprisingly vulnerable answers to one question — "What's one thing nobody warned you about?" Plus: US vs. UK podcast culture, the future of interactive and immersive audio, and final advice for anyone thinking about starting their own show. Recorded live at Coco Studios, Bermondsey, London. Pepper is in Singapore. She's fine. 🌐 nownearfuture.com | @nownearfuture on Instagram & LinkedIn 🎧 Spotify · Apple Podcasts · Amazon Music · YouTube

Episode 16: Brett House - Building While Everyone Else Talks

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2440356/fan_mail/new] Brett House has spent 25 years watching products fail — not because they were bad, but because the organizations launching them weren't ready. As a VP at Nielsen and product strategist at some of the most important measurement and intelligence companies in the industry, he kept seeing the same gap. So he built something to close it. High Signals is a GTM launch readiness company. Signal & Noise is his new media company. And Brett is currently mid-launch on both — which he openly admits gives his readiness diagnostics a certain poetic credibility. Quinn and Brett go back to the Nielsen days, when HDco helped launch one of the industry's first precision audience platforms. This episode picks up that thread and runs it straight into AI, agentic workflows, quantum computing, and the question every founder eventually has to answer: what are you actually building toward? Genuine, fast, and surprisingly funny. With a cameo from Naila's baby and a detour through London food culture that nobody regretted. Find Brett at hisignals.com and signalandnoise.ai, or connect on LinkedIn. Subscribe, share, and visit nownearfuture.com.

Episode 15: Marsha Faulkner: Classical Design in a Digital Era

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2440356/fan_mail/new] When Marsha Faulkner agreed to serve as President of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art's Florida Chapter, she thought she was stewarding a thriving organization. Instead, she discovered she'd be rebuilding it from the ground up—while continuing to run her interior design firm, Studio M. In this episode, Marsha shares what it's like to implement an organization's first-ever budget, transition from a single-city chapter to a statewide network spanning 7+ locations, and hire two new staff positions while maintaining programming excellence. She reveals the "ham sandwich" problem—eight years of valuable recorded content sitting unused while seeking sustainable revenue—and how she's building systems to unlock that archive. We explore how classical design principles apply to climate-resilient coastal architecture in Florida, the unexpected synergies between running a design firm and leading a nonprofit, and why materials science and traditional aesthetics aren't at odds. Marsha also discusses the transatlantic differences in approaching classical design, from sourcing craftspeople to preservation attitudes, and shares her vision for ICAA as a potential international craft knowledge network. The conversation gets personal as Marsha reflects on discovering her own capacity—learning she can do far more than she thought possible through focus, delegation, and time management. She credits Navy SEAL David Goggins' philosophy: when you think you're at your breaking point, you're probably not. Whether you're leading an organization through unexpected challenges, balancing multiple professional roles, or thinking about how timeless design principles address modern problems, this episode offers both practical wisdom and inspiration. Guest: Marsha Faulkner, Principal of Studio M Interior Design & President, ICAA Florida Chapter Find Marsha: Studio M Interior Design: www.StudioMInteriorDesign.net ICAA Florida: www.ICAAFL.org Instagram: @StudioMInteriorDesign, @MarshaFaulkner, @ICAAFloridaChapter Now, Near, and the Future examines business, culture, and innovation through three temporal lenses—NOW (current state), NEAR (3-5 years), and FUTURE (15-20 years). Hosted by Quinn Harrington (Jacksonville) and Naila Mir (London), the podcast features leaders navigating transformation across industries. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or YouTube. Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn @nownearfuture or visit nownearfuture.com.

Episode 14: Kenny Juskoviak - The Emerging Brand Revolution

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2440356/fan_mail/new] Kenny Juskowiak: The Emerging Brand Revolution What happens when startups get the same powerful data tools that used to be reserved for Fortune 500 companies? Kenny Juskowiak, Head of North America Marketing at NielsenIQ, joins Quinn and Naila to explore how the entire CPG landscape is being reshaped—one scrappy brand at a time. In this episode, we dive into the democratization of data and discover why Kenny believes AI will have a disproportionate advantage for small brands rather than making big companies more powerful. From founders creating products in their garages to solve problems they couldn't find on shelves, to the rise of social commerce and shoppable ads, this conversation reveals how passion-driven brands are challenging century-old giants. Key Topics: Why NielsenIQ created an entirely separate division for emerging brands How AI is transforming product development (spoiler: salt and vinegar donuts might be in your future) The difference between US and European startup cultures in CPG Why retail is fragmenting into discovery, fulfillment, and transaction—and what that means for brands The future of grocery shopping: Will physical stores disappear by 2040? Whether you're an emerging brand founder, a CPG industry professional, or simply curious about the future of how we discover and buy products, this episode offers insider insights from someone working at the frontier of consumer data. Connect with Kenny Juskowiak: LinkedIn: Kenny Juskowiak Website: NielsenIQ.com Where to Listen & Watch Podcast Platforms: Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music YouTube Follow Now, Near, and the Future: Website: nownearfuture.com Instagram: @nownearfuture LinkedIn: @nownearfuture Facebook: Now, Near, and the Future