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The Firehouse Salon
Some of us are driven by a creative desire not to be bored. We call such people Tediophobes. If that is you, then welcome to the madcap world of The Firehouse Salon. Conversations at the intersection of creativity, curiosity and making a dent in the world. Originally inspired by our BBC Radio 4 documentary 'The Socrates of San Francisco'.
The Firehouse Salon
Ep37 - I Did Exactly What I Said I Wouldn't Do
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After a five-month hiatus and a move to Abu Dhabi to take up the role of Head of Creative at the AI university MBZUAI, I've finally worked out why I got stuck with the Salon, and what it should become.
A conversation with Richard Tseng reframed Gossage's relevance for me. He drew a connection between the post-war age of propaganda, when Howard fell into advertising as a new medium, and the birth of technologies like the Gutenberg press, where early mass production eventually gives way to something more transformative and human.
We are at a similar inflection point: audiences will grow jaded by mass-produced, uncanny content, and creators will be pushed back toward compelling storytelling and genuinely novel experiences. AI and capitalism will threaten many creative roles. But I remain an optimist.
Which is why I'm repositioning the Salon around the conversations I find most alive right now: curious, tediophobic people finding ways to make a positive creative dent in the world.
00:00 Back After Hiatus
00:46 Richard Sparks A Breakthrough
02:08 Advertising As Propaganda
02:54 Gossage And New Media
04:19 AI Echoes The Revolution
05:50 Why Howard Matters Now
07:49 Threats To Everyday Creatives
09:33 The New Firehouse Mission