PRESENT Podcast

Hugo Hoppmann

Welcome to the PRESENT Podcast, where I talk with the most courageous makers and creators from all over the world to find out about their creative journey, how they do it all, and how they tackle their favorite unrealized projects.

Episodes

  1. 11 MAR

    Become Un-LLM-able: PRESENT Podcast 004 with Sari Azout & Hugo Hoppmann

    Writer, founder, and builder of Sublime: Sari Azout has this rare ability to name things we all feel but can't quite articulate.In this conversation, we go deep on the tension between making great work and getting people to see it, why distribution matters more than we want to admit, what it means to become "un-LLM-able," building long-term in a world obsessed with hype, balancing motherhood and creative ambition, and why flow state might be the best answer to the anxiety of our digital age.Sublime: https://sublime.appSari's Substack: https://sublimeinternet.substack.com/—Present People is a podcast by Hugo about creativity, presence, and doing the Thing.Subscribe for more conversations like this.#podcast #creativity #present #building #AI #sublime #sariazout #distribution #longform0:00 Intro1:15 Sari's upbringing in Barranquilla, Colombia2:30 Discovering the internet as a portal3:20 "What did you do today to change the world?"4:05 College, Brown, and a fascination with ideas5:05 Dreaming big vs. micro ambition7:20 Building and distribution: nobody cares by default10:00 Do what you love, but solve for distribution11:20 Sales as the transfer of enthusiasm12:00 Hugo on the heartbreak of unseen work14:00 Artists vs. Algorithm14:30 Cringe vs. Cool and the fear of putting yourself out there16:05 Sari's private collection: "I'm Going to Get Good at Video"17:45 Self-promotion as a new required skill20:10 Radical founder transparency25:00 The messy middle and why nobody reports on it27:35 Confidence from meeting your heroes30:00 Choosing one thing and sticking with it32:15 Sublime as a multi-decade project34:00 Bias for action and long time horizons36:00 PRESENT and Sublime as containers for ideas38:15 The bliss and the struggle of building42:30 Sari's Stockholm talk on AI43:35 From artificial intelligence to collective intelligence45:25 The reality gap: more tools, more work46:15 What does it mean to be un-LLM-able?47:00 Fitting in vs. standing out49:10 Showing your humanness online51:00 Process over destination52:10 Motherhood, trade-offs, and being honest about it55:40 The internet you want your kids to inherit58:15 Sublime's vision: serendipity over algorithm1:01:00 Mantras and reminders1:01:20 Bradbury's "Don't Think"1:03:20 Psychedelics, presence, and embodied insight1:06:15 What does being present mean to you?1:11:00 Flow state as total presence1:12:10 Closing thoughts

    1hr 13min
  2. Afrofuturism in Arizona: PRESENT Podcast 003 with Kareem Ali & Hugo Hoppmann

    03/02/2025

    Afrofuturism in Arizona: PRESENT Podcast 003 with Kareem Ali & Hugo Hoppmann

    In Episode 3 of the PRESENT Podcast I talk with one of my favorite music producers Kareem Ali كريم علي, a musician and composer from New York, now based in Tucson, Arizona. I really enjoy Kareem's work now for many years and wanted to know more about his life, his background, his motivations and his whole process. We talked about the importance of bringing positive messages to his community through music. Afrofuturism is Kareem's guiding light and iconic innovators such as Sun Ra, Herbie Hancock, Larry Heard, Underground Resistance and Drexciya all have shaped his worldview. His first musical love was jazz, and he found an early hero in Miles Davis and the Kind of Blue LP, which inspired him to pick up the trumpet as a teenager. More than a decade later, he's still playing, now in the electronic music field, with forays into house, techno, ambient, R&B, garage, drum and bass. I was always impressed by Kareem’s consistent and high-quality output and it was great to find out more about his way of life and his process from long bike rides in the desert to his idea capturing methods. Enjoy! Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:22 Early Musical Influences 02:30 Discovering Electronic Music 03:09 Breakthrough During the Pandemic 06:10 Leaving New York: A Fresh Start in Arizona 08:31 Creative Process and Daily Routine 12:00 Overcoming Perfectionism and Releasing Music 16:30 Journey of Playing the Trumpet 19:50 Afrofuturism: Music as a Message of Hope 25:10 The Power of Routine and Discipline 28:30 Staying Inspired and Avoiding Creative Blocks 28:37 Treating Creativity Like a Job 30:55 Financial Realities of a Music Career 31:48 Balancing Side Gigs and Passion Projects 35:05 Afrofuturism and Personal Identity 37:20 Advice for Young Artists 42:00 Future of Music and Society 46:49 Staying Focused and Managing Stress 52:30 Favorite Unrealised Project and Dream Collaborations Kareem Ali Links: https://www.instagram.com/kmx15 https://kareemali19.bandcamp.com https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/4Uhgu5miW68A3eqRl26xtf Hugo and PRESENT: https://www.instagram.com/present_xx https://www.present.zone https://www.instagram.com/hugohoppmann https://www.hugohoppmann.com https://hugohoppmann.substack.com

    54 min
  3. Botswana to Berlin: PRESENT Podcast 002 with Adam Barnard & Hugo Hoppmann

    05/12/2024

    Botswana to Berlin: PRESENT Podcast 002 with Adam Barnard & Hugo Hoppmann

    This is the second episode of the PRESENT Podcast, where I talk with the most courageous makers and creators from all over the world to find out more about their creative journey, how they do it all, and how they tackle their favorite unrealized projects. In this episode, I sit down with my friend Adam Barnard, founder of Otto Resource, to explore his fascinating journey. We discuss his free-spirited upbringing in Botswana, his early passion for skateboarding, and the profound influence of the Tony Hawk’s Underground video game on his life. The conversation traces Adam’s career transitions, including his move to Berlin, his internship with Norse Projects in Copenhagen, and his editorial roles at Hypebeast and Highsnobiety, which ultimately led to his shift into product consultancy. Adam shares the story behind Otto Resource, a digital design archive born from his passion for research and his mission to combat gatekeeping in the fashion industry. We talk about the importance of making learning enjoyable, Adam’s vision of Otto as the Wikipedia of Product Design, and how we are both aspiring to build platforms that inspire and empower the next generation of creatives. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:49 Adam Barnard's Upbringing and Journey 02:57 Cultural Influences and Skateboarding 07:53 The Impact of Tony Hawk's Underground 16:41 Challenges and Realities of the Creative Industry 24:17 Moving to Berlin and Career Beginnings 32:28 Working at Norse Projects and Hypebeast 53:13 Implementing Ambitious Ideas into Physical Products 53:21 Creating a Mechanism for Designers at Hypebeast and Highsnobiety 55:32 Consulting Brands with Extensive Research 58:43 Birth of Otto Resource 01:00:49 Transitioning Otto to a Public-Facing Platform 01:06:31 Challenges and Ambitions of Otto Resource 01:16:53 Balancing Work and Personal Well-being 01:38:46 Favorite Unrealized Projects and Inspiration Links: https://www.ottoresource.com https://www.instagram.com/ottoresource Hugo and PRESENT: https://www.instagram.com/present_xx https://www.present.zone https://www.instagram.com/hugohoppmann https://www.hugohoppmann.com https://hugohoppmann.substack.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9UpcoPgjqc

    1hr 49min
  4. Finding Your Creative Path: PRESENT Podcast 001 with Jasmin Truong & Hugo Hoppmann

    06/03/2024

    Finding Your Creative Path: PRESENT Podcast 001 with Jasmin Truong & Hugo Hoppmann

    Welcome to the PRESENT Podcast, where I will meet and talk with the most courageous makers and creators from all over the world to find out about their creative journey, how they do it all, and how they tackle their favorite unrealized projects. For the following conversation, I sat down with my friend Jasmin Truong in my office in Berlin. Enjoy! Check out Jasmin's Truongii brand: https://www.instagram.com/truongii_ https://truongii.com Links: https://www.instagram.com/present_xx https://www.present.zone https://www.instagram.com/hugohoppmann https://www.hugohoppmann.com https://hugohoppmann.substack.com Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:04:52 Celebrating Lunar New Year 00:09:16 Journey to Independency and Parents' Professions 00:14:40 Say No to Parental Expectations 00:19:41 Questioning the Decision to Start your Own Business 00:25:07 Discovering the Passion for Sewing and Fashion 00:30:27 Leap of Faith to go to Paris 00:36:08 Life in Paris and Discovering your Creative Side 00:41:56 Discovering the Possibility of a Career in Fashion 00:46:51 The Creative Journey 00:52:10 Applying to Fashion School in Berlin 00:57:52 Finding Your Path in School 01:03:08 Theory, Practice and Discovering your Peers 01:08:26 Following Your Heart and Taking the Leap 01:14:18 Launching Truongii Label 01:19:48 Designing the Perfect Work Day 01:24:40 Challenges of Being Self-Employed 01:28:13 Dangers of Burnout and Importance of Breaks 01:30:10 Sleep Patterns and Trusting Yourself 01:34:50 The Importance of Being Kind to Yourself and Managing Your Time 01:39:46 The Power of Deep Work 01:44:43 Managing Overwhelm and Stress 01:53:47 Power of Visualization 01:59:50 Benefits of Journaling: Brain Dumps and Gratitude 02:04:36 The Art of Giving Praise to People 02:09:28 Practicing Gratitude 02:14:48 Finding Presence in the Present Moment 02:19:59 Striving for Moments of Clarity 02:25:11 Living Life with Clarity and Purpose 02:30:41 Possible Futures of Truongii and Exploring Different Mediums 02:36:15 Outro and Goodbye #PRESENT #StayingPresent #CreativeJourney #CreativePath #Fashion #Design #Habits

    2h 37m

About

Welcome to the PRESENT Podcast, where I talk with the most courageous makers and creators from all over the world to find out about their creative journey, how they do it all, and how they tackle their favorite unrealized projects.