PopUp Republic

Interview with Greg Spielberg, Founder of Imagination in Space

Greg Spielberg is a seasoned “pop-up veteran” who has created several concepts as a means to revitalize communities and promote the works of makers, designers, and artisans. Through his New York City–based initiative, Imagination in Space, he has worked with some of the most iconic brands to create incredible pop-up experiences.

• Q: Discuss the concept of Imagination in Space. How did it get started?

  I launched Imagination in Space in April 2013 after cutting my teeth for two years with Openhouse Gallery in Manhattan. At Openhouse, we pioneered the pop-up movement by saying, “You know what? We have 4,500 square feet of space with all the things you’d need in a retail space—WiFi, Sonos speakers, cleaning, insurance, staff, big windows for decals, A/V—but we’re a blank canvas.” Year-over-year revenue was tremendous, and we had clients from Audi creating an architectural exhibit during New Museum’s Ideas City festival, to Heineken creating a summer series targeting Latino creatives, to Jay Z and Kanye West launching “Watch the Throne” there, rather than at Best Buy. Over two years, I created hundreds of pop-ups; we built a big community and generated press more than 500 times. My favorite projects there were an indoor pop-up park and the world’s first 3D printing shop. We built experiences and sold products inside here and there, but at the end of the day, we created creative nonfiction stories that were open to ...