The Austinites Behind the Curtain: The Austin Salon

Previously in this series:
ATX TV Festival
Democrasexy
Poo Poo Platter
Cheerful Secrets
Hyde Park Storytelling
Wishing Horse Productions
blend.mode
Tiny Minotaur
Art Island
Mouthfeel
Erica Lies
Mike Stefanik
Ron Berry
Hyperreal Film Club
Gino Scaramuzza

We love spotlighting local creatives who are responsible for the events that we list. Remember, there would be no pig parades, facial hair competitions, dance shows in quarries, or sound installations in tree houses without the individual people who organize and promote them.

In June 2025, we spoke with Dale Markowitz and Nikita Namjoshi, founders of The Austin Salon. We try to go to this event whenever we can: it feels like your favorite liberal arts college discussion group, only without any assigned reading. Here’s how they make it happen…

Lite + Brite: Can you describe the Austin Salon for folks who aren’t familiar with it?
Dale Markowitz and Nikita Namjoshi: The Austin Salon is a social club for curious Austines. Once every other month, we gather at a venue on the east side, listen to an expert speak on something intellectual-y (science, philosophy, psychology, etc), drink, and discuss. Imagine a house party with all your smartest friends. And it’s completely free!

L+B: What’s the Austin Salon’s origin story?
DM + NN: When we thought about what defined our closest relationships, it came down to: who do we have the most thought-provoking, inspiring, nuanced conversations with? We created The Austin Salon to build a community around that. 

L+B: What makes a topic particularly appropriate for the Austin Salon?
DM + NN: We look for topics and speakers that teach us something new, spark deep conversation, and don’t sell us anything.

L+B: Every salon is divided into three parts: the presentation, the first small-group discussion, and the second small-group discussion. Why did you design the format that way? What role do each of these parts play in the overall experience?
DM+ NN: Because we have short attention spans, we wanted to keep the presentations short: 20 minutes tops. As for the discussion sections, we wanted those to be as good as facilitating new friendships as possible, and I think they’ve been pretty effective at that. Saloners seem to dive right into discussion groups and get into the deep stuff fast. In a way, I think this helps people get to know each other faster than standard mixer small-talk. We switch up the groups up halfway to make sure no one gets stuck in a conversation they can’t escape, and to ensure everyone meets as many other Saloners as possible.

L+B: Every time we’ve been to the Austin Salon, the room has been full. What have you found works for you in terms of marketing? 
DM + NN: Lite + Brite has been very effective at connecting us with would-be Saloners. [Editor’s note: We swear we did not ask them to say this.] The rest is word-of-mouth. We’re awed by the way Salon has grown organically. Recently someone drove all the way from San Antonio to attend a Salon because there was nothing comparable nearby!

L+B: If money and logistics were no object, what would be your dream Austin Salon event to organize?
DM + NN: We’d love a permanent clubhouse-coworking-space for Saloners. We’d love to pay for some of our favorite public intellectuals to speak… like the pop philosopher Stephen West? Or hacker Simone Gertz? Or journalist Jon Robson? Oh: and we’d love to start an educational retreat-slash-boarding-school in a gothic mansion. (Who wants to invest? Hit us up.)

L+B: What are some of your favorite Austin events or experiences that you don’t produce?
DM + NN: Tiny Talks! Those warm chocolate chip cookies at the end… who can resist?