Building Joy at Scale with Sara Schiller, Co-CEO of Sloomoo Institute

Signal

In this episode, John and Tim sit down with Sara Schiller, co-founder and co-CEO of Sloomoo Institute — America’s beloved slime museum and sensory experience. What started as a spark of joy between friends has grown into a national phenomenon: five flagship locations, 2 million guests, and over $40M in revenue.

Sara shares her remarkable journey of transforming adversity into creativity and explains why immersive experiences are reshaping both attractions and retail. From redefining “play” for adults to pioneering an inclusion-first workforce, Sara and her team are proving that joy is not just a feeling — it’s a business model.

You’ll hear about:

• The origin story of Sloomoo and how slime became a medium for healing and connection
• Why immersive experiences are the future of retail and family entertainment
• The role of trust and partnership in doing something that’s never been done before
• Lessons from navigating a pandemic launch and pivoting to virtual experiences
• How Sloomoo integrates accessibility, neurodiversity, and inclusion into its DNA
• Expanding the Sloomoo-verse through licensing, IP, and media

Timestamps:

(00:00) – Sara’s darkness-to-light story: adversity, hope, and discovering slime

(07:09) – Finding optimism as an entrepreneur and the first 3,000 guests at Sloomoo

(11:12) – Falling in love with slime and the origin of the name “Sloomoo”

(14:36) – Designing immersive spaces that feel elevated for adults *and* kids

(18:10) – New exhibits, disco slime, and translating digital trends into analog play

(26:16) – Pivoting through the pandemic with virtual camps and corporate activations

(32:01) – Scaling the “Sloomoo-verse” through licensing, media, and IP

(36:16) – Building a profitable business while driving social good and inclusion

(46:04) – Marketing Sloomoo to adults while delivering joy for kids

(53:13) – Why immersive experiences are the future of retail

(59:39) – Lightning round: advice for attraction operators and the future of play

About Sara Schiller

Sara Schiller is the co-founder and co-CEO of Sloomoo Institute. Since opening in 2019 with her best friend Karen Robinovitz, Sloomoo has grown into a multi-location immersive brand, welcoming millions of guests and earning accolades including EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year and a spot on the Inc. Female Founder 250. Sara leads Sloomoo’s inclusion initiatives, including a 10% neurodiverse workforce commitment. Previously, she reinvented corporate meetings through her company Meet and co-founded the Wooster Collective, a pioneering street art platform. Sara holds an MBA from NYU Stern and is a proud mom of two daughters — Sloomoo’s own “Chief Creative Kids.”

Links & Resources

• Visit Sloomoo Institute
• Follow Sara on LinkedIn
• Learn more about RocketRez
• Follow John and Tim on LinkedIn

About Signal

Signal is the podcast for attraction leaders shaping the future of guest experiences. Hosted by John Pendergrast and Tim Samson, we bring you candid conversations with industry innovators who are building the experiences that bring people together.

Subscribe to Signal wherever you get your podcasts, and visit signal-podcast.com for more episodes and resources.

This episode of Signal is brought to you by RocketRez - powering the world's most successful attraction operations.