Elicia Banks-Gabriel

Account Supervisor, VaynerMedia

Where are you right now?

I am at West Café in Williamsburg. Eating and working with great music in the background is my favorite thing to do.

Where is your favorite place for a breakfast meeting?

West Café in Williamsburg haha I’m not working for them I promise. They are great though. You should visit them if you get a chance.

What was your first job?

My first job ever was a server at Hardees. It was the best job I’ve ever had! I wanted it so badly because my grandfather would eat breakfast with his friends every morning at the truck stop connected to the Hardees. It was great to spend time with him and show him how hard of a worker I was. He would tell me how proud he was of me and nothing has meant as much as that to me since.

How do you think we can keep talent motivated?

Whoa, so many ways! Obviously money, which sucks, and I prefer other ways around it. I’ve found that hard workers don’t realize that little things make them the happiest until they have it. For example, I do weird things like making them take a day off to explore the city and examine the people. Who isn’t into people watching? I’d send them to high schools, homeless shelters, military bases, anywhere that gets them out and experiencing life from different perspectives. It opens their minds and hearts, and ultimately they learn some lesson that they typically find invaluable.

What excites you about this next decade?

Personally, getting married one day (if I can ever find a boyfriend first!) and having children. To me, family is the most important thing in life. What is life without love? Professionally, I’m excited to see the growth of my company and industry. I’m excited to see the growth of my peers and the rise of the next generation of Dennis Crowley’s and Soraya Darabi’s. I’m excited to see New York City rival Palo Alto. I’m excited to see if Ray Kurzweil lives forever haha. I’m just excited about the whole damn thing! When I think about the future, never do I feel ill feelings, like things will fall apart and we’ll be at war with the world. In my opinion, we are in the age of collaboration and I am SO excited to see where it takes us going into the next decade!

If you had to make a quick escape where would you go?

Little slower, lower Delaware. My family is there. I have two sisters, Nicole who is 16 and Paige who is 7! And I love and miss them more than anything!

What is on your bedside table?

Well, now we’re getting personal. I’ll only be able to tell you the PG things on that table. First, the book I’m currently reading, “Living, Dreaming, Dying.” Then, a lamp I stole from my Grandmother, my contact case, my Wii remote, my cats’ snacks, and my travel books.

If you weren’t in this business what would you be doing?

I would probably be a high school English teacher in Delaware with three kids and a red neck husband. And I would most definitely be a soccer coach. It’s my backup plan haha.

Who would you most like to meet for a drink?

Well, I would have said Gary Vaynerchuk here, but now I work for him so I’m sure we’ll share a drink eventually. I’d have to say my mother and my grandmother. They haven’t been to New York City since I moved here, and I wish they would come enjoy a night out with me sometime.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Nothing really. I’m saving everything I can for my sister’s high school graduation present. I’m taking her through Europe. In 30 days, we’ll be traveling through Dublin, London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris and Rome. It will be epic and hopefully inspire her to work as hard as I have so she can have amazing opportunities like I have.

“This Year’s Model” – a conversation with Jack Inslee of Heritage Radio Network. Heritage is the fast-growing, food culture radio station that streams live from Roberta’s restaurant in Bushwick. 

What’s your role at Heritage, how would you describe it? 

I can’t keep a straight face but on paper my role is president. We just became a non-profit organization so essentially I’m acting president of the non-profit. Erin Fairbanks is the executive director and Patrick Martins is the founder and chairman of the board.

So Patrick started Slow Food USA. Slow Food International was an organization and movement against fast food, promoting sustainability. And he came and founded Slow Food USA, founded Heritage Foods USA – they sell pasture raised organic meat, pork, and beef to restaurants like Roberta’s. He started the station as a way to archive and record the food revolution and it has kind of snowballed into something much bigger which is where we’re at now. So I’m the president. I oversee all the shows, all the sponsors, the tech stuff, website stuff, PR…all that.

Do you yourself host shows?

I don’t host any shows. I do some music shows now and then. Because I also throw a music party – Full Service. We’re slowly moving into more music and original stuff and I think soon there will be more regular music weekly programs. Right now we’re still juggling all this. It’s a tough transition into non-profit status. There’s a lot of things you have to do and be careful about, but once we get everything in place I want a lot of this night programming to be weekly music programming.

So you sound pretty busy, what’s an average day look like for you?

There’s lots of emails. Tons and tons of emails. Making sure every show happens – happens well. That it’s produced well, that it’s uploaded on time, uploaded the right way. Make sure the guests that come here know who we are and have a great experience. Making sure all the sponsors are happy. I’m just for the first time getting a staff under me so I’m learning how to delegate. I’ve been here three years and for a while it was just all me.

Who are some of your flagship sponsors?

Whole Foods Market, Hearst Ranch – grass-fed beef in California, Fairway market, Tekserve just donated a bunch of stuff to us…Patrick knows this hustle. He started Slow Food and that was a non profit. He’s so well connected that he’s coming from a place where it’s like “Okay, apply that model to a radio station.”

You run a record label in addition to your work with Heritage?

It’s called Fancy Restaurant records. We’re waiting until summer to put more stuff out. I’m one half of Knifeshow which is an electronic DJ-duo and we throw a party called Full Service at Tandem in Bushwick. That’s the second half of my life.

How do you juggle your work at Heritage with your party and label on the side?

Yeah…It’s tough. I’m trying to find more ways to merge the two. If all that original music can be used on radio also and there’s a home for it there. You know, then you’re killing two birds with one stone.

How do music and food programming co-exist? What’s the relationship there?

Well we’ve been using whatever music we want. But now the stakes are a bit higher. I want to use all local and original music so that you have all this Do-It-Yourself, sustainable food content with Do-It-Yourself, homemade music. It’s kind of a cool marriage I think.

How many programs do you guys work on? 

25 weekly shows that are live and then about 5 special programs that are post-produced as well.  Some of that stuff is more radio documentary-style edited and produced. Some national stations pick up our programs. They just contacted us and were like, “We’d love to play this stuff.” And we were like, “Yeah sure!” Tens of thousands of listeners for us and we keep all of our commercials and drops in there too.

What is your favorite kind of programming to produce?

Beer show, cocktail show for obvious reasons. There’s a show called Cooking Issues that’s really dope. It’s this dude Dave Arnold. He’s a food scientist he was the former director of technology at the French Culinary Institute. He takes caller questions who say, “I wanted to make the best tongue possible.” And he’s just dishing it out off the top of his head live. We get tons of callers from different countries all over the world for it.

How do you introduce new programming into the lineup? What kinds do you look for to add?

It started off as friends of friends of friends because Patrick knows all these foodies. It would be like, “Listen. Mitchell Davis wants a show – we’re giving him a show. He’s the Vice President of the James Beard foundation, let’s make it work.” It’s been like that, but now we’re taking applications. We have a non-profit team so we can sit and review it.

I’m at the point now where social media plays a big part in whether I want a show from you. I’m looking to see how are you going to promote the show. Because it’s the internet and that’s important. We just launched a show with this women from DesignSponge.com - a huge design blog. She’s got half a million Twitter followers. That makes it way easier.

Are there any partnerships you would turn down?

It would be pretty tough for us to cosign with McDonald’s or CocaCola.

Where do you see Heritage 5 years down the road?

We want 10% of the NPR market. Maybe we won’t be all over terrestrial radio, but everyone who podcasts NPR we want 10% of that market. And I think we’re on our way. And every one of our shows is podcast-able, downloadable. People listen to this shit at their own convenience. You have a 30 minute commute to work that’s perfect. We were built on our archive. That’s what sets us apart from different radio stations.

The best dish at Roberta’s?

Uhh… I mean a pizza is the go-to thing. If it’s a pizza it’s the Cheesus Christ. Which is banging. It has four different cheeses and a bunch of black pepper. The carpaccio is really good for an appetizer. I didn’t know anything about food coming into this. I was eating KFC. I ate fast food and drank soda everyday. Listening to these shows for three years is like grad school.

What sites or blogs do you frequent most?

I like XLR8R to keep me up on what’s going on in the dance music world, I have to admit I go to Pitchfork. In terms of knowing what good shit came out…it works. Definitely basketball fanboy sites – like RealGM.com. I’m a die-hard Knicks fan. I guess FADER to round it out.

Best parties in NYC other than Full service?

I haven’t been going to parties as much. But I always like what the Turbo Tax guys do. We’re going to be playing BPM151 this summer with Knifeshow – every other week. And the Bunker is good. I didn’t used to be into minimal but I went to one show at Bunker and was sold.

Saneel Radia

Head of BBH Labs, NYC

Where are you right now?

TriBeCa, amidst the piles of books and toys I call a desk.

Where is your favorite place for a breakfast meeting?

Mile End, but no one ever wants to meet in Brooklyn. (Breaking news: a Manhattan location just opened in NoHo!)

What was your first job?

Digital media planner at Starcom IP (this is funny if you know me).

How do you think we can keep talent motivated?

This one’s easy. For those whose talent warrants it, make jobs for them; don’t ask them to remake themselves for our jobs. To keep the balance of what someone wants to do and what your company needs, it takes great hiring, and even better listening.

What excites you about this next decade?

It’s the second decade of the hundred-year revolution. What could be more exciting than this very moment?

Also, jetpacks.

If you had to make a quick escape where would you go?

Tokyo. It’s like being on a different planet and you can’t help but come back insanely inspired. It would be a ‘quick escape’ because I’d use whatever time travel technology I’d find in Akihabara to return to the US minutes after I left in the first place.

What is on your bedside table?

Space lamp, iPad, apple charger, water gun (aka, pet scratching defense mechanism).

If you weren’t in this business what would you be doing?

International man of leisure punctuated by bouts of domestic intelligence work.

Who would you most like to meet for a drink?

Optimus Prime (animated, not the fucking Michael Bay version)

What is your greatest extravagance?

My sneaker habit. It’s a source of pride and shame on a daily basis.

This Year’s Model: A conversation with Rory Satran, the head of online development and digital platforms at one of NYC’s best brands – Opening Ceremony.

The Opening Ceremony web aesthetic is remarkably consistent. How many different designers do you work with to execute this overall effect? How would you describe the OC aesthetic for the web?

The website is designed by our in-house art director Su Barber and her team. They handle everything in the OC universe from the in-store signage to prints for the OC clothing collections to the credits in our videos. It’s very important to us to have a digital aesthetic that is in harmony with the look and feel of the entire company. It’s hard to put your finger on what makes something “OC,” but I would describe the look as “pretty pop.” It’s adorable and universal, but always slightly off. We will be undergoing a huge redesign this year, which is exciting.

You yourself (as content director) seem to oversee much of the creative direction for OC’s digital media output which includes online editorials, multimedia pieces, and films. Do you have a background in art, design, and/or film? What’s your educational/professional background?

I was Managing Editor of Self Service magazine in Paris before coming to OC. It was an amazing place to learn about the process of creating beautiful, memorable imagery. While at Self Service I also worked on its agency arm, Petronio Associates, doing digital strategy and copywriting for brands like Chloe and Miu Miu. Before that I was freelance writing about fashion and travel for publications like The Washington Post. I’ve always been interested in the way storytelling can be applied to fashion. Studying Comparative Literature at UC Berkeley was an incredible foundation that was mercifully free from any practical orientation.

The OC blog is one of the better “branded” blogs I’ve read. What’s the overarching mission for it? How do you make sure the content’s consistently great?

The mission of the blog is to create a sense of discovery. Much in the same way that Carol and Humberto conceived of Opening Ceremony as a store that would bring international designers, souvenirs, and little treasures back to New York from other countries, the blog presents all of our collective geeky obsessions in one place.

It’s a reflection of the brand at large, which is very much about bringing together a curated group of ostensibly different elements. Everything from a video of David Chang to an interview with Jean Paul Gaultier to a studio visit with Hanna Liden. In terms of keeping the content great, it’s a team effort! There’s an incredible community around the blog, from its full-time editors, to the staff from every part of the company that contribute, to outside guest authors from Lesley Arfin to Rob Pruitt to Ryan McGinley.

For something like The OC Travel Guide to Paris – an interactive, illustrated guide to the best spots in the city – what was the inspiration for it? And how do you draw attention to it on the web?

The idea for OC came from a trip that Carol and Humberto took to Hong Kong, where they loved the effusive nature of the city’s high-low shopping. That passion for travel has remained a huge part of the company, so an online travel guide felt like a natural choice. We love hand-drawn maps and recommendations scrawled on napkins from locals, and the Paris guide reflects that. It’s kind of purposefully beta. It became successful mostly by word of mouth. When we launched it for Paris Fashion Week in 2011, a lot of designers and editors told us they were using it for recommendations.

You produce amazing photo editorial series that double as sales pieces for items in the OC digital store. Is this art-as-e-commerce something that more brands should engage in?

We started producing online multimedia editorials last year. This is a fantastic space for us to experiment with imagery online. We have a lot of creative freedom. It’s fun to think of what works best specifically for online, like the animated gif series with the model Hannelore Knuts we did for a Margiela collaboration. As to whether other brands should engage in this, that’s up to them! I like the fact that there are very few fashion companies with exciting websites. It feels like creating exciting digital content and video for fashion brands is still the Wild West.

What are some new sections or sub-channels you might release across the OC digital network in the future?

The OC content world is expanding constantly. We have a lot of exciting projects planned for the next year, both digital and more tactile, with the purpose of building the OC brand through stories and images.

We’re excited to get into the mobile experience, and to add more editorial content into the online experience.

And we will definitely be building out a video interface to house our OCTV channel. OCTV produces videos for Opening Ceremony, and we’ve also organically grown into an agency that produces films for other brands like Target, Kenzo, and Barneys.

If you could collaborate with any artist to make something for OC online, who would it be?

I’m obsessed with Alexandre Singh, and I think his strange blend of digital and analog could be interesting online. Ryan Trecartin would be great, too.

Anyone else you see doing cool stuff in this unique space between media, fashion, and art?

My team jokes that I always reference Kate Spade, but they have a great site. I love DISmagazine, too. Polar extremes, content-wise!

Nick Bradley

Account Executive, Phenomenon Inc.

Where are you right now?

Phenomenon Inc. – an Ideation Company – www.phenomenon.com

Where is your favorite place for a breakfast meeting?

Somewhere local and charming for sure. Patio seating and fresh fruit is always a plus.

What was your first job?

First Job EVER: Busboy at Fine-Dining Restaurant.

Internship: Consulting Intern at an environmental consulting firm in China.

Full-Time: Assistant Account Executive – Energy BBDO.

How do you think we can keep talent motivated?

Constantly remind them of the countless possibilities available in this day to leave your mark on the world. Success is achievable for anyone who is willing to work for it, but in present day, you’ve got to be ready to really work hard.

What excites you about this next decade?

Space Travel without a doubt.

If you had to make a quick escape where would you go?

Cinque Terra, Italy.

What is on your bedside table?

Notepad and pen. Always keep around for new ideas and the to-do’s I will most definitely forget overnight.

If you weren’t in this business what would you be doing?

My long-term dream: to get my sommelier certification and also enroll in culinary school abroad.

Who would you most like to meet for a drink?

To Party: Ernest Hemingway.

To Talk “Shop”: Albert Einstein. 

What is your greatest extravagance?

I love to dine. Awesome red wine and great food are my weaknesses for sure.

“You’re hired” – Leading UK media industry figures talk about their hiring philosophies..

Who?            

Gav Thompson – Head of Brand Innovation at O2.

Brief Bio                       

Gav’s career in advertising spans thirteen years working in both account management and planning.  From his early days as a graduate trainee at Abbott Mead Vickers London, he has since worked around the world from planning at BBDO and Euro RCSG in New York and later at Publicis in Sydney, to Managing Partner of Campbell Doyle Dye.  Brands he has worked on include Volvo, Guinness, Pepsi, Playstation, Toyota and Intel.  He moved client side to work at O2 five years ago.

Who was your best ever hire and why?

“My best hire was when I was an Account Director at AMV London.  I hired a phenomenal Account Manager to work for me on Volvo who went onto become the youngest ever Board Account Director aged 26.  He later became my boss when I joined him to run CDD.  The key to a good hire is to find someone who is going to end up better than you within ten years.  He was.  Why?  He was brighter, more hard-working and more talented than me.  He would make me look good – plus he happened to be a really lovely guy as well, to go with all that talent.  You’ve got to find someone that you’d be willing to sit next to on a plane for eight hours.  He was it.”

What most impresses you in an interview?

“Personality.  For me it is 80% about personality and 20% about experience.   You can train and teach someone the tricks of the trade.  You can’t train someone to have a good personality.  That’s why when HR give you tick boxes, I think it’s bullshit – they’ve either got it or they haven’t and there’s no tick box for that.

A point of view is also essential.  When someone comes to meet me, I don’t want a load of information downloaded off Google.  I look for someone with a well argued opinion and the confidence to offer it up and defend it.  I look for someone who will challenge me and who will make me better.  I’m not looking for mini-me’s or corporate clones.  I have no respect for them.”

What would be your one hot tip to someone coming to be interviewed by you?

Do your research.  Know and understand the history of the brand and what is important.  As I’ve mentioned before, have a point of view, not just re-gurgitated material off the internet.  Be natural and be yourself, never try to be something you are not.  Remember an interview is a two way process, a conversation.  Ask yourself “is he right for me?”

How do you and your company attract and retain top talent?

“It helps that we are a big famous brand that everyone knows.  However for a big corporate organisation, we try hard not to act like one.  We operate an entrepreneurial style and actively discourage big corporate behaviour.  When you meet me or my team you see that we are very relaxed.  However we do offer the benefits of a big corporate – share options, healthcare, job security.  The combined offering is attractive to top talent.”

Recruiters – Trusted partners or necessary evil?

“A great recruiter is invaluable to your business’s success, as well as to you own career management.  However a bad one is the biggest liability.  Recruiters that don’t understand your business, the culture, the brief..  For example if they don’t understand that it’s about personality, not necessarily experience then it’s not going to work out.  I work with recruiters who understand me and what I am looking for.  A good one is worth its weight in gold”.

Gav was talking to Annabelle King.

Next month we talk to Jo Charrington, SVP A & R, London Records.

Stanley Hainsworth

Founder/CCO, Tether

Where are you right now?

I’m on Whidbey Island next to Seattle pretending to be on vacation while working.

Where is your favorite place for a breakfast meeting?

Starbucks. As I used to work there, it’s both memory-inducing as well as hard to see things that I would change…

What was your first job?

First design job was at Nike in their fledgling design department. Before that I worked as an actor, well, eventually worked as an actor, I first started out as a distinguished waiter at Hamburger Hamlet on Sunset and Doheny in LA.

How do you think we can keep talent motivated?

By challenging them. Salary and benefits are secondary. Primary is the challenge of learning and being able to master new industries or disciplines.

What excites you about this next decade?

That everything has blown up. There are no longer recognized boundaries. The new mashups are waiting to happen and the only thing that will really rise to the top is a strong story/concept.

If you had to make a quick escape where would you go?

On my motorcycle to a tree under a bluff in the mountains near where I live where I cannot get cell reception to force real thinking, not reacting or recreating.

What is on your bedside table?

The book, A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole which I reread yearly. And my iPad with iBook, the NYTimes and Zite and Zinio with every magazine and newspaper at my fingertips.

If you weren’t in this business what would you be doing?

An actor/producer/director creating filmic theater that would make you laugh and cry.

Who would you most like to meet for a drink?

Philippe Starck because he owns the + sign which signifies that he is the ‘and’ designer. He can do industrial design + architecture + graphic design + interior design, etc. He forged the new model.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Books and music.

Kaitlin Yapchaian

Digital Product and Content Strategist

Where are you right now?

At my apartment in the Village. It’s a nice day, so my (small) balcony door is open and it’s just noisy enough to remind me that I live in this vibrant city.

Where is your favorite place for a breakfast meeting?

Cafe Gitane at the Jane Hotel, Grey Dog in Nolita, Zampa.

What was your first job?

After graduating from college I moved to a ranch in Wyoming with my closest friends for five months, where I was a waitress. Following that, I joined NBC’s Page Program in NYC. I don’t know that either qualifies as a first “real” job, but they were two of the most fun, unique and indelible work opportunities that I’ve had. I place a lot of value on nonlinear experiences.

How do you think we can keep talent motivated?

By providing them: autonomy, ownership, opportunities to learn, a plan for career growth, recognition, relentless support, an example of integrity, and exposure to exciting and meaningful projects.

What excites you about this next decade?

The blending of roles and skills between creatives, technologists, and business brains. The maker movement. The continually increasing connectivity of our world. Good design as an expectation, not an exception. And I’m especially interested in how education, healthcare and cities will evolve with technology.

If you had to make a quick escape where would you go?

To visit my family in Tiverton, Rhode Island. It’s an idyllic place to recharge for a weekend — calm and coastal.

What is on your bedside table?

A non-fiction book, iPad, iPhone, remote, and a pint of Chubby Hubby. There’s never a glass of water on it, but there should be.

If you weren’t in this business what would you be doing?

Photography or education. Luckily these interests meld well with my existing professional pursuits.

Who would you most like to meet for a drink?

I’m grateful to have my closest friends living in the city yet it’s difficult to coordinate outings given hectic New York schedules; so a drink with the full group is always a treat.

What is your greatest extravagance?

International travel, food as an excuse to socialize, art to keep for when I have more wall space.

Greg Hladky

Strategist

Where are you right now?

At a table, listening to music, drinking coffee and answering these questions.

Where is your favorite place for a breakfast meeting?

Wherever whomever I am meeting is intelligent and has something interesting to say. I guess I’d draw the line at an IHOP. Though they’re open 24 hours and if it’s an incredibly early morning meeting, I’m game. I’ll have the Rooty Tooty Fresh ‘N Fruity.

What was your first job?

I was either a lifeguard or a laborer for a masonry/construction company. I’m not sure which came first, but both afforded me a better tan/physique than I have now.

How do you think we can keep talent motivated?

I think constant stimulation is the key. Keep the challenges coming and never lose their attention. The gears have to be turning and they’ve got to be engaged.

What excites you about this next decade?

Umm, personally I have several new-ish nieces and a nephew on the way that I’m excited to see turn into real people. Professionally and as a man on this planet, I suppose in a morbid way, I’m excited to see the environmental tipping point that will result in the drastic changes needed to save the planet and if brands will be at the forefront of this movement. Though I highly doubt it, I’m excited to see if social media fizzles out and what replaces it and if it’s on a digital or human platform. As a quasi-nerd I’m excited for the last two installments in George RR Martin’s Song of Fire and Ice series and the continued trend of re-launching superhero franchises before the last films are even on DVD. 

If you had to make a quick escape where would you go?

I would ride my bike around Central Park listening to Spiritualized or something equally as escape-y. Or for a more ambitious quick escape, to the UK this summer to see the Stone Roses reunite.

What is on your bedside table?

Half full glass of water, Just Kids by Patti Smith, The Emperor of Scent by Chandler Burr, and Continental Drift by Russell Banks. Listed in descending order as to how late they keep me up at night.

If you weren’t in this business what would you be doing?

Realistically, I would request at least a few months to figure that out. In hypothetical question world, Anthony Bourdain’s job seems pretty fantastic. I’ll take his job.

Who would you most like to meet for a drink?

I like to avoid disastrously awkward blind dates with famous Cultural Icons or historical figures, so I will say any of my good friends I have not seen in the past few months.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Good shoes and sunglasses and the free pass I give myself on buying new music/books/movies whenever I want them regardless of budgeting concerns.