One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Put another way, one kid’s nasty pair of kicks is another kid’s rubbery playground surface.
Inspired by the hundreds of no-cost ways to make a difference featured in How to Be an Everyday Philanthropist, we decided to do our own small act of no-cost giving and hold a sneaker drive. At the end of the week, we had collected a whopping 130 beat up, stinky, too tight, too old sneakers.
The sneakers were for the Nike-Reuse-a-Shoe program which recycles the sneakers into Nike Grind, a rubbery material used in athletic surfaces like running tracks, basketball courts and playgrounds. Nike has donated Nike Grind to 300 sport and playground surfacing projects across the country.
The picture above doesn’t do the pile justice. It took three people toting four huge garbage bags through the hot, crowded streets of midtown to get them to the Niketown store.
It may not be John D. Rockefeller’s brand of philanthropy, but then again, the scientists of his day never found a clever way to recycle top hats.
John D. Rockefeller contemplates the merits of a Standard Oil spats drive
While her owner, Cassie Murdoch, lays out photos and writes captions for next year’s DOG Gallery Calendar, Eloise, a petite Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, lends a paw. Maybe next year we’ll even give Eloise a writing credit!
More than 20 million people visit at least one online dating service a month with over 120,000 weddings a year as a result (Online Dating Magazine 2007). The number of seniors joining online dating services has risen at double-digit rates each year since 2003, which is the highest of any age group.
The phrase “photo shoot” elicits glamour in the mind of anyone who has flipped through a glossy fashion magazine and admired the poised models, stunning jewelry, and unaffordable clothes. So it was with a fast-beating heart and visions of celebrity that I left the Workman office one afternoon to go to a SoHo loft for a photo shoot for 62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer. I am not a model and did not know what to expect, but my fantasies of beautiful people, groupies, and free sample designer clothes seemed at hand as I entered the refurbished living room with lights, cameras, hangers, free food and…trash?
But it wasn’t trash that I put on my wrist and carefully positioned to be centered in the shot. It was a “rocking remote cuff”, made out of the plastic that covers buttons in an old T.V. remote. And it looked just as chic as a Rolex watch. With a bit of effort we got through the first shoot—please stop moving!—and went on to the second shot, for which I had to take off my clothes and get in the bath. The shoot was heading in a risqué direction, but fortunately for the audience I was not the focus of the shot: the scene-stealer was an old Walkman recycled into a soap dish (page 9 of the excerpt below). And later a towel rack made out of an old phone headset.
I was disappointed not to be discovered and shipped to the runways of Paris; but I did learn what makes a successful shot: props. And the best props are often not the expensive, latest-craze, name-branded types; but accessories and necessities that you can make from everyday items, like remote controls and Walkmen. And don’t worry if you can’t think of any good ideas: there are plenty in 62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer that will make you look like a superstar.
It’s the return of The Cake Mix Doctor, and Anne Byrn’s latest book is full of brand new recipes that turn ordinary cake mix into unique, delicious treats. Below, Anne shares some snapshots from the photo shoot for the book.
Workman Art Director Lisa Hollander, photo stylist Susan Sugarman, and her assistant work out details before shooting begins on the 163 cake photos in The Cake Mix Doctor Returns!
A huge slice of the Smith Island Cake waits to have its photo made. You cannot imagine the temptation present in this New York loft studio where cakes were frosted, sliced, photographed, then sampled, for five delicious days.
You can see from the fuzziness of this photo why I am a food writer, not food photographer. This darling Blueberry Muffin Crumble Cake, is one of my favorites in the new book. And I promise it will look a lot better in the book than in this photo.
A sumptuous Chocolate Chip Layer Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting rests on the cake stand. There’s a funny thing about photography sessions. Once you’ve seen one cake, you’ve seen them all. I love this cake and yet the food stylists and art director aren’t thinking about how gorgeous this cake looks on that stand. They’re thinking the next cake and the next…
This spring we published Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?, an essential guide for young job-seekers by Ellen Gordon Reeves, and what an adventure it has been. One could never have guessed from Ellen’s stellar performance on the Early Show this morning that just a few short months ago she had never been on television before.
An author’s readiness for the national spotlight is the source of anxiety for every publicist. Many new authors come in with a belief they could face anyone from Oprah to Charlie Rose at a moment’s notice, but very few manage to project the confident smooth-talking expert you’re used to seeing on your screen without many hours of lengthy (and expensive) media training and multiple Advils ingested by yours truly.
Thankfully Ellen Reeves’s training was capped off with a few easy-going conference calls and a small iced coffee at the Time Warner Center. Ever since Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview? launched in May, Ellen has taken her new-grad advice to such venues as CNN, NPR, ABC News Now, Fox News, EXTRA, and just this morning, the Early Show. Her natural eloquence and bullet-proof expertise have impressed producers around the country and she received the highest compliment an author can get from quite a few of them—an invitation to come back.
With all of this media success, one wonders if maybe Ellen’s new book should be “How to Ace an Interview.” But that might be a chapter in Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview? already.
Last week, one of our authors, Sarah Stolfa, launched her new book, THE REGULARS, in her hometown of Philadelphia at Gallery 339, and in NYC at McNally Jackson Books. It was one of the hottest days in NYC this summer and despite the city heat, an impressive crowd gathered to hear her talk about the inspiration behind her award-winning photography series, “The Regulars”. (It didn’t hurt that The NY Times, Women’s Wear Daily and The New Yorker blogged about this event!).
As the publicist, I was pleased with the turn-out because July can be a slow month but apparently not for Sarah! Hundreds turned out for her event in Philly, but there’s a local connection as the bar fly portraits in her book were all taken at McGlinchey’s in downtown Philadelphia. The appeal of her work, however, is universal. It’s easy to understand why: her subjects (bar patrons) can be found in any watering hole in any American city.
Sarah told the NYC crowd: “I was a bartender before I was a photographer, and I got into photography to get out of the bar.” It was fascinating to learn how her interest and career as a photographer began. She had been working in this dive bar for 10 long years, and she was a frustrated photography student who was ready to quit. But one day her professor encouraged her to photograph her life so she started taking her camera to work at the bar.
The result: these amazing portraits. I was also struck by the fact that she waited 3 ½ months to capture one of her “regulars” in the right setting. Sarah just knew that this woman would keep returning so she could photograph her later at the perfect moment. Ah, the virtue of patience. Sarah’s story was not only interesting but inspiring.
–Amy Corley
Executive Director of Publicity
Artisan Books
Food enthusiasts gathered on Tuesday, June 16th to join Thomas Keller in Las Vegas at his restaurant Bouchon, to celebrate his latest cookbook “UNDER PRESSURE: Cooking Sous Vide”
The exciting evening attracted more than 160 guests, including current Miss America 2009 Katie Stam.
Complete with a Question and Answer portion, attendees were offered a unique opportunity to interact with Chef Keller and participate in an insightful discussion on modern culinary techniques. Guests were then invited to individually speak with Chef Keller, at which time he signed copies of the book and participated in photos.
Amy Corley, Executive Director of Publicity, Artisan Books
What: Behind the scenes at the photo shoot for Megan Nicolay’s newest book, Generation T: Beyond Fashion
Who: A super crew including photographer Rafael Fuchs, fashion stylist Basia Zamorska, and our team of models, which spanned 11 adults, 5 children, 2 babies, 4 dogs, and a cat named Noodle.
Where: Everywhere! From Brooklyn, where we shot in a restaurant named Bubby’s (if you’re in the area, check out the awesome photo booth), Brooklyn Bridge Park, and a retro bowling alley; to a loft in Tribeca; to the streets of Chinatown.
When: Four days in November. We shot during the first really cold week of fall, and it felt more like winter—but our models were troopers. They somehow managed to scamper around outside in skimpy T-wear without looking totally frozen. Piping hot Grimaldi’s pizza in the location van helped to warm them up some. (Yum.) We also kept the tunes blasting, which is why many of the photos look like the models were dancing—because they really were. A great way to get the blood flowing AND nail a rocking shot.
-Danielle Hark
Makeshift studio set up in Bubby's
Hair and Makeup artist Dina and Megan styling Isabella
An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Sandra Boynton’s filmmaking debut: One Shoe Blues, starring B.B. King. It’s a song, a book, and a movie all about the search for a missing shoe.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Put another way, one kid’s nasty pair of kicks is another kid’s rubbery playground surface.
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An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Sandra Boynton’s filmmaking debut: One Shoe Blues, starring B.B. King. It’s a song, a book, and a movie all about the search for a missing shoe.
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