Just came across this old lomo shot I took of Mindy several years back. I think it was the first time we went to SF so she could meet my folks. The rest, as they say, is history. It’s her bday tomorrow. Happy Birthday Babe. I hope it’s a great year for you. Thanks for being so great.
We recently launched a redesign of Telcel’s portal site. Telcel is the biggest telecommunications company in Latin and South America. When I was down in Argentina they were everywhere! I handled the creative direction and initial design on the portal site which is chock full of nice little sliders and expandable panels. The site is free of Flash and, in my opinion, a huge improvement on the previous site. Definitely, one of the largest content sites I’ve been apart of in a while. Created with love with the good folks at Something Massive.
This is the first photograph, in its 2 megapixel glory, I took when I moved to NYC. I moved here, like many do, with a suitcase, an open mind and a desire to build a business, meet a girl, and order steak frites for delivery at 4am. Thankfully, I leave here knowing I managed to do all that.
New York is the greatest city in the World. There’s no comparison. I love London, I love Barcelona, I love LA, I love SF, I love Stockholm, I love Venice, I love Cape Town and so on, but nothing compares to NYC. It’s a city where on a good day you feel like you’re on top of the World as the people, the cabs, the lights, the noise and the energy seem to lift you up and whisk you around town. On a bad day, all of these things seem to hammer you down to the point of feeling worthless.
From sleeping on couches, to moving furniture in Queens, to doing websites as rent barter the first year was long, but still fun. Long nights with Mario at Milk & Honey (our friend was the bartender) were a highlight. Jen Fowler hired me to do some work for J Records and things fell into place. I somehow stumbled into Southpaw one night after they opened and started djing an indie night there called Painting and Kissing. This was followed by hundreds of posters which got my business going. Somewhere along the line I met a girl called Mindy who is currently reading a book to an amazing kid called Jack.
In the end, I leave this city in a much better place than I arrived and the real thanks go to the city itself. It’s truly the one place that can change your life and if you’re willing to work hard it’ll happen for you. I look forward to moving back here with Mindy when we’re much older. I’ll miss you NYC. Thank you for everything.
Here are some awesome things I learned and experienced in NYC:
1. BEST TIP EVER: if you hate humidity like I do, you need to apply a little Gold Bond powder after you get out of the shower – it stops the sweat. Thanks Ricky!
2. Yo La Tengo performing in Prospect Park to a non-stop light show of fireflies.
3. Playing ping-pong 10 ft. from a Mogwai soundcheck – my ears will never be the same.
4. The blackout of 2002.
5. The fresh mozzarella at Russo’s
6. After work drinks at Pastis – touristy but worth it
7. Late night steak frites at Casimir
8. The crisp air of the Hudson Valley
9. Seeing the Brooklyn Bridge everyday and never tiring of seeing that beautiful behemoth.
10. Riding bikes through Times Square at 3am.
11. Fashion trend hilarity in Williamsburg.
12. Broken Social Scene at the Bowery in 2004.
13. Adopting dogs, while covered in the scent of White Castle, in Queens.
14. The Met, The Moma, The Guggenheim, The Whitney, The Transit Museum, The Jewish Museum, etc.
15. Bike riding with Jack in Prospect Park
16. Documenting Alicia Keys’ second album – a truly phenomenal person I feel lucky to have spent time with.
17. Getting paid to do design work
18. Putting on the Go Team show at Southpaw
19. Vetiver / Vashti Bunyan at Southpaw
20. Being in the same Borough as my sister.
21. Walking around the neighborhood and seeing people you know on every block.
22. The bodega guys letting you pay the next day.
23. LA BAGEL DELIGHT
24. All the fantastic folks I met and all the old friends that moved to NYC.
25. Not owning a car or really needing one for the better part of a decade.
26. Coney Island, Ave P, Bensonhurst, Borough Park, Midwood and the rest of the real Brooklyn.
27. Having a studio in DUMBO.
28. The Carlyle Room.
29. Roof decks.
30. Mindy, my love.
The list is endless. I look forward to my new list in Los Angeles. Here’s a parting shot. An old video taken from the Q Train on the Manhattan Bridge.
Q Train 2002 from jon setzen on Vimeo.
Just in case you missed it. What a moment. Years of waiting to not only see South Africa in the World Cup but to see the World Cup in South Africa finally came to an end. It was a tense one, but the goal by Tshabalala was unreal.
On Bumble Ward’s Twitter she noted it was Arnold Palmer’s birthday. I had no idea, but the Arnold Palmer is the best drink out there. They make a mean one at Eisenberg’s Sandwich Shop here in NYC. Here’s how to make one:
Next, you will want to fill half of the glass with Lemonade. Fresh squeezed, homemade lemonade is a much better choice than store bought.
Next you can “float” freshly brewed iced tea on top of the lemonade by pouring it slowly over a spoon that is lowered into the glass. This will give your Arnold Palmer that half and half look.
Add a lemon wedge garnish and maybe even a little umbrella. Sit back and enjoy this tasteful concoction. This makes a nice treat on a hot summer day or after a long round of golf!
i made this using a .45
A few months ago I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time to meet John Moshay and Chris Gibbin here in NYC. They told me they used to run an interactive agency called DNA which they ran for 10 years – started all the way back in 1994. That’s Prehistoric when it comes to the Internet. In 1994 I was working at the Soccer Center in Palo Alto, CA selling World Cup Merchandise before heading up to school in Eugene. That’s a long long time ago. Anyway, they’ve worked on everything from Budweiser to Coke, from Harry Potter to James Bond to Jurassic Park and from bike seats to rare Mexican booze.
Gibbin and Moshay with the "Loose Meat Burger" at R/D Kitchen
After some phone calls and a wonderful trip out to LA they hired me to work as their Creative Director for their new start-up agency called Something Massive. It’s amazing to be involved with something like this at such an early stage. These are two driven dudes. They’re endlessly inspiring, almost comically adventurous with their ideas that actually work and they both know how to get shit done. It’s early days right now but things are moving along and I love my trips out to LA to work out of Something Massive World Headquarters in Venice, CA. Today is a big day for these guys so hats off, congrats and good luck!
lomo photo by John Moshay
When he’s not at work, riding bikes or talking about the plan for the World’s Best Lobster Roll, John Moshay takes some really beautiful photographs. We put up a small collection of his lomography from Buenos Aires up on the SM website. Do check them out. Coming soon – some of his shots from Norway.
business cards shot with my crappy camera phone
For more information on Something Massive, please check out our website.
I was extremely honored to have five rock posters in the In An Expression of the Inexpressible art show in Indianapolis. The show features contemporary international designers whose work showcases the current interactions of music and design. Organized by Jonathan McGlothin and Samuel Vazquez, the show features work by Stefan Sagmeister, Mike Mills, Si Scott, Jean Julien and a handful more. The exhibit ran from August 7 – August 27, 2009 at the Dean Johnson Gallery. Please visit the official website for the exhibit as well as the show preview.
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