Brands are bringing work to LA
A prophecy we can make real.
Hi all,
There is no podcast this week. Kirsten is based in LA. And as you can imagine, it felt more important to channel her energy elsewhere.
I know many of you are not in LA and eager to get back to receiving what you expect in your inbox. Sunday I will be coming at you with regular programming, I promise.
But before we move on. One important thing:
It’s time to rally for LA, not abandon it.
I’ve had good friends tell me their events, even those out in March, were canceled because they ‘didn't feel it was appropriate to activate in LA given that people lost their homes’
But what I’m hearing from people who live in LA is: ‘please come.’
If you’re a brand leader looking for a way to help LA, plan your next production in LA. The freelancer and creative community needs you—more than ever.
While everyone thinks of celebrities when they think of LA, I think of freelancers.DPs, digi-techs, photographers, designers, prop stylists, hair and make-up artists, producers, models, actors—the list goes on.
January, February, March, and April are huge in LA. With the cold everywhere else, so many brands shoot in LA during this time.Don’t change those plans! In fact, make them. It’s time to lean in.
I know it doesn’t feel right to get back to business as usual, but the people in LA, including many of those displaced, rely on this work for survival. Bring your production to LA. Bring your shoot to LA. Bring your event. While some might not feel ready to get back to work, so many can’t afford not to.
So don’t change your plans. In fact, change your plans to make them in LA.
There are so many options that aren’t affected by the fires. I’ve done beautiful shoots in Palm Springs (a short trip for LA talent). You can go down to Long Beach. Downtown LA mirrors the streets of NYC, and right around the corner, you have one of the most epic Olympic swimming pools, with diving boards no less. There are beautiful houses and fantastic streets all over town. Want reccs? I’m an open book.
I asked one of my fave LA-native photographers, where she’d shoot and the answer was ‘anywhere in LA is good except for the evacuation areas. Palisades, Malibu, and Altadena.’ ‘There aren’t really any other areas you can’t shoot. And people want to work. There are more places to shoot than less.’
Yes, the air quality is questionable right now, but that will improve in the coming weeks. There are also countless studios, too—big and small.
Your dollars matter. The city and its freelancers need you to keep their lights on. Don’t let people who have lost so much lose more. Your production can make a difference to someone. The city will take a long time to heal. Recovery will take years. The trauma of this experience will live with Angelenos forever.
But you can make a difference.
Make it in LA.
And because we all need a little fun to go with the sorrow. Here’s a bonus fun for the week.
FUN FOR THE WEEK
I needed a laugh and
delivered with her ‘INs and OUTs 2025’ list that gave us this: “Huge year for pubes.” The full bush is back.- reports that Emily Oberg’s new sexual wellness brand, Sensual Sport, has an Only Fans account.
- says we’re going to get social clubs that are actually social—here for it.
Big Nights is predicting large-format desserts and a theme-party comeback.
The Silver workout boom is beginning. Welcome back, Jane. My love for Jane Fonda is beyond.
- says the ‘longevity revolution’ is going to change our view of aging. Two words: silver tsunami.
This interview with Goop’s CEO (who I have met) is refreshingly transparent—rare.
Early adopters are ditching Google for AI. But you know this.
The Macuga family has four siblings competing in the Winter Olympics. Four.
Just as Jenny Evans predicted, NADs are taking off. Watch this space.
Very into what
has been sharing. Like this Tata Harper Moon Calendar and more.- ’s end-of-year review was solid.
Bathing Culture is hosting a variety show—fun.
Croissant cake anyone?
Bougie airport picnic boxes are something I can get behind.
Glossier made cherry padlocks for swag. Practical yet fun.
That’s all, folx.
-Chris
If you read this and agreed, give it a share. Help LA. xoxo
I think this is a great perspective, thank you. It reminds me a bit of this post I saw yesterday about Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower: “Fires propel the plot…she acknowledges both its destruction and its capacity for rebirth. At the close of the novel, the community literally plants seeds in the ashes of a burnt space; fertile soil for a new beginning. I know it’s far too soon to be romanticizing what’s next. But as we grieve, worry and reel from this destruction…let’s also remember the our response can shape what grows from these ashes…we can honor the power of change, the urgency of community, and build infrastructure to care for each other - even when social systems fail.”
(https://www.instagram.com/p/DExx9yDzH6B/?img_index=4)