I grew up a San Francisco Giants fan. And my hero was Willie Mays—the greatest baseball player of all time. Some would say he was the best because he loved what he did. Another hero of mine was Steve Jobs. Steve's advice to finding success was: "To find what it is you love to do."
I'm lucky or blessed to love what I do. And I think most of those I work with feel the same way. The photographers, stylists, makeup artists, models, hair stylists, manicurists, prop and set decorators—they all have a common thread of loving what they do.
Today we hit a homerun of a different kind. This one name Wylie not Willie; and Hays not Mays. Wylie Hays is with NEXT and she's an 18-year-old superstar model on the rise. She's already walked for Proenza Schouler and Alexander Wang and been in Wang's ad campaign.
Wylie Hays with NEXT models. The 6 foot, 18-year-old beauty is one to watch.
On set at the famed Mack Sennett Studios was a group of those job-loving types. Jeff Berlin was our photographer; Holly Copeland with Rex Agency was our stylist; Camille Clark with Aim Artists was our makeup artist; and Paul Desmarre was our hair stylist. We also were lucky to have two super helpful interns: Emily Hassard and Tori Baldridge.
Let me tell you about the cool Mack Sennett Studio. It's located in Silverlake right off of Hollywood Blvd. It was recently purchased by Jesse Rogg who is the studios President and Head of Production. He poured some serious money into creating a studio that maintained much of the old Hollywood heritage while infusing modern touches like a ginormous styling room and well-designed makeup room.
In the basement of the studio are priceless relics from Hollywood history including the original cases that held props from such classics as Gone with the Wind.
Hairstylist Paul Desmarre in front of huge Paris backdrop
Jeff Berlin shot on Sony's answer to the Red Cam. A high-definition movie camera that let's us grab high-res stills.
Wylie Hays in the basement of Mack Sennett Studios showing off her 37 inch inseam.