Genlux is known for throwing a good party.
One thing people say is we have the most beautiful, well-dressed party crowd and why wouldn't we? We are the only fashion magazine out of Beverly Hills.
The Genlux issue release party on the rooftop of the Luxe Hotel on Rodeo Drive. 322 guests (yes, we count 'em) packed under two tents and the event space. That's a giant 40 foot projection on another building of our cover.
We were there to celebrate the release of our spring 2014 issue with Katheryn Winnick on the cover, hosted by, who else, Katheryn Winnick, herself. That's her below—fourth from left. See her cool hair. Courtesy of our fave hairstylist, Robert Steinken. Thanks, Robert.
Katheryn Winnick brought out her baseball team to help celebrate the Genlux party. That's her fourth from the left. Kidding about the baseball. They're just her buddies.
We always get asked how we get such great girls like Kristin Chenoweth, Emmy Rossum, Petra Nemcova, Jenna Elfman, Kathy Ireland, Maria Menounos, Erika Christensen, Brooke Burke, etc, etc. to host our parties. Simple: They get a cover—they host their issue release party. By getting a cover they also agree to letting us pick the photographer and the glam team (hair stylist, makeup artist, and manicurist) for their photo shoot. They also grant us full editing rights—meaning, I get to pick the final shots we use for the cover and inside story. The usually don't even get to see them until they're published. I say usually because there was one time I agreed to let them see the shots first. I will NEVER do that again. I'll tell you that story later.
There are always a few people that I say, 'How did they get into the party?' And, after talking to them, (I try to make contact and find out who they know) I realize they probably crashed. We have a tight guest list at the door and everyone is confirmed through email, but they still have a way of slipping in.
I'm lucky that our events at the Luxe are like Ron Popeil's turkey gadget—just set it and forget it. I have a team of peeps I heavily rely on to get things done. And they always come through. Name names? Okay. John Sugrue our events person, who also owns OCLA Events, is our star who knows how to get things done. And, sometimes, on a dime. Paul Palacios at Hint Water. Paul is one of those that says yes to me before I say hello. There's Svedka that always comes through. And for the red carpet area—step-and-repeat wall, lights, and the actual red carpet, there's none better than David Ayala at T-Rex Graphics. For security I always go to the man who not only looks the role, he comes well-dressed, Melvin Grace (323-352-4242).
Sometimes our events feature fashion presentations. For this event we showcased some gorgeous Carmen Steffens shoes and Nikki Rich fashion on our stunning Wilhelmina Models. We had Megan, Chanel, and Andie. Carmen Steffens shoes originated in Brazil and are headed up in this country by Mark and Leticia Willingham.
Wilhelmina models Chanel Gray (left) and Andie Miller (right) modeling Carmen Steffens shoes.
Mark and Leticia Willingham, owners of Carmen Steffens in the United States.
The good will our events provide is amplified by the role that our public relations team plays. Steve Valentine and his team at The Valentine Group (especially Trisha Davis and Christopher Zermeño), not only man the red carpet at our events, they also make sure the press comes to cover so our Genlux photos are seen across the world. To see party pix click here.
Our PR team: The Valentine Group. That's the man himself, Steve Valentine on the right; and one of his superstar publicists Christopher Zermeño on the left.
One of the highlights of our event (especially for those wearing 5-inch heels all night) was the beautiful comfy decor designed by Camerich, the home design store on Robertson. The owners are Stephen Bianchi and Michael Lin (that's the dynamic duo below). Thanks you guys!!
Michael Lin and Stephen Bianchi from Camerich on Robertson