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October 26, 2012 1,310 notes

The Creators of LA: Hollywood Assistant Lydia Whitlock
For the last 10 months, self-taught photographer Megan McIsaac has been traveling the West Coast in an RV — a 1977 Toyota “Dolphin” — and gathering portraits of friends and creative types she met along the way. Now settled in Los Angeles with a Mamiya c330 camera, McIsaac decided to document the community that’s inspired so much of her work: Tumblr. This is part of a series of photographic profiles.
Lydia Whitlock
Formerly the anonymous writer of the “To My Assistant” blog, Lydia Whitlock is a lady of many passions. She graduated from Yale in 2008 with a degree in film studies (and I highly recommend sparking up a conversation with her about movies). She welcomes me into her Silver Lake home with snacks, gin, and the soundtrack to Performance. And, of course, she’s hilarious — as evidenced by her blog-turned-book, which is a montage of pithy advice to her future assistant, based on the ridiculous things she’s had to do as an assistant herself. She quickly became one of my favorite people to be around and photograph.
Let’s start from the beginning. How’d you end up working as a Hollywood assistant?
I moved to LA one month after college, having never been here before. I had just graduated with a degree in film studies, and decided that if I was going to try to work in the entertainment industry, I should try right away, to get what I was sure was going to be a period of complete failure out of the way as soon as possible. I really had no idea what kind of job I should look for out here, but realized pretty quickly that being an assistant is the best way you can learn your way around the industry (as well as being one of the only entry-level jobs available). It allows you to figure out which aspects of the business you enjoy and which you don’t, kind of like showbiz grad school, which is how I try to view the job when I’m frustrated with it.
And what was it like?
I’ve had to do everything from putting together nine phone lines for a spur-of-the-moment conference call, to picking up a 20 pound babyshower cake emblazoned with the baby pictures of the expectant parents, to proofreading drafts of screenplays before they go to studio executives (guess which one of these tasks I liked best). The job can really vary from the professional to the way-too-personal. I prefer mine to be on the professional side — first of all, because I never signed up to be a personal assistant, second of all because it means less work on the weekends, and third because it results in fewer awkward moments that occur when I end up knowing far too many details about my boss’s personal life.
You’ve got a book coming out in April. Do you still work as an assistant?
Yes! As I say to myself on a regular basis, “Don’t quit your day job.” At least, not yet.
Besides writing, and assisting, what do you spend most of your time doing?
I love to cook and explore different LA restaurants and cuisines - this city is the perfect playground for an adventurous eater. And of course I have those standard 20-something hobbies — reading books, watching films, dabbling in photography, going out on weekends, spending a little too much money on clothes.
Did you ever imagine you’d be writing a book about being an assistant?
I certainly always dreamed of writing a book, being one of those kids whose parents had to forcibly take novels away from them at the dinner table, but I was never quite sure what it would be about. It’s kind of funny that the subject that ended up inspiring me was “terrible jobs,” but I guess the “write what you know” cliche is repeated so often because it’s true.
— Photos and text by Megan McIsaac

The Creators of LA: Hollywood Assistant Lydia Whitlock

For the last 10 months, self-taught photographer Megan McIsaac has been traveling the West Coast in an RV — a 1977 Toyota “Dolphin” — and gathering portraits of friends and creative types she met along the way. Now settled in Los Angeles with a Mamiya c330 camera, McIsaac decided to document the community that’s inspired so much of her work: Tumblr. This is part of a series of photographic profiles.

Lydia Whitlock

Formerly the anonymous writer of the “To My Assistant” blog, Lydia Whitlock is a lady of many passions. She graduated from Yale in 2008 with a degree in film studies (and I highly recommend sparking up a conversation with her about movies). She welcomes me into her Silver Lake home with snacks, gin, and the soundtrack to Performance. And, of course, she’s hilarious — as evidenced by her blog-turned-book, which is a montage of pithy advice to her future assistant, based on the ridiculous things she’s had to do as an assistant herself. She quickly became one of my favorite people to be around and photograph.

Let’s start from the beginning. How’d you end up working as a Hollywood assistant?

I moved to LA one month after college, having never been here before. I had just graduated with a degree in film studies, and decided that if I was going to try to work in the entertainment industry, I should try right away, to get what I was sure was going to be a period of complete failure out of the way as soon as possible.

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October 18, 2012 1,430 notes

The Creators of LA: Photographer Andy J. Scott
For the last 10 months, self-taught photographer Megan McIsaac has been traveling the West Coast in an RV — a 1977 Toyota “Dolphin” — and gathering portraits of friends and creative types she met along the way. Now settled in Los Angeles with a Mamiya c330 camera, McIsaac decided to document the community that’s inspired so much of her work: Tumblr. This is part of a series of photographic profiles.
Andy J. Scott
Andy’s vision has a very “no-fuss” attitude, and while his photographs are not deeply personal, they certainly have a sense of humor. We met at a local cafe and learned that we live only a few blocks from one another, on the border of Silver Lake and Koreatown, and we decided to take a stroll around the neighborhood (which is where we came upon the kitten). Andy spends a lot of time making photographs on similar walks, including a series of portraits called “Out Here,” taken in an alleyway off of Fairfax Avenue.

What else, besides photography, do you do in your daily life?
My favorite thing lately has been waking up early and jogging at the Silver Lake reservoir followed by a big green smoothie. I like to cook, doodle, listen to music, ride bikes, normal stuff.
Your photographs have a “chill” attitude to them, no matter who the subject matter is. Is this something you purposefully try to convey, or are your shoots/subjects often relaxed and laid back?
I’m drawn to quiet moments because I feel like they tell so much about a person and have a lasting appeal. In my hip-hop work I especially like calm moments because hip-hop photography can be over-the-top sometimes. Though this year I’m trying to learn how to bring some more energy in, but stay close to my vibe.
Your video work is very flirty, quirky, and colorful, while your photography seems to be more serious and slick. Do you think that has to do with the gender of your subjects (your video work is primarily female while your photographs are mostly men) or something else?
Most of my video work has been for clients like PacSun, so they lean towards the flirty “lifestyle” feel. I think shooting girls has a different tone and it doesn’t come across as much in my stills because most of my music work has been with male artists. Though I definitely want to shoot more ladies (girls in LA: let’s make stuff!).
What projects are you working on now?
I just finished making my portfolio and am tackling the daunting task of trying to set up meetings to show it off with magazines and agencies. Hopefully I’ll squeeze in some personal shoots this month too.
— Photos and text by Megan McIsaac

The Creators of LA: Photographer Andy J. Scott

For the last 10 months, self-taught photographer Megan McIsaac has been traveling the West Coast in an RV — a 1977 Toyota “Dolphin” — and gathering portraits of friends and creative types she met along the way. Now settled in Los Angeles with a Mamiya c330 camera, McIsaac decided to document the community that’s inspired so much of her work: Tumblr. This is part of a series of photographic profiles.

Andy J. Scott

Andy’s vision has a very “no-fuss” attitude, and while his photographs are not deeply personal, they certainly have a sense of humor. We met at a local cafe and learned that we live only a few blocks from one another, on the border of Silver Lake and Koreatown, and we decided to take a stroll around the neighborhood (which is where we came upon the kitten). Andy spends a lot of time making photographs on similar walks, including a series of portraits called “Out Here,” taken in an alleyway off of Fairfax Avenue.

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October 12, 2012 1,305 notes

The Creators of LA: Record Producer Paul Beahan
For the last 10 months, self-taught photographer Megan McIsaac has been traveling the West Coast in an RV — a 1977 Toyota “Dolphin” — and gathering portraits of friends and creative types she met along the way. Now settled in Los Angeles with a Mamiya c330 camera, McIsaac decided to document the community that’s inspired so much of her work: Tumblr. This is part of a series of photographic profiles.
Paul Beahan
Warpaint, Bat for Lashes, Heliotropes, Chains of Love, Papercranes … It was easy to stumble upon Manimal Vinyl, the record label behind these musicians and about 15 others that I love. I was excited to discover that Manimal — launched by fashion stylist Paul Beahan in 2006 — is based here in LA, and that it’s still basically a one-man show. I met up with Beahan at his home office in West LA, where I was excited to find a world of vinyl, art-covered walls. and his family by his side.

What’s your daily routine like?
I am usually up at 7am to get my 5-year-old ready for school, and when that is over I start the day with calls back and forth with my coworkers in Europe. Then at about 11am, the calls from New York begin. I work with a few people in Australia and Singapore, so those calls or emails start at about 7pm. So basically I work all day long. In between the calls it’s listening to new music, writing, emailing, guiding new acts signed to the label, and taking an hour or two away from the desk to read and play with my children.
Do you manage to eat?
Breakfast consists of strong black coffee and a cigarette. Lunch is whatever I can cram into my suck hole, and I honestly skip dinner most of the time.
Many of the artists you represent use nostalgia as a part of their appeal. Is this something you seek out?
Not really. I definitely feel that some things are easier to digest when there is some sort of familiarity with the music. I like the idea of being a forward-thinking person, but today it’s nearly impossible to have any music sound completely timeless.
How do you think the role of a record label has changed, now with platforms such as Bandcamp and Soundcloud?
I don’t think the role of a good record label has changed much. There is only so much a band or an artist can do on their own before the work becomes overwhelming. A label should be a home and a family, that is usually impossible with a souless Internet page. Soundcloud and Bandcamp are amazing though, I have found a lot of great talents on those sites.
— Photos and interview by Megan McIsaac

The Creators of LA: Record Producer Paul Beahan

For the last 10 months, self-taught photographer Megan McIsaac has been traveling the West Coast in an RV — a 1977 Toyota “Dolphin” — and gathering portraits of friends and creative types she met along the way. Now settled in Los Angeles with a Mamiya c330 camera, McIsaac decided to document the community that’s inspired so much of her work: Tumblr. This is part of a series of photographic profiles.

Paul Beahan

Warpaint, Bat for Lashes, Heliotropes, Chains of Love, Papercranes … It was easy to stumble upon Manimal Vinyl, the record label behind these musicians and about 15 others that I love. I was excited to discover that Manimal — launched by fashion stylist Paul Beahan in 2006 — is based here in LA, and that it’s still basically a one-man show. I met up with Beahan at his home office in West LA, where I was excited to find a world of vinyl, art-covered walls. and his family by his side.

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October 5, 2012 1,355 notes

The Creators of LA: Boutique Owner Whitney Bickers
For the last 10 months, self-taught photographer Megan McIsaac has been traveling the West Coast in an RV — a 1977 Toyota “Dolphin” — and gathering portraits of friends and creative types she met along the way. Now settled in Los Angeles, with a Mamiya c330 camera, McIsaac decided to document the community that’s inspired so much of her work: Tumblr. This is part of a series of photographic profiles.
Whitney Bickers
Whitney Bickers is the mind behind Echo Park boutique Myrtle. I first met Whitney when I photographed her springtime tomboy lookbook and fell in love with the colorful items in her store — jewelry and clothing from independent women designers, vintage clothes, even stationary. For the fashion obsessed, Myrtle is a perfect playhouse to spend an afternoon in.
What has been the most challenging part of opening your own shop?
Sometimes owning a business feels like a never ending series of new problems. Commercial real estate especially stands out as a whole new world for me. Ultimately though, the most challenging thing is just having patience. It’s very easy to come up with some grand ideas, but it takes time to implement them, especially when you’re on a budget. And to build a business that is organic and going to last requires a lot of customer feedback and trial and error.

You always say that Myrtle is so close to your heart it’s like having people shop in your home. Do you take things home with you?
No surprise here: I do take clothes home. But really, I often find the reverse—that I bring more and more of myself and my home to the store.
Whats the best part about sharing your shop through Tumblr?
I started the tumblr page in January 2011 — almost a full year before I actually opened my doors — as a place to track my progress on this crazy idea that I had for a store. Sharing that process turned out to be a really wonderful thing because I started getting outside encouragement really early. It helped me have faith in having a good idea while I was still stuck in the logistics. I also feel like it gave me some credibility long before I had a physical space—I could just send people to my tumblr page for a sense of my ideas and style.
You’ve been around for a year now. What’s next for you?
I feel like a parent in that I would say “no, no, not a year—8 1/2 months!” I still have big things to accomplish in year one. I just opened a webstore and really want to grow that presence, both as a shop for those outside LA and as a source of information on the talented designers I work with. As for personally, in year two I’d like to finally have a real day off! I hear Big Sur is nice this time of year…
—Megan McIsaac

The Creators of LA: Boutique Owner Whitney Bickers

For the last 10 months, self-taught photographer Megan McIsaac has been traveling the West Coast in an RV — a 1977 Toyota “Dolphin” — and gathering portraits of friends and creative types she met along the way. Now settled in Los Angeles, with a Mamiya c330 camera, McIsaac decided to document the community that’s inspired so much of her work: Tumblr. This is part of a series of photographic profiles.

Whitney Bickers

Whitney Bickers is the mind behind Echo Park boutique Myrtle. I first met Whitney when I photographed her springtime tomboy lookbook and fell in love with the colorful items in her store — jewelry and clothing from independent women designers, vintage clothes, even stationary. For the fashion obsessed, Myrtle is a perfect playhouse to spend an afternoon in.

What has been the most challenging part of opening your own shop?

Sometimes owning a business feels like a never ending series of new problems. Commercial real estate especially stands out as a whole new world for me. Ultimately though, the most challenging thing is just having patience. It’s very easy to come up with some grand ideas, but it takes time to implement them, especially when you’re on a budget. And to build a business that is organic and going to last requires a lot of customer feedback and trial and error.

View post 1,355 notes

September 11, 2012 3,483 notes

The Creators of LA: Visual Artist Nana Agyapong
For the last 10 months, self-taught photographer Megan McIsaac has been traveling the West Coast in an RV — a 1977 Toyota “Dolphin” — and gathering portraits of friends and creative types she met along the way. Now settled in Los Angeles, with a Mamiya c330 camera, McIsaac decided to document the community that’s inspired so much of her work: Tumblr. This is part of a series of photographic profiles.
Nana Agyapong
Nana Agyapong and I met for only a moment when I first saw her at an outdoor event. Very rarely do I photograph complete strangers out and about, but something drew me to this woman. When we met up, we took photographs at her lover’s home near Venice Beach, and then went for a stroll down the boardwalk. Agyapong told me about the handful of projects she had been working on, including a commercial filmed and directed by James Franco, a movie with Asiel Norton, and her first documentary, LA Woman Rising, which follows the morning rituals of 50 women in Los Angeles.

How did you end up in LA?
I immigrated with my mom and brother to America from Ghana for an opportunity for a better life. We settled in New Jersey where I attended high school, then I got scouted to model. I came to LA for a crash course in acting and directing. I fell in love … The beach, palm trees, and sunshine reminded me of my childhood on the coast of Ghana.
You do all sorts of things: acting, directing, modeling, writing. Which is your first passion?
I love all the aspects of expression. I love being in front of a camera. Naturally, I fell in love with acting from being a model. I love that both have this transformation quality. I love that in acting it is about emotions and poetry. To me, acting allows one to forget herself and let the spirit flow through them so that they may serve as a messenger to all. As for writing, I have been a poet my whole life. Throughout the struggles and challenges life gives I always find refuge in jotting down my feeling.
You just launched a Kickstarter for your documentary project, LA Woman Rising. Tell us about it.
The title started with the song “LA Woman,” by Jim Morrison of The Doors. That song initially created a visual icon — an image of the individual woman, an object of beauty and desire. But LA women represent so much more than that. I have chosen 50 LA women that might surprise you. They are homeless, a lawyer, a porn star, a doctor, impoverished, rich, a maid, actress (of course!), a painter, and the list goes on. What makes this project so close to me as an artist, is that it portrays how it is in The City of Angels. Whether naked or bejeweled, thin or fat, famous or homeless, LA women all share the same feelings in the morning.
— Photos and interview by Megan McIsaac

The Creators of LA: Visual Artist Nana Agyapong

For the last 10 months, self-taught photographer Megan McIsaac has been traveling the West Coast in an RV — a 1977 Toyota “Dolphin” — and gathering portraits of friends and creative types she met along the way. Now settled in Los Angeles, with a Mamiya c330 camera, McIsaac decided to document the community that’s inspired so much of her work: Tumblr. This is part of a series of photographic profiles.

Nana Agyapong

Nana Agyapong and I met for only a moment when I first saw her at an outdoor event. Very rarely do I photograph complete strangers out and about, but something drew me to this woman. When we met up, we took photographs at her lover’s home near Venice Beach, and then went for a stroll down the boardwalk. Agyapong told me about the handful of projects she had been working on, including a commercial filmed and directed by James Franco, a movie with Asiel Norton, and her first documentary, LA Woman Rising, which follows the morning rituals of 50 women in Los Angeles.

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August 22, 2012 127 notes

The Creators of LA: Adam Lisagor

For the last 10 months, self-taught photographer Megan McIsaac has been traveling the West Coast in an RV — a 1977 Toyota “Dolphin” — and gathering portraits of friends and creative types she met along the way. Now settled in Los Angeles, with a Mamiya c330 camera, McIsaac decided to document the community that’s inspired so much of her work: Tumblr. This is part of a series of photographic profiles.

Adam Lisagor

I came across Adam Lisagor and his Sandwich Video production company a few years ago, through mutual creative friends. Adam and his team make videos, mostly for neat tech products ranging from Warby Parker to Groupon and Airbnb. I met up with him in his beautiful studio in the arts district, where I photographed him working on one of his latest commercials.

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Posts tagged with creators of LA

The Creators of LA: Hollywood Assistant Lydia Whitlock

Lydia Whitlock

Let’s start from the beginning. How’d you end up working as a Hollywood assistant?

The Creators of LA: Photographer Andy J. Scott

Andy J. Scott

The Creators of LA: Record Producer Paul Beahan

Paul Beahan

The Creators of LA: Boutique Owner Whitney Bickers

What has been the most challenging part of opening your own shop?

The Creators of LA: Visual Artist Nana Agyapong

Nana Agyapong

The Creators of LA: Adam Lisagor

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