Top row (l-r): Michelle Mondragon, Christine Park, Kathy Bryja, Amanda Tannen, Richard Manirath, Monica Arnold, Ada Guerin, Danielle Grimes, Meghan Quinn. Bottom row (l-r): Carrie Smith, Emily Johnson, Peter Cury, Shanti Marlar, Jennifer Laski, Jenny Sargent, Jackie Rubi, Gretchen Beane.
Jennifer LaskiWhy does the magazine look this good? It’s not exactly breaking news to anyone here that we Angelenos live in a looks-obsessed city. From the celebration and commodification of actual physical beauty to the presentation of visuals on screens big and small, Hollywood is an industry that
sets an aesthetic barometer for the rest of the world. In our own microcosm at The Hollywood Reporter, looking good is paramount. In 2011, the 18-member art and photo department produced a staggering 247 shoots, commissioned 100 illustrations and worked endlessly to produce some of the most breathtaking work in publishing today. For photo director Jennifer Laski, a transplant from New York City, this job means being always on call and working miracles in the shortest of turnaround times. She had only seven — yes, seven — minutes to shoot Hugh Hefner for his cover with photographer Joe Pugliese; our Martin Scorsese cover was shot by Wesley Mann with just five hours’ notice. She wrested control from David Fincher when he attempted to dim photographer Frank Ockenfels 3’s lights and made sure that Art Streiber was able to get the picture in the 10 minutes remaining when J. Lo was late for a group American Idol shoot. Says creative director Shanti Marlar, who has created the redesign of The Hollywood Reporter from logo to last detail: “It’s almost like a reality show: Every week we have a new set of challenges and try to beat our personal best from the week before. To constantly create and re-create is a designer’s dream come true. We’re grateful for the positive feedback we’ve gotten so far.”
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While the design and photo team here already have been recognized with honors from the L.A. Press Club and the Society of Publication Designers, I wanted to introduce them in our own pages for the first issue of the year (some of them even recently got sleep over the holidays!). Pictured below is the enormously talented group who make just looking at The Hollywood Reporter such an enjoyable and luxurious pastime.
Here’s to another year of looking beautiful.
Janice Min
Editoral Director
