Haute Magazine

Last Friday, we brought together individuals across creative spheres to celebrate and connect over our tenth issue, Philia, which is an exploration of love in all its forms. Our Finance & Events team spent the last 4 months coordinating this unforgettable evening which welcomed over 250 guests at the Skyline Loft, a penthouse space in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. Through a carefully-planned spatial setup, decorations, and interactive activities, we curated a space where guests could connect with strangers, spark conversation, and share their personal interpretations of Philia. Thank you to our sponsors — poppi, Hokey Pokey LA, LesserEvil Brand Snack Co., Sanzo, United Sodas of America, LOVE CORN, Off The Farm Foods, Mezcla, and Freckles + Blooms — whose food and drinks made the evening so special. An extra shoutout to our partner for this event, Seemingly Virtual, who developed and facilitated an incredible Virtual Dreamscape centered around Philia. This captivating VR environment allowed our guests to immerse themselves into the realm of Philia, and it marked the first collaboration between a University of Southern California student organization and a VR company! This event celebrated the incredible dedication and creativity of our executive board and staff in crafting our tenth issue. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our team for their hard work, and we look forward to future semesters of hard work and celebration together.

It’s that time of year... Haute Magazine launched its tenth issue, Philia, on Friday! Celebrating Haute’s tenth birthday through my final edition as Creative Director has been bittersweet but fulfilling, an emotion perfectly encapsulated by this issue. Philia is one of four ancient Greek words for love, among storge, agape, and eros. This issue examines love in all its forms, from affection to obsession, and its effect on the human experience, calling attention to how love has manifested through history and our present culture. In 366 pages, Philia embraces the very force that birthed Haute ten issues ago — that magical encounter between creatives and an undeniable love for art. Philia is a love letter to creatives everywhere, but especially to the 85 writers, photographers, designers, videographers, and marketers who made it possible. A special shoutout to the 15 of you on Haute’s executive board who poured a little extra of yourselves into this issue. Finally, the biggest thank-you to my co-presidents Fiona Choo, Grace Kim, and Hunter Black; I couldn’t imagine bringing Philia to life without you. Read Philia now at https://lnkd.in/gAii3Env and https://lnkd.in/g9q_VAnj.

Presenting Haute Magazine’s Spring 2024 issue, “Philia.” Philia is one of four Greek words for love, among storge, agape, and eros. It represents “friendship,” making us wonder how this word has breathed through time to gain this notion of deep fondness, undue fixation, or obsession as we recognize it today. In this enchanting edition, staff creatives investigate all the shades of Philia in an intimate exploration of the self, one’s experiences, and personal connection to art. Celebrating our tenth issue since birth, we present an intimate edition calling attention to how love has manifested throughout history and our present culture. This issue embodies Haute in its essence, reflecting on the magazine’s history of occupying USC’s creative landscape for the past five years. This 366-page issue is a love letter to creatives everywhere, but especially to the 85 writers, photographers, designers, videographers, and marketers who made Philia possible. Read now at https://lnkd.in/gjvsZrBc or https://lnkd.in/gUiVDp7m.

Q: WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY AT THE START OF YOUR CREATIVE CAREER? /// Welp… that’s a "how much time ya got" type question, eh? A question that can go about a million different ways (like my showing up on the first morning of a creative department internship in an over-sized Brooks Brothers suit <oops!> and then quickly discarding it after a blood-spurting “X-Acto blade-meets-fingers” incident <<double oops!!>>). Live and learn, as they say. Live and learn. Thank you Haute Magazine for offering us a chance to share our “stumble forward” career entry experiences with your USC Community. I learned much in conversation with the Industry leaders you assembled including Bernice Chao, Eric Junker, Jason Kent Carpenter, and Anna Moulton. Loved the discussion weaving together our career journeys and highlighting the hard-earned appreciation for mentors, mindfulness, experimentation, differentiation and the idea of never giving up and always moving forward with open eyes, ears and minds. A great open dialogue that I hope can inspire many other discussions to encourage students to launch themselves firmly into their career path and dreams (in an X-Acto-safe manner, of course). Thank you to Natalie, Nishka and the rest of the Haute Magazine team for hosting this event and for guiding it with such enthusiasm and expertise! **And to any aspiring creatives who are anxious about jumping into future creative hallways —- feel free to reach out if I can offer any help, consult or advice.** #creativeindustry  #mentorship  #agencylife #careeradvice #career #mentoring #creativedirector #creative

Last Thursday, our Directors of Visual Design Natalie Darakjian and Nishka Manghnani planned and hosted a Creative Industry Panel open to Haute members and the creative population at the University of Southern California. Thank you to our 6 incredible panelists — Tom Gilmartin, Bernice Chao ✨, Eric Junker, Mikhail Alfon, Jason Kent Carpenter, and Anna Moulton — for taking the time to share your insights and experiences as leaders within the creative industry with our audience! Here are some of our favorite takeaways from last Thursday: “Sometimes, you’ll have to film fish sticks before you get the ‘big fish’ client.” “The most incredible thing about working for yourself is impacting the culture of the people you work with and growing up with people. You get to choose who you work with every day.” “Surround yourself with mentors.” “Prioritize your mental health because burnout is a real thing.” Thank you so much to our Directors of Visual Design and our amazing panelists for teaching young creatives about the industry!

Limbo is here! We’re excited to announce that we have produced our second-ever batch of Director’s Cuts this month. In 76 pages of hard-hitting stories, beautiful photography, and elegant design, these Director’s Cuts showcase 13 of the feature stories in Limbo. These limited-edition issues are currently available only to our Limbo staff.

Last week I had the opportunity to share a panel with some incredibly talented people including Tom Gilmartin, Bernice Chao ✨, Eric Junker, Jason Kent Carpenter, and Anna Moulton at USC Roski School of Art and Design. The panel was coordinated by the team at Haute Magazine to share insights and experiences from the creative industry with the students. Here are some key takeaways that apply to everyone, despite where you are in your career: (quotes not exact) • Surround yourself with mentors - Bernice C. • Consider making a separate site for each niche you're interested in so you can communicate each one clearly - Eric J. • Sometimes you have to film fish sticks before you get the "big fish" client - Jason C. • Prioritize your mental health, because burnout is a real thing - Anna M. • Learning the operations of bigger companies can provide tremendous value before working for yourself. - Tom G. Thank you to Natalie Darakjian and the rest of the Haute Magazine team for reaching out and inviting me on, it was truly a pleasure! #creativeindustry #mentorship #agencylife

I’m delighted to share the success of Haute Magazine's recent launch party for our ninth issue, LIMBO. LIMBO beautifully captures the essence of the unknown space between the beauty of heaven and the nightmares of hell. With the help of our partners and sponsors, Haute’s Finance and Events team spent the semester orchestrating an unforgettable evening that welcomed over 300 guests. I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to our raffle sponsors, including Lip Lab, Hero Cosmetics, Princess Polly, Alec's Ice Cream, STIIIZY, and more. And another thank you to our partners at the event, where our guests enjoyed food and beverages from poppi, Undercover Snacks, LesserEvil Brand Snack Co., Alec's Ice Cream, Partake Foods, and others. This celebration wouldn't have been possible without the collaborative effort of the entire Haute team, and I'm grateful for the guidance provided by Jade Bahng and Daniel Stone during this processes. Together, we successfully showcased the creative dedication of Haute's artists through a night of celebration with our guests, our partners, and the Haute team. 

We’re proud to announce that our ninth issue, Limbo, launched last Friday. Limbo represents a state of being, an existence of uncertainty that walks the shaky boundary between the divine beauty of heaven and the nightmarish dread of hell. This issue blurs the line between these realms and explores what it means to exist as humans in this state of unknown. Limbo is our most extensive issue to date, featuring work by a record-breaking 80 writers, photographers, designers, videographers, and marketers across all schools and majors. Across 376 pages, our talented staff explores the good, the bad, and — perhaps most importantly — the messy middle. In addition to featuring work by our student staff, this latest issue includes work by and of some of the biggest names in the industry, including Offset, Olivia O'Brien, The 1975, Xavier Luggage, and Amber Park. Read Limbo now at https://lnkd.in/g9q_VAnj and https://lnkd.in/g85hqNcw.

Walking back from my first-ever meeting for Haute Magazine in freshman year, I called my mom to tell her I'd found an organization where everyone was creative, cool, and insanely talented. Five semesters later, it feels surreal to announce my first issue as Creative Director — Limbo, which launched on Friday. Limbo represents a state of being, an existence of uncertainty that walks the shaky boundary between the divine beauty of heaven and the nightmarish dread of hell. The issue blurs the line between these realms and explores what it means to exist as humans in this state of unknown. As a concept bigger than any one person, it feels fitting that Limbo is Haute’s most extensive issue to date, featuring work by a record-breaking 80 storytellers, visualists, and creators. In 376 pages, Haute's talented staff explores the good, the bad, and — perhaps most importantly — the messy middle. While I helped oversee this issue, it couldn't have been executed without the extraordinary talent and passion involved. Thank you to my co-directors Fiona Choo and Katherine Han, our fantastic e-board of 15, and our staff of 65 writers, photographers, designers, videographers, and marketers. None of this could be possible without your minds and hearts. Read Limbo now at https://lnkd.in/g9q_VAnj and https://lnkd.in/g85hqNcw.