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In honor of my favorite fashion event of the year, the Met Gala, I ve decided to come to the Vogue office here in New York City to speak to Sergio, the global entertainment director at Vogue magazine.
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He oversees all celebrity bookings for Vogue US, UK, Latin America, and Mexico.
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Over the course of his career, Sergio has worked at Harper s Bazaar,
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Women s Health, Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, and Marie Claire.
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He s produced the World Music Awards and worked at numerous record companies, including Motown, Sony, Arista, and Virgin Records.
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I m excited to talk to Sergio today because I feel like we all have our assumptions about the fashion world, what it means to be in the fashion world, what it means to work in the fashion world.
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We ve seen movies like Devil Wears Prada.
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We ve read articles about it.
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We all have
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our assumptions, but I want someone to come in and tell us what s really up.
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And so that s why I m excited to be speaking to Sergio today.
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We re going to be discussing what it s like to work behind the scenes in fashion, as well as
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details around the Met Gala because obviously it s the biggest fashion event of the year and there s a lot to uncover.
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So I present to you Sergio from Vogue.
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I do want to know about you as a child.
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Were you like
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Were you a fashionable kid?
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Like, I was obsessed with little costumes and it was weird, but... I mean, I m not a fashion guy to begin with.
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Like, I was born in the former USSR and I was obsessed with music.
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So, like, the fact that I am working in entertainment and you see Vogue cover so much music, it s because I m obsessed with musicians.
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Every time there s somebody music on the cover, it s probably because I have stressed everybody on our team about putting that person on the cover.
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Like I have such passion for musicians because like ever since I remember first time watching a music video on my grandmother s couch when I was like five years old in Russia and it was Michael Jackson s Billie Jean.
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I did not speak a word of English, could not understand what Michael was singing about, but I had such a strong reaction and I wanted to work.
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behind the scenes in music and somehow it all just came together.
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Yeah, how did you get from like being music obsessed to now working at Vogue?
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Well, we moved to this country when I was 12 and I didn t know anyone, there was no connections, there was no like
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hey, I know this person, they will hook you up with a job.
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I went to a community college in Westchester, and somehow I got an internship at, do you know Arista Records?
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Do you know who Clive Davis is?
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So Clive Davis is a big time record executive.
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He, quote unquote, discovered Whitney Houston, and Carlos Santana, and Janis Joplin, and all these iconic musicians.
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And,
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I got to talking to somebody at this label, and he was like, well, do you want to intern?
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We have internships available.
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And I literally started, like, ditching school and going in, like, two, three times a week, no pay, 12 hours a day.
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I wanted to be a sponge.
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Like, I would walk in every day.
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And from the moment I was there, I just wanted to observe and take everything in.
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And somehow it led me
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To this, I spent like three years as an intern at Arista Records working for free, didn t finish college, got offered my first job in my last year of college, and my first job was at Motown Records working in radio promotion.
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And I spent...
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A year working at Motown, we all got fired because someone, another company bought out this label.
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Everybody got let go.
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I got my second job working at Sony, my third job working back at Arista Records, the place that I interned.
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And after Arista, I went to Virgin Records, spent two years there, got so burnt out, and took a year off.
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And in that year, I saw Devil Wears Prada.
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And somehow I realized that that is the one thing in my career that I haven t done yet, like work in the fashion industry.
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And it s that film that made me want to work here.
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I mean here, like in fashion in general, in magazines.
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And I remember seeing that movie and realizing that
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Vogue is basically at the top of the food chain.
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And that was my goal all along.
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Hopefully one day I get to work at this magazine.
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So then how did you get to Vogue?
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I worked at six different magazines before working with Vogue.
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So I spent five years at Cosmo.
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While I was at Cosmo, I got my own magazine.
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They gave me 17, so I was booking 17.
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And after 17, I did like Redbook and Women s Health, and my last job at that company was working for Harper s Bazaar, which you obviously know as well.
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Of course.
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And this job at Vogue somehow became open because the previous booker who was here for 20 years was leaving.
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Uh-huh.
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And my friend works at GQ.
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She was like, you should come and interview for this job.
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I m like, there s no way in hell Anna Wintour is gonna hire me.
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I drop more fuck words, more fucks in a single sentence than probably anyone she knows.
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I m covered in tattoos.
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I m not polished.
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I m just a worker.
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Yeah, I go in I have a vision and How do I get it done?
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Yeah, and I don t even know how to explain it, but like I walked into our office The first person I interviewed with was Anna.
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There was no human resources There was no like number two.
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My first interview for this job was with Anna and I had a broken foot.
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Oh Three broken toes.
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No, and I refused to wear my boot and
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I was going to say, she would not like the boot.
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I never dress up to go to work.
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You re not going to see me in a sweater or a tie or a jacket.
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I walk into Harper s Bazaar that day in a really nice sweater, really nice pants, these Valentino boots, and someone I work with goes, do you have an interview?
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Why are you dressed that way?
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I m like, no, no, I have an event after.
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He s like, no, I don t believe you.
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There s no way you re coming into work looking like this.
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I go to the interview here.
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And I ve heard before that, you know, usually like interviews here take like 5 to 10 minutes at the most.
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We ended up talking for maybe 20.
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And I was only supposed to meet with Anna.
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I got to meet with two other people that day, and walking out of here, I kind of had an idea that I was maybe the front runner.
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And it all just happened so quickly.
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I think within two weeks, I was hired.
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And it s been almost six years.
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Wow.
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That s a journey.
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I feel like most people would think about working at Vogue, and it s like,
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Okay, well, it s a fashion job, but I feel like it s so much more dynamic than that.
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You have to be up to date on pop culture because the fashion piece of it is absolutely crucial, but it s also like for the mainstream, not everyone s into fashion, but
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you want everyone to be into Vogue.
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Is that something that comes naturally to you, or are you just like naturally soaking up pop culture in a way, or are you sort of someone who has to go out and seek it out?
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Like obviously it comes naturally for you with music and musicians, but what about, you know, when it comes to the broader industry, like what is that sort of experience like?
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How do you stay in the know?
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Everything has to do with pop culture right like I remember being growing up and Vogue had a tagline before it s anywhere It s in Vogue right and it always stuck with me like I was obsessed with supermodels back in the day like my walls were covered and like photos of Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell and yeah Turlington Apart from music like supermodels was like my obsession.
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Yeah, I
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So I always paid attention to what fashion magazines were doing.
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And now, everything I do, I pay attention to what s happening in theater, to what s happening in film, in television, in music, with influencers, with TikTok.
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It has to make sense for a vote.
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At the end of the day, it is a fashion brand.
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But you don t want to miss out on something that s happening in pop culture that has nothing to do with fashion.
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Yeah.
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Working at so many different magazines, how has it been different curating for Vogue in all things?
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Because I feel like Vogue is the top dog.
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So it s like, that must be terrifying in a way.
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Like, there s this weight because it s like, it must be taken so seriously.
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And like, how do you
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Is it a gut feeling, like, this feels right?
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Always a gut.
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Okay.
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Like, listen, this is how it works in every single magazine.
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I remember being in every magazine I worked in prior to Vogue, they all paid attention to what was happening at Vogue.
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However, every single brand had an identity.
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Like, something that works for Cosmo may not work for Marie Claire or Elle or Harper s Bazaar or Vogue.
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Something that works for, you know, Harper s Bazaar is not going to work for all those other brands.
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However, once you re in Vogue, you literally could
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go anywhere.
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And I knew that when I started out working at Marie Claire.
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That is the epitome of what s happening in pop culture.
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Here, it s all about your, like, it is your personal opinion.
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You are curating these ideas.
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You go into a meeting with a big staff and you make pitches.
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Like every single publicist, every agent, every manager, they pitch ideas to us.
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We speak to them on a daily basis.
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Like every single booker from every single brand, from every single TV show, you kind of have to know, but you don t always know because you don t, you don t, there s not enough time in the world to watch every TV show, to watch every film, to listen to every single album or single that s sent to you.
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So you kind of have to have a gut reaction to this person.
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And there s always a buzz.
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Like someone will be the first one to discover it.
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I m not the one who s going to discover it.
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I m going to ride the wave.
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But I have to pay attention to what s happening in pop culture.
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And it s my job to walk in every single day and say, I heard about this.
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We should look into
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this person or we should, you know, pay attention to this or what s happening here.
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Maybe they re not ready for Vogue yet, but maybe in two months they will be.
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Yeah.
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And that s how every single magazine works.
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We all function in the same way.
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We all want to be the first to put somebody fresh on the cover who no one has had before.
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Yeah.
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But then you don t want to risk it and put somebody on the cover who no one is going to click on.
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So it s this double-edged sword.
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Every time you do a cover story or a feature or put somebody in a video or invite somebody to the med or bring them to an event, it s always a 50-50.
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You never know.
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Yeah.
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How do you feel like the overall strategy has changed post-social media explosion?
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Social media changed everything.
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Yeah.
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For every single industry out there, for fashion, for entertainment, for every single movie and TV studio, we all have to follow what s happening on social media because talent has even more influence now than ever before because they have anywhere from 10 million to, you know, what, Kim K has 400 million followers on Instagram?
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Talent has more power than ever before, and they have their own platform where they can do anything they want.
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So how is this going to work for both of us?
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Right.
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Like, yes, everybody still wants Vogue, but is it going to be the right thing for both the brand and just because you have 300 million followers doesn t mean that we need to cover that project.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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And if you re doing every single thing under the sun,
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what s the gain in us featuring someone?
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If you live your life on social media, how is that going to be interesting for our audience, right?
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Like, if you already put everything out there, what are you giving to us or W or Vanity Fair or, like, if you re doing 17 covers, what s the point?
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That s a great point.
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It s almost like... It becomes diluted.
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Like, you literally just...
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If you give up everything on social media every single day.
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Yeah.
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Why do you need a cover?
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Like you don t even need it.
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That s so true because it s like there s no story to tell.
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I ve never even thought of it like that.
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It s almost like I think that is probably what makes a cover story so interesting is when you re uncovering something about a public figure that you couldn t really access otherwise.
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Well, everyone is so guarded nowadays.
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I mean, like, every single video you see on Instagram or TikTok, people take, like, 10 different versions of that video and post the best one.
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Like, I mean, I don t want to sound like an old man, but, like, I remember, like, I loved picking up Interview magazine because Madonna just revealed something she hasn t said anywhere else.
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I loved picking up Vanity Fair and reading a story about a cover star where, like, Kourtney Love literally admitted to, like, taking
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drugs during pregnancy, and yes, that backfired on you, and it was a horrible experience for her, but celebrities back in the day weren t that afraid to speak up.
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That s so true.
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Do you feel like the media training of today, like everyone s so media trained, has negatively impacted the industry?
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I mean, everything is controlled.
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At the end of the day, even if you are guarded, it s going to take an amazing writer for you to open up.
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And if you don t want to open up, you shouldn t do press.
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If you have a publicist who says to me, don t ask this person these three topics.
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Yeah.
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Why are they doing an interview?
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Or guess what?
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It s it s our job as a journalist to ask the questions.
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It s your job to say, you know what?
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I don t want to answer that.
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Can we move on?
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Yeah.
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Why do you why does your publicist have to tell me in advance?
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That s don t ask that question.
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If your talent doesn t know how to pivot, then maybe you should do some more media training.
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That s a really, really phenomenal point.
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I think people look at press in this industry as like, maybe less of a, I think talent especially, maybe looks at it less as like a mutually beneficial thing.
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And I feel like a lot of people get really too big in their bridges.
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They re like, no, you need me.
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Vogue, you need me.
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You know what I mean?
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Which is obviously not true.
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We both need each other.
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We both need each other.
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It s like everyone needs each other.
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And that is very fascinating.
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People are just so scared because it s such a witch hunt sort of time that everyone s like so
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Maybe it s always been a witch hunting sort of time.
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It was always a witch hunt.
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The moment paparazzis became a thing, which was what, in the 1950s, celebrities were being followed.
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Politicians were being followed.
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Anyone who in some way was famous was being followed.
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And you wanted to know their secrets.
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And there was Star Magazine and National Enquirer.
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So there was always that witch hunt.
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The moment you become famous, regular people feel like,
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You don t have feelings as a celebrity that you are prepared for anything that comes your way because you chose that life.
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Sure.
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But.
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At the same time, there are boundaries for everyone.
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Yeah.
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Nowadays, you are afraid to speak about anything.
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Yeah.
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Because social media will tear you apart.
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Yeah.
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But all you have to do is don t go on social media.
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I know.
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Don t pay attention.
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Guess what?
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Yeah.
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It s just a bunch of people who are trying to start shit.
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So what about strategy that, like Vogue does YouTube so well, so well.
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Like I, everyone loves the Vogue YouTube channel and it s such like a genius sort of focus.
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I feel like YouTube is a huge focus for Vogue.
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Well, we definitely get more access than I think any other brand.
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And at the end of the day, it all is because of this brand that s been built over, what, like 130 years now?
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It means something.
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It s a status for a lot of people.
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And once you get Vogue, these fashion brands and just brands in general look at you in a different way.
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And you will probably get bigger jobs.
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It is that we need you and you need us moment.
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We have an amazing video team and we literally will brainstorm and pitch ideas.
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Like we have quite a few series that we do on the regular from the getting readies to 24 hours to the cooking series that you did for us now serving 73 questions, life and looks.
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And like, it is a curation.
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Like every single time we have to do an episode, we go through a list of names of who would be the best person
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for that video tied to a project, like, it is all connected.
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And we get access like no one else does, which I m incredibly grateful for because at all my other magazines, I was like struggling.
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And look, not to say that we get everyone we want here.
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Yeah.
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I mean, I feel like almost everyone.
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It s nice to work at a place where for the most part, I can go to most people and they will at least hear me out.
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1,000%.
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But I think it s interesting because this industry was at one point so just physical paper.
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It was just paper.
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And that was the industry as a whole.
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That s it.
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Now- Fully controlled.
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Yes, so controlled.
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Like every single page.
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And there was no social media.
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There was nobody talking about
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Like, we don t like that cover.
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We don t like that person.
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We don t like that interview.
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We don t like the cover line.
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We hate that tiny part in the video.
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It just, it disappeared into the abyss.
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Now, every single thing is under a microscope.
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And we are under a microscope for everything.
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But by the way, I don t feel, I m not going to feel bad for us.
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Like, everyone else goes through the same thing.
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Every single brand, from fashion to entertainment to publishing, we all experience the same problems.
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I mean, it s even more interesting
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though, too, because now, like, being a magazine, you have to do more than just the print.
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You have to do the... Like, there s... It s 360.
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There s the YouTube now.
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There s, like, oh, are we gonna do, like, a merch collection?
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Or are we gonna do this?
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Are we gonna do... Like, there s so much more happening.
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TikTok videos, social media videos... Yeah.
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...behind-the-scenes videos... Yeah.
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...interviews, cover stories, features, .com art.
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I mean, there s so many layers to every single thing we do... Yeah.
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...that sometimes it
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could be a bit overwhelming.
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Well, it s like, it must be harder to maintain this sort of vogue identity when there s so much fucking happening.
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Like you re doing every category all the time.
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And it s like, how do you maintain a strong identity as a brand when you re being spread so thin?
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We all wear like 20 hats.
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That s what it is.
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We do like 20 jobs.
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Yeah.
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And look,
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You don t get into publishing because you re like, I m gonna become rich.
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You get into publishing because you re passionate about pop culture and fashion and music and whatever field you work in in publishing.
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That s your passion.
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And if you re not passionate, you re going to hate your job.
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Yeah.
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You re going to be annoyed.
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You re going to be agitated about every single thing that that s happening.
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It s not an easy job.
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Yeah.
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But we re also not saving lives.
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Yeah.
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We don t have to take ourselves seriously.
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We have to take our job seriously because we get paid to do a job.
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And if you don t want to be here, you don t have to be here.
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You always have a choice.
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But if you re doing this, I mean, my parents taught me from when I was a kid, if you sign up to do something, you have to finish it.
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SPEAKER_01
We have to make it work.
2
SPEAKER_01
I don t know how to explain it, but we have to figure it out.
2
SPEAKER_01
Because if we don t move with this ever-changing industry, we re going to get left behind.
2
SPEAKER_00
The Met Gala, it is the fashion event of the year, of course.
2
SPEAKER_00
How did it get that title?
2
SPEAKER_01
I don t know how to explain the power that Met Gala has now.
2
SPEAKER_01
Most people don t realize it s a fundraiser.
2
SPEAKER_01
It s a fundraiser for the museum, for the Costume Institute, which Anna is obviously heavily involved in, and its main job is to raise money.
2
SPEAKER_01
Every single seat is paid for.
2
SPEAKER_01
Every seat is paid for by a designer or a brand.
2
SPEAKER_01
They re the ones who are bringing talent in support of the museum, so every single seat has to be paid for.
2
SPEAKER_01
Somehow it became the event to go to every single year.
2
SPEAKER_01
Usually it starts the day after the Med Gala ended.
2
SPEAKER_01
So like, this year s Med Gala is May 6th.
2
SPEAKER_01
On May 7th, I will get an email from Anna asking me to work on next year s event.
2
SPEAKER_01
I may not know what the theme is, but she s going to ask me for ideas.
2
SPEAKER_01
The theme comes later.
2
SPEAKER_00
Interesting.
2
SPEAKER_01
I mean, she knows what the theme is.
2
SPEAKER_01
I don t know what the theme is.
2
SPEAKER_00
Oh.
2
SPEAKER_01
I found out about this year s theme, I don t know, maybe six months before.
2
SPEAKER_00
Okay.
2
SPEAKER_01
Everything is kept under a lock and key.
2
SPEAKER_00
Wow.
2
SPEAKER_01
So the day after, she ll say, you know, I have some ideas.
2
SPEAKER_01
I want to hear yours.
2
SPEAKER_01
Yeah.
2
SPEAKER_01
Let s meet.
2
SPEAKER_01
And it literally takes us maybe
2
SPEAKER_01
a few months to brainstorm ideas, then a few more months to figure out who we want to go after for co-chairs, and then the last part of it is music.
2
SPEAKER_01
It s always a surprise.
2
SPEAKER_01
This is my sixth Met, I think.
2
SPEAKER_01
I can t tell you.
2
SPEAKER_01
I am like a kid in a candy store every single time I get to work on the Met.
2
SPEAKER_01
It is so much fun, even when it s like the most hard job on the planet, because there are so many details.
2
SPEAKER_01
And there s a huge team, like we have a huge Vogue team working on The Met every year, and every single detail is thought of.
2
SPEAKER_01
Like every single like napkin, knife, florals, arrangements, chairs.
2
SPEAKER_01
Every single detail is thought about way, way, way in advance.
2
SPEAKER_01
Even the way your name is written on a placement card is thought about and there s a reason for it.
2
SPEAKER_01
It is so fascinating to watch from the sidelines, because I m not really involved in that part.
2
SPEAKER_01
I m involved in the co-chairs, I m involved in the performer, and I m involved in the last month of preparation, and I help with some of the guests.
2
SPEAKER_01
But towards the end, once our team literally places almost everyone.
2
SPEAKER_01
I can t even tell you how many emails and phone calls we get every single day leading up to like the Met, like four months prior to.
2
SPEAKER_01
It will be like 50 to 100 requests for the Met on a daily.
2
SPEAKER_00
Again, it kind of goes back to like, this is fashion.
2
SPEAKER_00
We re not saving lives here.
2
SPEAKER_00
It s like, it s almost like throwing a big birthday party for, you know what I mean?
2
SPEAKER_00
It s like, it s like planning a party.
2
SPEAKER_00
It s fun.
2
SPEAKER_01
But do you get nervous when you get on that red carpet?
2
SPEAKER_00
I do get nervous.
2
SPEAKER_01
You don t show it, though.
2
SPEAKER_00
The one thing I can say that I m good at is my poker face.
2
SPEAKER_00
Like, no one will ever know.
2
SPEAKER_00
I m not afraid of the interviews.
2
SPEAKER_00
I m afraid of the carpet.
2
SPEAKER_00
That s what s scary, because it s like, everybody puts so much effort into making you look good.
2
SPEAKER_00
And now it s up to you to stand there and, like, make it come to life in the face.
2
SPEAKER_00
And you get... It s like a performance, even though all you re doing is, like,
2
SPEAKER_00
standing there like that.
2
SPEAKER_00
But I mean, I think now I m not afraid anymore, maybe.
2
SPEAKER_00
Like maybe this year, I don t think I ll be afraid at all this year.
2
SPEAKER_00
But I mean, I think my heart will beat.
2
SPEAKER_00
I m not going to be afraid, but I ll be exhilarated.
2
SPEAKER_01
I mean, I m sure you ve watched enough episode of America s Next Top Model and Zoolander.
2
SPEAKER_00
You know what s crazy?
2
SPEAKER_00
It s been so many years, and my stylist, Jared, keeps being like, Emma, you need to watch more America s Next Top Model because it ll take you to the next level.
2
SPEAKER_00
You re going to learn how to do things with your face that you didn t even know you could do.
2
SPEAKER_01
Maybe Zoolander.
2
SPEAKER_01
Have you ever seen Zoolander?
2
SPEAKER_01
Do you know what Zoolander is?
2
SPEAKER_00
I m like vaguely familiar.
2
SPEAKER_01
It s a Ben Stiller movie about being a male model.
2
SPEAKER_01
Oh, it s pretty brilliant It has all these cameos from like every celebrity you can imagine Fun all these fashion designers and it s basically it s poking fun of Zoolander.
2
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, but it s absolutely brilliant And he had this look called blue steel.
2
SPEAKER_00
Uh-huh.
2
SPEAKER_01
Maybe you should adapt that for the Met I m gonna adapt blue still for this Matt.
2
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, so that s my home.
2
SPEAKER_01
I totally see it for you
2
SPEAKER_00
I think it s gonna be really, really handsome.
2
SPEAKER_00
Does everything, everything.
2
SPEAKER_00
Like, I m thinking of being Anna, and I m like, there s no way that she s signing off on everything.
2
SPEAKER_01
She does.
2
SPEAKER_01
On everything and on top of that she is at everything we have rehearsals with the performer we have rehearsals with dancers we have fittings we have like we go through like once we re at the Met preparing in that
2
SPEAKER_01
one room, everything is kind of like it gets laid out days in advance.
2
SPEAKER_01
She s there to oversee it all.
2
SPEAKER_01
She s literally there at 10 p.m.
2
SPEAKER_01
at night when we were rehearsing with a performer.
2
SPEAKER_00
Wow.
2
SPEAKER_01
Like I remember my first year and like my first year I literally was like, I don t know how I got here.
2
SPEAKER_01
I hope I don t get escorted.
2
SPEAKER_01
I don t know how I fooled people into thinking that I belong here.
2
SPEAKER_01
But like Poker Face was on 10 that time.
2
SPEAKER_00
Yeah.
2
SPEAKER_01
Cher was the performer.
2
SPEAKER_01
Which was so, like, unreal.
2
SPEAKER_01
Like, this is a, like, icon and legend get thrown around about every single person nowadays.
2
SPEAKER_01
Like, that is a fucking legend.
2
SPEAKER_01
And I remember seeing, going to see Cher the night before her rehearsal at either Barclays or MSG, she was on tour at the time, and going backstage with her publicist.
2
SPEAKER_01
And like being, like it wasn t my first time meeting Cher, but it was just like, you re in such an awe of this woman, the way she talks, like she makes jokes, and the way she looks, like she s just so brilliant.
2
SPEAKER_01
And I was like, I ll see you tomorrow at the rehearsal.
2
SPEAKER_01
We get to the rehearsal, of course, like Anna s there, Cher gets on stage, does her thing, comes off, and she was like,
2
SPEAKER_01
How was it?
2
SPEAKER_01
What do you think?
2
SPEAKER_01
I m like, are you really asking me?
2
SPEAKER_01
Like, how was it?
2
SPEAKER_01
I was like, you literally, this is what I said to her.
2
SPEAKER_01
I go, you literally could sing the phone book and I will fucking listen and say it s the most brilliant album on the planet.
2
SPEAKER_01
I don t care what you sing.
2
SPEAKER_01
I m like, you on that stage is enough.
2
SPEAKER_00
And
2
SPEAKER_01
And I was there for every single rehearsal.
2
SPEAKER_00
Wow.
2
SPEAKER_01
And, like, she loves being a part of this.
2
SPEAKER_00
That s amazing.
2
SPEAKER_01
Like, she s raised something like half a billion dollars for the museum in her, I want to say, like, what, 25 years that she s done The Met?
2
SPEAKER_01
So it s pretty fucking cool.
2
SPEAKER_00
I think that is why it s such a special and culturally sort of significant event is because so much love goes into it.
2
SPEAKER_00
Like, there is a lot of human in it, which I think a lot of people look at something like The Met and they re like, this is just a big event.
2
SPEAKER_00
It s like, no.
2
SPEAKER_01
We re like a bunch of pretty people dressing up.
2
SPEAKER_01
Like, why do we have to pay attention to it?
2
SPEAKER_01
You don t have to.
2
SPEAKER_01
People are just having fun.
2
SPEAKER_01
Our world is so fucking dark.
2
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, right like if this is the one time a year that everyone gets together and has fun Yeah, and you get to watch it from home.
2
SPEAKER_01
It doesn t mean anything
3
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, it s just people having a good time.
3
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, like we ve all been through some shit in the last few years Yeah, like coming to the Met seeing what people are wearing like yeah, it s fun.
3
SPEAKER_00
I don t care what anyone says I have fun.
3
SPEAKER_00
Yep, and even if I wasn t there, I d still would want to see what people are wearing I would be watching you on livestream.
3
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, I would be watching you and Jack Harlow on livestream Yes, no, I mean it s really
3
SPEAKER_01
Honestly, heartwarming to hear that it s fun, because I feel like coming into this interview, I was like, there s no way that this is fun.
3
SPEAKER_01
Like, I was expecting you to tell me, like, this is actually the worst, like, six months of my life before the Met.
3
SPEAKER_01
I mean, I can imagine there are probably some challenging moments when preparing.
3
SPEAKER_00
I mean, listen, of course there s gonna be challenges.
3
SPEAKER_00
Somebody falls out 24 hours before and you have to find a celebrity for a designer because they ran out of ideas.
3
SPEAKER_00
I literally pulled talent the day of the Met.
3
SPEAKER_00
Like, I would call everybody I know and I would say, is anyone available and do they have a look that they can wear to the Met?
3
SPEAKER_00
Like, I remember calling someone at SNL knowing, like,
3
SPEAKER_00
The entire cast is in New York.
3
SPEAKER_03
Yep.
3
SPEAKER_00
Multiple times when somebody would fall out.
3
SPEAKER_03
Wow.
3
SPEAKER_00
And I would be like, can we please get so-and-so to come?
3
SPEAKER_03
Uh-huh.
3
SPEAKER_00
Like, yeah, there are challenges, but like, again, we re not saving lives.
3
SPEAKER_00
Yeah.
3
SPEAKER_00
Placing so like my first year we got to bring so many people that have never been to the Met Like RuPaul s first time at the Met it was theme was camp Oh, who s better to come to the Met than RuPaul?
3
SPEAKER_00
It was the first time RuPaul got shot for American Vogue in his 30-year career Yeah, like I love nothing more than having somebody for the first time.
3
SPEAKER_00
Mm-hmm It makes me as happy as it probably makes them, you know, like having a first man on the cover Yeah
3
SPEAKER_00
Anna and I talked about that for a long time.
3
SPEAKER_00
I think for like a year, I was told, you know, it s a women s magazine.
3
SPEAKER_03
Yeah.
3
SPEAKER_00
So like, you know, a guy solo, like, why would we do that?
3
SPEAKER_00
Let GQ do that.
3
SPEAKER_00
Let, you know, another brand do that.
3
SPEAKER_00
Then we saw everything that was happening with Harry as far as his style and how he was embracing fashion.
3
SPEAKER_00
And like, it just made sense.
3
SPEAKER_03
Yes.
3
SPEAKER_00
And it became, I want to say like,
3
SPEAKER_00
If not the biggest probably like top three biggest of all time.
3
SPEAKER_00
Yep cover wise Social media clicks there were like essays written about like Harry Styles being on the cover of Oh, yeah, and whether it s positive or negative The point is that people are reacting like you don t want people to just not care Yeah, like whether it s a positive reaction or negative reaction people care about what we re doing And I m not gonna sit here and say like I take everything so seriously like this is
3
SPEAKER_00
I am the word.
3
SPEAKER_00
If it s not in vogue, I don t care.
3
SPEAKER_00
No, that s not.
3
SPEAKER_00
When I worked at Marie Claire, I gave as much passion to what I was doing there as I did at Seventeen, as I did at Women s Health and Redbook, and I do it vogue now.
3
SPEAKER_00
For me, again, it goes back to my mom always telling me, if you start something, you have to finish.
3
SPEAKER_00
So everything I do here, no matter how hard it is, at the end of the day,
3
SPEAKER_00
I don t have a real office job.
3
SPEAKER_00
I get to work with creative people.
3
SPEAKER_00
We get to put cool people in clothes.
3
SPEAKER_00
We get to shoot them.
3
SPEAKER_00
We get to bring them to events.
3
SPEAKER_00
We get to do videos with them.
3
SPEAKER_00
We get to, in some way, be a part of this pop culture train.
3
SPEAKER_00
And I have to enjoy it, because if I started hating on every single thing that, in some way, agitates me or annoys me, I m gonna be a miserable fucker, and I don t wanna be that.
3
SPEAKER_00
But then gummies help, too.
3
SPEAKER_00
I have to get home, and I have to pop a gummy.
3
SPEAKER_01
Obviously, one time I popped a gummy though, and I had a full freak out, like a little Kamino gummy, you know?
3
SPEAKER_00
Oh, Kamino are my favorite.
3
SPEAKER_01
Oh, well, don t, the Yuzu ones, I had two of them once, and went into like a 12 hour- 10 milligram or five?
3
SPEAKER_01
I, oh, I think I took two fives.
3
SPEAKER_00
That s nothing.
3
SPEAKER_01
That s what I thought.
3
SPEAKER_01
Full?
3
SPEAKER_01
Oh, maybe they were 10s.
3
SPEAKER_01
They were probably 10.
3
SPEAKER_00
Man, I had two Caminos at a Taylor Swift, and then two Caminos at Beyonce, and it was the best experience I ve ever had at a concert, ever.
3
SPEAKER_00
Like, I literally thought I was flowing on a cloud.
3
SPEAKER_00
It was incredible.
3
SPEAKER_00
Like, especially during Beyonce, because Renaissance is literally fucking perfection.
3
SPEAKER_00
And every single song, with a gummy, you re in heaven.
3
SPEAKER_01
With a gummy?
3
SPEAKER_00
In heaven.
3
SPEAKER_01
Oh my god, I m so jealous.
3
SPEAKER_01
I, like, traumatized myself with the gummy.
3
SPEAKER_01
When it comes to The Met, there s a theme.
3
SPEAKER_01
And that is very important to the event.
3
SPEAKER_01
However, it seems that that tends to be where the drama is.
3
SPEAKER_01
Did people follow the theme?
3
SPEAKER_01
No one understands the theme.
3
SPEAKER_01
Also, though, to a lot of brands, I think.
3
SPEAKER_01
Don t really want to do the theme.
3
SPEAKER_01
Like I feel like there s this sort of, or they like, they re like, we love this.
3
SPEAKER_01
You know what I mean?
3
SPEAKER_01
How important is the theme to Vogue?
3
SPEAKER_01
And how important is it that people follow the theme?
3
SPEAKER_01
Because I feel like a lot of times the internet
3
SPEAKER_01
will get mad on Vogue s behalf when people don t follow the theme.
3
SPEAKER_01
Because Anna approves looks somewhat.
3
SPEAKER_00
I wouldn t say it s approves.
3
SPEAKER_00
Like, she is involved.
3
SPEAKER_00
She s aware.
3
SPEAKER_00
Especially with, like, our co-chairs and our performers and, you know, the people that we do have relationships with.
3
SPEAKER_03
Yep.
3
SPEAKER_00
They ll ask her opinion.
3
SPEAKER_03
Yep.
3
SPEAKER_00
And I m sure, like, look, I m not in those conversations.
3
SPEAKER_03
Yeah.
3
SPEAKER_00
Don t ask me about fashion because I don t care.
3
SPEAKER_00
Like, I know I work at a fashion magazine, but like, you re wearing a dress, amazing.
3
SPEAKER_00
You either look good or you don t.
3
SPEAKER_00
For me, however, I think in my, this is my sixth year here, the only time that I saw pretty much everybody on theme was camp.
3
SPEAKER_00
Because it s easy to, like, interpret camp.
3
SPEAKER_00
It s somewhat fun, it s a little cheesy, it s a little over the top, and...
3
SPEAKER_00
It was an iconic year.
3
SPEAKER_00
I ve seen camp now every single year since camp.
3
SPEAKER_01
I know, it s true.
3
SPEAKER_01
Everyone wants to be camp now.
3
SPEAKER_00
And my favorite story, okay, going back to Cher.
3
SPEAKER_00
Yes, yes.
3
SPEAKER_00
So the night before at the rehearsals, I was like, what are you wearing?
3
SPEAKER_00
She s like, well, I m not doing red carpet.
3
SPEAKER_00
I m like, well, why not?
3
SPEAKER_00
She s like, obviously nobody knows that I m coming, that I m performing.
3
SPEAKER_00
I don t need to dress up.
3
SPEAKER_00
I m like, well, you probably don t need to because so many people are coming as you.
3
SPEAKER_03
Yeah.
3
SPEAKER_00
And she goes, what do you mean so many people are coming as me?
3
SPEAKER_00
I m like, you re Cher.
3
SPEAKER_00
Like, you are the definition of camp.
3
SPEAKER_00
Like, Bob Mackie, camp.
3
SPEAKER_00
Like, Bob Mackie is an incredible designer.
3
SPEAKER_00
He s a master.
3
SPEAKER_00
But like, definition of camp.
3
SPEAKER_00
Like, when I think of camp, I think of Vegas, over the top, like feathers and jewelry and
3
SPEAKER_00
Yeah blingy like it is you are cam.
3
SPEAKER_00
Yes.
3
SPEAKER_00
She goes bullshit.
3
SPEAKER_00
She literally goes bullshit Then next day I see her like she arrives.
3
SPEAKER_00
I see her I go.
3
SPEAKER_00
Did you look at the carpet?
3
SPEAKER_00
Because I did quite a few people dressed as me like literally dressed as me because that s why I changed my mind She goes I m literally gonna perform in jeans and my puffer
3
SPEAKER_00
Cher is not in camp, but she s wearing jeans and a puffer because she saw so many, that year was literally like Jennifer Lopez came in inspired by Cher.
3
SPEAKER_00
Emily Ratajkowski came in inspired by Cher.
3
SPEAKER_00
There were literally I think like six or seven people, my brain doesn t work well clearly because of the gummies.
3
SPEAKER_00
But there was so many people just to share.
3
SPEAKER_00
And it was just so funny to see this woman who literally is the epitome of the word.
3
SPEAKER_00
Was like, no, I m gonna let you all have it.
3
SPEAKER_00
I m gonna wear jeans.
3
SPEAKER_01
That s so good.
3
SPEAKER_00
It was kind of amazing.
3
SPEAKER_01
That s so good.
3
SPEAKER_01
The performers do go on the carpet or don t?
3
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, like sometimes they do.
3
SPEAKER_00
It s up to them.
3
SPEAKER_00
Like Lizzo was the performer last year.
3
SPEAKER_00
She was on the carpet.
3
SPEAKER_00
Lenny Kravitz was the performer two years ago.
3
SPEAKER_00
He was on the carpet.
3
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, it depends.
3
SPEAKER_00
Like, if you want it, you can.
3
SPEAKER_00
If you don t, you don t have to.
3
SPEAKER_01
Yeah.
3
SPEAKER_01
I mean, it is kind of interesting.
3
SPEAKER_01
Like, it s a dinner, but... Nobody eats.
3
SPEAKER_00
Come on.
3
SPEAKER_01
But no one eats.
3
SPEAKER_01
I know.
3
SPEAKER_01
Except for me.
3
SPEAKER_01
I am not kidding.
3
SPEAKER_01
The first year, the first year I remember so vividly, I come in and I m starving.
3
SPEAKER_01
I m like, I m so hungry.
3
SPEAKER_01
Like, we ve just been... Well, I also do the interviews, so it s like I m there for like five hours just interviewing and like whatever.
3
SPEAKER_01
So I m like...
3
SPEAKER_00
Okay, you re making it sound like we make it work for that long.
3
SPEAKER_00
You interview for two hours, but you re around for like five.
3
SPEAKER_01
Yes.
3
SPEAKER_00
You do have to be there early.
3
SPEAKER_01
So they make me interview for 24 hours straight.
3
SPEAKER_00
Oh my God, we are horrible.
3
SPEAKER_01
No, and it s the best joy of my absolute life.
3
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, because you and Jack have this thing.
3
SPEAKER_00
We just have this thing.
3
SPEAKER_00
That you created.
3
SPEAKER_00
That we ve created.
3
SPEAKER_00
You only come for Jack.
3
SPEAKER_00
I know that.
3
SPEAKER_01
Well, now it s like I can t leave him hanging.
3
SPEAKER_01
Like if he walks up and it s not me, he s going to be heartbroken and it s going to be so sad.
3
SPEAKER_00
It s like Billie Eilish for Vanity Fair.
3
SPEAKER_00
We have to get that video.
3
SPEAKER_01
That s so true.
3
SPEAKER_00
I think this is your fourth year hosting or third?
3
SPEAKER_01
This is my... One, two, three, four.
3
SPEAKER_01
I think it s the fourth.
3
SPEAKER_00
And have we had him on all three years with you or no?
3
SPEAKER_00
The last two.
3
SPEAKER_00
Okay, so we need a third.
3
SPEAKER_01
So this will be our third.
3
SPEAKER_01
Lucky third.
3
SPEAKER_00
We re going to have to continue, yeah.
3
SPEAKER_01
I think the third is going to be the best.
3
SPEAKER_01
You know what I mean?
3
SPEAKER_01
What s the week of the Met for you?
3
SPEAKER_01
Summarize.
4
SPEAKER_00
Uh, it depends.
4
SPEAKER_00
This week I have a cover shoot literally like a few days before the Met.
4
SPEAKER_00
Actually two cover shoots, one in LA, one in New York, and I have to go to both of them.
4
SPEAKER_00
Oh, ouch.
4
SPEAKER_00
Like literally four days before.
4
SPEAKER_00
Leading up, I m telling you, like, it is like clockwork.
4
SPEAKER_00
Somebody will fall out and it will be anywhere between four to ten people.
4
SPEAKER_00
Someone will get sick.
4
SPEAKER_00
Someone s schedule will change with their production.
4
SPEAKER_00
And you either have to replace a person or figure out what to do with that seat.
4
SPEAKER_00
So there s always those issues to deal with.
4
SPEAKER_00
Rehearsals, we always have a pre-party.
4
SPEAKER_00
We get an insane amount of emails for after parties, which we have nothing to do with.
4
SPEAKER_00
But we still have to answer those questions Because you can t ignore people I literally respond to every single email well day of the Met is insane though Yeah, I usually get anywhere between 200 to like 600 text messages as people are arriving or publicist will be like so-and-so is on their way Can you look out for them?
4
SPEAKER_00
I m like yes.
4
SPEAKER_00
I m at the top of the stairs.
4
SPEAKER_00
I will see everyone arrives Yeah, you don t have to tell me that yeah like I say hi to everyone yep
4
SPEAKER_00
I usually work with Lala at the top of the stairs pulling talent for all of her interviews.
4
SPEAKER_00
So I m Lala s bitch for the night.
4
SPEAKER_00
And that s a pretty cool thing to do because I know most people that come up.
4
SPEAKER_00
And a lot of them don t want to be on camera and talk.
4
SPEAKER_00
They just want to go inside and have a good time.
4
SPEAKER_00
And I literally have to force some people to do interviews.
4
SPEAKER_00
It literally happens every single time.
4
SPEAKER_00
J.Lo last year did not want to be on camera.
4
SPEAKER_00
And I was like, Jennifer, you cannot not do this.
4
SPEAKER_00
and it took, like, good convincing.
4
SPEAKER_01
Yeah.
4
SPEAKER_01
But they re always glad, I think, that they did it.
4
SPEAKER_00
Poor Nikki last year.
4
SPEAKER_00
She had a problem with her look.
4
SPEAKER_01
Uh-huh.
4
SPEAKER_00
The top kept falling.
4
SPEAKER_01
Yeah.
4
SPEAKER_00
And she did not want to be on camera.
4
SPEAKER_00
And she kept holding on to her dress.
4
SPEAKER_01
Oh.
4
SPEAKER_00
And I was like, I promise you, 30 seconds.
4
SPEAKER_00
That s all I need.
4
SPEAKER_00
Yeah.
4
SPEAKER_00
I m begging you.
4
SPEAKER_00
I m like, I just, like, I love Nikki so much.
4
SPEAKER_01
Yeah.
4
SPEAKER_00
But I also love Cardi, so I don t want people to be like, he picks people.
4
SPEAKER_00
He picks his favorites.
4
SPEAKER_01
You don t have favorites.
4
SPEAKER_00
I don t have babies.
4
SPEAKER_01
These are all your children.
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SPEAKER_00
I love them all.
4
SPEAKER_00
Yeah.
4
SPEAKER_00
And literally 30 seconds in front of the camera.
4
SPEAKER_00
She was so uncomfortable, but they do it.
4
SPEAKER_00
And, you know, that s where the charming Sergio comes out.
4
SPEAKER_01
Yeah.
4
SPEAKER_00
Oh, yeah.
4
SPEAKER_00
I have to turn that on because.
4
SPEAKER_01
Of course.
4
SPEAKER_00
It could be quite the asshole sometimes.
4
SPEAKER_01
So maybe you fit into Devil Wears Prada.
4
SPEAKER_00
No, I m kidding, you don t.
4
SPEAKER_00
Maybe the September issue.
4
SPEAKER_00
Did you ever see that?
4
SPEAKER_01
No.
4
SPEAKER_00
Okay, it s the most brilliant documentary about making of a September issue for Vogue.
4
SPEAKER_01
Oh!
4
SPEAKER_01
You know what?
4
SPEAKER_00
From like many, many years ago.
4
SPEAKER_01
I was gonna say, I might have seen that.
4
SPEAKER_00
I think like 15 years ago?
4
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, but maybe I watched half of that.
4
SPEAKER_01
Yeah.
4
SPEAKER_01
Well, it s insane.
4
SPEAKER_01
I didn t know about the significance of the September issue until, I don t know, like three, like, you know, it s, it is interesting how it s like.
4
SPEAKER_00
Well, September and March are considered like the fashion issues.
4
SPEAKER_00
You always want to have someone
4
SPEAKER_00
super cool or someone with a big project or a big supermodel and it s, you know, it s the thing.
4
SPEAKER_01
It s the thing.
4
SPEAKER_01
So we have how long until the Met?
4
SPEAKER_01
How are you feeling now?
4
SPEAKER_01
How are you sleeping now?
4
SPEAKER_01
Are you like, is life pretty normal for now?
4
SPEAKER_00
No, it s a little stressful.
4
SPEAKER_01
It s already getting stressful.
4
SPEAKER_00
Because now is when I start to get frantic phone calls from people who have not gotten in yet.
4
SPEAKER_00
So it s like, hey, can you help us in any way?
4
SPEAKER_00
And I m not in those conversations.
4
SPEAKER_00
Like, I don t talk to designers.
4
SPEAKER_00
I don t convince them to bring talent.
4
SPEAKER_01
Yeah.
4
SPEAKER_00
And I become the middleman between talent and our Met Gala team.
4
SPEAKER_01
Well, yeah, I feel like a lot of people listening are probably like, how do you even get invited?
4
SPEAKER_01
How do you get invited?
4
SPEAKER_00
Mostly it s relationships, right?
4
SPEAKER_00
So like a brand has relationships with talent.
4
SPEAKER_01
Yep.
4
SPEAKER_00
Just like we know who s right for our cover and who s right for our videos and what people we want to put a spotlight on.
4
SPEAKER_00
Brands have their people.
4
SPEAKER_01
Yep.
4
SPEAKER_00
And those are the people they want to take to the Met.
4
SPEAKER_00
They will check on their availability before they go out to anyone else.
4
SPEAKER_01
Right.
4
SPEAKER_00
So if you have a relationship with the brand, that s the best way to go.
4
SPEAKER_00
But here s the kicker.
4
SPEAKER_00
Nobody ever knows which designers are coming to the Met.
4
SPEAKER_00
So publicists will literally go to like 50 brands to see who s coming to the Met that year.
4
SPEAKER_00
And typically it s not like...
4
SPEAKER_01
Every year, different brands are like, we re gonna make this investment.
4
SPEAKER_00
Everyone always says, well they ve been before, why can t they come back?
4
SPEAKER_00
And it s not about that.
4
SPEAKER_00
Of course they can come back.
4
SPEAKER_00
If a brand wants to bring you, absolutely fine by us.
4
SPEAKER_00
But at the same time, we also want to bring in different people every year.
4
SPEAKER_00
You don t want to have the same group of people every single time.
4
SPEAKER_00
Even Rihanna doesn t want to come every single year.
4
SPEAKER_00
Beyonce doesn t want to come every single year.
4
SPEAKER_00
Just because you ve been before doesn t mean that you have to come every single year.
4
SPEAKER_00
You want to have a different crowd.
4
SPEAKER_01
You want to vary it and let room for new people to circle in.
4
SPEAKER_00
When you think about it, it s not that big a room.
4
SPEAKER_00
It s like 425 seats, maybe 450 seats, depending on a year.
4
SPEAKER_00
I think before I started, they met with something like 600, 700 people.
4
SPEAKER_00
It has gone down significantly because that room is just so packed.
4
SPEAKER_00
And everybody wants to get in.
4
SPEAKER_01
Yeah.
4
SPEAKER_01
What s like a little secret, like a little Met Gala secret or a little Met Gala fact that you feel like people don t know that would be interesting to them?
4
SPEAKER_00
how much I have to fight to get certain people in.
4
SPEAKER_00
Oh.
4
SPEAKER_00
Especially performer, right?
4
SPEAKER_00
Because so many people have ideas.
4
SPEAKER_01
Yeah.
4
SPEAKER_00
Like we have a director.
4
SPEAKER_00
There s always going to be like a brilliant director attached to The Met.
4
SPEAKER_00
Most people probably don t know, but Baz Luhrmann has an amazing, like this long standing relationship with Anna and Baz works on The Met.
4
SPEAKER_00
Baz is like a brilliant film director.
4
SPEAKER_00
He always has a vision.
4
SPEAKER_00
And for the last few years, like,
4
SPEAKER_00
It s a group of people that decide on who the performer is.
4
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, and you literally have to do you know a song and dance Yeah, thank God.
4
SPEAKER_00
I don t have a voice because like that entire room would be running but I do have a way of
4
SPEAKER_00
Somehow convincing our team that we should lean a certain way That s probably the hardest part every single year like co-chairs are easy because it s all Anna Yeah, the performer like most people like there s like a group of people and everyone has their own opinion Yeah, I don t know if that answers your question.
4
SPEAKER_01
It s not that s a great fact It s sort of like there s different ideas and a lot of different voices and a lot of different whatever and it s like when it comes to making certain decisions
4
SPEAKER_01
that everyone has their own kind of idea, agenda, you know what I mean?
4
SPEAKER_01
Like, oh, I love this.
4
SPEAKER_01
I think this would be so good.
4
SPEAKER_01
And then it s trying to find the best option.
4
SPEAKER_00
The best fit.
4
SPEAKER_01
Yeah.
4
SPEAKER_01
That s what it really comes down to.
4
SPEAKER_00
That s all it is.
4
SPEAKER_01
That s all it is.
4
SPEAKER_01
I m so excited for this year.
4
SPEAKER_01
Are you excited?
4
SPEAKER_00
Are you- Have you figured out what you re wearing?
4
SPEAKER_01
I- Okay, it s- Have you had fittings?
4
SPEAKER_01
I ve had one fitting, and we did sketches.
4
SPEAKER_01
I ve had about two or three calls, and it s happening, and it s the most on theme I ve ever been, which I know you don t care about as much, but it s- No, I love seeing people on theme.
4
SPEAKER_01
This one s really on theme, which I m stoked about, because I feel like in the past, it s maybe not ended up being as on theme.
4
SPEAKER_01
It s been great, and I love it, but I m like, this is not-
4
SPEAKER_01
Quite on theme as much as I want to be like I want to be on Theme I mean look it s hard to get there though.
4
SPEAKER_00
Oh great theme this year though this year s theme is truly like The most famous line from devil wears Prada right like florals for spring groundbreaking.
4
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, like it s the only time you can literally use that as
4
SPEAKER_00
The theme for the Met yeah, and I don t think anyone like I I think people are either really thinking that it s florals for spring Which it really isn t yeah like the from what I understand.
4
SPEAKER_00
This is my interpretation Yeah, the exhibit features all these like incredible gowns and dresses that have been locked away for many years yep, and They re being reawakened.
4
SPEAKER_01
Yeah
4
SPEAKER_00
So yes, sleeping beauty, florals in some way, but it s about rebirth.
4
SPEAKER_00
It s about, you know, florals to spring.
4
SPEAKER_01
Yeah.
4
SPEAKER_01
I think when you re somebody who s into fashion, you re like, this is a great little challenge.
4
SPEAKER_01
It sort of puts, it changes what you re able to do in a fun way.
4
SPEAKER_00
I mean, I feel like you have really grown so much as a,
4
SPEAKER_00
Livestream host.
4
SPEAKER_00
I mean, I don t live stream like you a part of a live stream.
4
SPEAKER_00
You re a part of live stream Yeah, I ve stream host but you have grown so much because I remember that first year and how nervous you were.
4
SPEAKER_01
Oh Like you were you were freaking out I was freaking out also no no It wasn t bad because you actually did a really great job with all of your interviews Except for the most important one who with Anna you oh you had an interview with Anna
5
SPEAKER_01
I didn t realize never got posted it was what happens really the microphone wasn t quite working um Is that the excuse?
5
SPEAKER_01
Well, it was kind of me not knowing how to use the microphone.
5
SPEAKER_01
Listen, I was like Having a hard time like switching it back and forth.
5
SPEAKER_01
That s before we miked me and then I could just hold the mic like this Which we figured out we did that immediately after because we were like I can t because people just don t talk like that Like I m not used to this even when you re like Ryan Seacrest.
5
SPEAKER_00
Well, you needed the two mics or
5
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, it was just not right.
5
SPEAKER_01
So anyway, so that was that.
5
SPEAKER_01
We fixed that immediately after and then everything became way better.
5
SPEAKER_01
But I was like, she is going to never have me back.
5
SPEAKER_01
Like, I was certain of it after that.
5
SPEAKER_01
And I couldn t have blamed her because, you know, I mean, in such a... She was the first one of the day.
5
SPEAKER_01
The very first one.
5
SPEAKER_00
Well, yeah, because she s the first one to arrive.
5
SPEAKER_00
She s always the first one to arrive.
5
SPEAKER_01
So it was like,
5
SPEAKER_01
It was basically doomed, but she, you know what, she was patient with me.
5
SPEAKER_00
Listen, most people have a very wrong idea of Anna and how she is.
5
SPEAKER_00
No, she s- Anna corrects jokes in meetings.
5
SPEAKER_00
Anna is fun.
5
SPEAKER_00
Anna has brilliant comebacks when you say something funny.
5
SPEAKER_00
I ve had incredible experiences over my career with so many really smart, brilliant people who have taught me so much.
5
SPEAKER_00
Every single day I leave here, I feel like I ve accomplished something.
5
SPEAKER_00
Every single day.
5
SPEAKER_00
Like this is not bullshit.
5
SPEAKER_00
I don t stay at jobs that I don t need that.
5
SPEAKER_00
I don t want to stay in I don t have that fixation on like what will I do without this like I literally come from nothing We came to this country with two pieces of luggage.
5
SPEAKER_00
Mm-hmm.
5
SPEAKER_00
Like if somebody takes all of this away tomorrow.
5
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, I ll be fine I ll start all over again.
5
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, however, I do appreciate like I am the first person who was gonna be Incredibly grateful for every opportunity that comes my way.
5
SPEAKER_01
Absolutely.
5
SPEAKER_00
I get to work with someone who literally changed the face of this industry Yeah
5
SPEAKER_00
I get to learn from this person every single day.
5
SPEAKER_00
I get to walk into that office every day and have any conversation I want with her and she will listen because we ve established a relationship now where I contribute to what she s doing.
5
SPEAKER_00
I am of help and I ve proven myself.
5
SPEAKER_00
I would think that I ve proven myself in almost six years of working here.
5
SPEAKER_00
So like I
5
SPEAKER_00
greatly appreciate every single thing she brings to the table, whether I agree with my boss or not.
5
SPEAKER_00
At the end of the day, she has been doing this much longer than I have.
5
SPEAKER_00
And for the most part, she knows better than I do.
5
SPEAKER_00
This job is about challenges.
5
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, like she challenges me, and I hope that in some way I challenge her yeah when she does not Know someone and it s my job to make her and the rest of our team See why this person is important to cover why this person is important to come to the med why this person is important for a feature or a cover story or a video and
5
SPEAKER_00
I appreciate working here because I work on a level that everyone else wants to work on as far as this brand, because I come from six other brands.
5
SPEAKER_00
I ve been here, I ve worked at so many other companies, and we always talked about what this brand does.
5
SPEAKER_00
So I am grateful for this opportunity, and I work my ass off because I actually enjoy seeing the fruits of my labor.
5
SPEAKER_01
Like her work ethic is unlike anything I ve ever heard about in my life.
5
SPEAKER_00
I ll get an email at like 5.30 in the morning.
5
SPEAKER_00
Mind you, I m not awake at 5.30 in the morning.
5
SPEAKER_00
But when I look at my emails in the morning, I m like, oh, 5.30 a.m.
5
SPEAKER_00
Cool.
5
SPEAKER_01
I don t understand how she does it.
5
SPEAKER_00
And she s here every single day.
5
SPEAKER_00
She comes in in the morning.
5
SPEAKER_00
She leaves in the evening.
5
SPEAKER_00
Always available.
5
SPEAKER_00
She responds to every single email I send.
5
SPEAKER_01
It s like... She s somehow at every fashion show, too.
5
SPEAKER_01
I don t know how she does it.
5
SPEAKER_00
Every fashion show, every big event, she...
5
SPEAKER_00
She cares about this brand, so if my boss cares and my boss has a lot more on her plate than I do, then I certainly have to step up every single time I come into the building or I get to work on any event with her.
5
SPEAKER_00
We just got to work on the Biden campaign on this massive fundraiser, the biggest fundraiser in history at Radio City Music Hall.
5
SPEAKER_00
And if you would have told me as a 12-year-old kid that I m going to be working
5
SPEAKER_00
on this mega presidential campaign with Clinton, Obama, and Biden, with all these performers, I would have laughed in your face because it is so outside of what I know.
5
SPEAKER_00
But I get to work on this because of Anna.
5
SPEAKER_00
So at the end of the day, I have to admire and appreciate and be grateful for these opportunities.
5
SPEAKER_00
And The Met is one of them.
5
SPEAKER_00
I used to watch it like literally every single day.
5
SPEAKER_00
I mean every single day.
5
SPEAKER_00
Every single year.
5
SPEAKER_00
So to be able to work on here on the Met every year now is pretty fucking cool.
5
SPEAKER_01
So fucking cool.
5
SPEAKER_01
Oh my god.
5
SPEAKER_01
This was amazing.
5
SPEAKER_01
This is it?
5
SPEAKER_00
Are we done?
5
SPEAKER_00
Are you not going to sing?
5
SPEAKER_01
Well, I guess, you know what, I m gonna sing at the Met.
5
SPEAKER_01
I m gonna sing at the Met.
5
SPEAKER_00
Amazing, you re the performer.
5
SPEAKER_01
So this is my big announcement.
5
SPEAKER_01
I am the performer, so I m putting out my first album.
5
SPEAKER_01
It s similar to Adele, just a little bit different.
5
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, I feel like we re good.
5
SPEAKER_01
That was amazing.
5
SPEAKER_01
That was, like, incredible.