Nikki Bazzani is a coffee-addicted creator, with a long-time love for all things technology, travel and interior design. Ever since the infamous milk mustache Got Milk? campaign she was hooked on the world of advertising. After earning her Communications degree, she spent 8 years honing her craft in the modern world of advertising as a social media maven. Today, she is the lead of Pin Factory, an in house creative studio, at Pinterest.
Director of Social Media and Integrated Marketing
One Kings Lane
Rosie D’Argenzio is the Director of Social Media and Integrated Marketing at One Kings Lane, overseeing all of the brand’s partnerships, public relations, social and content strategy. She has been with the company for the past four years, playing a major role in developing a successful content and social strategy that has driven eight times as much traffic to the site and year over year growth of 125 percent on social channels.
Prior to One Kings Lane, Rosie spent over 12 years in the editorial space, having served as Style Editor at Veranda Magazine and Executive Editor of California Homes Magazine where she developed market reports, produced and wrote features stories and styled shoots.
Although a California native, Rosie currently lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with her husband. She is obsessed with all things interiors, and as evidenced by her Instagram (@rosiedargenzio).
Lizzie Fortunado, Founder and Creative Director
Lizzie Fortunato Jewels
Kathryn Fortunato, Co-Founder and Director of Sales and Operations
Lizzie Fortunato Jewels
Lizzie Fortunato is the founder and Creative Director of Lizzie Fortunato Jewels. Lizzie Fortunato graduated from Duke University in 2006 with a double major in English and Art History, and following a year at fashion PR firm Paul Wilmot, launched the Lizzie Fortunato label. Today Fortunato still makes every first sample by hand and is deeply involved in design, production and branding for the line. Lizzie manages the company’s social media (@LFJewels) and authors A Fortune Found, a blog that chronicles the people, fashion, art, travels and moods that inform her work. In addition to creative directing the Lizzie Fortunato accessories line (which is sold at Neiman Marcus, Kirna Zabete, Le Bon Marche, and high end retailers internationally) Lizzie has consulted for larger accessories companies and collaborated with ready to wear designers including SUNO, Tome, and Jenni Kayne.
Kathryn Fortunato is the co-founder and Director of Sales and Operations at Lizzie Fortunato Jewels. A graduate of Duke University who started her career at Goldman Sachs focusing on Risk Management in the Investment Banking Division, Kathryn oversees the daily operations, including sales, finances and strategy for Lizzie Fortunato, which she joined in 2010. She also consults with other young designers and fashion brands to implement strategies around financial and brand management.
Meet Monica Lavin, an independent content publisher, stylist and the founder of Lavin Label. She is also a contributor for Southern Living’s The Daily South and the Southern C. Monica also creates pins for Fortune 100 companies through her partnership with Pinterest. Her work has been featured on Pottery Barn, Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James, World Market, The Glitter Guide, Savannah Magazine, Golden Isles Magazine, Southern Living and more.
Lavin Label offers entertaining, style and travel inspiration through unique visual storytelling. Monica is well versed in social influence and emerging technology, through her work at NASA, and most recent job as Communications Director for Information Technology at the College of Charleston.
Monica’s expertise in technology and refined taste in all things lifestyle merge to provide a fresh perspective on storytelling that captivates her followers and inspires them to become part of her story. Monica calls St. Simons Island, Georgia home, where she resides with her husband and two English Springer Spaniel pups.
B. 1986, Gray Malin is a modern day fine-art photographer and New York Times best selling author. His work hangs in homes across the world and is owned by private and public collectors.
Forging his work into a larger lifestyle, Gray launched his namesake brand in 2013.
Malin’s early notable work, Prada Marfa (2010), put him on the radar of fashion and art enthusiasts. He since has created private collections in remote locations such as Antarctica, Namibia and Bhutan while also developing commercial recognition for inventive aerial beach, ski and park scenes from around the world. Malin is also well known for his conceptual fine-art series like Gray Malin at the Parker which features exotic animals living within the famed hotel. His first public art installation is currently on view on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, curated by the City of West Hollywood.
Malin has collaborated with global brands such as Veuve Clicquot, Sperry Top-Sider, and Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, engaging diverse audiences to experience his work in new ways.
Malin’s first monograph, BEACHES, documenting five years of work spanning twenty cities over six continents was released in May 2016 and was recently awarded the accolade of New York Times Best Seller.
Steele Marcoux has been editor of Coastal Living since April 2015. This marked a return to Time Inc. and Coastal Living for Steele, who had most recently served as Executive Editor at Country Living. Previously, she was the Design Editor at Southern Living in 2013 and prior to that held the same position at Coastal Living. She has been a freelance writer, editor and producer for Time Inc. titles and a number of others including HGTV Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens and more. Steele is from Atlanta, where she attended the Westminster Schools. After graduating from Williams College, she lived in Washington, DC for three years before returning to the south to pursue a graduate degree in American History at the University of Alabama. Steele lives in Birmingham, AL with her husband, two sons, and her dog.
In 2012 Bailey McCarthy realized through her design work that there was a lack of heirloom quality bedding for her generation. She created Biscuit as a brand that would fill this space by designing and selling luxury bedding with fun designer prints, keeping the process rooted in the tradition of south and manufactured in the USA.
Tori Mellott is legendary in the design world for her pitch perfect taste. The Market Editor at Traditional Home got her start in shelter magazines at now-defunct HomeStyle magazine and worked as an assistant to renowned designer Elizabeth Mayhew. But she really made a name for herself as Decoration Editor at Domino, where images of her own apartments zoomed virally through the blogosphere long before the days of Pinterest. She is a frequent host of Editor at Large.
Author, illustrator, professional memory-keeper and self-professed confetti addict, when it comes to parties, there isn’t much that Darcy Miller won’t celebrate. Over the course of more than twenty years as the editorial director of Martha Stewart Weddings, and now as editor-at-large, Darcy has become a leading celebrations expert. She is the author and illustrator of CELEBRATE EVERYTHING! (William Morrow, 2016), her second book, in which she shares her tips, inspirations and favorite parties. She is also the author of OUR WEDDING SCRAPBOOK (William Morrow, 2004). Known for her ingenuity, creativity, and distinctive drawings, Darcy is committed to making life a celebration and is known for throwing a party you’ll never forget—and creative ways to document it so that you’ll remember it forever. Darcy believes in finding a reason to celebrate all of life’s moments, from the everyday to your biggest day. Though she’s worked on parties in every size, style and budget, her favorite fêtes are the ones she’s hosted for her husband and three daughters at home in New York City.
James Nord is the Co-Founder and CEO of Fohr Card, which builds technology that helps brands and influencers work together more efficiently. Fohr Card uses millions of data points and fairly complex algorithms to help make the best influencer recommendations, set fair market pricing and report on the efficacy of a brand’s social-media campaigns. Over the last 3 years, Fohr Card has paid out millions of dollars to their influencers and helped brands like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Estee Lauder and Jaguar improve their influencer strategy.
Prior to starting Fohr Card, James was one of the most followed photographers on Tumblr and leveraged that following into a lot of free clothes and gigs with Oscar de la Renta, Thom Browne, Puma and Stella Artois.
Jessica Romm is the Editor-in-Chief at Domino magazine. Jessica is a style expert with a career working for prominent media properties and brands identifying and driving trends in design, home decor, fashion and style. Recognized as a style expert for national and local media outlets, Jessica has written and edited for many publications including GQ, Elle Decor, Elle, Conde Nast Traveler, Martha Stewart Living, the Off Duty section of The Wall Street Journal.
Waiting On Martha’s founder and curator, Mandy Kellogg Rye, lives by one mantra, “Life should be lived beautifully every single day.” Drawn to the “finer things” at an early age, her mother taught her how to appreciate beauty while her father how to create beauty.
A Michigan native, Mandy left the mitten behind and headed to Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois where she graduated with dreams of becoming a high-powered attorney. However, her dream quickly fell short when she realized law school wasn’t all about wearing a designer suit and winning arguments with loads of whit and banter. Law school wasn’t a complete bust though; it introduced her to Chicago, her first big city and one she still holds dear to her heart. A city that unknowingly became the backdrop, and beginning of Waiting On Martha.
A bracelet actually started it all. Well a bracelet, an obsession with food, an incessant need to throw a party whenever an opportunity presented itself, and an adoration for all things DIY. But back to the bracelet. One fateful day Mandy ventured into a Chicago bead store while a class was in session. Thinking that jewelry making would be a fun hobby, she began taking classes. To be clear, Mandy had no plans of it becoming anything more than a hobby. You know what they say about best laid plans…in 2011 Mandy opened an Etsy shop and officially launched her Waiting On Martha bracelet collection in April. The response was, and still is, quite overwhelming. Individuals not only loved the bracelets, but they wanted to know more about Mandy and her life. Enter Waiting On Martha The Blog.
As the ultimate creative and personal outlet for Mandy, Waiting On Martha The Blog focused simply on creating a beautiful everyday through fashion, food, décor, and DIY. As the reader’s grew so did the oh-so common question “where do I get that?” And thus, as Mandy puts it, “It only took one reader’s question to push me to indulge my dream of opening a boutique.” Waiting On Martha The Shop opened as an e-commerce boutique in July of 2012 and opened a brick and mortar location in Atlanta in 2015 (where Mandy now resides with her husband and Cavalier King Charles Addison).
Libbie Summers, the face behind her Food-Inspired Life brand, is recognized as a food and lifestyle tastemaker in print, online and on-air. Her work has been seen in the pages of Better Homes & Gardens, Vogue, ELLE, Camille Styles, Glitter Guide, People, Garden and Gun, Condé Nast Traveler, on the OWN Show, and many more.
She has authored three books. The 2014 IndieFab Book of the Year Awards, Sweet & Vicious –baking with attitude (Rizzoli, 2014), Brown Sugar (Short Stack Editions, 2014) and The NY Times 2011 Notable Book, The Whole Hog Cookbook (Rizzoli, 2011).
As one who wears many hats, Libbie also serves as the Creative Culinary Director of the newly launched Terra’s Kitchen— an innovative meal delivery service sending healthy farm-fresh ingredients and fresh-prepped recipes to subscribers in an eco-friendly manner.
Party Within Reach, Libbie’s new lifestyle show, is geared toward the young, somewhat broke, and uber fabulous host who wants to throw a memorable party on a budget. (currently in pre-production)
Libbie resides in Savannah, Georgia with one husband, one son, and one opinionated-dog. She maintains her body and body of work are both food inspired.
Connect with Libbie!
Website/Blog: LibbieSummers.com
Instagram: @LibbieSummers
Youtube: A Food-Inspired Life
Twitter: @LibbieSummers
Pinterest: Libbie Summers
Facebook: A Food-Inspired Life
