I first came across Dana and Daniel’s beautiful products when I was at Time Inc. / Real Simple Magazine as the Style Director, probably way back in 2006. We bought a whole batch of DBO for our prop cupboard that we stocked especially for photo shoots. The Prop Cupboard was my pride and joy and we tried to stock it with the latest in American Design to represent in the magazine. DBO fits really well into the magazines aesthetic and was used regularly on our food and lifestyle shoots. It was a joy to use their carefully crafted pieces.
When Dana asked me to contribute to their Tastemakers' Table series I was thrilled. How great to spend a couple of days working with such beautiful pieces and also a joy to work with long time friend and collaborator, photographer Hallie Burton. We now both live back on the Upper West Side in Manhattan after a recent move for me from California where I spent a quasi sabbatical for a few years, and we are making it our mission to bring creatives in the neighborhood together, especially in this day and age where the creative industry, like many, is challenged with current circumstances. Hallie has an amazing Instagram account titled @foodmakersny, where she shoots local UWS restaurants and beyond. Her aim is to bring awareness and support for food industry and support local business. We love what Dana and Daniel are doing by supporting amazing industry talent out there by showcasing their work with this series. Supporting each other in the creative community is so important.
My Friday evenings at home are spent with a good bottle of wine, some sketching and old LPs. I have a huge collection of classic and contemporary vinyl, which is a constant source of joy. Sometimes dinner is too hard end of week, so it’s a good excuse to nibble on cheese, Italian salami and sardines on crackers, followed by a good dessert wine and sweet treat.
It’s ok to dance away the week’s stresses around the living room in your sweat pants and look forward to that Saturday morning sleep in. I’m a big fan of classic female jazz artists like Ella, Nina, Peggy and Billie (No need for last names here) but love a little of Eighties, Nineties Euro Trash and Cardi B thrown in.
Sometimes I plan a new issue of my online publication www.curio.work, a platform also for creatives to bond, do a little research, chat with some friends. Thank goodness for Friday nights where we can outlet some good creative energy and vibes!
Marcus Hay
Born in Germany, Raised in Australia, Lives in the USA, Marcus recently moved back to NYC after 3 years in Southern California. A Creative who is happy to wear many caps, Marcus started his career working in Editorial for Vogue, Elle and Real Simple Magazines as an Editor and Style/ Art Director. Moving into Advertising and Lifestyle brands, Marcus is responsible for creating many of the images you see today for leading campaigns and catalogs. As Editor of his own online publication Curio, Marcus works and collaborates with many inspiring fellow industry creatives and publishes a number of issues per year since 2015. Marcus also works for many personal Interior Design clients and has decorated many homes in New York, California and Connecticut. He is a passionate Artist and lover of music, having studied and performed Acting, Dance and Singing as a child and teen before discovering the design world.
Visit his website studiomarcushay.com and curio.work
Follow him on Instagram @marcushay and @curiomagazine.work
Hallie Burton
Hallie is a lifestyle photographer and visual story teller with over 20+ years of experience shooting for editorial and advertising clients all over the world. She holds a BA in photography from The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. Her other creative output includes Cooking, Peloton, her family and her daughter's fencing tournaments.
Visit her website hallieburton.com
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