The great hub of creatives makes it difficult to pinpoint who is the best at one particular thing. There is a lot of talent in the city that never sleeps. But when discussing New York essentials, five individuals raised in the thick of it all come to mind. True staples amongst their peers, they are mavericks and pretty good at what they do. Real New York sweethearts, if you will.
“My name is Carlen Altman. I am a person that does a lot of things such as comedy and jewellery design. I hated growing up in New York City. All the noise, all the people. It was so overwhelming! I wanted to live in the woods somewhere, in silence. It was only once I left for college, in a small town, I realized how much I had taken it for granted. I took its magical energy for granted and the many opportunities there were if you made them. When I graduated school and came back to the city, I decided to start doing things. It also helps having very encouraging parents who want me to follow my dreams. My mom works at an aquarium and my dad is a comedian!”
“My name is Brandee Brown. I am a human who likes to take pictures and make films. Growing up here gave me a sense of the world before I even left the States. My town looks so pretty at night. My surroundings give me confidence. I am always surrounded by people and friends doing great things. How can that not make you want to hustle? I love creating things and passing around thoughts and feelings with the people I love in this town. Who knows, maybe I would not be the same without it.”
“My name is Yara Flinn. I am the Designer of NOMIA. Growing up in NYC, there was always an interest in mixing genres — that’s something that inspires me a lot in the way I design. I am influenced by rap music, sports, fashion ladies, art ladies…I love it all. It’s amazing to see the way trends get adopted and reused in different ways.”
“My name is Todd Jordan. I am Al-Hazard. I grew up in Kingston, New York. It’s about an hour and a half north of NYC but I was pretty obsessed with things that were going on in the city from a young age. I would take the train to ride my skateboard but remember just being so overwhelmed by all the different things going on and feeling like I was missing out on so much when I was back at home. With all of the interesting things going on here, it is difficult to not be inspired to make your own things — but it’s even more difficult to focus on just one thing.”
“My name is Alec Reinstein. I am a rapper, party houser, fake DJ. I mostly became a rapper to make diss tracks about an opposing gang in my neighborhood in Queens. Everyone drove around or walked around with their radios playing my La Familia diss tracks. I was essentially chosen as the rap ambassador of my block because I was better at it than anyone else. Owning a club was something I fell into more than it was a choice. The reason I felt comfortable getting involved with Santos was because I truly felt it was the only club in NY that mirrors the clubs I grew up in. Clubs like The Tunnel, Limelight, Fun, and a myriad of others that I shouldn’t have been allowed into. Those all had a darkness and a mystique to them that I think most clubs here have lost. We try to maintain and cultivate that at Santos as best we can. I have a radio show (Chillin’ Island on East Village Radio) because all my friends make music and I want people to hear it and I have a funny voice I guess. Growing up in an outer borough was an interesting experience because I always felt like some sort of pirate during all my early Manhattan experiences. I was infiltrating some much richer and more populated world that I hoped was terrified of me. I hope everyone is still terrified of me.”
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