Go: Moja Moja Pre-Grammy Brunch
Posted: February 1, 2013 Filed under: events, music | Tags: Chicano Batman, Chloe Flower, Darfur Stoves Project, Delfonics, Fink, Garth Trinidad, George Clinton, Moja Moja Pre-Grammy Brunch, Oxfam America, Yuna Leave a comment
Each year, KCRW’s Garth Trinidad hosts the Moja Moja Pre-Grammy Brunch that features live performances by an array of up and coming artists at the regal W Hollywood. We go whenever we can because it’s for a good cause. Proceeds go towards supporting Oxfam America (a former client). Also, for more selfish reasons, we always come away with a great play list. And lastly, our friend Ramona Wright puts on a great show and Garth Trinidad is pretty dope. In years past, Garth broke Janelle Monae at the Pre-Grammy Brunch. After her performance at the Brunch, we heard her everywhere. Chilean rapper Ana Tijoux performed live. Dreamy, moody Swedes Little Dragon rocked the room too. All in all, it’s a a good show for a good cause, and it’s *almost* like going to the Grammys! Read the rest of this entry »
Read: Protocol 7 by Armen Gharabegian
Posted: February 1, 2013 Filed under: books | Tags: Armen Gharabegian, Artica Trilogy, mystery thriller, Protocal 7, science fiction Leave a comment
We don’t typically do book reviews, but over the holidays we all read the same book and felt the burning need to plug it. Full disclosure, Protocol 7 is written by one of Secret Agent PR’s clients. But that doesn’t color our opinion of the book nor drive our decision to post about it. It’s just been a long time since we’ve stayed up till 4 am to finish a book. Read the rest of this entry »
Handful of Salt Print Magazine Launch
Posted: January 21, 2013 Filed under: architecture, art + culture, business, design, events, fun, inspiration, interior design, lifestyle, media | Tags: handful of salt, launch, magazine, san francisco Leave a comment
We were happy to have made it up to San Francisco this past week for Handful of Salt’s launch party celebrating the birth of their brand spankin’ new print magazine. At a time when so many publications are foregoing print issues for digital, we’re so happy to see someone proving that print is not dead. The perfectly square print edition is anything but square, featuring work by some of the world’s most interesting makers and creatives. We can’t wait to see the next issue and look forward to adding this to our coffee table collection!
Order your own copy here!
Go: dineLA 2013 Winter Edition
Posted: January 21, 2013 Filed under: architecture, art + culture, design, eats, events, fun, interior design, lifestyle | Tags: artisan house, cliff's edge, dinela, DTLA, food, la tourism and convention board, Los Angeles, lukshon, mo-chica, umamicatessen Leave a comment
Every year since 2008, the LA Tourism and Convention Board has teamed together with LA restaurants and American Express to host dine LA Restaurant Week, a bi-annual celebration of LA eateries. For 12 straight days, over participating restaurants will be featuring special prix fixe menus for adventurous diners. It’s the perfect chance to check out a new restaurant that has been on your soon-to-hit-list, or be reunited with a tried and true classic that you haven’t enjoyed in a while. The winter installment of dine LA starts January 21st (today) and runs till February 1st.
Since we, at Secret Agent, pride ourselves on being quite devoted epicureans….(in other words, we eat….a lot), here is a selection of some of our top picks. We have a preference for the Eastside so most of our picks are east of La Brea.
Artisan House – local to our new office in DTLA, this elegant eatery boasts a market, fantastic coffee, and fresh and local produce transformed into delicious Californian fare.
Cliff’s Edge – we love a hidden restaurant and Cliff’s Edge has positively the best patio in town. Beyond the clandestine door awaits a newly renovated door and a revitalized menu by Chef Vartan Abgaryan.
UMAMIcatessen – Inspired by international street bazaars and the classic American delicatessen, UMAMIcatessen is a table-service dining hall inside the Orpheum. Informal, international, and insanely good.
Mo-Chica – it doesn’t get mo-delicious than Mo-Chica. Chef Ricardo Zarate, Food and Wine’s Best New Chef, offers up his own modern interpretation of classic Peruvian dishes. It doesn’t hurt that the compact space pops with color and verve to match the cuisine.
Lukshon – our *one* west side pick is Lukshon. This gorgeously appointed Culver City restaurant won an AIA Los Angeles Restaurant Design Award a few years ago. Minimal, sophisticated, and ridiculously tasty. You cannot go wrong with crab fritters.
For more information, follow dineLA on:
• Facebook: facebook.com/dinelafan
• Twitter: twitter.com/dineLA
• Instagram: http://followgram.me/dinela
2012: Year in Review
Posted: December 18, 2012 Filed under: random | Tags: 2012 Year in Review Leave a comment
We should have known when we were listing our New Year’s Resolutions in February, that 2012 would be a crazy year. It’s been a pleasant blur but more than anything, 2012 has been a year of growth and building. As we break for the holidays and look back at the year under our belts and forward at the year to come, all we can say is that we’re thankful.
Thanks to our great clients.
Thanks to our amazing friends.
Thanks to our supportive families.
Thanks to the universe for conspiring to bring us from Lincoln Heights to the Spring Arts Tower. Downtown rules.
Special thanks to our friends McKenna and Carla and Janina for helping us accomplish our most important goal for the year: revamping our website and brand overall. New website to launch in January. It’s about time we got our act together!
We love this creative, fulfilling life and can’t really think of anything else that we’d rather be doing. Except maybe living on our very own island in the Aegean….
Spotted: Reimagining the Light Bulb with Stickbulbs
Posted: November 14, 2012 Filed under: design, furniture design, green, inspiration, interior design, lifestyle, office design, product design, sustainable | Tags: Coney Island, design, ICFF, LED, light, minimalist, new york, RUX, stickbulbs Leave a comment
One part avant-garde sculpture, and other part functional light fixture – there’s nothing we love more than practical, modern design, and the Stickbulb by NYC-based RUX is all that and more. Hot off the heels of its debut at this year’s ICFF, Stickbulb will be launching a new collection of LED lighting elements, along with its first custom light installation at Luminaire Design Lab in Miami from December 5-9, 2012.
With its K’Nex-like versatility and minimalist profile, Stickbulbs can be assembled with other parts or stand on its own to accomodate a wide range of spaces and styles. LED bulbs are tucked into metal or sustainably sourced wooden beams in lengths ranging from 1 to 6 feet long, and are made locally using resources found right in New York. Keep a piece of the city in your home, with Stickbulbs made from sun-bleached ipe salvaged from Coney Island’s boardwalk and reclaimed southern yellow pine from demolished buildings.
The launch collection includes a range of tabletop and floor designs ranging from $285-$2850 retail, and is now available for purchase at www.stickbulb.com.
Go: San Diego Dwell Design & Drive Presented by Lincoln, Nov. 10-11
Posted: November 8, 2012 Filed under: architecture, art + culture, design, events, fun, inspiration, lifestyle, men's interest, product design | Tags: Architecture for Humanity, car, charity, design, Design & Drive, Dwell, Home Tour, Lincoln, MCASD, NewSchool, San Diego Leave a comment
Test drive a new Lincoln vehicle at the Dwell Design & Drive this weekend!
It’s official: tickets for this weekend’s San Diego Home Tours and Meet the Architects are SOLD OUT. Don’t worry design fans, all hope is not lost – you can still enjoy a design-filled weekend by signing up for the Home Tour wait list (for Saturday or Sunday), or RSVP to the Dwell Design & Drive, presented by Lincoln.
See student work on display at NewSchool of Architecture + Design, Nov. 11
On November 10 and 11, come test drive a brand-new Lincoln vehicle and help build a more sustainable future using the power of design (for every driver, Lincoln will donate $25 to Dwell’s non-profit partner, Architecture for Humanity). Mingle with the great minds behind the Dwell Home Tour’s featured designs, enjoy chef-prepared bites, and enjoy exclusive access to the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) La Jolla’s new Fall Exhibition Behold, America! and the NewSchool of Architecture + Design.
Each test drive will last about 7-10 minutes, and is free and open to the public. Spaces are running out fast, so be sure to reserve your spot online!
November 10 – Dwell Design & Drive Presented by Lincoln at MCASD La Jolla
November 11 – Dwell Design & Drive Presented by Lincoln at NewSchool of Architecture + Design
Go: Dwell Home Tours in San Diego (Nov. 10-11)
Posted: November 6, 2012 Filed under: architecture, art + culture, design, events, inspiration, interior design, lifestyle | Tags: architecture, design, Design & Drive, Dwell Home Tour, interior, Lincoln, San Diego, tour Leave a comment
Casa Diagonal by Safdie Rabines Architects in La Jolla, CA (photo credit: Dennis Viera)
Turkey, pumpkin pie, family, and…modern architecture. There’s even more to be thankful for this month! The design indulgence kicked off last weekend with Dwell’s popular Home Tours in Silicon Valley, and continues this weekend in San Diego. From Los Altos to Hillsborough, and Encinitas to La Mesa, fans of modern architecture in Southern So Cal will be treated to an exclusive look at the best in modernist living today with the first-ever Dwell San Diego Home Tours. This is probably the only special treat that you can enjoy this month that won’t affect your waistline. Go forth and enjoy!
Shayan House by Nakhshab Development & Design in San Diego, CA (photo credit: Reinaldo Solares)
With the work of architecture pioneers Richard Neutra and Joseph Eichler featured in the Silicon Valley home tour lineup, it was no surprise that tickets quickly sold out for this sought-after event. But fear not – tickets are still available (though selling fast!) for the Dwell San Diego Home Tours, Nov. 10-11. Dramatic oceanside vistas and sustainable, innovative architecture will be on display among the ten featured modern homes.
Modernist buffs can get a taste of the tours while helping to raise money for Architecture for Humanity by test-driving a NEW Lincoln vehicle at the San Diego Dwell Design & Drive (Nov. 10-11; RSVP for the free event here). Meet architects and designers from homes on the tour; sample fine, chef-prepared cuisine; view Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) La Jolla’s new exhibition Behold, America!; browse student work at the NewSchool of Architecture + Design; and mingle with fellow design lovers, all for a great cause.
View MCASD La Jolla’s new exhibition Behold, America! at the San Diego Design & Drive by Lincoln
RSVP for the free Lincoln/Dwell Design & Drive event online (Nov. 10 & Nov. 11), or purchase San Diego Home Tour tickets here.
Visit the official Dwell Home Tours website for more information.
Go: Zombie Art Walk
Posted: October 24, 2012 Filed under: art + culture, events | Tags: Art Walk, Chinatown, Fifth Floor Gallery, Halloween, Rogue Artists Ensemble, Zombie Art Walk Leave a comment
There’s nothing like cerebral art when….you have no brain. Don’t miss the first-ever Zombie Art Walk in Chinatown. Galleries will be open. Puppets will be performing. Zombies will be roaming. Get your undead face on at Fifth Floor‘s impromptu zombie make-up station. Go, have fun, then nip out for some dim sum cerebrum! More details here and a full list of participating galleries and featured exhibitions.
Palm Springs Modernism Week Presents: The Modernism Project
Posted: September 27, 2012 Filed under: architecture, design, events, fun, lifestyle, photography | Tags: archilovers, Design Milk, modernism project, Palm Springs Modernism Week, photo challenge, photo contest Leave a comment
The #ModernismProject is a mobile initiative encouraging the Palm Springs Modernism Week community to get involved and capture modernism in their everyday lives through their photo lens. We’re proud to say that we’re the sneaky chicks behind this covert operation, and we’d love for you to get involved. You could stand a chance to win tickets to Palm Springs Modernism Week, February 14-24, 2013, or if you’re not able to make it, an equivalent prize.
Starting in October through January, participants will have the opportunity, twice a month, to participate in this mobile photo challenge simply by snapping a photo on their smart phone and exploring their own personal perspective on modernism. Then follow Modernism Week on Instagram by searching for username Modernism_Week, upload the photo to your Intagram account, and hashtag your submission with #ModernismProject, so we can keep track of your submission. Hop on over to the Modernism Project page on the Palm Springs Modernism Week blog for more info on how to play.
For each contest, there will be an overarching theme, but we’re not at liberty to say what they are – just yet. We have an all-star cast of judges lined up to review each themed submission, so make your photos snazzy! For the October 11th contest, we have the talented team over at Archilovers, and for the October 25th contest, the design driven ladies at Design Milk.
Good luck!
secretagentpr.wordpress.com 