MANH December 2011 : Page 100

To the Tenth Power | By Alison Prato | Photography by Marius Bugge | There is no shortage of people in this city who possess incredible wealth and wield an enormous amount of inﬂ uence. That’s one kind of power. Another is the power of creative thinking and spirited efforts embodied by the 10 subjects assembled for this special feature. Their ﬁ elds of work are varied and some of their goals incomplete, but as we head into 2012 one thing is certain: They are energizing New York. SHoP When SHoP Architects unveiled their design for Brooklyn’s new, 675,000-square-foot Barclays Center in September 2010, a few things were evident: The arena not only looked like a museum, it also incorporated a sidewalk-level public concourse that ensured a connection to the surrounding urban environment. Simply put, the design blended business and art, one of SHoP’s strategies since the company— whose partners include Gregg Pasquarelli, Kimberly Holden, Jonathan Mallie, Christopher Sharples, William Sharples and Coren Sharples—was founded in 1996. The ﬁ rm, which has work in MoMA’s permanent collection, is currently undertaking numerous projects around the world, from New York to China, totaling $2 billion. “We see entrepreneurship as a way of driving art, or art as a way of driving business,” Mallie explains. “A lot of times people say, ‘You’re an architect. If you get involved in the development side of things, your work will suffer because you’re beholden to other goals.’” But SHoP has found that the more they engage the other side, the more they can push their art forward. So how’s the Barclays Center, which is set to open in fall 2012, coming along? “It’s looking really badass,” Mallie says. Adds Pasquarelli: “It’s looking like a piece of art.” THE MAGNIFICENT SIX SHoP’s partners, from left: William Sharples, Kimberly Holden, Jonathan Mallie, Coren Sharples, Christopher Sharples and Gregg Pasquarelli

To The Tenth Power

Alison Prato

There is no shortage of people in this city who possess incredible wealth and wield an enormous amount of influence. That’s one kind of power. Another is the power of creative thinking and spirited efforts embodied by the 10 subjects assembled for this special feature.Their fields of work are varied and some of their goals incomplete, but as we head into 2012 one thing is certain: They are energizing New York. ShoP When ShoP Architects unveiled their design for Brooklyn’s new, 675,000-square-foot Barclays Center in September 2010, a few things were evident: The arena not only looked like a museum, it also incorporated a sidewalk-level public concourse that ensured a connection to the surrounding urban environment. Simply put, the design blended business and art, one of ShoP’s strategies since the company— whose partners include Gregg Pasquarelli, Kimberly Holden, Jonathan Mallie, Christopher Sharples, William Sharples and Coren Sharples—was founded in 1996. The firm, which has work In MoMA’s permanent collection, is currently undertaking numerous projects around the world, from New York to China, totaling $2 billion. “We see entrepreneurship as a way of driving art, or art as a way of driving business,” Mallie explains. “A lot of times people say, ‘You’re an architect. If you get involved in the development side of things, your work will suffer because you’re beholden to other goals.’” But ShoP has found that the more they engage the other side, the more they can push their art forward. So how’s the Barclays Center, which is set to open in fall 2012, coming along? “It’s looking really badass,” Mallie says. Adds Pasquarelli: “It’s looking like a piece of art.” THE MAGNIFICENT SIX ShoP’s partners, from left: William Sharples, Kimberly Holden, Jonathan Mallie, Coren Sharples, Christopher Sharples and Gregg Pasquarelli Julie Menin Julie Menin owned a restaurant and catering business in Lower Manhattan before 9/11 hit. “I was living and working a couple blocks away from ground zero,” she says. “That cataclysmic event caused me to want to change the direction of my life. I decided to pour myself into public service and the rebuilding of my neighborhood.” Two weeks after the attacks, Menin founded a not-for-profit called Wall Street Rising, and began working 18 hours a day to help the area survive and thrive. Ten years later, Menin, a civic leader and political television news commentator, is still at it. As the chairperson of Community Board 1, she’s spearheaded the construction of three new public schools in Lower Manhattan, including the city’s first green school. She’s also helped build two community centers and a public library branch, and led the effort to move the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed out of the area. “We’re the fastest-growing residential neighborhood in all five boroughs,” she notes. “If I had a nickel every time people said, ‘No one’s ever gonna want to live, work or visit downtown again.’ Nothing could be further from the truth.” David Levin Co-founder of the celebrated KIPP charter school network and superintendent of KIPP’s New York City schools, David Levin lives by one motto, which he proudly displays on his button-down shirt: “Work hard. Be nice.” “When you boil everything down, it comes back to those two concepts,” explains Levin, 41, who started KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) with Mike Feinberg in 1994. “We’re asking of ourselves the same things we’re asking of the kids.” KIPP has grown from two schools in Houston and New York to 109 schools serving more than 32,000 kids in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Levin, who taught fifth grade before launching the program, works 75 to 90 hours a week training teachers, teaching students, raising money and toggling between six schools. And, yes, he’s super-nice. Not only does he let KIPP students—who have gone on to become architects, doctors and teachers—call him at home on Sundays, he’s still enthusiastic about teaching. “It’s the greatest job ever,” Levin says. “Teachers don’t wake up in the middle of the night wondering why they’re on the planet.” Nur Khan From Wax to Sway to Hiro to Rose Bar to Don Hill’s, Manhattan’s most exclusive nightlife destinations are largely the work of Nur Khan. But don’t call him an impresario. “I prefer alchemist,” he says with a chuckle. “I get a kick out of introducing two artists who wind up collaborating.” Recently, when musician Perry Farrell wanted to play a surprise show in NYC, Khan called some friends, including Andy Hilfiger, who plays bass, and hours later they were performing together. “That kind of stuff turns me on,” Khan Says. “I’m like a musical cupid.” Cupid also has a talent for building spaces that cool kids from the worlds of fashion, film and music flock to, including his latest hot spot, the Electric Room, which opened in September. “If everyone’s going one way, I go the other,” Khan explains.“Don Hill’s is the perfect example: Everyone was like, ‘Let’s see who can hang a $50 million painting or who can build the biggest penthouse.’ And I’m like, ‘Know what? I can take a dive bar and make it just as interesting, if not more.’” Next up: hotels. “I’m waiting for the right property downtown,” Khan says. “Things are starting to pop.” Cool kids, get in line. Rebecca Minkoff Every superstar has a catchy name for his or her fans: Justin Bieber’s are Beliebers, Katy Perry’s are Katycats and Rebecca Minkoff has her Minkettes, a tight-knit bunch obsessed with the designer’s chic handbags, shoes and apparel. Perhaps the most high-profile Minkette is supermodel Agyness Deyn, who is often photographed carrying Minkoff’s bags, known for their cheeky names like Morning After and Knocked Up. “It was like a dodgy street deal,” the designer, 30, says of her first meeting with Deyn.“She rode up on her bicycle, and I had a garbage bag full of handbags.She picked them out and rode off.” That’s not Minkoff’s only great NYC story. The fashionista’s career took off when actress Jenna Elfman wore one of her “I love New York” T-shirts on the Jay Leno show two days after September 11, 2001. The shirt appeared in Us Weekly, and suddenly her wares were in demand. Next year will mark expansions into jewelry, eye wear, cold-weather gear and scarves for the designer, who recently received an ACE Breakthrough Award. Eventually, she says, “it will become a full lifestyle brand” with a flagship store in NYC— thanks in part to her loyal Minkettes. Ken Friedman Before Ken Friedman teamed up with Graydon Carter to revive Midtown’s iconic Monkey Bar, the Vanity Fair editor came to him with another idea—to buy Elaine’s—which the famed restaurateur promptly shot down. “I was like, ‘I want to do something with you, but that’s not the one,’” Friedman recalls, noting that he visited Elaine’s in its heyday, and owner Elaine Kaufman was “a total bitch. It was terrible. I didn’t see George Plimpton or Woody Allen. Elaine yelled at me. I was like, ‘I don’t want to bring that back.’” That’s not to say the highly opinionated Friedman—who also co-owns the Spotted Pig, the Breslin and the John Dory Oyster Bar—doesn’t have friends in high places. The restaurant empire’s investors and regulars include Jay-Z, Mario Batali and Michael Stipe, to name a few. And of course, there’s Carter. Friedman admits that partnering with the iconic editor comes with at least one perk: “I can take my mom to the Oscar party.She encouraged me to take this job for that reason only.” However, he adds, “Graydon’s a smart guy. It makes me think twice when I send him an e-mail, because it’s like, ‘God, if I spell something wrong…’” Olivia Chantecaille Gliding into a cavernous Soho room recently, Olivia Chantecaille is a vision in a floral dress, her lipstick perfectly applied. Her talent with makeup makes sense, given that her mother, Sylvie, is a former Estée Lauder beauty expert who headed up the company’s Prescriptives line.Today, the mother-daughter team produces a range of beauty products bearing the family name.As the label’s creative director, Olivia helps develop the collection and does all the press. Can you think of a better face for the brand? A fixture on the New York social scene who studied art history at NYU, Chantecaille has mastered the art of mixing business with pleasure. Whenever she goes out, she says, she does field research: “What makeup are women wearing? Are they using pressed power? Reapplying in the bathroom?” “It’s a line made by women for women,” Chantecaille notes, a doorknob-size rock sparkling on her finger. “Nothing makes me more excited than when somebody pulls out a lip gloss that happens to be mine. That happened on Saturday, and I was like, ‘That’s my lip gloss! I love you!’” Judging by the success of her line, women love her back. Amy Phelan Her apartment was used as Goldie Hawn’s home in The First Wives Club. Works by Pablo Picasso, Helmut Newton and Marc Chagall adorn her walls. She was a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader for three years. On paper, philanthropist and art aficionado Amy Phelan seems like a fictional character. But then you meet the Southern charmer, strategically ripped jeans providing just the right yin to her Park Avenue yang, and you realize not only is she real, she’s an art-world powerhouse. In 2008, Phelan became just the seventh woman to sit on the Guggenheim board, and today she participates in many art committees and councils, including MoMA’s, the Tate’s and the Whitney’s. At first, however, skeptics were put off by the native Texan’s playful vibe and buxom appearance. But it soon became clear that she’s the best of both worlds: a major collector who’s also the life of the party. “Collecting art is very serious, but it’s also a way of getting to meet cool, intelligent people,” Phelan says. “People are works of art in New York. Have you ever met someone and been like, ‘You’re just so cool!’?” We have, and you’re looking at her. Dan Abrams A typical tweet from Dan Abrams: “They claim its coincidence but once again @GStephanopoulos and @ robinroberts clothing match perfectly @gma? Hmm.” It’s that cheeky humor, along with a healthy dose of legal expertise, that makes Abrams one of the most interesting guys in the Twitterverse. An attorney, author and legal analyst for ABC News, Abrams is having a moment thanks to another role: social-media guru. His Abrams Media Network—which includes Mediaite, Gossip Cop and Mogulite, among other sites—draws 11 million unique visitors a month. And it’s growing. “That’s the thing I’m most proud of,” Abrams says of the traffic. “When we launched Mediaite, people rolled their eyes, like, ‘That’s exactly what we need, another media site.’ But they didn’t get what we were seeking to create: a political site that uses the media as a prism.” His media company isn’t the only thing that gets him attention.“There’s been some talk about my personal life, but you won’t see much that I said about it,” says Abrams, who has been romantically linked to Renée Zellweger and Elle Macpherson. Keep checking that Twitter feed—maybe he’ll drop hints. Theophilus London Rapper Theophilus London has earned the right to be called a rising style icon after collaborating with Gucci, Cole Haan and Tommy Hilfiger. But sartorial excellence wasn’t always part of his repertoire. “My outfit sucked,” the 23-year-old says with a chuckle, remembering his first big live performance, at Brooklyn’s annual Flatbush fair in 2000. “I had on white pants, white Jordans, a pink shirt and a pink hat. It was not a good look.” London got booed at that event, and also during an early appearance on BET (“F**k BET,” he says), but these days everyone— from Solange Knowles to the French fashion house Lanvin—is lining up to work with him. Known today for his signature shades-and-felt-hat combo, Theophilus (Thee-off-illis) first hit it big underground with a series of mixtapes and a popular EP, Lovers Holiday, before dropping his first full-length album, Timez Are Weird These Days, in July. With influences ranging from Prince to Morrissey, the artist is pioneering a new path for music—genre-jumping, blending retro with future and branding himself by working with companies like Mountain Dew and Bushmills— in a way that’s rarely been done before. London has studied marketing, so he’s mastered the art of selling himself. “Everybody has their story,” says the Trinidad-born star, who moved to Brooklyn when he was 1.“Like Steve Jobs—rest in peace.Anybody can tell you he made it because he did something different.I’ve always tried to do different stuff and shine in a lot of ways.”

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