DRS and Associates – jots blog

Like a sprite from some otherworldly time and place, Carol VanderKloot has landed in our midst and she is spreading her particular brand of magic on everything she touches. If you haven’t met Ms. VanderKloot, you soon will – since there is barely a soul in the home design industry whom she doesn’t know or count as a friend.

A connector extraordinaire, Carol has deep roots in the architectural + design world and an insider’s instinct for what editors are looking for.

Funny and kind, Carol’s natural ease with people belies a keen intelligence and an ability to suss out the connections that benefit both parties. How does she come by these instincts? Born in the suburbs of Detroit, related to car designers and with an architect stepfather and the nearby confines of Saarinen-designed Cranbrook, the school of Ray & Charles Eames, an art and design aesthetic was instilled at an early age. Even with such design pedigrees, she escaped the Midwest for New York where she has spent the last 14 years and now considers her home. Along with her partner-in-crime canine Molly, Carol soaks up everything New York has to offer. Being in the city does afford Ms. VanderKloot the ability to literally be where the action is, and woe to anyone who implies that the action take place anywhere BUT New York. Before landing there, she spent time studying abroad in England and Spain. As a consultant, she lived in Portugal and helped launch the Serralves Contemporary Art Museum designed by Pritzker-prize winning-architect Alvaro Siza.

Like all people, if you scratch the surface you will find a multi-faceted persona – aside from her ‘a-ha’ design moment in 1989 seeing the Pierre Koenig exhibition (a full-size, walk-through model of Case Study House 22 at the Los Angeles MOCA’s Temporary Contemporary), Carol isn’t all about one thing. This is a woman who eschews fancy chocolate for Twizzlers, Swedish Fish, any gummy candy! And like many of us at DRS and Associates, a coffee addict who has been known to drive a mile for a fountain Diet Coke.

A story-teller and story-lover at heart, Carol can wax poetic about the bad films of the ’70s and ’80s, pop culture, Ryan Adams, Tom Jones, punk rock…the list is varied and unusual. Luckily for us, she saves her best story-telling for our clients; with whom she establishes a deep and loyal connection which she translates into top-notch placements, pitches and development ideas.

You can already see evidence of her skills — THG’s So faucet (designed by Olivier Gossart) was just recently in The New York Times, and Corbett Lighting’s Inertia was featured in Elle Decor, thanks to Carol. Her work with Hudson Valley Lighting and Native Trails has put these brands front and center as well. We count ourselves lucky that she is spreading her magic here.

Curious about what makes up the personalities and diversities of our DRS team? In an ongoing series called “DRS Spotlight” we’ll be taking a closer look at what makes up the creative spirit that fuels DRS everyday.

Jennifer Cash

Born and bred in the San Fernando Valley of California, specifically in Encino, Jennifer Cash is the latest addition to the DRS team. She isn’t a “valley girl” and she doesn’t say “OMG” every five minutes or rush to the mall to go shopping (though she did as a teenager with her friends); she has other pursuits that she loves – reading and writing.  The librarians at her local library she frequents all know her because she can’t wait to crack open brand new books.  As a voracious reader, she is heartbroken that so many bookstores in her area have closed down over the last few years.  Even as a young girl of eleven, when asked by her mother what she wanted for her birthday; she promptly  gave her mother a specific list of books that she wanted. She remembers other family members always looking a bit puzzled because Jennifer couldn’t contain her excitement when receiving books as gifts. Nothing was dearer to Jennifer; not dolls, not an Easy Bake oven, none of the more popular toys or games held as much interest to Jennifer as the books she received as gifts!

As writing is also a passion, it seemed appropriate for Jennifer to pursue a bachelor’s degree in journalism with an emphasis in public relations. Graduating from CSUN, Jennifer began work right away as a public relations practitioner for a marketing brand company and was quickly promoted to operations coordinator. Multi-talented, Jennifer has also held positions as a graphic designer and project coordinator before she came to DRS and Associates.

Jennifer Cash, DRS and Associates

What else does Jennifer like to do? In her spare time, she likes to wake up early on Saturdays or Sundays to go hiking with her friends. She is also an art lover and she likes to go to museums which inspire her to create her own art pieces.  Like many a ‘tortured artist’, Jennifer struggles with the love/hate relationship she has with her artwork, and she’s been known to give away pieces only to change her mind and want them back when she sees them displayed elsewhere.  Ah, Jennifer — the torment of the creative mind!

Jennifer is excited by her work as a public relations coordinator at DRS and Associates and she can’t wait to come in early in the morning to start her day.  When she has days off, all she can think about is going to work and saying “Good Morning,” to her wonderful team. She is an excellent support system for her account managers and ensures that editors receive everything they need to write their stories. Her clients’ products inspire her and when she drives by lighting stores on the way to work, staring at the lighting pieces in admiration, planning to own one of her client’s glamorous or refined lighting fixtures, she has to be careful not to cause an accident. She feels strongly that she can represent her clients’ products with sincerity and knowledge.

Jennifer is looking forward to a long working relationship with DRS and Associates, and we with her. She feels that the agency is the right fit for her, and we couldn’t agree more. She enthusiastically works on projects and her admiration for the account managers that she works with everyday shines through her warm and caring personality. What do we love about Jennifer? In a nutshell; her incredibly positive attitude combined with her unparalleled work ethic.  Who could ask for more?

Curious about what makes up the personalities and diversities of our DRS team? In an ongoing series called “DRS Spotlight” we’ll be taking a closer look at what makes up the creative spirit that fuels DRS everyday.

Jocelyn Hutt

Age before beauty…

Alright, we don’t really believe that, but we do recognize that with age comes a certain amount of experience and wisdom, and with Jocelyn, her experience in the home design industry makes her an invaluable asset to the DRS team. After working for a number of years (she won’t tell us how many) in ‘other’ industries, she began working as an interior designer – a career and industry she loved and participated in for 10 years, while raising her two sons and taking design classes. Somewhere around year 10, after schlepping carpet and tile samples began to lose some of its allure, she switched her focus and went to work for a website that she had long used to source design products. How does this part of the story turn into a DRS story? Hang on, we’re not done.

She became editor-in-chief of that very website and worked there for a number of years. During that time she became familiar with the DRS team and David Schlocker; because her website highlighted many a DRS client. So when the website was sold – and she began looking for her next opportunity, she realized that every manufacturer whose products she loved seemed to be represented by DRS (hey – we are allowed to pat ourselves on the back here.) After speaking with David about DRS having an east coast presence – she came on board and we couldn’t be more pleased. Her knowledge of the home design industry from all the various segments; commercial, residential, showrooms, product design from manufacturers and artisans, makes her ideally suited to be of help to our clients when strategizing and coming up with ways for us to help promote their products. Having been an editor, she also understands the value of a good story, and we feel our clients have many great stories to tell. (more…)

Curious about what makes up the personalities and diversities of our DRS team? In an ongoing series called “DRS Spotlight” we’ll be taking a closer look at what makes up the creative spirit that fuels DRS everyday.

Clarissa Gutierrez of DRS & Associates

Every company wants one…needs one…wishes they had one…and we do have one: our secret weapon – Clarissa Gutierrez…. That’s right – if you’ve done any business with DRS and Associates, you’ve spoken with, emailed, or received some type of input from our own Ms. Gutierrez. We run a tight ship at DRS and while David is the Captain – there is no doubt in anyone’s mind about who ‘The Skipper’ is. Unflappable, unfailingly polite, good-natured, and possessed of the best giggle ever — Clarissa keeps all of us on point. What makes her our secret weapon? It’s her cool and steady demeanor, her ability to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously, coupled with a photographic memory and an editor’s skillful but gentle red pen. Clarissa defines the term multi-tasker.

Public relations is a fast-paced industry; editors want images and information immediately if not sooner (clairvoyance is another skill set she has), and clients need collateral on almost a daily basis. Tracking all of these things from both sides – client and editorial – is not for the faint of heart. Just thinking of potential mishaps makes us cringe. Were it not for Clarissa, David would probably have even more gray hair!

Clarissa, like many amazing people, is more than the sum of the parts that we see at work. She’s an accomplished baker – it’s almost an obsession with her – it’s really her creative outlet, and her family guards her cake baking and decorating secrets with their lives! There is no holiday that doesn’t begin with Clarissa wondering how she’ll craft interesting, playful and beautifully decorated cakes and cupcakes – each time trying to outdo her last creation. At DRS, we’ve been privy to many a delicious sampling, but we know that her family comes first. Oh, we ask…we plead…and we have had cupcakes and cakes…but the occasion has to warrant her special talents. We are showing you some of her creations under protest because if you attempt to steal her away from us – we couldn’t bear it. The next time you receive something from her, or speak to her, please know this: we are a better company because of Clarissa.

A dragon made of cupcakes

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Paco of DRS & Associates

Curious about what makes up the personalities and diversities of our DRS team? In upcoming months, we’ll take a closer look at what makes up the creative spirit that fuels DRS everyday and how we maintain a balance of life and fulfillment outside of the office. You’ll get a sneak peak at how talented and passionate each staff member is, beyond the amazing work we do each day for our clients.

We’d first like to feature one of our integral team members- Francisco Robles – fondly known as “Paco.” Paco takes the expression “jack of all trades” to new heights. From press kit fulfillment, to assisting the graphics department, to assembling materials that are sent to media, Paco is always ready and willing to jump in where needed- no matter what the task at hand is.

Outside of the great work he does for DRS, Paco is also a talented artist, designer and contractor; he’s skilled at everything from framing and plumbing to dry wall and setting tile (this has also proved to be very useful when we have created sets for photo shoots). They say there is an artistic spirit in all of us and with Paco, he applies his true passion every chance that he gets. As an artist Paco is constantly designing graphic art for t-shirts and hats. He owns his own heat transfer equipment and produces his designs for friends, family and sells his clothing on occasion. He characterizes many of his designs as retro, with a frequent use of animals, edgy cartoon looking characters and solid colors.

Other artistic talents include drawing, oil painting and wood etch-burning. Pictured in this Jots is a portrait of Emma, David and Nat’s Rottie that he created on a piece of reclaimed wood. Paco sketched, etched the outline and highlights on the wood, then used the flame of a torch to add shading, tones and highlights – bringing the picture to life. Paco presented this surprise gift to David and we were all taken back by how great Emma looked. What’s even more intriguing about this unique artistic pass-time is how it came to be. Paco says the he acquired this concept by accident while he was soldering pipes together during a plumbing project. The rest was creative history!

If you happen to stop by DRS one day, you might just see Paco wearing his own custom designed t-shirts with his signature folded short-sleeves.