Dossier highlighting entrepreneurs and people we like.

1. Fr en ch B K Pr es en t s
The Exper iment Is s u e

2. Fr en ch B K Pr es en t s
The Exper iment Is s u e
«Think outside the box, collapse the box,
and take a fucking sharp knife to it.»
Banksy
The box. The box the box the box. What box? Look here, we’ve told
you already, we don’t need your tatty box. We are Experimenters
on a relentless pursuit of curiosity, of an alter nate universe.
We didn’t find the Higgs Boson by sitting inside that box. The only
path is the risk of the unknown, a non-trivial pursuit.
«What do you want to be?» they fear fully demand.
What box? Which check?
«We want to be free,» we hum.
So we leave all the little boxes, in pursuit of magic.
All the while unfolding in truth that «where the freedom lies»
is here, inside, the Experimenter.
ja c lyn@thereis nos ub jec t. c om
a lis a @f renc hb k. c om
b enja m in@f renc hb k. c om
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3. © fr e nchB K 2013
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4. thinkers & makers
«working for
yourself is the
only way to
be yourself»
Jasmine Takanikos
1. Personal mantra?
Jasmine Takanikos
Inspiration exists, but it must find you working
2. Tell me 3 things about you no one knows (ok so some people
might know, but tell me 3 mind-blowing things anyway)
Principal, Jasmine Takanikos Consulting Group
- I long to be a professional dancer, and do a Pina Bausch piece
- I used to be a poet
- I studied Sufism & Mysticism as a teenager, I spent my teenage summers
at whirling dervish/sufi camps in the Pacific Northwest
3. What was your «Ah-Ha» moment that got
you started on your project / business?
Working for yourself is the only way to be yourself. I realized this when I was working for someone else, 7 years ago
4. What does «outside the box» mean to you?
It means exactly that. The problem is that everyone has a different definition of the box
5. What do you want to create and cultivate this year?
I want to build my real estate division- Higher, and give it the global presence it deserves.
My boyfriend who is a designer/creative and I are starting a boutique consultancy focused on Design,
Strategy & Marketing- called Online/Offline. I would like to see that take it’s baby steps this year
www.jasmineconsultinggroup.com
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5. thinkers & makers
Jeanine Pesce
Founder, Trend Consultant & Editor, Range
1. Personal mantra?
We’ll figure it out
2. Tell me 3 things about you no one knows
(ok so some people might know, but tell me 3 mind-blowing things anyway)
- I was a competitive figure skater as a kid
- I was the editor of my high school newspaper and received an editorial excellence award for my ground breaking expose called
«love in the hallways»
- I am a master number 11
3. What was your «Ah-Ha» moment that got you started on
your project / business?
When I was finally able to break the cycle of insanity and leave my full time job. I realized that I was making decisions about my career
based on fear of failure and ego as opposed to passion and a positive work/life balance
4. What does «outside the box» mean to you?
Imagination and innovation, regardless of the industry, item or aesthetic
5. What do you want to create and cultivate this year?
Healthy professional relationships, a happy garden and hopefully some babies
www.thisisrange.com
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6. thinkers & makers
1. Personal mantra?
Grace and charm will get you through just about anything
2. Tell me 3 things about you no one knows
(ok so some people might know, but tell me 3 mind-blowing things anyway)
- When I was 7 yrs old I found a 300m year old dinosaur
- I was scared of the dark until I was 22
- I hate gin
3. What was your «Ah-Ha» moment that got you started on your project / business?
It was probably while sitting in a consumer’s bedroom during one of the 140 hours of consumer insights work we did before we quit our full time jobs
4. What does «outside the box» mean to you?
An over-used term in corporate America?
5. What do you want to create and cultivate this year?
An amazing and badass brand for young tomboys all over the USA
www.wildfang.com
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Emma McIlroy
CEO, Wildfang

7. non-fashion
© fr e nchB K 2013
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8. in play
© fr e nchB K 2013
«be kind; always make it better; talk it
into the ground; work, do, move, act»
Betsy Cross & Will Cervarich
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9. thinkers & makers
Betsy Cross,
Will Cervarich
Co-owners, Designer & Director of Development, betsy & iya
1. Personal mantra?
Eat breakfast; be kind; always make it better; talk it into the ground; work, do, move, act; if it doesn’t occasionally make you squeal/giggle/cry/sigh
contentedly you’re not doing it right
2. Tell me 3 things about you no one knows
(ok so some people might know, but tell me 3 mind-blowing things anyway)
- There’s no formal jewelry-making or business training
- We both have degrees in theatre
- In 2005, Will flew one-way to Portland from back East, and rode his bicycle down the coast to see Betsy in California, just to see if there were any
sparks between the two of them
- Will was in an a capella band in college and Betsy is afraid of the kitchen (whoops, that’s 4)
3. What was your «Ah-Ha» moment that got you started on your project / business?
Betsy: There are so many Ah-Ha moments. I think that’s part of the secret. It’s not just the day I decided to make jewelry (abridged story: coffee
shop, no job, big red notebook, nothing to lose) or the day we figured out Will needed to quit his desk job to work full-time for b&i. Being successful
in our business means an endless series of ah-has, believing in each one (at least until you realize it’s not the best ah-ha it could be), picking it apart,
figuring out how to make it happen, happen better, bigger, quicker, more beautifully. If there aren’t a few ah-has every week or each month, I’d
worry that we’re getting lazy or uncritical
4. What does «outside the box» mean to you?
Will: The box is either the thing you’re trying to build or the way you’re trying to build that thing or both. Being outside of the box means knowing
(not just intellectually knowing, but a bone-deep knowing) that there is no box. There is no just add water version, no blueprint. You’re building your
own box and it’s only as strong as you are analytical, whimsical, grounded, dreamy, conservative, and fanciful. The box you’re building is made from
a million tiny boxes and building it right means knowing which sub-box needs the most attention at this moment and then figuring out how to give it
that attention
5. What do you want to create and cultivate this year?
Will: I want to create a brand new production and office space that will keep us productive and comfortable for the next few years, and cultivate
efficient ways to continue getting the best from every team member of betsy & iya
Betsy: I want to cultivate inner-calm, that comfortable stillness where great ideas breed, and I want to create (well, finish creating) some new designs
that will blow. your. mind
www.betsyandiya.com
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10. little altars
© fr e nchB K 2013
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11. thinkers & makers
1. Personal mantra?
Riley Messina
Owner, Erba Floral Studio
Be organized and everything will be fine
2. Tell me 3 things about you no one knows
(ok so some people might know, but tell me 3 mind-blowing things anyway)
- I couldn’t swim until I was 12 years old
- I don’t like sharing food with people. «Why don’t we just get one and split it?» No thanks
- I love jets
3. What was your «Ah-Ha» moment that got you started on your project / business?
I knew that I wanted to go off on my own for a long time and finally just did it, that was the ah-ha
4. What does «outside the box» mean to you?
I think that term is over used. It’s just another way of saying «do something out of the ordinary»
5. What do you want to create and cultivate this year?
I want to deepen my International business relationships and continue the endless task of sourcing flowers
www.erbastudio.com
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12. thinkers & makers
Rachel Mae Furman
National Brand Ambassador, Art in the Age
1. Personal mantra?
«Leap and the net will appear» -- John Burroughs
Sometimes you just have to go for it and trust that everything will fall into place. You don’t always have to know the final outcome
2. Tell me 3 things about you no one knows
(ok so some people might know, but tell me 3 mind-blowing things anyway)
- A few years ago, I bought a vintage Airstream camper and drove all around the country by myself for a few months. It was a thrilling and
terrifying adventure
- I used to have a website called “Rachel’s Guide” that was all about where to go and what to do in Philly. The word “blog” didn’t exist yet (at
least in Philly), but I made my web guy make me a “website that I could update myself” and would write in first person about my experiences
at my client bars and call it “reality marketing.” I think I was on to something!
- My best friend is my Grandmom, who taught me how to be a lady and the perfect hostess and to have a love for entertaining. If ever in
doubt, I routinely ask myself, “What would Grandmom Doris do?” and it’s usually the right answer
3. What was your «Ah-Ha» moment that got you started on
your project / business?
«sometimes you just
have to go for it
and trust that
everything will fall
into place»
For the past six years, I’ve been traveling the country as a National Brand Ambassador for a liquor brand, and have gotten the opportunity
to visit some of the best cocktail bars and restaurants in the country. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some of the most talented craft
bartenders and really learn the history behind spirits and the cocktails we drink. And now, as the Ambassador for Art in the Age, which is based
on the value of true craftsmanship, I’m also collaborating with artisans and craftsmen all over the country who are driving the movement for
quality, handcrafted goods. I’ve been inspired to start logging my adventures and the thrilling lifestyle behind the spirits industry in my blog,
Smoke & Honey
4. What does «outside the box» mean to you?
“Outside the box” means total freedom. It’s the freedom that comes with the confidence to do things your own way, without being imprisoned
by fear or doubt or someone else’s rules
5. What do you want to create and cultivate this year?
This year I want to create my blog, Smoke & Honey, and cultivate deeper relationships with all of the inspiring people I meet by sharing their
story. I want to take inspiration from the road and create projects and ideas and experiences that express my love of spirits, cocktails and
entertaining
www.artintheage.com / www.smokeandhoney.com
Rachel Mae Furman
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13. nowness
© fr e nchB K 2013
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14. #fuckyes
© fr e nchB K 2013
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15. thinkers & makers
Jessica Bordner,
Melissa Dejong
Owners, Stay Forever Photography
1. Personal mantra?
Keep it 100!!
2. Tell me 3 things about you no one knows
(ok so some people might know, but tell me 3 mind-blowing things anyway)
- Jess and I went to 1st grade together and actually Jess’s dad and Melissa’s mom went to high school together
(talk about a long family history)
- We started our company while eating beer and wings at a bar and wrote a business plan on a napkin
- We got our business name from the second Twilight movie (when Jacob says something in his native language to Bella)
translated to something like you will stay in my heart forever ... Stay Forever Photography
3. What was your «Ah-Ha» moment that got you started on
your project / business?
I think Jess and I would both agree that our ah-ha moment came a few weddings into when we first started the business. The first
few weddings we were nervous and inexperienced and then after a few confidently under our belt we had a wedding that everything
just seemed to click. I think that was a wedding that when we left we knew in that moment we were on the right path
4. What does «outside the box» mean to you?
As photographers we are constantly striving to be «outside the box,» and what that means to us is to simply be unique, and not just copy
what everyone else is doing. As artists we are trying to always produce real images that are true to our look and style. When clients book
us they fall in love with our portfolio and the emotions we are able to capture. We strive to never copy or duplicate our photos, even if
we shoot at the same location. We want to keep improving and bringing each of our clients moments that they will treasure forever
5. What do you want to create and cultivate this year?
New relationships with people in the wedding industry, yep we want to create some awesome new friendships
www.stayforeverphotography.com
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16. thinkers & makers
1. Personal mantra?
Dayna McErlean
Owner, The Colony at St. Johns
Work is the new relaxation
2. Tell me 3 things about you no one knows
(ok so some people might know, but tell me 3 mind-blowing things anyway)
- I hate garden hoses. They get in knots and I hate wrestling with them. I’ve never found one that lasts, they are all just junky
- I love artichokes
- I don’t give up on things. I don’t take no for an answer and never let anyone tell me I can’t do something. My mom taught me that one
3. What was your «Ah-Ha» moment that got you started on your project / business?
For about 8 years I’ve heard everyone talking about St. Johns and how they are all waiting for something to happen there. For the last couple years,
I kept thinking someone needs to plant the right seeds to jump start the St. Johns growth and I was waiting for something more visible to pop up.
My friend was contacted to buy this property (now The Colony), but he couldn’t close the deal, so I went for it. It was literally the gateway to St.
Johns and the amount of possibilities, kind of gave me that Ah-ha moment. I thought, the space could set the tone for things to follow suit and make
a huge impression in the community. Something about it just drew me in and kept me interested
4. What does «outside the box» mean to you?
Connecting the dots
5. What do you want to create and cultivate this year?
I want to curate, cultivate and culminate great happenings. My passion is to create places for people to come together, enjoy each other, and have
great conversation and food. I’ve realized I love accommodating people and creating environments where they can thrive. Usually, it involves making
something out of nothing
www.thecolonystjohns.com
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17. open season
© fr e nchB K 2013
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18. focus
{ c/loud Project }
by Benjamin Løzninger / FrenchBK
«It is through obliterating the dull bluntness of ocular
r e ite r a tion, the f r e e in g u p o f o u r m en t a l s p a c es i n
the c onte xt of e v e r y d a y c o n s t r a i n t s , t h r o u g h t h e
tr ue liv ing of a p e r p e t u a l « h ea d i n t h e c l o u d s » t h a t
we f ind r e lie f . Pe r ha p s h o p e. A t t h e ver y l ea s t , a
moment, a smile, a breath. Benjamin Lozninger’s C/loud
Ser i es a s k s o n l y t h a t w e p a u s e, w i t h a w r y s m i l e and
a p i t c h ed b r o w, a s w e a c k n o w l ed g e w h a t w e a l r eady
k n o w t o b e t r u e - - t h a t t h e f r eed o m p r o m i s ed i n ou r
ever y d a y l i ves i s o n l y a s r ea l a s o u r a b i l i t y t o see
t h e d i f f er en c e b et w een w h a t i s , a n d w h a t i s t r u e. »
M ar g o t C ut i v e t , A LTA R S M ag az ine
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19. 19

20. you’re my fuel.
you motivate me
to be better.
you make me
stronger and
happier. we are
a super team.
we’ll manage.
frenchBK