A shaggy dark haired dude in designer swim trunks, and wet John Varvatos leather boots, carelessly lounged, as if he owned the place, at the P.E Lofts roof top pool in Downtown Los Angeles. Day-drinking ladies splashed just inches away from us, as if they were a part of a well rehearsed aquatic performance. The dude’s name is Rob Hill. Aviator sunglasses conveniently hid his wandering eyes. “I don’t mind my boots getting wet,” he said. “You know what I mean?”
This was my first Rob Hill experience, and wouldn’t be my last.
Sheats-Goldstein House
The most notorious house in Los Angeles
Designed by John Lautner in 1961 and completed in 1963
Treats! photoshoot at the Sheats-Goldstein House
Anyone wanna go in swimming?
We can’t take our eyes off the original style work
Fascinating use of light and earth elements
Concrete and stone structure
How long have you lived in Downtown Los Angeles, Rob Hill?
5 years.
What are your thoughts on how DTLA is changing?
It’s been an amazing ride. It reminds me what happened in the Meat Packing District in Manhattan in 1998,1999, and 2000 when I had moved there. So much in motion, so much changing of energy, identity and, of course, growing pains
Do you own or rent?
Rent.
What are your favorite local spots for dining and relaxing?
Bar Wendell, Cole’s/Varnish, Mignon, 7 Grand.
What was your first job out of school and how long did you have it?
Editor at Ray Gun magazine. 5 years.
How and why did you transition your career into journalism? Is that the correct description for you?
I got into the industry by doing an internship, which then led to a job.
When did you discover your passion for writing?
High School.
Tell us about your creative process.
As both a writer and an editor for 2 magazines, I’m pretty much all the time creating, writing or brainstorming. When I’m editing I’m usually in the office working on assigning stories, writing headlines, cover lines, working with the art department, social media department and marketing department. When I’m writing I’m holed up in my loft listening to music and…writing.
Tell us about the process of launching Treats! and mg magazines, Rob Hill. What was your first step and how long did you think about the idea for both before it became a reality? What concerns did you have with a startup magazine company?
Treats! was launched in April of 2011—it won best launch of the year out of over 700 publications by MIN—but had been an idea in the founder/owners head, Steve Shaw, for many years.
When the first issue came out Hugh Hefner sent a limo down to our offices to get a few copies and was so impressed that he invited us to dinner at the Mansion. He said over soup: “If I was in my 30s or 40s this is exactly what I’d be doing. Great job!” Mg, essentially the Fast Company or INC. magazine for the cannabis industry, was dreamed up relatively quickly and launched fast—within a few months. There was such a hunger for a really well put together, smart, modern and stylish magazine that we just jumped right in. In 6 issues we’ve gone from 0 ads to 33 an issue!
Where do you find design inspiration? How long does it take to create an issue from start to finish?
Treats! is a quarterly so that comes out spring, summer, fall, winter. The idea there is to find 5 really great, singular, off-the-beaten-path articles, 3 to 4 thousand word articles, and marry them with 9 or 10 pictorials from some of the best photographers in the world. It’s a really sumptuous, romantic and alluring product—more like a 220-page coffee table book that comes out 4 times a year. We use a rubber cover and really thick, matte paper on the inside. Mg is a monthly, so we are under the gun every 3 weeks to do an issue. Mg is more of a traditional magazine in that respect. And because its sector driven you really have to stay up on all the ins-and-outs everyday, multiple times a day.
What’s the mission behind Mg? Do you think having a mission helps guide the magazine?
The mission was literally this simple: to create the Inc. or Fast Company for the cannabis industry. Now, it’s easy to say that but very difficult to do that. Those magazines have 2 dozen staffers, big budgets, big marketing and sales departments…we have 6 employees. But, in fact, just this last week a professor at Columbia School of Journalism said of Mg: “It’s doing for the cannabis industry what Wired did to the tech industry in the early-nineties.” I like to hear this! Both business magazines, and Wired, are smart, modern, good-looking, well written and very respected.
If we had the chance to peek at your schedule, what would an average day look like?
Up at 9. Either in the office at Mg by 10 or at my desk writing. In the afternoon heading to Treats!. If I’m not doing any of those 3, that means I’m on the beach with my dog.
How do you see Mg evolving, Rob Hill?
I see it becoming the business bible for the cannabis industry: An industry that could very well be worth 35 billion by 2018. We were just accepted by Barnes & Noble (they love the magazine) and hopefully airports next. Just gotta get the product out there.
What has been the most valuable thing you’ve learned since launching MG?
Ninety-percent of genius is just showing up!
How have you overcome obstacles and stayed driven, Rob Hill?
For me, you just have to will it into existence. I have now launched or re-launched 6 magazines—from $30 million dollars launches to $30,000 launches and everywhere in between. I must be a masochist! The only way to do it and stay sane—and maybe succeed—is to be in the moment as much as you can solving the problems, creating the brand, refining the brand, and not getting too far ahead of yourself or else you will get ridden with anxiety and doubt. Also, there is a power naiveté. Sometimes it’s better to not know what you are up against! Launching a magazine in your 40s is like joining a punk band in your 40s…almost no one does it!
Many people struggle to turn their passions into careers. What advice would you give them?
Work twice as hard as everyone else. Save your money. As far as backup plans…? I never had one!
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I’m a local real estate agent with The Shelhamer Real Estate Group, and it would be my pleasure to help you find the perfect property to call home in Downtown Los Angeles, or if you’re thinking about selling a house, condo, or multi-family building in, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Atwater Village, Glassell Park, Mount Washington, or Downtown Los Angeles, it would be a privilege to help you get top dollar for the sale of your property.
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