STANDARD H Podcast

I’ve known Kendra Leonard for roughly 20 years. We met working at Banana Republic, and was immediately aware of her innate ability of being an astute, direct woman while also exuding an empathetic approach to leadership - something I think many more people can learn from. One thing you may realize is: Kendra has been through A LOT. She is one of the most resilient people I know and has never wavered from her every-ready smile an aptitude to remain positive an any situation....all reasons why I wanted to sit down with her. A little over 10 years ago, Kendra launched her brick and mortar business, The Art of Style, and we discuss her accordion-like journey of expanding and contracting her store count as well as the trials and tribulations of retail, in general. We chat about the importance of the human connection and how clothing can actually serve as motivation and how a customer demographic isn’t necessarily about a particular age or size. Kendra is in a really great place at the moment and continues to teach me things...in this interaction is was to be aware of the distinction of commitment and attachment and how they are not the same thing. It may seem obvious, but I truly feel many of us very well associate the two as one. I really enjoyed this chat, so if you’re at all into fashion, clothes, the ins and outs of the business, or even self help for that matter, this may just be your cup of tea. I hope you enjoy it.

Links:

STANDARD H

@standardh_

The Art of Style

@shopstheartofstyle

Passion Fine Jewelry

@passionfinejewelry

Independent In Time

@independentintime

Those of you who have listened to the podcast have heard me talk about Cleer Audio’s headphones. They’re incredibly comfortable and their sound quality punches way above their weight. Today’s guest is Aaron Levine - the Vice President of Marketing behind Cleer Audio, and it’s a real treat, not only due to his partnership in providing the headphones for the STANDARD H podcast, but because he allows for great insight into a company that has been steady building their brand in what can only be described as a saturated market. We dive deep into the what’s, how’s and why’s Cleer Audio does what they do, what sets them apart, and we end the show with what will possibly make its way into your living room. I really enjoyed Aaron’s candor and in-depth look at their consumer electronics business, and I think you will to.

Links:

STANDARD H

@standardh_

Cleer Audio

@cleersound

Jason Water isn’t who you think he is. Sitting across from a guy wearing a Misfits t-shirt, with two full sleeves of tattoos and Vans on, most would think of a touring musician or perhaps a bartender at the local dive. But not Jason. He’s the army of one behind Waters Atelier, a custom clothier here in San Diego offering everything from polos to golf in to the three-piece suit you may need for your wedding. With a background in skateboarding and punk rock, he and I share a lot of interests, so I was excited to chat with him. I was also selfishly interested to see what he does considering San Diego embodies flip flops and boardshorts. Much of our conversation was a trip down memory lane on a multitude of levels and I was excited to talk about the various modes of transportation he and I have enjoyed. From skateboards to Porsches and from city buses to motorcycles, Jason’s done a lot. This was definitely a fun one...

Links:

STANDARD H

@standardh_

Waters Atelier

@watersatelier

Passion Fine Jewelry

@passionfinejewelry

Independent In Time

@independentintime

Born in India and having grown up in Michigan, Shinoo Mapleton has had an exciting journey within the automotive industry. From sales and marketing to engineering and product development, Shinoo has worked with products dating back to the Pontiac Fiero and early days of 3M clear bra products. He now serves as co-founder and co-owner of InoKinetic & Black Shadow Motors which involves engineering, manufacturing and distributing after market parts for Lotus, while also orchestrating restorations of all makes and models. Shinoo’s a busy guy, but he still makes time for few special car-inspired projects such as a watch box for a STANDARD H favorite watch brand. A few weeks back, I took a drive up to the Black Shadow offices in Temecula, where Shinoo and I chatted about his story. We talk about everything from Led Zeppelin to Volkswagen GTI’s, a race car that he designed that got some heavy press, and the fact that new ideas often keep him up at night. This is a fun one for you car nuts.

Links:

STANDARD H

@standardh_

InoKinetic

Black Shadow Motors

@blackshadowmotors

Passion Fine Jewelry

@passionfinejewelry

Independent in Time

@independentintime

Many of you know I’m somewhat of a fashion nerd. Having grown up in the South, clothes were a way to feel as though I could live like those in the big cities of New York and Los Angeles. It serves as escapism for a lot of people, and I think today’s guest would agree. Nick Roberts is the PR front behind some of the most celebrated brands in menswear as well as a little company called HODINKEE - formerly the world’s largest watch blog, but could very well be dubbed the worlds best watch-related lifestyle brand of today. I sat down with Nick to chat about growing up outside of Chicago reading Esquire & GQ, and what exactly a Public Relations company actually does. I was fascinated with Nick’s story and how he began his company, Lawrence & Co. because he has only been in operation for just over a year and has clients that can only be characterized as some of the most renowned menswear businesses in New York City and in some cases, arguably the world. A few takeaways from this chat are most certainly the fact that knowing what your passions are and planning ahead can be instrumental for ones career, as well as the human connection is still, in fact, paramount in today’s digital age.

LINKS:

STANDARD H

@standardh_

Lawrence & Co.

@nljroberts

Passion Fine Jewelry

@passionfinejewelry

Independent In Time

@independentintime

Happy New Year!

This week’s guest is Dan Brunn - owner and principal of DB Architecture. He’s an accomplished architect, yes, but he’s also a car lover, which began much earlier than I even expected. With that, we talk about his younger years growing up in Tel Aviv, and how he went from barely speaking English to communicating through drawing. We delve into punk rock as it relates to urban planning, as well as the similarities between cars and watches and how they relate to happiness. What I enjoy about Dan is his unabashed honesty about, well, everything: his experience, his process and his approach. When you talk to him, you quickly realize why he coined the phrase for his business, “empathetic design.” You’ll see what I mean...

LINKS:

standard-h.com

@standardh_

danbrunn.com

@dbarchitecture

@dbrunn009

Passion Fine Jewelry

@passionfinejewelry

Independent In Time

@independentintime

Marshall & Megan Dostal are certainly a dynamic duo. As owners and operators of Further Products, their story is one where they somewhat fell into their company. 

Their soaps originated from byproducts of the biofuel Marshall was using to power his Mercedes several years ago.

A connection with another particular professional gave rise to their signature scent - something I took note of when washing my hands in the bathroom of one of my favorite restaurants in Los Angeles, Osteria Mozza.

Really, it was more or less a domino effect that created their company, including a move from New York City to LA nearly 20 years ago. My favorite takeaway is they are a tiny team doing big business.

I love their story, as well as their products, but I'll let them tell it.

Links:

standard-h.com

@standardh_

FurtherProducts.com

@furtherproducts

PassionFineJewelry.com

@passionfinejewelry

IndependentInTime.com

@independentintime

This week’s guest is master watchmaker Cameron Weiss - the man behind Weiss Watch Company based just outside of Los Angeles. His upbringing, education, and work experience have taken him all over the United States as well as to Europe, but he settled in California having launched his watch company to bring back a larger focus on American made watch brands. We go into how he got his start in the industry, what his end game is and how he’s gone from sourcing other manufacturers movements to now even providing parts for some of the largest watch groups in Switzerland!  Cameron and I actually first met a couple years ago at Luftegkuhlt - the air cooled Porsche-focused car event and have been loosely in touch ever since, so it was great to sit down for our chat. We really go into the behind the scenes of his business as well as a bit of car talk - both old and new. If you’re into watches, and want a unique perspective into what goes on surrounding the industry, I think you’re going to dig this one. And even if you aren’t, you might just learn something anyway. I know I did.

LINKS:

standard-h.com

@standardh_

weisswatchcompany.com

@weisswatchcompany

@cameronmweiss

passionfinejewelry.com

@passionfinejewelry

independentintime.com

@independentintime

Episode 18 brings us to Jason McLeod, the executive chef and part owner of Consortium Holdings - a restaurant group based here in San Diego. For the lack of a better description, I was introduced to Jason through our mutual friend Sarah through a series of comments exchanged on Instagram. At the time, Jason had recently opened Ironside - a seafood restaurant in the Little Italy neighborhood of downtown San Diego. We talk about him growing up in Canada, leaving home on a bus with $200 to his name, the influence of the Wu Tang Clan, and we even touch on what you at home my be doing wrong in the kitchen. And the new podcast he’s hosting! Jason has been on one heck of a ride that had him traveling all over the world working at the some of the finest restaurants, and over the better part of the last decade, he has taken a company from a few bars in downtown to 17 different bars and restaurant concepts in what have been dominating the food & beverage scene in the now greater-San Diego area. This was a fun one for me, especially since his restaurants are some of the ones my wife and I most often frequent. We actually recorded this at Morning Glory - his latest breakfast/brunch restaurant shortly after their last service of the day, so there’s a small bit of ambient noise in the background. I hope you enjoy it.

Links:

https://consortiumholdings.com/

https://standard-h.com/

@standardh_

Follow Jason:

@ironsidechef

@jasonsshittychefdrivenpodcast

@jasonsshittychefdrivendsnaps

Cat Varga is a jeweler/creator and part owner of Brooklyn Vintage Company - a vintage store located in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn.



Cat and I met through my best friend Chris several years ago and what I took from our conversation is Cat is a hustler.



We talk about early days growing up in Queens, raised by two glamorous women, getting fired from her job selling chocolates;

the topic of wabi sabi comes up again, and we discuss industry at large with regards to waste as well as the importance of products having a soul, as well as the contribution a “third place” can have in a community.



We recorded this on one of their first weeks of being open, so there was a buzz in the air, and though I have opened quite a few new stores in my career, there was something special about being an on-looker to a friend’s new store opening. They have a very open storefront, so there’s a tiny bit of New York City traffic and occasional background conversation going on, but I really feel like it adds an additional element to the episode, so I hope you enjoy it.

Links:

standard-h.com

@standardh_

@brooklynvintagecompany

@catvarga