Eric Ku - From Curator to Creator: A Collector Turned Serial Entrepreneur

Nadine Ghosn joined me on Collectors Gene Radio today and I am not sure there is someone who is making as much noise as she is in fine jewelry. After a stint at Hermes, Nadine found herself yearning for a creativity spark and man did she get it right. Her designs are all about creating a sense of nostalgia from the things we recognize most and using luxurious materials and stones to turn them into functional jewelry pieces. Like her stackable burger ring, or her rose gold pencil bracelet, or her custom designs for the likes of Drake & Lil Yachty. If that’s not enough, her pieces have been worn by Beyonce, the late Karl Lagerfeld, and she’s been making custom croissants out of gold for Cedric Grolet. The best part of it all? She’s a one woman show who is willing to do whatever it takes. With her favorite saying being “Don’t think outside the box, think like there is no box”, Nadine has proven the counterarguments most jewelers told her from day 1 and continues to push the boundaries. So without further adieu, this is Nadine Ghosn, for Collectors Gene Radio.Nadine Ghosn Fine Jewelry -  https://nadineghosn.com/

Yoni Ben-Yehuda is my guest today and we’re chatting about what it’s like to be the Head of Watches for Material Good, one of the most curated jewelry stores around. With a star-studded clientele and friend list, Yoni may just be everyone's confidant in watches. His energy and knowledge for this stuff is immense, and he’s got a pulse on it all. I wanted to find out what it’s like to have a direct partnership with Audemars Piguet, how everyone at Material Good either joins the team as a collector or unintentionally becomes one, and more importantly, how in the world he finds time to collect for himself. Part two is in the works, but for now, please enjoy, this is Yoni Ben-Yehuda, Head of Watches at Material Good, for Collectors Gene Radio.Material Good - https://materialgood.com/Yoni's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lifeofyoni/?hl=en

Today’s guest is what you can consider a jack of all trades in the watch industry, Mr. Eric Ku. Eric can be best known as a dealer, collector extraordinaire, and entrepreneur, all within the world of watches. It’s not too often that a collector and dealer finds other ways to become successful in this industry, but leave it up to Eric to take care of that. His businesses stem far beyond just being a dealer, since having founded LA Watch Works, a well known restoration and servicing center, and LoupeThis, one of the watch world's most exciting ventures and auction houses to come about in the last couple years. We chat about the impetus to start all these ventures, and of course, his many piece-uniques from the fan favorite, Cartier. He’s a go to for many things, watches and always a delight to chat with. Alright, please enjoy, this is Eric Ku, for Collectors Gene Radio.Eric's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/fumankuLoupe This - https://loupethis.com/LA Watch Works - http://www.lawatchworks.com/

Today I sat down with Cameron Barr, founder of Craft & Tailored to discuss watches, cars, and our newest obsession Native American link bracelets. Cam’s been in the watch game for a bit now, but he’s always done it his way. Although watches are what’s for sale, Craft & Tailored has their own image and brand that sets them apart because it’s not just about that. Cam’s love for watches is just an extension of his collections and it all creates a cohesive case study in sticking to what you love. So without further adieu, this is Cameon Barr, founder of Craft & Tailored, for Collectors Gene Radio.Craft & Tailored - https://www.craftandtailored.com/C&T's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/craftandtailored/Cam's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cambambarr/C&T's TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@craftandtailored?lang=en

Today’s guest is none other than the racing legend Mario Andretti, widely regarded as the greatest race car driver in the history of the sport.Mario Andretti was born in Italy and didn't emigrate to the United States until age fifteen. At 19, he began racing stock cars in Pennsylvania and that was the start of an illustrious career that saw him compete and win in every discipline he entered. He won races in sports cars, sprint cars and stock cars – on ovals, road courses, drag strips, on dirt and on pavement. He won at virtually every level of racing since he arrived in America from his native Italy.His achievements became legendary: The world watched as he won the Daytona 500, the Indianapolis 500 and ultimately the Formula One World Championship, taking home an unprecedented trifecta. No other race car driver has ever won all three titles and Mario took the checkered flag 111 times during his career – a career that stretched five decades and across six continents.Today, in his retirement from racing, Mr. Andretti is still one of the most respected voices in motorsports and has received hundreds of awards and recognitions, like being named Driver of the Century, he was knighted by his native Italy, and the Library of Congress in Washington DC added him to its Living Legends list. And on the lighter side, but undoubtedly affirmation of his charisma and popularity, he was in the first Pixar Cars movie voicing himself and GQ Magazine named him one of "The 25 Coolest Athletes of All Time".So with great honor, this is Mario Andretti, the greatest race car driver of all time, for Collectors Gene Radio.Mario Andretti - https://marioandretti.com/

Sometimes you can look at a collector and just know that they have the gene. And that couldn’t be more true than with today’s guest, Justin Gruenberg. The last name rings through Beverly Hills as his family has been in the business for years and Justin is no exception as his two brands The Keystone and LoupeThis happen to be some of the most influential in the watch industry. As cofounder of both, Justin’s collecting philosophies render right through the ethos behind both platforms. Aside from rarity, he is a “what meets the eye” type of collector and it doesn’t stop at watches. Having grown up going to museums, it was inevitable that his interests wouldn’t align with art and design, of course in true collectors fashion. He’s a tastemaker with a pulse on what’s next for him, not everyone else. So without further adieu, this is Justin Gruenberg, for Collectors Gene Radio.The Keystone - https://thekeystone.com/LoupeThis - https://loupethis.com/Justin's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/justin.gruenberg/?hl=en

Today’s guest is Rory Tait, one of the earliest employees at the company Rally. Rally is revolutionizing the way people invest in collectible assets, offering a platform where investors can buy and sell equity shares in items ranging from classic cars, rare books, and even dinosaur skulls. While all of those items seem terribly expensive to collect, that’s where Rally takes the wheel. Everyday investors like you and I are able to go onto Rally’s platform and buy and sell shares of all of these collectible items that they acquire. For example, in August of 2020, Rally IPO’ed a 1985 sealed copy of Super Mario Bros for Nintendo for $150k at $50/share. Just a year later the asset was acquired for $2m dollars giving their investors a more than 1200% return on their investment. So even if you just bought one share at $50, your investment would have gone to just under $667. Now, that’s only one side to the collecting journey, but what I love that Rally is doing is that they are preserving the nostalgia of these items through stories and their in person museum in New York where you can visit these items to see them for yourself and I urge you all to do so. Alright, without further adieu, this is Rory Tait, for Collectors Gene Radio.Rory's Website - https://roryctait.com/Rally - https://rallyrd.com/24 Heures du Montauk - https://www.24heuresdumontauk.com/

Today’s guest is Susan Feldman, founder of One Kings Lane & In The Groove. She’s a born collector with retail blood and when it comes to collecting, she loves nothing more. After starting One Kings Lane in her early 50’s, she got exposed to working with some of the best designers around who opened her eyes to the beauty of traveling and vintage sourcing. A host and an entertainer, she’s collect a closet full of napkins, and dish sets, and boxes, and the list goes on. But these days, she’s doing more curating of her collections and focusing on the things that matter. After selling One Kings Lane, she’s started her next venture In The Groove targeted at inspiring women 50+ to own their age and style. As a collector, she’s curating content for this demographic and there's no one better for the job. So without further adieu, this is Susan Feldman, for Collectors Gene Radio.Susan Feldman's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/susankfeldman/?hl=enIn The Groove - https://getinthegroove.com/

Michael Chow may not sound familiar to you, but what may sound familiar is Mr. Chow, the name of his highly luxurious and booming restaurant chain. Mr. Chow is a collector of art, art deco furniture and objet, and just about anything that is part of his day to day, all the way down to his thoughts and expressions. Name the first shot of any movie and he can tell you everything. He’s as sharp as it gets. Everything he does he relates back to art and theater, it’s truly a piece of who he is. He is one of the most eccentric (in the best way) and fascinating people I have ever had the chance to speak with. He’s the type of collector who wills what he wants into his ecosystem. Everything he does is based on repetition and collecting. Sound like a true collector to you? Mr. Chow did not have the most conventional upbringing in China, with his father being at the top of stardom, of which is still celebrated in China today, and having left at a very early age. Mr. Chow eventually opened up his restaurants, and when he opened his first one in New York, it quickly became the hotspot of the likes of Warhol, Basquiat, and many others that will probably keep your jaw open for an uncomfortable period of time. In fact, Basquiat once created a piece for M and had it delivered right to his apartment. An artist himself, he has turned his passion for collecting into a personal hobby. He’s got stories beyond belief and you can see it all in his new HBO documentary AKA Mr. Chow. With honor, Mr. Chow for Collectors Gene Radio.aka Mr. Chow - https://www.hbo.com/movies/aka-mr-chowMr. Chow - https://www.mrchow.com/Michael Chow Art - https://www.m-michaelchow.com/copy-of-theater-of-painting

Today’s guest is serial entrepreneur and collector Jonathan Sposato. After starting companies like Geekwire, PicMonkey, Joysauce, and selling a few others as well, Jonathan is at a stage in his career where collecting has truly never been more important. Of course this ties into his multifaceted collections like old fighter pilot jackets, Saville Row Suits, cars, watches, back to apparel from brands like Ralph Lauren and even rare hand painted leather punk rock jackets. But when it comes to his companies like Joysauce, Jonathan is curating and collecting some of the very best content in the AAPI space and he approaches it the same way he does when it comes to his personal collections. The name of the game here is a common theme on the show, which is “buy what you love”. The collectors gene couldn’t be more present than in this episode and Jonathan has the passion and knowledge to back it. Alright, let’s dive in. This is Jonathan Sposato, for Collectors Gene Radio.GeekWire - https://www.geekwire.com/JoySauce - https://joysauce.com/Jonathan’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jonathansposato/Time To Wear Book by John Goldberger & Alessandro Squarzi - https://watchprint.com/en/books-on-watches/546-time-to-wear-john-goldberger-alessandro-squarzi.html