Douglas Friedman - Discovering The Gene Through A Collection Of Work

Today we’re hearing from plant designer and rare plant collector, Rob Moffitt. He founded his company Haus Plant just a few short years ago, on the rare occasion that he didn’t previously collect plants at all. Fast forward a few years and Rob’s a go-to in the plant design world, sourcing and collecting rare plants for some of the biggest interior design projects. These aren’t just your typical nursery plants, either. Rob’s sourcing from some of the most esteemed plant collectors, estates, and even plants that come from the jungles of Brazil and Southeast Asia. It’s not just about finding the right plant though. Rob is known for manipulating roots to be more architectural and displaying them in more organic materials and vessels. This is a first for the show, so without further adieu, this is Rob Moffitt, for Collectors Gene Radio.The Haus Plant - https://thehausplant.com/Haus Plant Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thehausplant?igsh=NXprbGVzYWs1ZGNyRob Moffitt's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rmoffitt?igsh=c2MzYmhmaXB1cmY3

Jason Saft is my guest today, and as the proprietor behind the award winning firm, Staged To Sell Home, it’s not often I get to chat with a collector whose job is to well, collect. Jason’s company Staged To Sell home is responsible for helping sell some of New Yorks most prominent real estate. His firm has risen to fame for their beautifully staged interiors, good enough for New York's wealthiest buyers. His job is to take a stale home and turn it into something a potential buyer can see themselves living in. We chat about the amazing case studies on his website which showcase how homes sat on the market sometimes for two years before his team comes in, subsequently selling in less than a week by the time he’s done with it, and usually over asking. As for his collecting, there’s a new 23000 square foot warehouse that holds the ever growing collection of furniture and objet, all of which he gets to look at on a daily basis. So without further adieu, this is Jason Saft, for collectors gene radio.Staged To Sell - https://www.stagedtosellhome.com/Case Studies - https://www.stagedtosellhome.com/casestudiesStaged To Sell Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/stagedtosellhome?igsh=MW8wNmk5Yjh1ZXd2NA==Jason Saft's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jasonsaft?igsh=MXV5NXVkZ21udGZmZg==

Artist Michael McGregor joined me today, right on the heels of launching his new book, Room Service, a collection of still life drawings on hotel stationary. We spoke about soaking up inspiration from everyday objects, and why it’s ok to reinvent yourself in your 30’s. Michael’s a collector of many things but nothing sits on a pedestal. In fact, a lot of what he collects shows up in his art. We chat about his other book, The Greece Notebook and how he manages to tell a story through the things that most of the world disregards. Cool, calm, collected, and a knack for finding the moment in the mundane is McGregor’s m.o., and we’re here for it. So without further adieu, this is Michael McGregor, for Collectors Gene Radio.Michael's Website - https://mcgregor.world/Drakes Interview - https://us.drakes.com/blogs/news/michael-mcgregor-artist-interview-drakes?srsltid=AfmBOorVZ4OK84IlSvCUwfTUpfk_bh3NDArjD05g7XzfH4G03G4by0h2Michael's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/themcgregor/?hl=enRoom Service - https://a.co/d/gsShjCU

Roy Davidoff is no stranger to the watch community, so I figured it would be great to sit down, and understand more as to why that is. Roy’s love for watches is no accident, having discovered his passion for them early on, eventually making a career out of it. However, luxury things are in Roy’s blood, as his family were prominent wholesale gem dealers several decades ago to some of the biggest names in the game. After Roy’s father gifted him his Omega Speedmaster, his love for the brand took off, earning him and his brother, conveniently named, Davidoff Brother’s, a spot as a go to for the brand. They’ve sold as many as 150 Speedmasters in a year, and even wrote a book on them. They’ve since expanded their inventory across multiple brands and categories, and are still after the good stuff. At the end of the day, it’s all about passion and their roots. So please enjoy, this is Roy Davidoff, for Collectors Gene Radio.Roy's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/roydavidoff/Davidoff Brothers - https://www.instagram.com/roydavidoff/David Brothers Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/davidoffbrothers/?hl=en

Today I’m sitting down with Douglas Friedman, to discuss the commonalities between a collector and one of the most sought after photographers in the residential architecture space. His name commonly shows up on Architectural Digest’s top articles and there’s a good reason for it. Friedman always used his gut instinct, whether it was studying anthropology or discovering Marfa, Texas as a place to call home. But I wanted to know how he thinks about creating a story from the photographs he chooses to use from a shoot, and how he preserves moments in time through his work, much like us collectors do respectively. At the end of the day, Douglas wasn’t sure whether he was a collector or not but I think we worked that out. So without further adieu, this is Douglas Friedman, for Collectors Gene Radio.Douglas's Website - https://www.douglasfriedman.net/Douglas's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/douglasfriedman/?hl=enDouglas's Latest Work - https://www.architecturaldigest.com/contributor/douglas-friedman

Today’s guest is Scott Rogowsky. If the name sounds familiar, that’s because you’re probably one of the 35 million people to have downloaded HQ Trivia just a few years ago, trying to answer the rather difficult questions Scott threw at us. And while we all may be used to seeing Scott in a suit through the screen of our phones, he’s actually been amassing one of the largest vintage clothing collections since 2003. So much so that he had to open up a store just to start offloading some of it. While he’s in the process of moving the business online, the hunt continues, adding new niches to the ever growing collection including some items from the late Alex Trebek’s estate. Scott’s pretty much seen it all and if you’re hunting for a vintage tee or hat, don’t hesitate to reach out to him, as he probably has it somewhere in the collection. With that said, please enjoy, this is Scott Rogowsky, for Collectors Gene Radio.- Quiz Daddy's - https://quizdaddys.com/- Scott Rogowsky's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scottrogowsky/?hl=en

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Ewan Morgan, Head of Whiskey Outreach and National Luxury Ambassador for Diageo who owns some of the largest liquor brands in the world, from Tanqueray & Casamigos, to Guiness and Non-Alcoholic brand Seedlip. But what most may not know, is that Diageo also owns a fair share of high end labels too, like Lagavulin and Mortlach. And after four decades of closure, the iconic Port Ellen distillery in the Island of Islay is reopening with Diageo in a historic moment for the Scotch industry. Ewan and I chat about the Scotch Whiskey collecting market, growing up in a family who lives and breathes the spirit, and he even takes me through a tasting of the new Port Ellen Gemini release, retailing for fifty thousand dollars. And to top it all off, we recorded at an amazing ten million dollar apartment on One Wall Street thanks to our friends at Optimist. Ewan is truly an expert which is why he’s worked his way up to have what most would consider one of the greatest jobs in the world. So without further adieu, this is Ewan Morgan, for Collectors Gene Radio.Diageo - https://www.diageo.com/One Wall Street - https://onewallstreet.com/Optimist - https://www.optimistconsulting.com/Ewan Morgan - https://www.instagram.com/ewanmorgan/?hl=enPort Ellen - https://www.diageo.com/en/news-and-media/stories/2024/port-ellen-reborn-the-reopening-of-islay-s-legendary-ghost-distillery

Mark Haddawy is my guest today and it’s not very common you meet a collector with such refined taste in multiple categories. Everything from his cars & art, to architecture & watches, it should come as no shock that the founder of Resurrection Vintage & restorer of some of the most important homes in history, has his collecting down to a science. While a lot of things in life are about being in the right place at the right time, you simply couldn’t achieve what Mark has achieved if you didn’t have the fervor to do so. Growing up in a family of collectors, he was bound to catch the bug himself, but a Ferrari 250 Short Wheel Base parked outside the Lautner Harpel House still requires a “pinch me” moment when he takes the car out to breakfast on the weekend. He’s as curated as it gets and truly believes that incorporating his collections into his everyday life is of the utmost importance. So without further adieu, this is Mark Haddawy, for Collectors Gene Radio.Mark Haddawy - https://www.markhaddawy.com/Resurrection Vintage - https://resurrectionvintage.com/

You may recognize today’s guest as the rare book specialist, dealer, and collector from the hit show Pawn Stars, Rebecca Romney. Rebecca got started in the world of rare books quite haphazardly when she applied for a managerial position at age 23 for a rare book retailer, and you can pretty much guess what happens next. Rebecca is one of the most respected dealers in the rare book space with her company Type Punch Matrix, and she is the co-founder of the Honey & Wax Book Collecting Prize. She’s sold and handled some of the rarest books in the world, like Shakespeare Folios and first editions of Newton’s Principia Mathematica. We dispel the myths of how books should be handled and chat about the diligent and detailed process of buying and cataloging entire libraries. In such a subjective space, Rebecca has not only made a name for herself, but as a trusted source in the industry who is willing to always point clients in the right direction. So please enjoy, this is Rebecca Romney, for Collectors Gene Radio.Type Punch Matrix - https://www.typepunchmatrix.com/Rebecca's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rebecca.romney/Honey & Wax Prize - https://www.honeyandwaxbooks.com/prize.php

Wesley Smith is my guest today and as the founder of Standard H, I knew we were bound to have some overlap in our interests. Wesley is a collector of many things, like every hotel room key he’s ever received, to golf scorecard pencils and bag tags, he even collected every GQ magazine at one point, amassing a collection of 700 issues. As you can tell, it’s all about nostalgia and memories for Wesley, which is a direct correlation between his collections and the brand he’s created at Standard H. He’s an enthusiast in many subjects and details are what matter most. What I love most about his collections is that it is a testament that you can collect the things that just make you happy, whether you shell out a dollar or not. Alright, please enjoy, this is Wesley Smith, for Collectors Gene Radio.Standard H - https://www.standard-h.com/Standard H Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/standardh_