Raphael Sanchez

July 06, 2018 in art, toronto, male, photographer, graphic designer, gif, APT200, 3

Raphael was a part of our production team for the Joseph of Mercury shoot with Numero Homme.

You can follow Raphael here.

Where are you from?

Filipino-Canadian, born & raised in Scarborough, Ontario. Based in downtown Toronto.

What do you do?

I am a full-time freelancer and a recent graduate at the OCADU (Ontario College of Art & Design University).

GIF-making is so difficult! Any insider tips?

Simplicity is key. Think about when you're making an Instagram Boomerang. You'll get better results from a single, stable movement rather than frantic gestures. That simplicity paired with a clear focal point make a seamless gif you'll want to watch over and over again!

What is your dream creative project?

Wow, big question! There are too many to list, but one I see myself making a reality in the near future is to create a bi-annual QTPoC-friendly party that Toronto hasn't experienced yet. I want to spin the music I love in a space that I had creative direction over.

What are your go-to tunes for…

Rising? - I have a 90s RnB & old school disco playlist on repeat just for my mornings, but Estrelar by Marcos Valle is my exit song.

Exercising? - A good jersey club mix. Sam Tiba, Skype Williams or SWISHA come to mind.

Partying? - Depends on the kiki i’m going to, but Justice, Daft Punk and the songs of the Bloghaus era have a special spot in my heart.

Where are your favorite places in Toronto to…

Eat? - Manpuku Japanese Eatery in the Village Grange Food Court. Donburi-don with a fried egg on top.

Dance? - I prefer a smaller venue with just the right amount of grunge. It makes for such an intimate, sexy atmosphere. Coda, Drake Underground, Apt 200, and the Black Eagle are few of the places I frequent.

Drink? - Whiskey. Double Jameson on the rocks.

Shop? - Uniqlo for my basics. Most of my “fashion pieces” come from instagram stores or from friends that started making merch.

Is there something you really want to do in your city that you haven't yet?

Skating under The Bentway.

List three people that inspire you…

Mimi Vuong - Director & Graphic Designer

Adrian Muir - Cinematographer & DJ

Mark Galura - Motion Graphics Designer

Freeza Chin

July 06, 2018 in toronto, dj, male, music, music producer, 3

You can follow Freeza here.

Where do you live?: Toronto

What do you do for work?: I am a DJ as well as an audio engineer and music producer. I co-own and operate a professional recording studio called Genesis Sound Inc.

What do you do for fulfillment?: My work basically crosses over into what I do for fulfilment, but on top of the music stuff I enjoy helping my friends in their creative endeavours.

What is your dream creative project?: My dream creative project is to build a musical body of work from the ground up for an amazing artist - writing, producing, recording, mixing and mastering the whole thing from start to finish (ideally with an unlimited budget).

Do you consider yourself a freshman, sophomore or senior in your field?: I would probably say somewhere between sophomore and senior. I've been a DJ for over 15 years and a profesional engineer for 8 years.

What can’t you leave the house without?: My phone!

Where's your favourite place to eat?: House Of Gourmet for legit chinese food at any hour

Where's your favourite place to dance?: Parts & Labour for PartyBoobyTrap, Apt. 200, The Socialite for Unruly Fridays or wherever YYY is at (usually NEST)

Where's your favourite place to drink?: I'm a pretty casual drinker and only really drink while I'm DJing, so wherever that may be at the time I suppose!

Where's your favourite place to shop?: MOOG Audio

What are your go-to tunes for getting ready to leave the house in the morning?: My alarm clock on my phone is "Heart Monitor Riddem" by Kurupt FM (and JAYEMKAYEM hates it).

What are your go-to tunes for exercising?: "Know Better" by Headie One, "Hold That (L)" by Rocks FOE or anything from Aidonia

What are your go-to tunes for going out for a night on the town?: "Bussdown" by Maxo Kream and "Turf" by Sean Leon makes me want to punch people.

Kindly recommend 3 people that inspire you:

Tre Mission
Diamond Osoteo
Marcus Visionary

Who recommended you?: JAYEMKAYEM

Nader Abouzeid

July 06, 2018 in toronto, ffso, music, female, montreal, male, 4

Nader aka FunkyWhat is a forward-thinking beatmaker based in Montreal. The sophistication of his beats can be attributed to his background as a guitar player and his immersion in rock and skate culture. The amalgamation of these factors makes for stand-out hip-hop and R&B beats with an edge.

IVI

July 06, 2018 in toronto, 3, music, music producer, male, ffso

IVI is a self-taught producer based in Scarborough. In contrast to some of his peers, IVI’s talents go beyond beatmaking. He works closely with artists to produce and develop their vocals, transforming a great beat into a great song.

Mookie Morris

June 21, 2018 in toronto, ffso, music, male, 3

Mookie Morris is a Canadian Idol alum with a laid-back, nostalgic musical style that spans far past the defunct show’s history. Mookie heads his own band, The Mooks, which features Owen Norquay on bass and Luis Figuero on drums. With Mookie on lead vocals and guitar, The Mooks evoke the ease of old-school rock with their own whimsical flair.

Luis Figuero

June 21, 2018 in toronto, ffso, music, male, 3

Luis Figuero is the dynamic drummer for The Mooks, which also features Mookie Morris on lead vocals and guitar and Owen Norquay on bass. The Mooks evoke the ease of old-school rock with their own whimsical flair.

Owen Norquay

June 21, 2018 in toronto, ffso, music, male, 3

Owen Norquay is a soulful,seasoned bass player with The Mooks, which also features Mookie Morris on lead vocals and guitar and Luis Figuero on drums. The Mooks evoke the ease of old-school rock with their own whimsical flair.

Just John

June 21, 2018 in toronto, ffso, male, music, 4

John Samuels aka Just John is one of the rappers at the forefront of Toronto’s DIY art scene. His distinct look merges contemporary, bold leather looks and more classic militant vibes. Meanwhile, his musical style often blends trap with jazz. In addition to his own musical projects, John is the founder of Blank Canvas, a multidisciplinary arts collective that doubles as a platform for underrepresented emerging artists. You can often spot him vibing out to his own music and rocking his signature beret.

Dom Dias

June 21, 2018 in toronto, ffso, male, music, music producer, 4

Dom Dias works double time as a graphic designer by day and music producer by night. His intricate production paired with his hands-on recording approach always makes for A1 quality tracks that push Toronto’s sound into further greatness, just as he did in his collaborations with Just John, Don and the upcoming Don II.

Matthew Vautour

April 26, 2018 in Nike, toronto, male

According to Matthew, his job is to “kill fat & build some booties.” With that, Matthew Vautour is a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor based in Toronto. In the future Matthew has aspirations to eventually open his own training facility. But for now, after training sessions, he runs with Nike’s IN Run Crew, which he credits for normalizing LGBTQ+ folks in sports.

Imad Elsheikh

April 24, 2018 in art, creative consultant, male, 3, toronto, events

Imad Elsheikh is the man behind Pique, an online platform for emerging artists. While Pique was initially built around 15-second clips of each artist, in collaboration with Bell, it has since expanded into a central hub for events and exposure for creatives based within and beyond Toronto.

Imad Elsheikh and his platform Pique have a combined following of 7k with good engagement on each account. Each post averages 330 likes and 14 comments, with videos peaking at almost 800 views.

Othello Grey

April 13, 2018 in art, creative consultant, male, photographer, 3, toronto

On a timeline full of self-proclaimed photographers, Othello Grey stands out. As a self-taught photographer, each of his photos are infused with an inimitable coolness that you can’t scroll past without liking, screenshotting or wishing that you took it yourself.

As Othello gets closer to 50k followers, he receives an average of 590 likes per post with an engagement rate of 1.2%.

Zachary Roher

April 13, 2018 in 3, toronto, designer, events, male, music, creative consultant

If you have been seeing boobs everywhere, it’s likely thanks to Zachary Roher, the Cultural Curator, Artist Manager and Clothing Designer at the helm of Collectif NUDE. In addition to designing their signature boob merch, sold at Urban Outfitters and seen everywhere, Collectif Nude manages a growing roster of artists and hosts dope parties that have featured the likes of ASAP Mob, Kaytranada and Ravyn Lenae.

Stats: Combined following of over 5k (collectifnude + personal acct).

Malcolm Omoruyi

April 12, 2018 in male, fashion, toronto, 3, model

Malcolm Omoruyi is a new face rep’d by Dulcedo Management who has been seen in the pages of V Magazine and Pause, in a music video with The Weeknd and in campaigns for NOMAD, Fear of God and Get Fresh Company. Most recently Malcolm walked at Toronto Mens Fashion Week, where he closed Kollar Clothing’s show.

Daniel Duran

April 06, 2018 in beauty, art, male, mua, 3, new york

Daniel Duran is a New York-based makeup artist who isn’t afraid to paint outside of the lines. His unique, irreverent incorporates an array of intricate artistic and makeup skills, proving that he truly uses faces as canvases.

Isaac Jahkel

April 03, 2018 in toronto, model, male, fashion, 2

Isaac Jahkel is a Toronto-based model repped by Elmer Olsen. Since first entering onto Toronto’s fashion scene, Isaac has worked with both emerging and established Canadian brands like Simons, Wil Studios, and Hendrix Roe.

George Jessel

April 01, 2018 in male, graphic designer, london, los angeles, uk, 2

George Jessel is a multi-platform designer who teeters between web design and interior design seamlessly. After working in marketing and branding, George studied interior architecture at Inchbald School of Design. Since graduating, he has worked on a variety of projects, from working on the fit out for Bloomberg’s London headquarters to larger scale residential refurbishment as well as commercial and hospitality design.

Kay Kash

March 26, 2018 in 2, toronto, dj, male

Kay Kash is a DJ from Brampton and based in Toronto. Between gigs he works as a supervisor/manager and is one half of the youtube duo TKlove, where he films challenges, tags and vlogs with his fiancé.

Andrew Coimbra

March 26, 2018 in male, fashion, 2, toronto, designer

Andrew Coimbra is a George Brown grad who has catapulted his career as designer and creative director of his progressive namesake brand. After interning for Proenza Schouler, Andrew Coimbra began designing luxury outerwear and streetwear seen on Refinery29, Elle Canada and the Junos red carpet. His forward-thinking brand pushes industry boundaries with genderless pieces that he defines as having a “cool and refined ease.”

With a combined Instagram reach of 10k, each post on his brand’s account gets an average of 760 video views and 160 post likes.

Sean Leon

March 10, 2018 in male, music, toronto, CLASH, 2, OAK ISLAND, ffso

In a post-Drake Toronto, Sean Leon goes beyond the city’s signature moody sound. His diverse sound teeters between grungy and bubbly and his persona is authentic and irreverent. Sean’s projects include CCWMTT and I Think You’ve Gone Mad, a song ‘Matthew in the Middle’ with vocals from his dear friend and collaborator Daniel Caesar, was featured on the soundtrack for HBO’s Insecure. Beyond his own music, Sean is the founder of the IXXI collective, which is responsible for launching and developing Daniel Caesar’s meteoric career and fostering other Toronto talent.