Golden Time with Hype’s Jessie Nagel
Every now and then, the P.R. person finds him or herself in the news. Often, it’s for reasons they don’t wish upon themselves. (See Blake Lively for more on that.) But for now, the P.R. person who's in the Golden Time spotlight – and calling her just a P.R. person is something of a well-intentioned disservice – is Jessie Nagel, co-founder of the comms agency Hype, co-founder of the pro-environmental Green the Bid movement and a vibrant force in the commercial production business.
How’s that, you ask? Someone who doesn’t own a production or post company taking an industry leadership role? Well, if you’ve ever tossed some boxes of cereal into an “AICP Cares” food collection box at holiday time, you have Jessie to thank. Or if your company has adopted the guidelines of the Green the Bid initiative. Or if you’ve needed someone to trumpet your new campaign, new talent signing, expansion, award win or whatever, you have Jessie to thank.
Her roots in the business are deep – and, as you can see from the feature below, it’s something of a family affair. The Howler caught up with her recently to find out a bit more about how she lives, where she lives and how she spends her precious weekend hours. Here’s what she had to say:
Where do you live? What do you like best about where you live?
Jessie: I live in Los Angeles and Vancouver, B.C. It’s like being bi-coastal, but only on one coast – bi-latitudinal? – and I’m lucky to call two very vibrant cities home. Both have incredible film, music, and food scenes. They are beautiful in distinct and different ways. It’s difficult to say what I like best in each place, but here are a few things that make each special:
Los Angeles: There are endless opportunities to explore.
Stair walks: I love the so-called “secret stairs” – urban hikes through neighborhoods where stairs were built, mostly in the 1920s, to help people get up and down hilly neighborhoods. Each is a blend of history, architecture, vistas and workouts. I’ve met really interesting people along the way.
Food trucks & taco tables: Not the trendy ones, although those are good too. I’m talking about the original, where inexpensive and delicious food is served streetside.
The Original Farmers Market: Established in the 1930s, The Original Farmers Market is walking distance from my home and features over 100 food vendors. It’s a great place to shop and an even better place to people watch.
Vancouver: Nature surrounds a city.
The Seawall: Vancouver has the world's longest uninterrupted waterfront path offering incredible views. It’s a walker's dream. I especially like the section along Stanley Park.
Art Studios: There are hundreds of art studios in the city, and once a year, in November, during the the East Van Culture Crawl many are open to the public. It’s a visual overload in the best possible way.
False Creek Ferries + The Aquabus: These small passenger ferries take tourists and locals alike around False Creek, the narrow inlet in the heart of Vancouver, separating the Downtown and West End neighbourhoods from the rest of the city. I love being on the water, especially as the sunset reflects off the glass towers and the waves.
How did you get into the business?
Jessie: Nepotism. That’s the truth of it. Maybe I should have said “networking” to make it sound better. I studied film at university and my most immediate connection to the business was my cousin, Michael Porte, who at the time was a co-founder and EP of an editorial company called Mad River. It was a place that kicked off so many careers, including mine. If you’ve ever been to the restaurant Commander's Palace in New Orleans and looked at their timeline/culinary family tree…it’s like that, but in post.
I’ve been partners in the communications agency Hype for most of my career. We have the honor of working with creative companies and individuals through PR, Marketing, Social Media and other forms of communications consulting. The work is an exciting blend of strategy, imagination, writing, and connecting. I love it.
More recently, I also helped co-found Green The Bid, a non-profit, educational resource, and community focused on shifting the advertising production industry to sustainable and regenerative practices. This is an all volunteer endeavor and it is incredibly rewarding to watch our industry come together in this necessary transition.
How often do you end up working on the weekend? How much time do you spend on work-related stuff from Friday night to Sunday night?
Jessie: I really try to take a break from work on the weekend, but as a business owner that’s a challenge. Most often, work comes in on a Sunday night when I check emails in order to get ready for the week. The inspiration to write does not abide by a clock or calendar, so if I get an idea or feel like jumping into a project, I do. But overall I like to dedicate the weekend to family, friends, and adventures that leave me revitalized so that I have a (hopefully) buzzy energy to dedicate throughout the work-week.
What’s your favorite weekend decompression activity? How often do you get to pursue it?
Jessie: Walking. I start every day with a brisk walk while listening to music, an audio book, or podcast. On Fridays, I call a friend who I have known since we were nineteen or twenty. We catch up on life while strolling.
Art is also a great decompression tool, so I often take photos while I’m roaming around to use as studies for painting, or share with friends and family. I have a family chat that’s 75 percent sunrise and sunset photos being shared back and forth. I never tire of a pink-hued sky.
It’s a three-day weekend. How do you spend that bonus day?
Jessie: It probably looks something like this: a long walk or hike, followed by time in my art studio, and maybe a museum visit. That’s followed by dinner at home (most likely cooked by my husband, who is one of those intuitive chefs that can magically whip something up with inspiration and no recipe – I am grateful, impressed, and admittedly jealous) and, time permitting, an episode of something interesting but not too stressful. I love to dream, but am prone to nightmares.
How much time do you spend on your phone/tablet/laptop on a typical weekend?
Jessie: Too much, honestly. I would love to do a screen-free day or days. But even when I’m not watching or working, I’m a little obsessed with taking photos (see my 'decompression' techniques, mentioned above!).
What do you listen to? What’s on your playlist?
Jessie: I’m lucky to be surrounded by musicians – including my sister (shameless plug for Suzie Ungerleider) and husband (Whisky Jennings Bryan), along with various friends who are performers. All of which means that I have the good fortune of having a window on music creation. I’m also part of a family who really enjoys seeing live music. I listen to many genres, but my “liked songs” include “Wild Geese” by Liv Greene, “Nightflyer” by Allison Russell, “Look at Miss Ohio” by Gillian Welch, “Snake” by Sadurn, “Phoenix” by Big Red Machine/Fleet Foxes, “Naked as We Came” by Iron & Wine, “About A Girl” by Nirvana, “Endless” by Pinegrove, “Bring It On Home To Me” by Sam Cooke and “Life Worth Living” by Uncle Tupelo. I like things I can sing along to.
Best weekend live experience of the past year: concert, sporting event, gallery visit, movie? What made it special?
Jessie: One of the most exquisite and resonant live experiences of 2024 was the Es Devlin show at the Cooper Hewitt in New York. Es Devlin is an artist and experience designer (theater, concert, environmental) and the show found me immersed in a realm of curiosity, wild imagination, and three-dimensional narrative. The show began, appropriately, in a room, bathed in white, that is a replica of her studio. Projections on the table and key areas around the studio introduce you to Devlin, her early creative inspiration, and a contemplation of what design can make people feel together. We also experienced the sketches and small cardboard models that form the seeds of her large-scale architectures, including those that speak about environmental degradation and loss. As the official show description explains, Devlin and the curators dug through her 30-year archive, mapping throughlines that connect her teenage paintings to her stage designs to her contemporary installations. Devlin calls the result an atlas. I call it a wonder.
So it’s Sunday night already! How do you get ready for Monday morning? What’s your Sunday night routine?
Jessie: Get into bed and read. My work is highly social, so I find retreating into fiction a wonderful way to spend any evening, but especially as a gear up for the week ahead. I escape into words and worlds not my own, then hope to dream.
