ABOUT
Stefan's Nighttime at Ray's is a talk show, a party, and a love letter to hanging out. Filmed on location at Ray's Bar in downtown Manhattan, Nighttime brings New York luminaries young and old down into the bar basement for a drink or three. There, Stefan and his guests talk about life, art, and and the pursuit of happiness in the big city.
Stefan’s Nighttime At Ray’s was my debut experience as Art Director. I worked on a tight turnaround and limited budget to stage the private event room at Ray’s bar in Manhattan into an intimate talkshow meets dive bar aesthetic. I worked closely with Stefan’s partner to integrate personal keepsakes from their own residence with vintage tchotchkes and minimal, yet refined furniture. My art direction was used across multiple episodes and was also featured in print assets used at the monthly release parties.
FULL EPISODES
Checkout the full length episodes featuring my art direction on Youtube!
Episode 2:
Zoe Lister-Jones comes by the bar to talk with Stefan about balancing acting/writing/directing on her new show Slip, the never-ending NY-LA "debate", working on the new Ari Aster film, and the beauty of embracing pleasures formerly known as guilty. Then the one and only Martin Rev, of legendary NYC punk band Suicide, joins them to talk about growing up in the Bronx, working with Ric Ocasek of the Cars, and the Iggy Pop show that changed his life forever. Plus a special performance by the band Tchotchke!
Episode 3:
This episode, we welcome Hamilton Leithauser—singer-songwriter, lead singer of beloved NYC band The Walkmen, and one of Stefan's favorite musicians. Hamilton "a.k.a. Ham a.k.a. Hamster a.k.a. Ham and Cheese" shares early Walkmen memories of exploding pianos on tour, his evolving approach to being a frontman, and his process scoring Ethan Hawke's recent doc on Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward. And he does not one but two beautiful acoustic performances right there in the Ray's basement.
Then, Stefan and Hamilton are joined by Nev Schulman of Catfish, who regales them with tales of tech-crossed lovers, what he's learned in his travels talking to the hoodwinked citizenry across the country, and his crusade to be a good Brooklyn neighbor (yes, this includes dead rats and abandoned cars).
BLENDING AESTHETICS
Working on Stefan’s Nighttime At Ray’s provided a unique challenge of blending the eclectic aesthetic of both Ray’s bar and Stefan’s own home. Pepper in some colorful LED’s and A LOT of vintage tchotchkes and nic-nacs, and voila: the set took shape and played its supporting role to Stefan and his guests nicely.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Here are a few of the magic moments from behind the scenes where things all came together and looked fantastic. Shouts out to everyone involved!
