How it started… In the late 2000’s, my best friend, documentary filmmaker Matthew Makar, and I created a nsfw YouTube channel: At Home With Sam Jones, where we shamelessly exploited my native NYC family, reenacted our poor decisions, and parodied brands that had it coming. By the grace of gaud, Our Playtex bra video went viral.The Hollywood Reporter caught wind of it and did a feature spread that dubbed me “The Next Big Thing.” Which is hilarious, and also kind of true? That led to a national campaign with Revlon, a year-long campaign with Purina (remember the Let’s Get Friskies campaign? Yup, That was me), and after nearly a decade writing, directing, and creative directing, I’m booked, busy and beyond grateful.
Before CONTENT CREATION I was The Leather Queen.That’s Not a joke. As CMO of Libra Leather, I turned a 30-year-old NYC hide warehouse into the go-to destination for fashion, film, and interiors. Five years. A lot of cows. And a client list that ranged from Kanye, Gaga, and Katie Holmes to design icons like Kelly Wearstler, Ken Fulk, Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Alexander Wang, Oscar de la Renta, The Row, Prabal Gurung, Bibhu Mohapatra,Richard Stark of Chrome Hearts, and more. It was luxury. It was chaos. It was my first lesson in building a brand people felt and wanted to touch.
Music Curation I DJ and curate music for brands like Nike, Dior, Cadillac, Kiehl’s, and Revlon. That happens under The Grindbergs, a sound-and-vibe project with my husband-slash-creative partner, Mike Banat. Together, we craft sonic identities that make brands feel like a whole damn mood.
In My Country-Life Era In 2020, I traded my MetroCard for a riding mower and moved to the catskills. In 2023 I founded Goodies Bagels - yes, they slapped - and sold the brand in May of 2025. For years I wrote “CIDIOT IN THE WILD”, a monthly column for the local paper, Porcupine Soup. Also, I sometimes dress up as a Sasquatch named Yetta, and visit local stores. The owners are cool with it as long as I don’t growl at their customers anymore.
Random Truths No One asked for I’ve had chin lipo. I always use the paris filter. Caviar is my lox. I consider wasps air sharks. And I owe every bit of success I’ve had to integrity, heart, and being myself, even when I’m uncomfortable.
In case you were wondering: What’s with the rotisserie chicken?
Fully cooked = no half-baked ideas.
Self-contained = One stop shop creative.
Hot, ready, and satisfying = on time and on tone, also just hot in general.
Reliable, craveable, strangely versatile.
Low drama. High reward.
And nobody ever regrets bringing one to the table.
