max s. gerber(the latest shot)

ruben is the CEO of propaganda global entertainment marketing. that means he’s responsible for you seeing in movies the things you desperately want but can’t afford (like a lamborghini, or robot cell phones). that means that ruben’s LA office is full of cool things that you desperately want but can’t have. like motorcycles, fake newspapers from gotham city, and an american flag made of 25,000 swarovski crystals. (okay, maybe i don’t want a motorcycle or a crystal flag, but it would have been great (in a geeky sort of way) to get a copy of the gotham city newspaper.)

ruben is the coolest guy in the room. especially if that room only contains cpl. bennett, ruben and myself. he has handmade italian sneakers. he has a custom painted macbook (blue, perhaps to match the sneakers). he rides around town on a motorcycle that transforms into a robot (well, with michael bay’s help, at least). he lives in switzerland. that makes him more neutral than you, at least, and possibly cooler than you.

i left ruben’s thinking seriously about purchasing custom made clothing, pondering why i wasn’t nearly as suave as i should be, and wondering if i could take better care of handmade italian sneakers than i could my $25 skechers. likely not. custom made shirts, though, there’s something to think about. especially when you’re me and nothing in a store actually fits you. also, pocket squares seem like an important thing that i’m missing. that’s just plain classy. i’ll have to look into that.

see the full article here, and my thanks to scott at businessweek for the gig.