Talk Shop: Veronica Speck // VHS Ventures
ABOUT VERONICA
Originally from San Diego, CA, Veronica Speck began her career in New York’s publishing world, cutting her teeth at Condé Nast and Hearst. During her experience there, Speck assisted in planning the “American Woman” Costume Institute Gala at The Met, which led to more event planning roles at Christie’s, The Whitney Museum of American Art, amFAR, Bernardaud, and Daniel Bouloud. At such companies, she started to produce events on a much larger scale, and even raised over 1 million dollars for City Meals on Wheels In 2020, Speck founded her own company, VHS Ventures, a global communications consultancy agency in the luxury and lifestyle sector. We caught up with the entrepreneur on her start, what inspires her, and more – check it out below.
Describe your style in three words or less: Effusions of fancy.
What have been the three biggest influences on your aesthetic in your life: 1. Taking a “grand tour” of the European capitals with my grandmother at 17, which inspired me to study art history and intern at Christie’s Auction House in graduate school.
2. Moving to New York City! I began interning at Vogue, assisted and attended the Met Gala, and was exposed to all the wonderful cultural offerings from galleries and museums to plays on Broadway, operas and ballets at Lincoln Center, as well as designers and creatives.
3. While at The Whitney Museum, I managed all Chairman’s Council and Board events, including visits to artist studios, such as Vik Muniz, Christo, David Salle, and Jeff Koons, and intimate cocktail parties and dinners at collector’s private homes-- many of which had incredible fine art and design collections. After my time at Christie’s and The Whitney, I truly learned the importance of “buying what you love” as the art market can be quite volatile.
How did you start your company, and/or what is your favorite thing about what you do:
After 10 years of working in art, design, fashion, and hospitality both on the editorial and communications, marketing, and events side, I decided it was finally time to branch out on my own. It was something I had wanted to do for quite some time and the stars finally aligned. When Covid-19 began in March of 2020, I was working with Chef Daniel Boulud overseeing global press and marketing operations for his expanding hospitality group. We were set to open a new restaurant in Dubai and New York City and many more in the 2021 pipeline. As restaurants began to close, I decided it was time to diversify and begin a global luxury communications consultancy and strategic advisory agency with Chef as my one of my first clients. We are still a boutique firm, but have nearly 10 clients and are expanding, which is exciting! We provide affinity partnerships, branding and business development, celebrity and VIP relations, digital marketing, e-commerce, event production, experiential media, and public relations for luxury and lifestyle clients in the automotive, architecture, art, beauty, design, fashion, fragrance, fine jewelry, hotel, real estate, restaurant, travel and tourism, technology, and wine sectors.
I am very proud of the partners I have chosen to align with. I am currently representing an art gallery, multiple interior designers, a fine jewelry brand, and a luxury fragrance and accessories brand, amongst others around the world, ranging from California to Pakistan. They are each rooted in responsible production practices, sustainability, and many donate a portion of sales to multiple nonprofits and charities. My clients have become my partners and friends and I am excited to help them succeed personally, professionally, and financially.
Do you have a mentor in your career, and if so, how have they helped to shape your trajectory:
I am very blessed to have parents and grandparents that have supported me endlessly. As far as a mentor, there is no problem my mother can’t solve so I typically go to her first. I also wish my late grandfather was here so I could ask him for advice! When I was an intern at Christies during graduate school, Lydia Fenet was the Director of Special Events and in the process of transitioning the department to strategic partnerships. She is now the Global Managing Director of Strategic Partnerships and the lead Benefit Auctioneer at Christie’s Auction House, and a best-selling book author. She is a force to be reckoned with and supremely lovely. Always ask for what you want!
Where do you find inspiration:
My partners and clients tend to inspire me. I am always fascinated to learn what inspired them to create their latest collections and to see them make luxury goods by hand. I have an insatiable curiosity, which is constantly being filled through my new venture. It is cliche, but of course traveling opens one's eyes to different ways of seeing and experiencing the world. I love to learn about other cultures, from the history to the typical drinks and dishes. Art museums, galleries, artisanal markets, bazaars, and books as well.
Who are your style icons: In addition to all of the regular suspects (Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Princess Diana), I admire Marella Agnelli, Maria Callas, Jaqueline de Ribes, Carolina Herrera, Nati Abascal, Catherine Deneuve, Jean Shrimpton, Veruschka, James Bond, Oscar De La Renta, Capucine, Lee Radziwill, Jayne Wrightsman, Nancy Reagan, Wallis Simpson, Slim Keith, Babe Paley, Gloria Guinness, Carolyn Bessette, and most of the women featured in Slim Aarons photographs. The list goes on!
What are your key ingredients for entertaining:
The most important ingredient in hosting or entertaining is bringing together interesting and diverse people, but if that can’t be managed then champagne helps! I suggest Ruinart.
I have had an incredible introduction to the world of events, from my first internship at Vogue in the Special Events Department assisting with the Costume Institute Gala at The Met to auction season at Christie’s to the global amfAR galas including Cannes. The most important factor is making guests feel welcome and introducing them to new people and experiences.
On a smaller scale, when I am hosting dinners or cocktail parties at home, I love to bring friends from different cultures together to celebrate seasonal traditions. For instance, I host an annual galette de rois celebration in January and chandleur in February and ensure everyone participates by finding the fevre in the French version of the “king’s cake” -- whether they are from France or not! I also appreciate dress codes, but never too formal. Caviar on potato chips, shoes allowed on, and a guest bed made up should one indulge in one too many signature cocktails or coupes of champagne!
Do you collect anything: Quite by accident, but I have amassed an impressively large collection of baseball hats, of all things! I began to pick them up at sporting events or while golfing or playing tennis, and now they range from the Old Course at St. Andrews in tartan to Wimbledon, Roland Garros, and the U.S Open, as well as the winning team from Formula 1 races—typically Lewis Hamilton and therefore Mercedes. Not exactly chic, but they certainly help with the unexpected bad hair day. Also, hardcover books and coffee table books. If I started reading them now, I don’t think I would finish in my lifetime.
Favorite Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration: @thedesignrelease, @collectivedf, @cabanamagazine, @artemest, and vintage @slim.aarons photographs of “attractive people, doing attractive things, in attractive places.” Naturally.
What design “rule” do you always follow, and which is made to be broken: I have never been one to abide by rules, but if I had to pick one to break it would be “form follows function.” Practicality has never been my strong suit. I love beauty, I can’t help it! I also am a firm believer in quality over quantity and buying antique, vintage or working with local artisans to make something custom if possible.
What are you working on right now: This time last year, I was hosting the annual City Meals Gala at Restaurant Daniel with the Chefs from around the world including Troisgros, Odette, and Le Grenouillere, and gearing up for May art and design fairs including Frieze, Salone del Mobile, and the Biennale. This year, large events are still on hold, but I am working on new collection launches for three interior design studios, as well as new collection launches for a jewelry and fragrance brand, and a spring exhibition opening for an art gallery. I am also preparing to spend more time in Europe this summer for business development, interviewing staff, meetings, and the like!
Wardrobe staples: In the good old days, pre-Covid, I would run from the office or a meeting straight to an event or gala in NYC—thus requiring a gown and heels. These days, I am spending more time out of the city, and have spent more time in ballet flats, cigarette pants, and cashmere sweaters. I am looking forward to wearing espadrilles and colorful dresses as we enter spring and summer! A few constants include my Cartier tank watch, a vintage jewelry piece from my grandmother, a silk carré scarf tied around my wrist, neck, handbag, or head, finished off with red lipstick and Maison d’ Etto’s “Noisette” perfume.
Favorite fabric/wallpaper: I have always adored the 1969 Horst P. Horst photograph in Vogue of Baroness Pauline de Rothschild peering into her Paris bedroom, which is bedecked in floor to ceiling 18th century mint chinoiserie wallpaper panels. The British wallpaper purveyor, de Gournay, recreated the design in 2017 actually. In addition to Salon Vert, I also love their classic Earlham print and modern collaborations with fashion designers, Aquazurra and Erdem, in addition to their eccentric prints on display at Annabel’s in London. Their new Beirut showroom designed by India Mahdavi is especially stunning.
It has become quite popular and imitated these days, but the original banana leaf print by CW Stockwell, inspired by the owners’ trip to the Bahamas, always brings back fond memories at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Equally, Brazilliance, designed by Dorothy Draper, is on full display at The Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia, which I had the opportunity to stay at on the way to a wedding at the Biltmore. You can’t help but feel like you are on holiday somewhere tropical!
Last, but not least, as an avid Madeline reader as a child, I can’t help but love Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle Hotel with the whimsical murals by Ludwig Bemelmans enveloping the cozy, candlelit space. Fun fact- rather than be paid for his art, Bemelmans exchanged his work for a year and a half of accommodations at The Carlyle for himself and his family. I would have done the same!
Best interior advice you ever received:
My mother has always been a proponent of flattering lighting and wall colors to complement your complexion. Apparently, Architectural Digest agrees. In 2016, Tissue Pink by Benjamin Moore was purported to be “the most flattering and soothing color.”
Best career advice you ever received: Sir Richard Branson did not say this to me personally, but I have always been a proponent of saying yes to what life offers. “If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!” Fortune favors the bold so a healthy amount of fear, risk, or a challenge is necessary and important for growth.
Types of home purchases you invest in, and save on: I think it depends on whether you own the home and plan to live there for quite some time. If so, investing in custom furniture and bedding makes sense. As do other pieces as long as you plan to take them with you, store, or they have a good resale value. I think there are always opportunities to save, but the caveat is having the time and resources to research online or search antique stores and auctions.
Your greatest extravagance: Freedom and the ability to travel.
Favorite places to shop for home: I would like my home to embody and be representative of my travels and personal tastes so I try to avoid commercial chains and have items handmade or custom crafted. From antiquing at the Saint Ouen Flea Market outside of Paris to the bazaars of Turkey to local artisanal markets in Oaxaca.
I had the good fortune to work with The Future Perfect, which showcases global artists and designers at their galleries in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. I especially love to meet new and established designers and shop at their “Casa Perfect” concept stores. The one in New York is set in a gorgeous 19th century Italianate townhouse renovated by Sir David Chipperfield and features 5 floors of one-of-a-kind works. The gallery in Los Angeles is set in Elvis Presley’s former Regency style home in the Trousdale Estates, which certainly elevates the shopping experience!
My best friend happens to be the Shopping Editor at Vogue so she is always full of amazing new discoveries. She has turned me on to Artemest, a website and magazine, which features exceptional Italian handmade crafts by artisans, including home décor, jewelry and fine art from Venice to the Amalfi coast, and Florence to Milan.
Most prized possession and why: A pair of peridot (my birthstone) earrings with diamonds and pearls, which was the last gift my late grandfather gave me for my birthday, and an Edwardian era diamond ring gifted to me by my Mother, which was passed down from my great great grandmother. More recently, a signed Richard Avedon photography retrospective coffee table book from my time working with The Whitney Museum, and a flower sketch by Jeff Koons, which he drew for me while I was hosting an event with him in celebration of his balloon dog collaboration with Bernardaud. It lives on my bookshelf now!
Your interiors motto: I can’t take credit for it, but the late great Dorothy Draper once said “it is just as disastrous to have the wrong accessories in your room, as it is to wear sport shoes with an evening dress.”
Your life motto: I am trying to adopt my late grandfathers, “word hard, pray hard, save hard.” I have always loved the Guillaume Apollinaire poem, “Il est grand temps de rallumer les étoiles” and the Rainer Maria Rilke line, “Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.”
Advice for someone looking to define their own interior style:
I think the same advice goes for all aesthetic tastes—from personal style including clothing and jewelry, to investing in art, to architecture and interior design— buy what you love. If this year and pandemic has taught us anything, it is to be comfortable and happy with our surroundings, and if you are not, then change them! We have so many sources of inspiration available to us, from history, art, architecture, and design books and magazines, to museums and historic homes to Pinterest and Instagram. Start with researching the many design movements and what inspired them and then identify what you gravitate towards and makes you feel content. I also think interior style evolves the more we experience, and changes over time as one lives with a partner and has children. It is a process, enjoy it, and trust it.
Take Ten: My Favorite…
Food: It is a tie between French, Mexican and Lebanese.
Drink: In my everyday life, if I am entertaining, I have perfected the Italian Negroni Sbagliato as an aperitif followed by red wine or champagne!
Film: I much prefer classic to current films. I grew up watching Rodgers and Hammerstein and Irving Berlin productions-- My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, White Christmas, Gone with the Wind, etc. I remember watching Houseboat and equally falling in love with Cary Grant and Sophia Loren!
Hotel: Too many to name!
City: I happen to fall in love with most cities I visit. I always find myself returning to London, Paris, Madrid, and Mexico City.
Bedding: I love all white, hotel style duvets. Frette has some classic options with bespoke monogram offerings.
Tea or Coffee (and how do you take it): Coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon.
Playlist: According to my Spotify, my most played genres alternate between opera and reggaeton… with a healthy dose of Luis Miguel. Maria Callas meets Maluma? I also just finished a documentary on Frank Sinatra so lately I have been playing old blue eyes. I just wish I could sing on tune (and so does anyone who has had the pleasure of a roadtrip with me!)
Weekend Activity: Every weekend is different, especially this past year, but my ideal weekend combines a trip to somewhere new with loved ones. Happiness is only real when shared!
Design Book: Anything by Assouline! I have known the family for years and their coffee table books are decorative as well as informative. Oscar Niemeyer, Travel by Design, Jeanneret Chandigarh and Le Corbusier, and the list goes on. I also enjoyed reading “The Architecture of Happiness” by Alain de Botton.
