La Mar Taylor
La Mar C. Taylor | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Known for | Creative director for The Weeknd |
| Notable work | Creative direction for House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence |
La Mar C. Taylor (born September 17, 1990) is the creative director for The Weeknd and the associated XO brand.[1][2] He was first recognized for creating the cover for The Weeknd's debut mixtape, House of Balloons, in 2011.[3]
Early life and education
Taylor was born in Scarborough, Ontario, where he was raised by his mother.[4] He met Abel Tesfaye on the first day of his freshman year of high school, and both of them have been friends ever since.[4] When he was 17, he dropped out of high school, along with Tesfaye, to pursue a career in the entertainment industry as a director, photographer, and designer.[5][4]
Career
Creative director
Taylor started his career by taking up creative video projects for The Weeknd. In 2011, he created the cover for House of Balloons, by calling in his ex-girlfriend and sneaking into the Ontario College of Art & Design University to gain access to the school's Adobe software.[3][2] He also took charge of creating artistic and visual aspects for The Weeknd's other new projects, Thursday and Echoes of Silence, all of which were released under, XO, where Taylor serves as creative director.[6][7][8] He also manages marketing and branding for The Weeknd, including album artwork and merchandise, and oversees live shows for the singer.[5] His professional relationship with Tesfaye put him on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Music in 2017.[3][9]
XO
XO is a record label that was co-founded by The Weeknd and Taylor. He serves as the creative director for the record label. He has also produced several music videos and album covers for XO.[3]
Hxouse
In 2018, Taylor co-founded an incubator, Hxouse (pronounced house) with Ahmed Ishmail. Tesfaye is a sleeping partner at the company.[10][4] The facility is a 30,000-square-foot space located near Toronto's waterfront which provides studio rooms and offers equipment needed for recording, designing, and producing at a low cost for young artists.[8][11]
References
- ^ "La Mar Taylor In The Hxouse". www.magzter.com. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
- ^ a b Marin, par Sam (2019-10-05). "La Mar Taylor : Secrets de la réussite du directeur créatif de The Weeknd". Esprit Motivation (in French). Retrieved 2020-05-08.
- ^ a b c d Klich, Tanya. "The Weeknd And Forbes Under 30 Alum La Mar Taylor Launch Hxouse, An Incubator For Toronto's Emerging Artists". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
- ^ a b c d "Bringing Up the HXOUSE". NUVO. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
- ^ a b "The Weeknd's Creative Director La Mar Taylor Talks New Project HXOUSE". Highsnobiety. 2018-05-24. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
- ^ "Creative Class: La Mar Taylor". Cassius | born unapologetic | News, Style, Culture. 2019-10-22. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
- ^ Rattan, Chris (2018-05-24). "The Weeknd's XO crew discuss new creative incubator Hxouse". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
- ^ a b "La Mar Taylor introduce "HXOUSE" - A new home for Toronto Artists". Sidedoor Magazine. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
- ^ "La Mar Taylor". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
- ^ Witmer, Phil (2018-05-25). "The Weeknd and XO Creative Director La Mar Taylor Launch Toronto Art Space". Vice. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
- ^ "The Weeknd's Creative Director Is Building a Community for Toronto's Emerging Artists". www.adweek.com. Retrieved 2020-05-08.