Rising Stars: Meet Lindsay Luv of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay Luv

Hi Lindsay, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was raised outside of Boston and finished out my college credits interning at Comedy Central in NYC living downtown in Soho. I graduated high honors from UMASS Amherst and moved on to work corporate in the music industry; first in brand development for The Orchard plus assisting on the management team for (then) Columbia Artists, The Raveonettes. My next job was music based marketing conceptualizing and producing events in the city featuring top artists on the rise including Justice, Chromeo and Future Islands. My business relationship turned friendship with the late, and great, DJ AM (Adam Goldstein), was the impetus behind my DJ career. I was always sharing my new music finds with him so he encouraged me to give DJing a hand. At the time there were very few female DJs and I taught myself how to DJ using both vinyl records and Serato in a friends nightclub by day (while looking for my next corporate job). My passion quickly turned into my actual profession as my weekly residency at local hotspot Ella took off and I soon started booking sets across Manhattan. In a almost entirely male dominated DJ scene at the time, brands were immediately drawn to me; an artist who not only could rock the decks but could simultaneously rock their designs while doing so. It was a natural match and it attracted aligned brands across the industry to my work and vice versa.

It has now been 16+ years since I first started DJing and it has taken me to my current home in Los Angeles and quite literally around the world touring. I have DJed at the hottest venues and events worldwide (Mexico City, Europe, UAE, Canada, India), spun for many celebrity icons (Brittany Spears, The Spice Girls, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Nas, Bruno Mars and the Weeknd) soundtracked tons of campaigns, runway shows and projects (Music Director for Equinox Gyms, Music Marketing campaigns for The W Hotels, Music Director for PROJECT Tradeshow, Lifestyle Director for The London Hotel, Sound Styling work for Caudalie Spas, annual DJ for GUESS Hotel at Coachella, playlisting projects for Larroude, Smashbox Cosmetics & Tresemme) worked with all of my favorite global brands (Lamborghini, Chanel Beauty, OPI, Bentley, Virgin, Twitter, Hulu, The Emmys, Valentino, Armani Price, Maybelline, Rachel Zoe, Adidas, Gap, Refinery29) and continued my love affair with music through it all. I’ve also helmed design collaborations including one for Andrew Marc and Bloomindales and activewear brand Zobha as featured in WWD.

Today in addition to DJing and Sound Styling I have recently launched Lindsay Luv Creative which is my Influencer + Brand Experiential Agency where I conceptualize, produce, coordinate and execute intimate and bespoke brand + influencer events, trips and activations. After decades of being truly on all sides of the events industry, all while being simultaneously catered to myself as a talent and creator, I realized I lend a unique perspective of activations from the inside out. As many of today’s top creators are also my peers and my brand relationships now have long roots, I can easily identify, tap and host talent while acting as a effortless bridge to the brands. Producing more boutique and impactful intimate events that feel aligned with a evolving industry and creator landscape is my specialty. My most recent project was launching Kinn Studio at Alchemy Works by hosting 13 top influencers and the respective brand owners on a luxurious sunset yacht cruise with Nobu in Newport at the Lido Marina after a private sip and shop experience within the Alchemy Works store. Additional brand partners included gifting by Dibs Beauty and Caudalie. My schedule is stacked with opportunities to curate incredible events and I couldn’t be more excited!

I am also a mom to my daughter London Grey (6) and my son Hayes Crosby (3) and a wife to my husband of 11 years Kevin. Being a mom is my greatest joy and I love spending time with my family and working for myself so I can balance it all and be present!

I am also a WSET certified Sommelier and have had the pleasure of working with brands like Chateau Set Michelle and Kim Crawford, and I love cooking! I practice yoga and meditation daily.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I am entirely self made and so everything rode on an extreme hustle and building a name for myself from the ground up. Sometimes the challenge of starting new ventures can feel extraordinarily intimidating. In starting newer projects like my agency there are always the fears of disappointing a brand or peer or experiencing learning curves but I just keep learning and growing and so far I have always overdelivered and thrilled my clients which is encouraging. As a talent there are times where regardless of my skills and resume I might be passed over for perhaps the child of a celebrity who just picked up DJing, or pitted against the smaller pool of other female talent of my caliber, but I always just focus on myself. That involves being incredibly professional, determined, tenacious and offering a well-honed talent brands and clients can depend on –that is what keeps me going and working regularly. When you have no fallback you have to just keep going; constantly hustling and reinventing yourself. The instability of being a freelancer or owning my own business can feel challenging and exhausting but it’s all I know and I welcome the hustle daily because it pushes me to do better and be better; always evolving.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a DJ I am known for my Open Format Sets and really my ability to read a crowd. Every set I have ever played is unique and never pre-planned and I am constantly thinking about how it matches all the elements of the gig at hand: the brand, the crowd, the time of day, the vibe and even the lighting. My ability to selflessly and effectively ‘read the room’ is one of my greatest assets; I can match music flawlessly to any given project and across most genres as needed and I always stay abreast on what’s happening in the music industry. I also am known for simultaneously rocking fun fashions, great nails (always on vinyl because I feel that true DJing has an element of vinyl), and being professional, timely and lively! I love to bring the party wherever I go! From a business side I am very detail oriented, meticulous in my planning and execution and I always overdeliver wherever I can. I think my hustle is something that is acknowledged across the industry and amongst my peers.

What were you like growing up?
My High School yearbook in my small hometown outside Boston predicted I would ‘move to Hollywood and work with the stars’ so I think I have always dreamt big and reached for things perhaps outside my orbit. As captain of cheerleading and a dancer I always loved performing and music and was never scared to be front and center in a crowd or take a chance being thrown in the air. I also always wanted to push early gender boundaries opting to be the only female to play saxophone in band or take up boxing instead of ballet; I always loved the idea of smashing glass ceilings for women.

Music was in my genes as my parents were avid music lovers having attended Woodstock and collecting a massive vinyl collection they saved for me. I would always go see live shows and support bands on the rise or collect bootlegs of shows to share with friends.

I’ve always been very social and loved staying busy and connected to wide and very diverse groups of friends. I would also say I was always kind and polite to others and lead with great awareness and compassion for all.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindsayluv/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DJLindsayLuv/
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/user/1225215320?si=ca4e3b25f0414a98

Image Credits
Boat Photos: Erin Feinblatt Photography
Pink Suit Luncheon group photos: Joshua De La Garza