SAY HELLO TO:
TARIK MALAK
Johnny Misheff speaks to and photographs 21st century ideas man, Tarik Malak
Johnny Misheff: Where did you grow up?
Tarik Malak: I grew up in Paris… Well, the northern suburbs actually.
Nothing fancy at all. I just played a lot of basketball and practiced martial arts.
When I was 18 or so I moved to a great downtown neighborhood and
that’s when all the good stuff started.
JM: What sort of hobbies do you have?
TM: I love watching movies. Old school French and Italian movies
from the 50’s in particular, but not only. There are some directors I really admire.
People like Kubrik, Scorcese, Truffaut, Godard, Fellini, Antonioni, Haneke,
Kusturica, Kitano, Chabrol, the Coen brothers, and so many others…
Movies inspire me every day. Hobbywise I’m pretty insatiable actually. I read online
a minimum of two hours a day. Art, technology, music, geopolitics and fashion.
I also love cooking and traveling. Man, I could go on and on…
JM: If you could pick any other time period to live in,
which would you choose, and why?
TM: I’m pretty happy with New York City in the 2010’s, even if that recession
was quite a bitch. But I have to admit – and I know it’s pretty standard –
but I’m so impressed by the late 70’s/early 80’s era. When I hear the old-timers
talking about it or when I watch the movies, it sounds like so much fun.
It makes me nostalgic without actually having experienced it,
so it’s a bit weird I guess. Sometimes the city feels a tad asleep.
The only good club closed last year…you know which one.
JM: I’d like to know more about this transition you’re
going through right now, business-wise… Discuss!
TM: Man. Where to start? Well, I just sold the company I co-founded in 2007
to my ex-co-owner. It was a photo retouching lab called La Boutique.
We had very different views on the evolutions the market is going through
and on the way to do business. I’m so glad we split up.
I just started this new venture, SWELL. It’s a creative and strategic agency.
I basically do consulting for fashion, beauty and luxury brands. We focus mainly
on mobile, social media and interactive advertising. We also post-produce
a lot of motion pieces. That whole shift from still photography to moving images
is really interesting. I don’t want to disclose too much here, but we have a lot of traction,
and amazing brands trusting us already.
JM: How have the experiences in your life up to now
benefited what you do professionally?
TM: Well, first I studied advertising and communications in Paris
and worked for several years at boutique ad agencies. I’ve always worked with
fashion, beauty and luxury brands. I did a little bit of everything from
account direction to art buying to creative direction. Years later at La Boutique,
I took care of images for many premium brands like Diane Von Furstenburg,
D&G, Redken, Tommy Hilfiger, and Swarovski. I’ve worked closely with
fashion photographers, stylists, designers. Let’s say that thanks to all of this
I now have some real fashion cred and I understand what these brands
need in terms of communication.
On the other hand, I’ve been studying for quite a few years now
what’s hot on the tech scene. Since I moved to NYC I’ve been investing
in tech startups as an angel investor. I have a lot of friends that are actually CEOs
and founders of very successful startups. That’s how I came up with
the idea for SWELL. It was a natural process.
JM: Do you consider yourself an expert in something other
than what you do professionally?
TM: I’m always trying to learn… I’m somewhat of a geek, now that I think about it.
Expert? I don’t know… But I definitely have solid knowledge in various domains
such as wines, martial arts, geopolitics and food.
JM: So you’re alright in the kitchen? What would be your “signature dish?”
TM: My signatures would have to be pasta and lasagna.
But I can also cook Indian, French or Chinese food. I love to play with wine and cognac
and create funky sauces. Each day I’m a little pickier about the ingredients though.
I don’t eat beef anymore that isn’t grass-fed, for example.
I try to use seasonal and local ingredients.
JM: Is there a special woman in your life?
TM: Hell yeah. She was working in the industry as a model.
Now she’s studying again. She has all these amazing projects related to
green architecture and sustainable agriculture. She’s so great!
JM: What’s your take on this whole digital media revolution?
TM: Man, don’t get me started on this! If we’re talking media
as in publishers, magazines and newspapers, THE current challenge is monetization.
Paywalls or Ad support? I’m sure you’re familiar with that.
For magazines specifically, it seems to me like e-commerce integration could be key
with click-through technologies. However it’s tricky because the audience is
more and more sophisticated and not always so keen on sponsored-ish content.
Another key factor would be amazing interactive content with splendid layouts.
People would definitively pay for a dazzling iPad app that offers a premium experience.
So far they are quite disappointing though. If the middle man doesn’t add some value,
he’s not needed anymore. Now if we’re talking about what the revolution means
for brands and their communication, well… let’s say that I have tons of ideas
and views on that. That’s why I created SWELL!
JM: What do you think the history books will have to say about
the time we’re living in right now?
TM: Ha, I’m not entirely sure there will still BE history books…
more like ebooks or apps! On a serious note, though… unfortunately, I think terrorism
and the financial crisis will be two thick chapters. On the bright side, I really hope
our time will be the moment when humanity started being more serious about producing
in a more sustainable way. Buildings, food, energy, clothes…everything.
It’s just the very beginning, it can still go both ways, but I want to be optimistic about it.
I think they’ll also mention the rise of social media and the end of privacy
the way we knew it. And if the book has some pictures, maybe we’ll all laugh someday
at all the skinny jeans and current hipster looks!