We’re pleased to welcome Kelly LaBounty to our team! She’s already helped out behind the scenes with our recent Green issue launch, and now she’ll be helping out the online team with our 10th Anniversary Coverage! We put Kelly in the Hot Seat for some quick-fire questions so you could get acquainted.

SAD MAG: Current TV show?

Kelly LaBounty: I haven't watched cable TV in quite a while, but for evenings at home lately, I've been watching old episodes of Daria.

SM: Comfort Food?

KL: I live and die for good Pad Thai.

SM: Guilty pleasure?

KL: Re-watching 10 Things I Hate About You for like the hundredth time.

SM: Desert Island band?

KL: My loyalty to Princess Chelsea is unwavering.

SM: Do you have a lucky charm?

KL: I’m not very sentimental with my things, so I don’t think I’ve ever placed that kind of value on something I own.

SM: Pet peeve?

KL: I’m big on personal space, packed places bring me great discomfort.

SM: What you wish you smelt like all the time?

KL: Atelier Cologne in the scent Café Tuberosa, but it’s expensive and I have approximately $36 to my name right now.

SM: Favourite animal? And why?

KL: The Pacman Frog - they live their lives buried up to their eyes in the dirt waiting for food to walk by, which is a major mood.

SM: Weirdest food you ever ate?

KL: I feel like weird is totally subjective. I’m pretty much down to eat whatever someone makes for me even if I hate it.

SM: Do you prefer to collaborate or work solo (on anything whatsoever in general)?

KL: My inspiration, and consequently my working habits tend to be pretty erratic when it comes to creative work, so I’m often best left on my own. The best work I do, however, usually comes after spending time with people, once I’m having some time alone to recharge.  

SM: Can you roll your own cigarettes?

KL: Not with any real finesse or skill.

SM: A skill you always wished you had?

KL: I really wish I was bilingual, I like to believe I’ll learn French someday.

SM: Got any party tricks?

KL: I went through a phase of learning a bunch of card tricks a couple of years ago.

SM: White cube or black box?

KL: White cube, gallery settings carry such a specific surreal energy.

SM: Favourite city you’ve never been to?

KL: Berlin, visiting Berlin almost feels like an artistic/cultural rite of passage.

SM: Favourite place?

KL: I actually love being at school (Wilson School of Design) now that we’re in the new building. I feel so put together and productive in that space.

SM: Fantasy or sci-fi?

KL: Sci-Fi - particularly 90’s Tech-noir like 12 Monkeys and The Fifth Element.

SM: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

KL: Teleportation, I’ve had enough of commuting for a lifetime.

SM: Favourite candy?

KL: Twizzlers forever.

SM: Cookies or cake?

KL: Cake, also love decorating cakes as a hobby.

SM: How do you feel about wireless earbuds?

KL: Need some, I find myself caught on door handles at least twice a day.

SM: Morning person or night owl?

KL: Morning person – I lose all productivity after 11pm.

SM: Television or movies?

KL: Movies – they feel like more complete works.

SM: Most valued character trait?

KL: I like people who are ambitious and just ready to get out and try things.

SM: During an inspirational dry spell do you: create? Or consume?

KL: For some reason watching stand-up comedy always helps me with writer’s block. I managed to jot down six writing prompts for myself after watching one Daniel Sloss Netflix special.

SM: Podcasts or radio?

KL: Podcasts, I like the ability to be selective in topics of interest.

SM: Digital or by hand?

KL: Brainstorming/ideation by hand, then digital once I’m ready to create something polished.

SM: Do you look like your art?

KL: I’m low-key pretty narcissistic, so basically much everything I create is modelled after myself in some form.

SM: Are you a caffeinated person? Coffee, or tea?

KL: I was never a caffeine person, but this semester of university had me dependant on coffee by week five.

SM: Are you a fair-weather fan? Or can you take the rain?

KL: I actually love when everything’s grey and rainy, it feels strangely cinematic – especially when viewed through the windows of the skytrain.

SM: Would you ever “un-plug”? Go “off-grid”????

KL: I'm absolutely terrible at checking my texts/social media, and I've been known to disappear from the phone for a few days at a time, so it doesn't seem like too much of a leap.