Coolest Person in the Room: Justin Moran

Justin Moran: Hello, we did it.

Kelly Cutrone: We did it. Two power players who are lazy [laughs].

Justin: Well, we're both trying to take a break. This is the only time we can.

Kelly: I know. It feels good, doesn’t it?

Justin: It feels amazing. Are you upstate?

Kelly: Yeah, I'm going to Jamaica on Sunday, though.

Justin: What's in Jamaica?

Kelly: I have a spot there with Andy Chapman, who owns the Red Rooster [in New York], I've been working on. I will bring you there at some point. It's one of my homes away from home, so I usually spend New Years down there. And I wasn't going to because I traveled so much this year, but I thought, if I stay home I'm going to end up cooking food for the Lonely Hearts Club girlfriends of mine, and by the time I buy them all booze and food I could just get myself a ticket to Jamaica and be floating naked where no one can see me or ask me to do stuff for them.

Justin: Sometimes we have to put ourselves first.

Kelly: I know, I think that's really important. So before we start, let's go back to the title of this, “Coolest Person in the Room.” What makes somebody a candidate to be the coolest person in the room by PAPER’s opinion?

Justin: We started the series because it was an opportunity to focus on people who might not otherwise get attention. In New York, there are always the people making magic happen that stay behind the scenes or aren't front running, A-list subjects that a magazine like PAPER might normally feature. So that was the original intention. We've had everyone this year — we've had smaller designers, we've had gallerists, we've had stylists behind some of the year's biggest looks. So it's one of my favorite series.

Kelly: I think it's so important. There's always certain people that break through, but for the most part a lot of those people are never seen or heard from, but they're inspiring everybody. I always felt that way about the Voguing kids back in the day that inspired that whole Madonna movement, right? Well, let's get the interview started.

Justin: I'm ready. I'm here in my hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota on holiday break on the phone with Kelly Cutrone.

Kelly: So how old were you when you moved to New York?

Justin: I moved to New York in 2016 when I was 22. But my first summer ever in New York, I touched down without having previously visited. I was 20, I had a fake ID and I was a PAPER intern, and that was my first time in New York ever.

Kelly: And who was running the ship at PAPER then?

Justin: That was the original crew. It was Kim Hastreiter and David Hershkovits, the co-founders, and Mickey Boardman and Drew Elliott. I was just an editorial intern, but my editor at the time Abby Schreiber grew up in Chicago. I went to school in Chicago, so when I cold emailed her she gave me the opportunity and kind of changed the trajectory of my life, really.

Kelly: It’s amazing, isn’t it? I remember when I was young, Joe Morris, who was a football player, brought cable TV to my house, and I saw the first video ever on MTV. And when I saw MTV, I was like, I belong in New York. What was your pivot point that made you want to get to New York?

Justin: I was obsessed with pop culture and, like anyone growing up in a smaller place, the escapism that it provided. But I started reading books about Edie Sedgwick and Andy Warhol and The Factory, and that was probably the biggest shift for me. My first issue of PAPER I picked up in a Barnes & Noble in Edina, Minnesota and M.I.A. was on the cover. That was my entry point to PAPER, specifically.

Kelly: M.I.A. was your gateway drug [laughs].

Justin: Which I'm sure she would love, yeah.

Kelly: PAPER has always been the pulse-taker of true art life in New York, whether it's music or fashion or film or books or weirdo parties. And one of the things that I’ve been really blown away by is your read on, not only old school people, but all the new kids. It’s the first time we've seen that at the magazine in a really long time. What made you take that direction and how did you end up meeting all these kids?

Justin: I’ve always been interested in finding new subjects. What I love about my job is the opportunity to platform people that might not otherwise have the space to tell their story. Part of that comes from growing up in Minnesota and then going to school in Chicago for four years, I was kind of the liaison between Chicago storytelling and New York publications. The deeper I get inside media, the more I realize how it works, and why the same stories are told over and over again.

Kelly: Why do you think that is?

Justin: A part of it is money, like there's definitely a tried-and -true reward for certain subjects when you feature them and shoot them and you get the return that you want. So telling new stories is, in some ways, maybe a risk because you don't get–

Kelly: The bank?

Justin: Exactly, the way that people are gauging success, especially today. I've been working in media for like 10 years, and I love seeing how when you support someone once and then you support them again, how their lives can change and how that affects the world. But on the flip side, I have a deep respect for older generations as the people that paved the way to make it possible for us to have the perspectives we have. Mixing it all together is exciting, and it just makes sense, especially in a place like New York where there's no differentiation between anyone. We're all just thrown into this thing and trying to make it work. It's chaos and it's magical, and that's what I love about PAPER. It has always been this old school, new school mix that is really original.

Kelly: I haven’t seen anybody in a really long time do it the way that you've done it at PAPER, so much respect for that, for real. It's funny that you talked about Andy Warhol at the beginning because back in the day in New York, you literally could be with such a crazy mix of people and that's what always made everything great. You've done an amazing job of bringing those worlds together and creating a really fresh intersection.

Justin: Thank you. I've never felt like I belong in one place, I connect with lots of different people in different ways. The reality is that's how most people connect if they allow themselves to. We all have more in common than we might realize. What I've learned is people that you might view as more important than you, or the legends, we all share the same insecurities.

Kelly: You have to be insecure to be successful, right? People who are secure don’t really try as hard.

Justin: There's a vulnerability and a willingness to bet on yourself required to get yourself to the next step, for sure.

Kelly: What were your favorite moments this year that you curated and put together?

Justin: Orville Peck’s cover where he was naked on a balloon bull. What I love about photo shoots and putting together teams is, you think it might all make sense and get this magical product that might look different than the way you expected. Sometimes it really works, sometimes it doesn't work, and that's also interesting. But when we got the Orville images back, I was like, This is a major moment. And on a personal level, the creative director that I asked to do it, Zain Curtis, used to throw these queer parties in Chicago when I went to school there. That was my first time going out in queer spaces. So to be able to ask him felt very personal. A lot of the shoots that I do, even though they're celebrity shoots, they feel personal because I'm always gathering information as I go, and when the time feels right I fire things off and bring in the right people.

Kelly: Giving props to where you came from, roots recognition, is always a good thing. I think that's really cool.

Justin: At PAPER, we get to bring those people along and champion them, but then also tap into the real legends. Like I just had Ellen von Unwerth shoot ROSÉ. So Orville was a big moment, and at the start of the year, the shoot you were in, PAPER People NYC, was like the craziest social experiment. Everyone got along, no one was a diva. I remember leaving that day and feeling like that was so special, to be able to call all those incredible people into one room and make something together and everyone had a great time.

Kelly: It was like the ferocious frenzy formed a straight line [laughs]. This ferocity and chaos actually just aligned itself into a very professional production. It must be what it’s like backstage at Moulin Rouge where it's fan kicks and all these people getting ready, and then all of a sudden boom. My favorite person that I met on set that day was Bernie Wagenblast, [the voice of the MTA]. How did you even find her?

Justin: We're a small but mighty team, and really good at sleuthing the internet. We have a good reputation for making people feel safe and comfortable, so I would hope that Bernie knew she would come to set and be taken care of, which she was. I mean, she was wearing Balenciaga, head-to-toe [laughs]. And who's more New York than the literal voice of the subway?

Kelly: I couldn’t believe it. Thank you for having me on that, by the way, because I had a great year and being there was really fun. When you work so hard your whole life, it's really nice when you get to celebrate the fact that you're still alive with the cool younger kids. What's your third most favorite project from this year?

Justin: I still do smaller write ups and features throughout the year where I can feel like I’m supporting my community in the way that I did when I first started writing. Thirty minutes of my time might feel like a complete life changer for someone, so I've tried to make time to keep that active. It makes me feel like working in media is more than, you know, numbers and money and celebrity, but real cultural impact, which is, at the end of the day, what I really love to focus on.

Kelly: It truly shows. So many young kids read PAPER and they look up to you because you're obviously editor-in-chief. What are your tips for kids who want to get noticed?

Justin: Realistically, now more than ever, you don't necessarily need a magazine to get attention. You have the power individually through social media to get attention. So I think not aspiring to a certain traditional path towards success, but really finding your own version of it. Personally, the freakier and weirder someone is, the more I'm interested in them, and that can be in the work they're making or how they're dressing. We run the risk, now more than ever, of becoming this monoculture where everyone's dressing the same and listening to the same stuff. It's partially because of how we're fed information and also how we're rewarded. People that can work outside those things, that’s how I’d notice them.

Kelly: Individuality always wins. I don't think conformity and success really go together, unless you're in corporate culture.

Justin: As a wise woman once said, Normal Gets You Nowhere.

Kelly: A lot of the systems that used to serve the younger generation are now pushing back on them, telling young kids like, “You need to have a million clicks before we’re even interested.” How do you think it's going to be in the future as far as these older agencies?

Justin: In recent years, there’s been this blind obsession with numbers, but in 2024 the pendulum swung back to valuing perspective and people with dedicated audiences, whether it’s Alex Consani, who won Model of the Year, or Charli xcx, who’s now become one of the biggest pop stars in the world. What these things tell me and why it's exciting to be in the position that I'm in is that there's a real value in people that have something to say outside of just having five million followers.

Kelly: And also, never quitting, right? I always tell my clients, “Listen, the people who play Madison Square Garden are the ones who got tomatoes thrown at them in shit bars in southern New Jersey.” And they just kept going, like Charli xcx didn’t quit.

Justin: I relate to that, because it's exhausting having a perspective and staying focused on it and believing in it and dedicating your entire life to it. If I decided I wanted to become hugely successful in ways that the world might view as successful, I could probably do it, but it would kill my soul. But the culture is always moving and for whatever reason this year, it worked in Charli’s favor. It's really hard to play the game, and maintain your value system at the same time. That's what I've really tried to do.

Kelly: When the devil comes calling or the angels are singing, or a mixture of both, you have to dance.

Justin: I feel like I'm working, even in my sleep. If I'm at a rave at three in the morning, I'm still working, my eyes are open. I'm like, What's happening? Who's here? It really never ends. When I'm scrolling on my phone, I'm researching. It's a really sick obsession with discovering new things, but a part of it's the love and curiosity of what's happening in the world.

Kelly: I think that’s absolutely necessary. What are you going to do when you have to go to some amazing artist’s studio and he can only meet you at midnight? Say no because it doesn’t align with pilates in the morning? That’s not going to cut it. For you, personally, what do you think makes the coolest person in the room?

Justin: I generally love the person that's off alone, doing their own thing. Like, I went to this record store yesterday in Minneapolis called Electric Fetus, and there was this kid with almost KISS-like metal makeup on and shopping for vinyl. The commitment to putting that look on just to go shopping on a Thursday afternoon, to me, is the coolest thing. Somebody that is so committed to themselves and whatever version of themselves they want to be. I've always accumulated the weirdest group of people along the way in life, and that's probably a result of me feeling more comfortable with the outcasts and freaks.

Kelly: I always tell people, “Big dogs don't bark.” The power is not in the CO2, it's in the breath. It's in the oxygen, which is silent.

Justin: Of course, I'm obsessed with people that commit their lives to being the center of attention too. The people that decide, I'm the most important person on the planet and I'm going to become a pop star, that level of delusion is also really cool to me. I have friends where they’ll only be wearing a bodysuit, and we’re just getting drinks at the bar on a Wednesday night. I love that. I'm really comfortable giving people the opportunity to shine. I'm much more of a listener than a talker.

Kelly: That's why “Coolest Person in the Room” is really important. Because if you are somebody who brings the light to other people, you have to be acknowledged for that. What are your pop culture predictions for 2025?

Justin: Under the worst administration we could possibly imagine, I hope there's going to be extreme creative output and mobilization, and I think it's going to be rewarded. I hope the fire will be lit underneath us. We've already been through this administration once, and I hope everyone has enough energy to keep pushing for the things that we care about.

Kelly: None of these topics are new topics, right? When I was 21, I married into the Warhol family with Ronnie Cutrone, who was Andy’s protégé. I grew up with Candy Darling and Holly Woodlawn, and when Ronnie died, my answering machine was like, “Walk on the Wild Side.” It was Lou Reed calling, it was Holly calling, it was Joe Dallesandro calling. This was just a normal way of life in New York. Sex clubs, trans culture, Connie Girl, Zaldy, Amanda Lepore, Susanne Bartsch. This has been going on, so it seems like nobody can really focus on the greater things. And it's such petty, violent things to focus on like, What the fuck do you care?

Justin: You're right. None of these things are going away. All of these things have existed. It's been this way forever.

Kelly: I’d like to predict the crash of monotheism on a global level [laughs]. That's probably not good for the “Coolest Person in the Room” interview.

Justin: What I can say is I hope that brands and people with access to capital put resources into supporting creative freedom and all of these communities that we care about.

Kelly: But it's okay to live with no money. You don't have to be rich to be successful.

Justin: That's so true. We've become such a money-obsessed society, but you can make an impact in a big way without necessarily having the reward be financial.

Kelly: It’s okay if you don't have a ton of money. Just do your art, stay focused on it and really move forward with it. Also, we should have a PAPER parade in the springtime to get all those kids out on the street, so they can all be seen and have their moment.

Justin: A parade would be fab. I'm excited about the New Year. I feel honored and excited to be able to make things that capture and chronicle the world, whether it's through photo shoots or interviews. And I think no place does it better than PAPER.

Kelly: I think PAPER’s a thrust machine.

Justin: I love that. That's probably why I'm so tired, I've been thrusting all year [laughs].

Kelly: You don't know, because it's so nourishing when you spend your whole life in the city, and you get to see the next generation of people coming in and seeing them moving it forward. I hope you get to do the same, that you get to be on the other side of that really dark ocean of life, and then the next-gen calls you and you get to do these kinds of things. It's really fun. So I love you and I respect you and you'll be hearing from me.

Justin: I love you, thank you for talking to me.

Photography: Diego Villagra Motta
Styling: Angelina Cantú
Hair: Francis Rodriguez
Makeup: Kennedy Trisler

Photo assistant: Xandra Hafermann
Styling assistants: Heidi Cannon, Peter Demas

Editor-in-chief: Justin Moran
Managing editor: Matt Wille
Editorial producer: Angelina Cantú
Interview: Kelly Cutrone
Location: Singers