Paul was Editorial Director of Faerie Magazine from 2015 to 2019 and instrumental in establishing a sophisticated new vision for the lifestyles magazine that broadened its topical range to include a more diverse readership. He brought energy and excitement to its pages with the addition of cover shoots, moving away from the magazine’s previous practice of using stock photography. He instituted themed issues and cohesive story concepts bringing together a collection of writers, photographers and artist from around the world. Paul initiated the use of an editorial calendar, and talent (writer, photographer and model) contracts. He delivered consistency of style and design to the publication increasing the strength of the brand. To date there are over one million followers on the magazine’s facebook account and over 396,000 followers on its Instagram.
During Paul’s tenure, the magazine captured the attention of The New York Observer, which profiled the publication as well as T Magazine, which wrote that the new iteration of the magazine was as if “Martha Stewart Living and Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene had a magazine baby.”
As director of creative content and brand voice at Avon, Paul is fluent in creating compelling content that people connect with; copy that resonates with both readers and consumers. “Storytelling” and “Corporate DNA” have become industry buzzwords, but what do they actually mean? For Paul, it’s an understanding of vision and values, culture and strategy, identity and character; the knowledge that though facts tell, stories sell…whether its products or subscriptions.
Be it a fairy tale written for a M•A•C Cosmetics holiday collection, the launch of a new anti-aging serum, or a radio-script for a plush mascara, Paul is adept at finding the right words to create a provocative story that commands attention.
He currently leads a team of writers at The Avon Company, encompassing all beauty categories—color, skincare, fragrance and body—as well as apparel, jewelry and home, assuring brand-consistent copy across several channels. He develops and leads creative copy brainstorming, naming and content creation and is responsible for all content in Avon’s 200+ page, biweekly brochure. He directs copy for over two dozen major beauty and fashion launches a year and keeps storytelling for Avon’s inline product collections fresh and engaging. Paul was integral in establishing the voice of Espira, Avon’s new wellness brand, which exceeded financial plans for its launch by over 1MM dollars. He was responsible for refreshing Avon’s iconic Skin So Soft brand, Avon’s cutting-edge Anew Skincare Brand and the introduction of Avon True Color Makeup. He was part of the team that developed and branded Avon Living, a lifestyle/home magalog.
Paul also heads up the copy team responsible for all direct-selling collateral tools for Avon’s Representative sales forces in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico including product information cards, the biweekly What’s New that communicates all introductory launches, line extensions and shade additions including Representative selling tips, interviews, how-tos, etc. He liaises with the French and Spanish translation teams as well.
Paul’s team of 12 includes a package copywriter, three collateral writers, four beauty and fashion and home writers and four copy editors and proofreaders, consolidating for the first time all copy touch points within the creative department.
Paul has created the following content:
National print advertising, radio scripts, 360-product launches, product and event press releases, product copy, mission statements, brand histories, corporate communications for the president and CEO, public relations collateral including press releases, sales communications, direct mail, tag lines, product and collection naming, in-store signage, brochure, catalogs, magalogs, consumer flyers, outlet catalogues, special holiday gift booklets, video scripts, how-to makeup videos, ghost writing for celebrity makeup artists and celebrity brand ambassadors, web copy, banner ads, digital content, etc.
Paul has collaborated with:
LGH&H, Avon Products, Inc., M·A·C Cosmetics, Clinique, La Mer, Prescriptives, Bergdorf Goodman, DKNY, Coach Leatherware, Burlington/Menswear, Ambience/Isabel Mitchell, Mattel, LuxuryFinder.com, Zagats and others.
Paul has brought his experience as a creative director to Avon Products, Inc. where he led a small team of expert writers, art directors and graphic designers to produce—from conception to completion—six 200+ page catalogues per year complete with beauty and fashion launches as well as reinventing the creative for its inline beauty portfolio. He also used his creative direction skills at Faerie Magazine to elevate the brand helping take it from a niche, cult-like status to a more accessible and aesthetic experience enjoyed by a diverse global audience.
From talent selection to layout direction, he elevates the overall aesthetic and artistic quality of whatever project he touches, overseeing all stages of creative development from initial concept brainstorming to art directing photo shoots including styling and photo editing to refining layouts and messaging.
Paul combines storytelling and brand communication to craft an engaging, entertaining and editorial experience for the reader whether it’s about skincare education or a deconstruction of ferns or frost in fairy tales, he always transcends the superficial, mundane and expected.
Paul has written about an array of esoteric subjects from the natural world of frost, ferns, dew and reflections to the mythological world of Greek goddesses, water spirits and multicultural monsters. He’s written creative essays about the gardens at Findhorn, fairy wells in Cornwall, pomegranate perfumes, how the orange launched a thousand ships.He even wrote an essay for Bergdorf Goodman on why he believes he should have been born in the 18th century. His explorations illuminate the dark corners of his subjects and take unexpected turns, leading the reader to unforeseen destinations and conclusions.
Paul Himmelein is co-author of Bohemian Manifesto: A Field Guide to Living on the Edge (Bulfinch, 2004, and Echo Point Books, 2019: revised edition), which The New York Times called an “exultation of a state of mind.” He has been published in Guernica and his award-winning short story, “Misbegotten,” was published in the Swedish art book Love/Crazy along with work by Christian Lacroix. As editorial director of Faerie Magazine, Paul was a contributing writer to The Faerie Handbook (Harper Design, 2017).
“Fascinated by the intersection of history and fiction, Paul carefully studies how archetypes may reverberate in modern literature.” —Sheri Holman, best-selling author of The Dress Lodger
Turning his travel experiences into creative content for Faerie Magazine’s blog and digital newsletter, Paul wrote a variety of essays from fashion diaries to travelogues including a series titled “The Venetian Chronicles” about his explorations of that liquid city on the northern-Italian coast. Paul was also invited to be a guest blogger for cabinetrooms.com, an English cocktail and elixir site, for which he wrote about gin in the 18th century.
There is nothing quite as seductive as the moving image. Four dimensions—words, pictures, motion and time—combine to create a distinct message that goes beyond the usual collaboration of text and art; here, stories literally come to life.
Avon beauty launches and holiday collections tell the story of a product experience that engages and entices the viewer. M•A•C Cosmetics made A Tartan Tale, its new winter collection, come alive with sets by Tim Walker, and Academy-Award nominated actor Richard E. Grant takes the viewer on a lightening-fast ride through the cosmos, history and art as he narrates the chapter on “Dust” from Bohemian Manifesto for the launch of the revised edition.
A TARTAN TALE — The Power of Storytelling
(A fairy tale that launched a beauty collection)
For the M∙A∙C Cosmetic 2010 holiday collection, creative director James Gager commissioned Paul and a colleague to write a fairy tale steeped in Scottish mists and swathed in Highland plaids. A Tartan Tale was born in all its “posh, punk, ancestral, anarchic, noble and naughty glory.” It follows the character Myfanwy in a magical fairy tale involving pixies, punks and an enchanted prince.
The resulting fairy tale became the source of inspiration for M∙A∙C’s photo shoot by Tim Walker for the special seasonal collection of the same name.
According to M∙A∙C Cosmetics, A Tartan Tale is their “most ambitious holiday effort to-date; an epic we call A Tartan Tale, our own Brontë-gone-bonkers story set upon the moors of a fantasy M·A·C Magicland, replete with the most ravishing and elaborate sets and characters.”
The “Tartan Tale” collection features an edgy color palette of bright greens, blues, mauves, fuchsia pink: Think Scottish nobility and kilts meet punk-rock culture and tattoos all specially packaged with tartan patterns. The collection includes eye shadows with an embossed tartan pattern, eye pencils, lipsticks, dazzleglass creme glosses, loose powder pigments, powder blushes, nail lacquers and a volumizing mascara.
A storybook of "A Tartan Tale” was printed featuring whimsical illustrations and photographs by Tim Walker and fantasy sets by Andy Hillman. M∙A∙C celebrated the holiday collection with an animated online storybook as well, and even launched M∙A∙C: A Tartan Tale, an app for the iPad that allows users to follow the magical fairy tale of the enchanting Myfanwy through Glamora Castle, shaking, turning and touching interactive features throughout the book.
Features include:
The fairy tale comes to life through narration and sound effects.
Fully interactive pages allow users to unlock content and share with friends via Facebook.
Ships take flight and plaid-winged bats fly from the belfry as users touch-swipe through the visually stunning story.
The chandelier shimmies through real-time physics as users move and turn the iPad.
Tap the plaid makeup tin for direct access to maccosmetics.com where users can shop and learn about the entire Tartan Collection from M∙A∙C.
Unlock a plaid prize at the fairy tale’s conclusion.
A full audio book of M∙A∙C: A Tartan Tale was also available, along with a mini history of tartan.
All this initiated by a creative fairy tale.
Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose. Or is it?
Paul understands both the big picture and the nuances that go into naming anything from a short story to an anti-aging moisturizer to a perfume. When something is named, its identity takes shape. A name is that interface between the thing itself and how we relate to it. A name is more than a mere referent, it contains information about the brand. It has attitude. It sets the tone. It’s the gateway to your story. It’s what is remembered and what people will search for and share.
