Jonathan SteinFounder · Editor · Producer · Operator

Contact

I turn ambitious ideas into reality.

I bring vision, people and operations together to build things that last, across culture, media, production and business.

Scroll to walk the building
The Brutalist, Issue 01, displayed in a concrete roomThe Brutalist, Issue 01, displayed in a concrete roomThe Brutalist, Issue 01, displayed in a concrete roomThe Brutalist, Issue 01, displayed in a concrete roomThe Brutalist, Issue 01, displayed in a concrete room
Founder · Editor-in-Chief

The Brutalist

An annual print magazine exploring Brutalism in all its forms. I founded it and lead it: the position, the contributors, the printed object.

Issue 01 ↗
A dark concrete room lit by a single slit of sunlight cut through the back wall
COO · String Lights LA

Light, at scale.

I ran an upscale architectural lighting design and installation business, tripling revenue to $1.5M a year in 3 years.

Crews · Budgets · Scheduling · Clients · Growth
Producer · Director · Writer

Film

I take films from first idea to final cut: shaping the story, building the crew, and holding budget, schedule and intent together until it reaches the screen.

Pieces from Brutal Objects on five plinths: a bag, a mug, a Ronchamp model, a screw lamp and a sculpted candleBrutal Objects pieces on concrete shelves
Creative direction · Curation · Operations

Brutal Objects

A global platform for brutalist design. I curate and feature the brands, studios and artists shaping it, from around the world.

brutalobjects.com ↗
Jonathan Stein at the end of a concrete passage, photographing his reflectionJonathan Stein’s photographs shown in a roomJonathan Stein’s photographs shown in a roomPrints drying under a red safelight, Jonathan’s self-portrait among themJonathan Stein’s photographs shown in a roomJonathan Stein’s photographs shown in a roomJonathan Stein’s photographs shown in a room
Photography

The eye

I capture concrete, moments and light around the world. It sharpens the eye I bring to every brief: knowing what stays.

Shot on film · See the selects ↓
An empty office with a red chair, ready for its next occupantAn empty office with a red chair, ready for its next occupantAn empty office with a red chair, ready for its next occupantAn empty office with a red chair, ready for its next occupantAn empty office with a red chair, ready for its next occupantAn empty office with a red chair, ready for its next occupantAn empty office with a red chair, ready for its next occupantAn empty office with a red chair, ready for its next occupantTwo chairs facing each other across a table under a low lamp, one of them redA single empty plinth under a spotlightA window cut clean through the building to open daylightThe next room, still under construction: formwork, a ladder and a bare bulbA door beside a cast nameplate that reads Head of, with the name left blankThe next room drawn as an architect’s plan, not yet builtA room with a desk lamp, the light just switched onWords cut into the back wall of a dark room: Looking for the next teamWords cut into the back wall of a dark room: Looking for the next teamAn empty, daylit room
Creative Direction Head of Creative Operations Brand & Cultural Strategy Something else
Open

Take a seat.

The chair is pulled out. I'm looking for my next role: creative operations, producing, editorial and content, or brand and cultural strategy.

Ring the bell.

Press the role you’re hiring for and it lands in my inbox with the right subject line.

The next opening.

Marked and measured, not yet cut. I'm looking for my next role: creative operations, producing, editorial and content, or brand and cultural strategy.

The light’s on.

I’m in. I'm looking for my next role: creative operations, producing, editorial and content, or brand and cultural strategy.

Leave a note.

Every letter gets an answer. I'm looking for my next role: creative operations, producing, editorial and content, or brand and cultural strategy.

Look closer.

I'm looking for my next role: creative operations, producing, editorial and content, or brand and cultural strategy.

Space available.

Ready to move in. I'm looking for my next role: creative operations, producing, editorial and content, or brand and cultural strategy.

Let’s talk.

Two chairs, one table, the light on. I'm looking for my next role: creative operations, producing, editorial and content, or brand and cultural strategy.

The next piece.

The plinth is lit, and empty. I'm looking for my next role: creative operations, producing, editorial and content, or brand and cultural strategy.

Wide open.

The one window that looks out. I'm looking for my next role: creative operations, producing, editorial and content, or brand and cultural strategy.

The next room.

Still under construction. I'm looking for my next role: creative operations, producing, editorial and content, or brand and cultural strategy.

Head of ________.

The plate is cast. The name isn’t. I'm looking for my next role: creative operations, producing, editorial and content, or brand and cultural strategy.

Room 07.

Drawn, not yet built. I'm looking for my next role: creative operations, producing, editorial and content, or brand and cultural strategy.

Start a conversation →
Practice

An idea worth building, the craft to make it, and a business that keeps it standing.

Vision

Editorial & cultural strategy

Deciding what something should be and why anyone should care, then holding a clear position.

Craft

Production

Publications, film and visual work, taken from a first idea to a finished object, on schedule and on budget.

Structure

Operations

Teams, budgets and partnerships. The part that lets ambitious work survive contact with reality.

Films

Screenings.

Producer, director and writer, with fifteen years in film and commercial production. USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Films

Screenings.

Producer, director and writer, with fifteen years in film and commercial production. USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Photography

Selects.

I capture concrete, moments and light on film. Editing a roll down to the few frames that matter is the same work I do on every project. Hover over the sheet to look closer with the loupe, and click any frame to see the print.

Roll 18 — J. Stein — selects Kodak 400TX · 36 exp.
For hiring teams

The short version.

Roles I'm pursuing
  • Head of Creative Operations
  • Producer · Brand, content, experiential
  • Editorial & Content Director
  • Brand & Cultural Strategy
Record
  • The Brutalist · Founder, Editor-in-Chief2024–Present
  • Brutal Objects · Founder2022–Present
  • String Lights LA · COO, revenue tripled to $1.5M2019–2025
  • Film · Producer, director, writerSince 2010
  • USC School of Cinematic ArtsBA

Resume on request

Contact

For roles, projects and conversations.

What's this about
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