Essentials: Joe La Puma

The hip-hop, streetwear style, generation swag blogosphere HYPEBEAST so proudly aligns with what has seen many facelifts over the past five to ten years. This once humbled industry which started out of love for certain elements of fashion has now been commercialized off the success of a select few, where individuals can now make a living simply reposting items they find to be noteworthy. Although it does have its success stories, blog writing is a difficult realm to compete within. It takes a special understanding of various trades as well as a refreshing perspective that readers from differing demographics can relate to. Take note of Joe La Puma, current Senior Editorial Strategist at Complex Media and previous HYPEBEAST contributor. Since joining the Complex family six years ago, Joe has helped increase per-day page views at Complex.com from approximately 1,000 to over 1,000,000 – a feat rarely seen in today’s over saturated landscape. Having studied Journalism at the University of Connecticut after a failed attempt as a business major, La Puma now handles big idea generation and its execution along with the social networking of Complex’s content. In his time at the popular editorial he’s conducted cover stories with everyone from Katy Perry and Justin Bieber to Rick Ross and Kid Cudi. Being one of the main players in the success of “The Ultimate Men’s Buyers Guide,” we decided to reach out to this trailblazer to add another installment to our Essentials series. Certainly a humbling display for a self-proclaimed sneakerhead with a knack for delivering some of the best content found on the web, we’d like to hear what you think in the comments section below.

Photography: Rudy Calderon