Las Vegas Weekly

“Where’s Waldo?” High Society’s ad is full of familiar faces

That guy with the sunglasses looks familiar. So does the chick near the chocolate fountain! Waldo has to be in here somewhere…

Courtesy of N9NE Group

You think the parties in Vegas are getting better? Check out the ads! Not only are venues stepping up their game when it comes to throwing lavish themed events, but their promotional materials are equally eye-catching.

We first gave props to Wet Republic’s new campaign declaring war on nightlife. Now, we turn our attention to the licentious image for the new High Society dayclub Sundays at Nove.

“Modern-day Marie Antoinette meets The Last Supper,” is how art director Leslie Culler describes the inspiration for the image, which features lots of familiar faces. “I was wanting to say, ‘There’s no recession. We’re still wanting to have our cake and eat it, too!’” she laughs. “We don’t want to stop spending; we’re doing what we can to help the economy!”

Planning began long in advance for the image, which reflects the dayclub’s partying, dining, drinking and entertainment experience. “It took probably three or four weeks nailing the concept down,” Culler explains. A crack team was assembled, consisting of photographer Brian Brown, graphic designer Sean Clauretie, lighting designer Alex Sabahi, hair and makeup lead Zee Clemente with assistance from Mary Rockwood-Crabtree and Kelly Belmonte, wig master Jason Bennett, and stylist Brandy Provenzano. Katie Cewe of the Gypsy Den provided props and clothing, and Maricela Maciel produced and directed the shoot.

Even Nove Chef Geno Bernardo got in on the action. “He actually prepared all the food for the shoot,” says Maciel. (The drinks, however, were all props, so no one got sloshed during the long shoot.)

And long is putting it mildly. “We basically planned every shot, every table before we went in there,” Culler says. “We started from the back and worked our way up,” she explains about creating the layered composite image, which utilized between 10 to 15 different photographs. “The actual day of the shoot we got there around 4:30 in the morning and we were carrying stuff out at 6 p.m.”

N9NE Group employees and models were called upon to make love to the camera, hence the plethora of recognizable nightlifers, like the stilt walker and go-go dancers from Perfecto. We were able to spot N9NE Group’s JRoc, of course, in the photo, along with Abbigail Peltier Garcia and Jung Kim. Brett Rubin is the DJ in the background and door host Atilla Pal and Nove bartender Blaze are front and center.

See anyone you recognize? Leave us a comment below to tell us whom you’ve spotted in the ad before you check out High Society on Sunday afternoons.