• writing
  • videos
  • galleries
  • a+ creative studio
  • contact | bio
smokey fontaine
  • writing
  • videos
  • galleries
  • a+ creative studio
  • contact | bio

america magazine

Smokey D. Fontaine | founder, publisher, editor-in-chief

Graham Rounthwaite | creative director

 

It was a simple idea, really, to bring together the best photographers in the world with the most innovative talents defining our culture.  It was to be smart and unapologetically beautiful, a statement of who we are at a time when styles & genres, races & ethnicities, perspectives & attitudes were all crashing together often in provocative - and often misunderstood - ways. 

Over 7 issues, 18 covers and more than 75 photo shoots, my creative director, Graham Rounthwaite, and I created some amazing moments.  We took the braids out of Alicia Keys’ hair, shot Lenny Kravitz naked, did high fashion with Mariah, introduced Puff Daddy and Peter Lindbergh, and even got Kanye to talk! With Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs and Mercedes-Benz, even our advertising was super cool. Here are the covers:

 
Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams
Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz
Frankie Rayder
Frankie Rayder
R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Usher
Usher
50 Cent
50 Cent
Gisele
Gisele
Guinevere
Guinevere
Puffy & Penelope Cruz
Puffy & Penelope Cruz
Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Kanye West
Kanye West
Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai
Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige