THE STORY OF CATOR SPARKS

Once there was a lad named Cator Sparks. Now he was no ordinary lad. He was... let's say, controversial.

Growing up in the South, Cator began traveling at an early age. He discovered that there was more to life than cheerleaders and strip malls. He would often sit in his delicious bedroom and ponder where life would lead him. Who knew that all of his dreams would one day come true? Cator did.

He learned to parlez la langue française in Paris, to flamenco in Madrid, to dress in London and found his inner F. Scott in India. Amidst this divine debauchery, Cator attended the College of Charleston for two years and wrote for the Cougar Pause, which doubled its readership when Cator's quill hit the pad.

Cator gave Paris a shot for a semester and all was a fiasco save his nights at La Palace's VIP room or at the scandalous Follies Pigalle. The next stop on Cator's grand tour of life was London. Jackpot! Cator morphed from a rave 'til dawn club kid to a dandy in distress in search of champagne. During his metamorphosis, Cator learned the art of Fashion Journalism and how to write freely and express himself in a whole new genre. He was truly in his element.

Upon his arrival back in Atlanta, Cator began to wilt; his lapel orchid could not breathe, so he bid Atlanta adieu.   1999 was a pivotal year.   His boss at the time, the divine Jeffrey Kalinsky, offered him a job at his new pioneering store in the blood stained Meatpacking District. Cator knew this was his golden ticket.

Moving up to NYC with Jeffrey was a real eye-opening experience. On August 29, 1999, Jeffrey New York opened.   Cator met half the socialites and celebrities he had ogled in Vogue and a week later he was quoted in WWD. There was only one problem, he was behind a counter and that didn't do, he wanted to be up front and in the middle of it all! He paid off his house account (ouch!) and sailed into the world of PR.

He landed in the offices of Kevin Krier and Associates and after working one Fashion Week he felt a void. The fickle fashionistas were not the people Cator always dreamed of mingling with! So he dusted off his coat tails and headed into freelance PR. He wrote press releases and aided in special events encountering people such as Vivienne Westwood, Isabella Rossellini and Alan Cumming. Cator felt cozy, always on his way to a fête and meeting the crème de la crème of NYC. Cator pondered, “I am in the midst of the hottest town in the world, how can I most benefit from my time here?” His fingers hit the keyboard and his writing career took off.

Today Cator is writing for both national and international publications including the New York Times, Flaunt, Spoon, City and Genre. Through his constant mingling with Park Avenue Princesses and East Village Hipsterati, Cator has been able to keep his finger on the pulse of a city that never stops pumping…