We don’t always know it, but we’re surrounded by people who do cool things. Entrepreneurs, designers, artists, you name it — we love to be inspired, and we think you will too. We asked some of our friends to answer short questions about themselves relating to career, habits and life. Enjoy!
Scot Tatelman is the co-founder and co-owner of STATE Bags. He and his wife, Jacq, started the company after running a nonprofit summer camp for underserved New York City kids. STATE Bags gives back to families and kids in need for every bag sold, whether it be supplying them will full backpacks, partnering with charities or raising awareness on social inequalities.
Scot and Lindsay Knaak-Stuart, Meant’s founder and CEO, are neighbors and friends in Brooklyn. We’re featuring Scot for a special Father’s Day post, with extra questions about his life as a dad and entrepreneur. Scot’s life has always been centered around kids, whether it be his own or in his community.
Name: Scot Tatelman
Job Title: Co-Founder & GiveBackGuy
How did you get into this work? I have a long history of working with kids both in nonprofit and for-profit capacities, and my wife has a deep background in fashion... after we created our nonprofit summer camp together for kids from NYC's most underfunded neighborhoods, we decided to blend fashion and philanthropy in building STATE Bags. And we're still married!!
How many kids do you have? What are their ages and what are their names? 2: Ayla (7) and Ozzie (4)
What's your favorite thing about being a dad? My entire career has centered around kids and I've always worked really really hard to shape other people's kids into solid, kind, good human beings. To be doing that now for my own kids is still so surreal — being part of the entire process from the moment you teach them something for the first time to watching them fully absorb it days, months and sometimes years later is just too cool and moving to put into words. I truly love being a dad so much — it's hard to summarize just a few things.
What kind of dad would your kids say you are? Fun. Funny. Emotional. Hard working. Exhausted.
What's your favorite thing to do with your kids? I love walking them to school... we have great talks and really nice send-offs. Also, coaching my daughter's Little League team this spring has been one of the most fun experiences of my dad life... yet another thing I've done for decades with other people's kids that I now get to experience with my own!
What do you secretly hope you get for Father's Day? A 20-minute nap without being woken up by Ozzie kicking me in the face?
Getting to know you…
Desert-island product? Hand sanitizer? I'm a germaphobe...
Signature scent? Anything with a super clean, super fresh smell. See above answer about being a germaphobe...
Go-to outfit? Green or navy colored pants, a colorful, comfortable, Save Khaki or Universal Works sweatshirt, pink or multi-colored Vans capped off with a STATE Bag.
Guilty pleasure? Raisin challah (potentially the weirdest answer you'll ever get from anyone)
Favorite piece of furniture in your house? We have this big poof I like to lounge on with my kids and dog
Last show you binge-watched? Shrill
First concert? The Michael Jackson BAD Tour. We drove from Boston to MSG for it... and it was my Mom's idea! Very proud of this fact...
Favorite vacation destination? Costa Rica
Favorite Instagram account? @houseofhighlights, @humansofny, @bennydrama7, @thedailyshow, @jacqtate, @shaunking
Best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Be good. Learn lots. Have fun. Do your best. You do you!
App you can’t live without? Aaptiv, Shopify & Waze!
Quick fire, go!
Hair: Product or No Product? No product. Zero.
Morning or night? Morning! I'm up at 4:55 a.m. so am pretty much dead to the world after 9 p.m.
Neat or messy? NEAT!
Beach or mountains? Tough one... beach with big, mountainous dunes?
Shower or bath? Shower... my kids now take two a day because of my shower obsession.
Coffee or tea? Almond milk latte. Caffeine is a very recent addition to my life.
Bar soap or body wash? Both
Quality or quantity? Quality
Shave or wax? Wait... what? I barely do the first and have never done the second.
Swear or don’t swear? Swear in the right setting, but one of my biggest pet peeves is people swearing around kids.
On time or run late? Always on time, but HUSTLING to get there.
Flats or heels? OR Sneakers or flip flops? Sneaks. All day, everyday.
Dogs or cats? DOGS. Cats wig me out…
3,000 unread emails or zero inbox? Usually somewhere between 1 and 100. Zero feels weird and lonely to me... I always keep at least one unread.
Toilet paper: under or over? Wipes! Never leave home without them...
You can find Scot and STATE Bags at:
