Sydney native Sasha Benz may work as the creative director of Montauk’s buzzy Surf Lodge, while her husband, Oliver, spins rare disco and funk records at that Hamptons party mecca — but when the couple first stumbled upon the hotel in 2012, they couldn’t even get past the bouncer.
“We were in Montauk for the weekend, and we said, ‘What is this place?’ We got to the front of the line and couldn’t get in,” Sasha tells Alexa. “I was like, ‘But we look hot!’ ” jokes Oli.
Welcome to the roaring 20's with a twist—an extra dirty martini twist, that is—but this time the place to be isn’t East Egg, it’s the East End. Or as Montauk locals and those in the know call it, “The End.”
Our protagonists are Sasha and Oli Benz, the “End of the World” power couple who are taking the Montauk party scene by storm.
Sasha Benz's life might look glamorous — she's the founder of the blog All My Friends Are Models and the social networking app Cinq, the creative director of Montauk's "it" destination The Surf Lodge and her wedding was featured in Vogue — but she's adamant that she stumbles and that there is no such thing as an overnight success.
When Benz was at one of Surf Lodge's many events, someone mentioned that she must have an impressive address book from working there for years.
Do you remember when you met that woman who created the most amazing delivery service that you needed to start using? Or when your friend’s friend wanted to grab coffee and share business advice? Or that nanny that was looking for part-time hours? We’ve all been there; trying to keep up with contacts and organizing them in a way that makes sense the following day is a true challenge.
Surf Lodge Creative Director Sasha Benz was tired of keeping up with all the contacts that she made on a daily basis – only to find a name (first name only!) saved in her phone 4 months later and have no idea who “Belinda” was. So, she put pen to paper and came up with our favorite new app to hit iTunes in months, Cinq. Think of it as your personal concierge for who’s who in your Rolodex. Heck, think of it as your next Rolodex!
Sasha Benz is an entrepreneur, who began her career as a fashion stylist progressing quickly working for the likes of Harpers Bazaar, Vogue Australia, Sony Music and Vanity Fair. Throughout her career she has worked alongside photographers such as Annie Liebovitz, Ellen Von Unworth and her clients included Kylie Minogue, Cate Blanchette, Michael Buble & Sara Sampaio. In 2014, Benz married long time boyfriend Oliver Benz in New York City, and in the same month she founded the online Magazine All My Friends Are Models. Benz is still active as the Editor of the magazine which has offices in New York, Los Angeles & Sydney.
Enid O’Brien:
Thank you so much for taking the time to be our first Hamptons Moms interview and right after the New York Times, I’m honored
Sasha Benz:
No worries, glad to be a part of it. Should we sit down here?