Rolling Out the Red Carpet for Collective

Launched last year as a membership group for culture-obsessed 20- and 30-something New Yorkers, Collective by 92NY almost instantly became something greater — a community, a home base, and a hub for young people navigating the city. Offering early access to Talks and performances curated just for our patrons — plus discounts on tickets, priority seating, exclusive invites to cocktail networking events, unique memorabilia signed by the talent — Collective quickly grew to over a thousand members, forming a vibrant and expanding community.

One of the masterminds behind Collective’s success is its Assistant Director, Celeste Lannen. Drawing from her own experience as a young person in New York, Lannen orchestrated blockbuster events like our sold-out conversation and performance with Kelsea Ballerini — including a networking cocktail reception just for members — and intimate gatherings like a rooftop sunset yoga class on our roof. This coming season ups the ante: conversations featuring bestselling author Brianna Wiest (Oct 7), iconic comedian Maya Rudolph (Oct 8), TV legend Shonda Rhimes (Oct 14), an early screening of Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut film, Good Fortune (Oct 14), a sneak preview of the new season of Nobody Wants This with Kristen Bell, Adam Brody, and the show’s cast and creators (Oct 22) and so much more — and that’s just this month!

We sat down with Lannen to discuss why she wanted to start Collective, finding a home in the chaos of NYC, what’s in store for our members, and more.

Collective is for young people in New York. You’re a young person in New York. What were you looking for in the city when you first got here that you want to provide for Collective members?

New York is an incredible city — it is oversaturated with cultural life. When I got my first apartment here, that oversaturation was overwhelming, and it made me spend a lot of nights alone on my couch — it felt daunting to find exactly the right thing to do. When we were getting ready to launch Collective, it was important for me to build a road map to the city for our members. We listen to what they are interested in, we program according to what they tell us, and we roll out the red carpet for them. We want them to feel special, we want them to feel heard, and we want them to feel seen. We want them to have a curated experience — to be able to go on our website and say, I have Wednesday night free, what does my membership have to offer?

What’s coming up this season that you’re excited about?

Shonda Rhimes is coming to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her book, The Year of Yes. She’s a legend — a lot of our members grew up watching her shows like Grey’s Anatomy or Bridgerton. Aziz Ansari will be here for a preview of his directorial debut, Good Fortune. Kristen Bell, Adam Brody, and the other stars and creators of Nobody Wants This are coming for a double-episode preview of the new season. Maya Rudolph will be here for a preview of the new season of Loot. And that’s just next month! We have amazing things in store ahead.

What do you think is missing in New York right now — or hard to find — that Collective provides?

Being in New York City during the pandemic was very isolating for a lot of young people. Post-pandemic, young professionals are trying to find ways to connect with one another. Going out and being social means something different than it used to — it’s harder. Collective provides a space where people feel comfortable making connections, because we are bringing them together for something that specifically appeals to all of them. If they came here to see Kelsea Ballerini, then that was an instant point of connection, which is part of why people were so excited to hang out and chat during our cocktail reception before that event. If they come to see Brianna Wiest this month, for her talk about pushing ourselves into a fuller sense of purpose, that’s a very personal point of connection.

What has Collective done so far that captures the spirit of this community?

Two events come to mind. Our launch event with Kelsea Ballerini really skyrocketed our membership. It was so unique — we pulled together a networking reception, and it was all these new people who had never been to 92NY meeting here for the first time. The majority of the crowd consisted of young women, mingling together, having fun and bonding over their Kelsea fandom. We had wine, cupcakes, a photographer — it was very special to watch people connect. And then they got to see Kelsea perform these songs that she had never performed live before. The second one was rooftop yoga and mocktails — we worked with the May Center to bring in one of their yoga instructors, and we did it at sunset. It was an hour of calm and peace above the chaos of the city, and it was really nice to see all these young people come out for it. And then a certified mocktail specialist guided our members in tasting these different drinks that had health benefits. People stayed to chat after for an hour and a half.

Where do you see Collective going in the future? How does it fit into what 92NY does as a whole?

When I started working here, I had never seen an organization like this. My parents worked for nonprofits, so I understood how they worked, but I had never seen one that was this versatile. It’s important that we show our members that versatility going forward. The programmers and the members are going to continue to have a conversation so that we can keep offering them things that they love to do. I especially want to platform musicians who deserve more time to talk about their work than they get on the short appearances they do for press junkets — our members want to hear artists talk about their work in more depth, and hear them to do acoustic performances in an intimate setting. And it shouldn’t just be Talks — it should be an art class, a poetry reading, anything that 92NY offers. 92NY’s programming is so diverse that more often than not, we have what Collective members are looking for.

Want a gateway to the most exciting events in NYC — and access to a vibrant community of culture vultures like you? Sign up or renew your Collective membership today.