Posted 03.08.10

by Anne Brenoff

 

How much moxie does it take to start up a book publishing house in the midst of the world's deepest recession? One can only assume that Jordana Woodland, who at 28 is the youngest female owner of a brick and mortar publishing house in the United States, launched her Pixie Press Worldwide in 2009 because she had something to say.

 

And she speaks volumes with her first public foray -- "About Face," a limited run high-end photography book by celebrity lens man John Russo that captures more than 100 Hollywood male actors and models. Russo shot them in black and white with the soon-to-be extinct Type 55 Polaroid film, creating an emotionally sensual collection that is coffee-table worthy. A portion of sales is being donated to the charity Smile Train, which performs free cleft lip and palate surgeries on children around the world.

 

All of the participants in "About Face," who include Jason Lewis from "Sex in the City," Taylor Kitsch of "Friday Night Lights," Ian Somerhalder of "The Vampire Diaries," and Giles Marini of "Brothers & Sisters," volunteered to pose for Russo. All were shot in natural light and without makeup. The creative mission, said Woodland, was to "record the raw beauty, intrigue and power of the male face."

 

The cloth-bound, 160-page edition is being sold for $95, signed by the photographer. It is available through www.PixiePressWorldwide.com, Amazon.com, and at the Minotti showroom in West Hollywood.

 

Pixie Press may not just be the newest kid on the publishing block, it also may be the greenest. All books are printed with vegetable-based inks on recycled paper that is manufactured with 100% wind power. A portion of every book sale will benefit charities assisting women and children in need.

 

Even its book launch party was in line with its green thinking. Held recently on the rooftop at The London West Hollywood, the publishing house adopted a reforestation project to offset 100% of the event's carbon footprint. Pixie Press worked with Verus Carbon Neutral, an Atlanta-based eco-conscious company that aids businesses hoping to offset their carbon footprints. After conducting an audit to determine the size of an event's or company's carbon footprint, Verus provides a proactive way to reduce it.