The architect of that moment, Photographer Victor Sanabrais.
"I originally had planned on Paris [Hilton] and Nicole [Richie] to ride down together, but Nicole wasn't into it," Victor said. "Fortunately, Kim Stewart was ready and willing to replace her. I told them not to start the choppers, but to just roll them down the hill and pose for the cameras. Well, Kim decided to turn the chopper on, and the rest is history!"
Born and raised in Chicago, Victor Sanabrais originally pursued a career as a chiropractor; however, the white lab coat and chemistry classes just weren't doing it for him. "YUK!" He consequently dropped out, picked up a camera, and hasn't looked back since.
"Once I dropped out of chiropractic school, I took a summer course in photography just for fun. I then started taking every photo class possible at a small community college, as I worked as an assistant." It's during this period that Victor learned the technical side of the photography business, as well as the world of commercial advertising. "I jumped into the market in Chicago around 1992 and started offering my services on my own."
At that time, Victor was married to a beautiful, blonde super model (sorry no names), and willingly, he photographed her and her model friends to help expand his portfolio. "I would make posters of the artistic nudes and fashion photos I took, and place them on the walls of my loft," Victor said. "On weekends I would throw the hottest parties on the west loop side of Chicago. Eventually, word got around, and the in crowd started showing up."
It was during one of these parties that a man came up to Victor and said, "Nice parties kid...love your work! Here's my card." Victor stated, "I woke up two days later (drunk), looked in my pocket, and found the card belonged to Playboy Entertainment Editor, Kevin Kuster - Nice! I called him, went to his office, and he gave me my first real break."
"My portfolio and resume took a big step up from there. One day I would be shooting the Harlem Globetrotters, then the next, a Playboy Lingerie layout or possibly flying to an island somewhere to shoot a swimsuit calendar. I am grateful to have had the good fortune of working with some of the most celebrated names in the business."
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