Hello. My name is Jan Livingston Mokhtari.
I started BUTTER as a place to chronicle all the interesting and inspirational things I find in real life and on the web. As a Creative Director, I spend a lot of time with really talented people and I'm exposed to innovative imagery, music, design, technology and ideas that inspire me. And as a Mom, I spend a lot of time with my husband and two kids that inspire me beyond my dreams in a whole different way. BUTTER is a way for me to connect the two worlds taht are my muses and create content for others to enjoy, too.
I'm married to a charming Brit named Marsh. We live in Los Angeles with our two daughters Lila (5years old) and Stella (3 years old). And our brilliant dog, Dude.
Thanks for visiting Butter Blog. I love making things: oil paintings, finger paintings, Crème Brule French Toast, TV spots, TV shows, babies…
I believe every “thing” starts with an inspiration and Butter Blog is my place to share those bright beginnings with you. I hope you discover some “things” of your own here.
Let me tell you a little about myself.
I’m married to a wonderful man named Marsh Mokhtari, a British gentlemen and rugby player I met in a bar in Chicago in 2000. Our first date lasted 72 hours and I was smitten. After dating long distance between Chicago and London for 7 months, he quit his very corporate job and moved to Chicago to join me in my bohemian lifestyle. True, I was hardly a starving artist (I love food too much), I was a copywriter for a very corporate, advertising agency working on ad campaigns for global brands, but in his eyes if you wore Converse and jeans to work, and played pool for inspiration you were a anti-establishment artist. And after meeting more of my creative friends who were writers, photographers, musicians, etc., he realized he also wanted to “Do what you love, love what you do” and we’ve been living by that mantra the past 11 years together.
Marsh and I moved to Los Angeles in 2002. And we married in the fall of 2004.
Raising two daughters in Los Angeles is hard when I long for a more mid-west upbringing like the one I had. But Los Angeles has so much of it’s own culture to offer, Marsh and I aim to mix the mid-western values with Los Angeles’s many advantages to try and raise healthy, confident, loving human beings. Though, it is a constant struggle in a city where 8-year-old girls carry $1500 purses, but hey, in Nebraska I never got to build a sandcastle on a Wednesday in December.
Just like everybody, we’re just trying to keep it all together and make our version of the American dream come true.
I’ve worked with numerous advertising agencies in London, Chicago, and Los Angeles as a Copywriter and Creative Director building and growing global brands- everything from diapers to tacos to maternity dresses. In 2007, with the birth of our first daughter, I quit the full-time corporate world to spend more time at home. I co-founded the boutique-advertising agency The House of Birds and most notably helped launch the mom lifestyle brand Twilite Moon. I’m now a creative director at 72andSunny working the Target Brand, a consultant for women’s brands and publications, and I run a television production company, Jolly Good Productions, with my husband Marsh Mokhtari.
My husband, Marsh Mokhtari, is an actor, TV host and producer. He is currently hosting “Extreme Chef” on the Food Network.
I recently found out that I have a BRCA2 gene mutation. This means I have an inherited 84% chance of developing Breast Cancer. My mother, Kathy, successfully battled Breast Cancer twice and my cousin, Ann, lost her battle with Breast Cancer at the age of 36. With great deliberation and strong recommendations from many doctors, I made a difficult decision and took my chance of developing Breast Cancer from 84% to 3%. On April 13th, 2011, I said goodbye to my breasts when I had a prophylactic Double Mastectomy. You can follow my BRCA journey here.
My story, 'The Proper Send-off" , was made into a film directed by Eva Longoria for Glamour Reel Moments. You can watch the full film here.
Here are some press links. And here is a link to my FAQs page. Here's my professional website.
Please feel free to get in touch if you'd like to discuss a potential story or project.
If you'd like to advertise on Butter Blog email me (jan@buttersite.com).
Oh, and I love butter. On almost everything.
