This is Me: Erinn Westbrook

"Glee's" latest addition is Erinn Westbrook, a Harvard alum who has made her way back to high school portraying a mean Cheerio named Bree. Today, we get to share you Erinn's life, career, and her enormous love for Shakespeare and Jane Austen (our kind of gal!).

You are "Glee's" newest addition, starring as queen bee and mean girl, Bree. Now we're sure you're nothing like your character, but has it been fun divulging in the dark side? Have you played any other characters like Bree, or is she your first mean girl?

You're right - I am absolutely nothing like the queen of mean, Bree. With that said, it has been fun delving into the dark side. Who doesn't like stirring things up a bit? Bree is actually not the first mean girl I've played. I was a mean cheerleading captain in Nick at Nite's "See Dad Run" and also a mean girl in Disney's "Dog With a Blog." With that said, Bree is meaner than both of those characters combined. Everything I'm doing with Bree is next level.

Being part of "Glee" exposes you to a whole new fan base. What has your experience with "Glee" fans been like?

"Glee" fans are great. They are so into it. They are extremely opinionated and vocal and they have a lot of questions. I think, right now, there are a lot of people who love to hate Bree and that is exactly what I was hoping for. From day one, I've had a lot of overwhelming support from so many of the fans and I truly appreciate the people who can love me as an actress, despite the character I portray.

I'm sure you get asked about the cast a lot, but have you gotten close with any other cast members on the show? I am still getting to know everyone! But, I definitely feel like I am friends with everyone on set - cast and crew. It's not a hard group to like.

Besides acting, you've worked as a TV personality. Acting sounds difficult, but having to host a show live seems really daunting. How did you handle being an on air interviewer? When I was hosting, I literally was just being an amplified version of myself. For me, personally, that is an easier job. I was rarely nervous. There were times when I'd be interviewing someone in front of thousands of people and multiple cameras ("MTV Spring Break!") and I sort of just was able to tune everything out and focus on having a conversation. I loved hosting - I met a lot of interesting people and had some great experiences with my MTV family.

Congratulations on graduating from Harvard recently! You were in school while pursuing modeling. How did you balance such two demanding environments? Thank you so much! I miss it - Harvard was a great, formative experience. In regards to modeling, I didn't really start until the later part of college and I wasn't agency-represented until I graduated. I was just modeling for fun, at that point, after being "discovered" in NYC by a bookings editor for SEVENTEEN magazine. My main priority while I was in school, was being at school! I am extremely academic, I enjoy learning and being at Harvard was an incredible and unique opportunity. Doing well in my classes, staying on top of my collegiate extracurriculars and bonding with my peers were the most important things to me at that time and I worked hard to keep my priorities straight and maintain the appropriate balance.

You majored in English. What are some of your favorite books? Too many to name! But, I am a huge Jane Austen fan - my favorite book is "Pride and Prejudice." I am also obsessed with the movie and yes, the classical, symphonic soundtrack. I play it on the regular. There are certain books and stories that enchant me. That's one of them. I am also a huge Shakespeare nerd, and so I reread many of his classic plays when I have time. All of my table books in my living room are Shakespeare plays. I just finished "A Midsummer Night's Dream"...again. My favorite graphic novel is "Persepolis" by Marjane Satrapi. It's about the Islamic Revolution through the eyes of a little girl. Because it is a graphic novel, so many of the ideas expressed are through pictures. I like the challenge of coming up with my own interpretation of what's going on. Now Reading: "Proof of Heaven" by Eben Alexander. Mind-blowing.

Do you have any plans to write? Movie/television scripts, perhaps? Yes! I am already writing and I have one script, in particular, of which I am extremely proud. I hope to be writing, producing and directing sooner rather than later. It'll happen, I think.

"Glee" is a huge step for your career. Do you consider it a big break for you? Where do you want to go from here? "Glee" is a big break. It is definitely the largest part I've had and it's on one of the biggest shows in Hollywood. I am so blessed, so lucky... I have to pinch myself every day. From Here? I have a lot of plans for myself, but I guess it's whatever God has in store. A girl can dream, though...

You've done film, television, and modeling. You've explored so many venues and you're still so young! What's next for Erinn Westbrook? It's funny because I still feel like I have done very little! I guess it's because there is still so much I want to do. I hope to continue working on television and films on-camera. But, off-camera, I want to write, produce and direct. Musically, I have plans to do an album eventually. And maybe one day, I'll find myself on Broadway. If I aim for the moon, I'll still land in the stars, right? For now, I'm enjoying the moment, though. One step at a time!

Interview by Amanda Evans Photographer: Brandon Kidd Stylist: Sarah Chorley Hair and Makeup: Jeanne San Diego Special Thanks: CARO Marketing

Stockists: Paul & Joe, McGinn, Harlyn, Lancaster Paris

This is Me: Vincent Martella

Vincent Martella has been on your television screen for years. You might recognize him from "Everybody Hates Chris," or you might know him for his voice as he gives life to Phineas in Disney's "Phineas and Ferb." This newly 21-year-old is now on the hit show "The Walking Dead," and recently appeared in its season premiere last week which was already a dramatic turn for this new character (we won't share spoilers!).

So, we sat down with Vincent in Los Angeles, to discuss a little bit about everything.

Most people know you as the voice for Phineas on Disney Channel’s "Phineas and Ferb." Just because I’m curious – how do you audition for a voice role? What’s the story behind becoming ‘Phineas’? The creators and casting of "Phineas and Ferb" saw my work on another show I was on, which was "Everybody Hates Chris." They had me read for the voice of Phineas and ended up loving the voice I created for the character.

You’ve done plenty of live-action acting too, having had roles on "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide." Do you have a preference between doing live-action acting and voiceover acting? I don't have a preference between voice acting and live action acting. Both are really fun and great creative outlets in their own way.

You're in this fourth season of AMC’s "The Walking Dead." Can you divulge anything about your character? (We already know what happened to your character in the first episode!) I can tell you that I play a character named Patrick, who is a new character to the prison at the start of Season 4. Patrick ends up having quite an impact on the other survivors in the prison.

I’ve heard you done quite a bit of singing in the past. Is any more music in your future? Playing music has always been a hobby of mine. I hope to keep playing it in the years to come definitely.

You seem really into sports, judging by the comments on your Twitter feed. Did you grow up playing any sports? Who are your favorite teams to root for? I love watching sports I always have. I played a few sports growing up, like basketball. My favorite teams to root for are the Miami Heat and the New York Giants. I watch most of their games each week during the season.

Speaking of Twitter, what do you think of this busy platform? I love Twitter because it connects you so well with fans. It gives they and I a way to communicate that would have never been possible ten years ago. I enjoy getting feedback from people who enjoy my work.

What’s next for you? You’ve done film, television, voiceover, music. What other aspirations do you have?

I just want to keep working in the entertainment industry in whatever creative ways I can. I love acting in good projects, whether live action, animation, television, or film. I hope to have a very long career doing what I love.

Interview by Amanda Evans

Photographed by Roneil Chavez Grooming by Jeanne San Diego Styled by Lucia Tran

Another Day at the DODOcase HQ

Bookbinding was once a very popular craft. There was a time when you could walk into a service store and create any ensemble of a novel or comic or magazine you so desired. But fast-forward to the 21st century, where you can instantaneously download the latest best-seller to your iPad.

So in a world dominated by nifty gadgets, where does bookbinding fit in? One San Francisco crafting company has an answer: bookbinding for technology. Yep, DODOcase (named after the infamously extinct bird) creates stylish covers and frames for your e-reader or smartphone with traditional bookbinding technique. Talk about survival of the fittest! ZOOEY recently visited the headquarters of DODOcase to get more details on how such a great idea came in the nick of time.

The DODOcase was founded out of a want to preserve a presumed dying art form – bookbinding. When did it hit you that bookbinding was in trouble? After having reluctantly transitioned to e-reader devices in the years before the original Apple iPad launched (April 2010), the founders of DODOcase had separately experienced a sense of loss in partially removing hardback-style books from their lives. These new sleek, aluminum tablets were taking the place of traditional books that once offered a tactile and personal connection to what was inside.

This is a really neat concept – to create book-like cases for modern electronics. What inspired such a savvy idea? When the iPad was announced it was clear that the demise of the book and the craft of bookbinding [were] going to be further hastened. We saw that the iPad was going to likely need a case and decided that we'd leverage the rich traditions of bookbinding in the Bay Area (San Francisco specifically) and the wealth of available local talent and resources to help drive our product concept. From those inputs the original DODOcase was born.

In addition, it was our desire to create a human connection between craftsmen and consumers, while preserving traditional bookbinding techniques from becoming extinct. Our products evoke a sensation of eras gone by, of detailed craftsmanship and lasting quality.

One objective of the DODOcase is to find common ground between the old and the new. How do you design styles for a traditional object, like a bookbinder, that will appeal to the contemporary world? DODOcase has always sat at the interesting intersection of modern devices and heritage aesthetics. We found that as much as consumers might be rushing into the future, many are still longing for a connection to the past. The pace of change in modern society is staggering, which means that people end up feeling overwhelmed. DODOcase helps ground these customers with products that clearly embrace both the future and the past. As more and more modern objects enter our lives, DODOcase will be there to help put them into the context of the past.

Not only do you want to bring together the past and the future, but it seems like you want to bring together the community too. Is that why all your products are made in the company’s own San Francisco office? Why did you choose to keep the manufacturing so close to home? Manufacturing locally is both core to the brand and key to our strategy. San Francisco is home to some of the world’s greatest craftsmen and women, which is an incredible resource. Our facility in SF allows us to do several unique things: 1) we can offer made to order products via our Build-a-DODO customizer and through our corporate program 2) we can create new products quickly in response to new market opportunities (we typically begin shipping products within 2 weeks of an Apple launch, for example). We want our customers to carry DODOcase products with such a pride of ownership that they are willing to share at any opportunity. 3) We want to support local businesses and the San Francisco economy.

What is the process behind creating the cases? How does a sketch become a finished product? We have an ongoing product development function at DODOcase that creates prototypes, which are first tested internally and second externally. We try to involve our community in testing new products that we really believe in. Because the tools of production and prototyping are all under one roof in SF, we have the ability to test concepts across many materials. This is a really unique concept in our industry where most other case makers are outsourcing their development and manufacturing overseas.

What is your best-selling case? Is there a kind of style or fashion your customers like the most? Our namesake product (and our most popular) is the DODOcase, which combines a book bound-style exterior cover made from high quality fabric and a super lightweight, durable bamboo tray. Customers may personalize their cases with a monogram or custom text on the front cover or spine of the book. Increasingly, our customers are expressing their own style in our Build-A-DODO customizer, which makes every product unique! We also tend to get a lot of uptake in our collaborative projects with artists.

By the looks of it, DODOcase has had a lot of success over the past few years. What do you see in the future for DODOcase? How do you plan to keep the company up to date with the ever-evolving world of technology? The world of modern technology is going to continue to evolve in the coming years from e-watches to Google Glass. We are going to see change happen at a dizzying pace. DODOcase will be there every step of the way with products that ground the customer via materials and traditional techniques. Our brand will become synonymous with the resurgence of American manufacturing and the fostering of a genuine connection between consumers and craftsmen.

Photographed by Indu Huynh

Interview by Amanda Evans