Interview with Sammi Tapper, Director of US Operations and Content Strategy, VOGUE
This is the most fitting interview for the AvA brand imaginable. I had coffee with Sammi when she was visiting for Vogue World in L.A. and her story stuck with me.
Sammi Tapper is the Director of US Operations and Content Strategy at Vogue. She started her career as an assistant in CAA's theatre department before becoming Anna Wintour's assistant at Condé Nast, a role she almost didn't take. In this conversation, Sammi shares what those early assistant roles taught her about going the extra mile, how she decided to leave the safety of CAA for an unknown path at Vogue, and how the brand stays culturally relevant in an era where authority is shifting from institutions to individuals.
AvA: You started as an assistant in the Theatre department at CAA before becoming Anna Wintour’s assistant.. basically grad school on expert mode. What lessons from those early days do you still rely on today?
Tapper: I often reference the trampoline analogy. “The harder you fall, the higher you bounce." When I was in the middle of my first year as Anna’s assistant I came across a video of Yoann Bourgeois (French choreographer and dancer) exemplifying this analogy through performance. He’s running up a flight of stairs and falling off every few steps, but once he hits the ground he gets the momentum to bounce up again and continue even higher. The mistakes, setbacks and losses are all necessary steps that will eventually allow you to reach the next level. You might not often feel like you’re moving forward in the low moments, but it’s important to know that you can’t reach great heights without some steep falls.
I also learned the value of going the extra mile – there’s a difference between giving 98%, 100% and 120%. Before I mark a task as completed, I always ask myself if I have truly done everything in my power, exercised each possible avenue and gone to every possible length. If there’s even an ounce of hesitation in my gut and I can’t truly answer with a yes, I keep at it.
AvA: What did those roles teach you about yourself?
Tapper: The tools and skills I need in order to stay calm and collected in difficult situations. To be honest, that’s something that is always ongoing, but until becoming an assistant I had never needed to put so much intention behind this practice. It is absolutely crucial when working in media and entertainment.
A lot of these early assistant roles are a “sink or swim” opportunity that require you to adapt to new situations and circumstances that can be uncomfortable. The quicker you’re able to predict your own behavior and regulate your emotions, the easier it will be to keep swimming.
Sammi Tapper
AvA: Every assistant has a moment where they realize, “I can either stay safe or bet on myself.” What was that moment for you, and what did you do next?
Tapper: Deciding to take the job as Anna’s assistant! I actually didn’t apply for the role. While I was still at CAA, I received a LinkedIn message from a Conde Nast recruiter asking if I was interested in interviewing for the position. I took the call, started the interview process and quickly learned that if I were to accept the role, I would need to make a lot of sacrifices and some lifestyle changes. I didn’t want to proceed with the final interview with Anna until I was certain that I would accept the job if offered. The few days leading up to that final interview were a huge internal back and forth with myself on why I should or shouldn’t take the position. I spoke to friends and family members, ran many miles in an attempt to think clearly and made an urgent appointment with my therapist. Transparently, I didn’t see a future for myself as an agent, but I also didn’t know where a job at Vogue would take me in two years. It came down to choosing where I was (safe but complacent) or betting on myself and stepping into a daunting unknown. I chose the latter, and there’s never been a moment of regret.
Sammi Tapper
AvA: You now lead content strategy and U.S. operations at Vogue. How do you stay culturally relevant and authoritative at the same time, especially with a generation that moves faster than institutions can?
Tapper: Vogue’s authority has always been unparalleled, and I believe even amongst the growing prevalence of AI, creators and new platforms in media, the Vogue name still means a great deal today. That said, it’s no longer enough to just have authority. With authority now being given more and more to individuals themselves and less to institutions, cultural relevance for us has never been more essential. And what’s relevant today is authenticity – audiences are craving it. They want to see and know the people behind the media they consume. While the allure of Vogue might have once been its mystique, we are now also pulling back the curtain a bit and letting our audiences in. A few examples of this – we are putting our editors at the forefront of our digital and social content, honing in on community events (The Vogue Vintage Sale, Vogue Book Club, Teen Vogue Summit) and continuing to ideate on content that is rooted in the personal and digital.
AvA: Working inside fashion at that level has given you a front-row seat to some of the biggest names in our industry. How important is proximity and timing in terms of career progression?
Tapper: I believe that success is mostly some combination of luck and hard work. Proximity and timing, in my opinion, are the “luck” half of that equation. They are important, but they are nothing if they stand alone. You can get in the room, which might be exciting (and rightfully so), but in order to truly earn a spot at the table, you will also have to put in the effort.
AvA: If you could talk to someone right now who feels stuck and quietly panicking that they’re “behind,” what’s the one thing you’d tell them?
Tapper: Fall in love with the process. There’s a good chance that if someone gave you everything you ever wanted tomorrow, you wouldn’t be ready for it. It’s easy to want it all and want it all now, but getting an opportunity that you’re not yet ripe for might in fact be worse than battling the feeling that you’re behind. Focus on the work, be eager to learn and be hungry to make connections. Eventually, at the right time, a lot of those seeds eventually start to sprout.
Quick hits:
Most memorable project you've worked on?
The Democratic National Committee fundraiser at Radio City Music Hall in 2024.
Show you're binging
Heated Rivalry
Favorite movie of all time
She’s The Man (2006)
Go-to dinner spot (and order) in LA & NYC
NYC: Minetta Tavern – Black Label Burger and Coconut Cake
LA: I haven’t visited enough to say! I was in LA for Vogue World this past October and most of our food was catered on set at Paramount Studios, but we did make time for Jon and Vinny’s one night (spicy fusilli with vodka sauce was of course a highlight).
If you could switch lives with one person for a day, who would it be?
Anyone leading a musical on Broadway right now.
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