About the Producers
2025 is our 19th year of producing luxury-driven, high-profile fine art and design fairs in The Hamptons – and across the nation. Our sister event, Hamptons Fine Art Fair has emerged as the largest and most commerce -driven event in the Hamptons, with 13,000 guests, and 150 exhibitors from 20 countries. As a results-oriented show producer, the organizers have generated over 200,000 enthusiastic acquisition-oriented Hamptonites to their popular and internationally well-publicized fairs over the years.
To gain better insight of our clientele, view these 2 videos of the 2024 Hamptons Fine Art Fair.
A woman wears both jewelry and fragrance, and both recall happy moments in their life.
Meet the Team
Rick Friedman - Executive Director
Mr. Friedman is one of the most successful and popular event producers in the Hamptons over the past decade. He has championed the viewing, awareness and acquisition of fine art by creating the region’s first fine art fair, ArtHamptons, nearly two decades ago (conceived by Cindy Lou Wakefield). Its rousing success – and rapid growth in exhibitors and attendance helped make art collecting “the new sport in the Hamptons.” Attendance grew from 3,000 to 14,000 under his ownership, enabling him take the concept to other affluent markets, by trailblazing the first fine art fair in each city. Events included ArtAspen, Houston Fine Art Fair, SF Fine Art Fair, Palm Springs Fine Art Fair and Silicon Valley Contemporary. Over 100,000 art lovers attended his fine art fairs annually. In 2015, the network of fairs was sold to a major international media conglomerate. Most recently, he has reemerged onto the art fair scene, producing Philadelphia’s first ever contemporary art fair, and then pioneeringly the integration of contemporary and western art, in the Jackson Hole Fine Art Fair in 2018
Ever the entrepreneur, Mr. Friedman pioneered advanced software technology in the 1990’s through a world wide network of publications, conferences and expos in 6 countries. During that period, his SIGS Publications became one of the fastest growing privately held businesses in the US. His original team of advisors and writers included Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. After the sale of the company to private equity, he went on to pioneer and champion the growth digital media/digital video/special effects/animation with a series of expos which culminated with owning the venerable ShowBiz Expo in LA, the largest event for filmmakers in the world, (with 17,000 filmmakers in attendance and 250 exhibitors), which he acquired from Variety Magazine.
Earlier in his life, as a colorful entrepreneur, his range of ventures including creating, directing and hosting as series of Disco Dance Contests at Regine’s in the late 1970’s which was sold to and became the format of Merv Griffin’s popular “Dance Fever” syndicated TV series in the 1980’s. He then moved into sports promotion, focusing on volleyball, where his popular NCAA matches led him to owning the USA Mens and Women’s National Teams. His tours set national attendance and revenue records for the sport, including playing at Madison Square Garden.
Mr. Friedman, along with his partner Cindy Lou Wakefield, are avid collectors of modern and Post-war art, with over 300 museum level pieces. A portion of their personal collection is the subject of the touring show “The Heroines of Abstract Expressionism.”
Rick and Cindy Lou often lend artworks from their collection to museum exhibits, eclectically ranging from Guild Hall and the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center to The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and the National Museum of Picasso in Paris.
Rick Friedman, the collector, writer, producer, publisher, philanthropist, is a longstanding member of the Young Presidents Organization, and resides in Southampton.
Read more about their collection in The New York Times feature.
Hilary Joy Diaz - Show Director
Hilary is a successful, knowledgeable, and savvy, 40+ year veteran of the jewelry world, and has been an exhibitor in the JCK show since its inception. She is a internationally known jewelry designer who is also a manufacturing expert – owning and running a high-powered Jewelry factory in NYC for 23 years.
Since 2010, her brand, Hilary Joy Collection has been one of the most successful on TV, with Hilary herself, the recognizable and in-demand “on air” TV star, selling hundreds of thousands of pieces of her line, on many country’s respective home shopping networks (QVC, HSN, TSC, Shop Hq, JTV) in 10 countries. The US, Canada, Italy, France, Germany, UK, Australia, New Zealand, China and Japan.
In addition to designing and manufacturing her own fast-selling, customer-loyal branded line, she also “white labels” design and manufactures for other private celebrity lines, TV stations, catalogs, and retail stores – including writing their promotional script.
Diaz is a design pioneer – known for her textures and creative au Courant color blossoming of every exotic natural gemstone. She does this by constantly researching the latest color and fashion trends in Paris, and traveling to 20 countries for design inspirations and ideas.
Today, she focuses her attention, 24/7, on researching, inviting, and curating a select international set of designers, brands and dealers, in efforts to stage one of most elite, high-caliber, direct to public jewelry shows in the nation – that will meet the unique desires, and whims of some 5,000 enthusiastic and affluent Hamptonites – to everyone’s benefit.
Alix Michel - Marketing/Sponsorship Director
Alix had had a long, distinguished, prominent career in fashion publishing. At Fairchild Publications, she rose to Assistant Publisher, guiding the direction of two important high-profile national publications W and Woman’s Wear Daily (WWD). She is a long time art enthusiast, a seasoned and knowledgable collector, addictive art fair goer, as well as highly respected art patron. She brings a strong strategic and tactical operations approach to the fair in efforts to enhance each galleries’ visibility and prominent positioning within the Hamptons community.
Adam D. Smith - Creative Director
Adam is a seasoned creative professional who has been an essential member of the ShowHamptons production team for 20 years. As the creative director and graphic designer for all ShowHamptons productions, Adam has played a crucial role in developing the brand’s visual identity. His responsibilities include designing show logos, ads, catalogs, and websites that capture the essence of each production. Adam’s relationship with ShowHamptons began when its founder, Rick Friedman, purchased one of his oil paintings at Guild Hall of East Hampton. After graduating from Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts with a background in Illustration and Fine Art, Adam worked in the printing industry for 12 years before forming Seven Thirteen Creative, Inc. with his wife and business partner in 2011. His experience, expertise, and passion for design have helped make ShowHamptons a leading producer of art and design events.
Angelina Diamante - Audience Development Manager
As a recent graduate of Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Angelina is thrilled to bring her passion and expertise in art business to her roles in her second year with Show Hamptons (Audience Development Manager, Hamptons Fine Art Fair; Manager of Social Media Services, Hamptons Jewelry Show). Angelina has previously worked at a number of other prominent art institutions throughout New York, including most recently Christie’s and Sotheby’s auction houses.
