St. Mary, Otis Kane, and Toreno Winn Tell Us What A Vehicle Means To Them At This Point In Their Career
The modern creative landscape demands constant mobility, adaptability, and spaces that seamlessly transition between professional utility and personal sanctuary. Recognizing this evolving intersection of lifestyle and transportation, Toyota partnered with UPROXX for a new editorial and video series titled The Next Gear. The collaboration places emerging artists and visionaries in the passenger seat of the All-Electric Toyota C-HR, highlighting how cutting-edge electric vehicles cater to tech-savvy professionals who prioritize innovation, convenience, and sustainability.
Mentored by Grammy-nominated DJ, producer, and songwriter Illenium, three distinct "Next Gen Ideators"—DJ and producer St. Mary, Los Angeles-based stylist and designer Toreno Winn, and singer-songwriter and producer Otis Kane—spent the series exploring how modern vehicles act as extensions of their creative workspaces. Across a collection of four testimonials and five targeted creative workbooks, the program investigated the tools, career strategies, and mindset shifts required for burgeoning talents to accelerate their professional journeys. Culminating the series, the three artists reflected on the fundamental role their automobiles play during this pivotal chapter of their careers.
The Evolution of the Mobile Workspace
For contemporary creatives, the traditional boundaries of the studio, the office, and the wardrobe department have dissolved. Urban mobility is no longer just about commuting from point A to point B; it is about maximizing efficiency during transit. As cities grow denser and creative schedules become increasingly fragmented, the vehicle has evolved into a vital third space—functioning simultaneously as an acoustic testing lab, a mobile boardroom, a mobile closet, and a private retreat.
The automotive industry has taken note of this shift. Electric vehicles, in particular, offer unique advantages for modern professionals. Beyond zero-tailpipe emissions and lower operational costs, EVs provide silent cabins ideal for critical listening, enhanced connectivity features, and flexible cargo configurations. Toyota’s C-HR serves as a case study for this design philosophy, integrating spacious interiors, power-port capabilities, and smooth, fluid driving dynamics tailored to individuals who treat their cars as active hubs of productivity.
Artist Perspectives: Sound Testing and Location Scouting with St. Mary
For DJ and producer St. Mary, an automobile functions as an indispensable testing ground and a companion for dynamic production schedules. Operating at a pace that involves frequent travel for live shows, press appearances, and wardrobe curation, St. Mary relies heavily on her vehicle’s acoustic environment.
"At this point in my career, my car is pretty much everything to me," St. Mary shared during the series. "From listening to demos and testing out my mixes… it’s really important for me to be in a space that has really good sound and connects very easily to Bluetooth. I also travel a lot lately for shows, and oftentimes I have to drive to the airport or drive to stores to pick out outfits."
Beyond its utilitarian value as a transport pod for styling sessions and airport runs, St. Mary emphasized the psychological comfort the vehicle provides amid a hectic touring schedule. Whether evaluating the translation of a low-end frequency mix on factory speakers or scouting backdrops for upcoming music videos and press photographs with her production crew, the car serves as a mobile command center.
"It’s really cool to be in a space that feels really comfortable and very much me," she noted. "Even lately with doing music video shoots and doing photo shoots for press photos, I just love driving in my car and scouting locations with friends and the production crew that I’m with."
Otis Kane on the Vehicle as Home Base and Executive Boardroom
For multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer Otis Kane, whose primary production workspace is home-based, the vehicle represents a necessary escape and a grounding anchor. In a profession where creative isolation can occasionally impede objectivity, breaking away from the home studio is essential for perspective.
"My vehicle for me is really home base," Kane explained. "My studio is at home, so it’s a way to get out of the house. If I need to listen to a mix, I listen to it in the car. I get to turn it up and see how it’s going to affect people when they’re in their car driving and listening."
The automotive listening environment remains the gold standard for popular music validation. Translating studio monitors to an in-cabin audio system allows producers to experience music the way everyday consumers do. However, Kane’s reliance on his vehicle extends far beyond audio engineering. The cabin often serves as a private office space for high-stakes professional communication.
"It’s where I take my meetings," Kane said. "I feel like when you’re on the road and things are happening and you just kind of zero in on the business, everything else fades away. Also leads me to food. When I need to eat, I jump in the car, go grab something, go to the grocery store. It’s everything."
Toreno Winn and the Architecture of Portable Productivity
Los Angeles-based stylist and designer Toreno Winn approaches automotive space through the lens of logistics and tactile organization. In the fast-paced world of fashion styling, physical inventory—ranging from garment bags and accessories to lookbooks and fabric samples—requires intelligent spatial planning.
Reflecting on his time working out of the Toyota C-HR, Winn highlighted how modern EV architecture supports physical workflows. "It was cool being in C-HR because there’s so much space in the trunk," Winn observed. "I can lay out samples. The charger portal allows me to work from the trunk of the car and have my own little portable office. But also I really love the electric aspect of the car. It really allowed us to have good intimate conversation while still feeling a smooth fluid drive."
For Winn, the vehicle is simultaneously a dressing room, a conference room, and a sanctuary for mental clarity. The quiet ride afforded by an electric motor complements the need for uninterrupted focus during demanding styling projects.
"To me right now in my life, a car is special to me because it’s just a place where I have everything," Winn reflected. "It’s a home base, it’s a closet, it’s an office as well. I take calls, I make calls. I get quiet time if I want it. I also can sync up with my favorite song at the moment. To me, it offers special alone time at the same time as being able to get work in. It’s a beautiful thing for me."
Broader Implications for the Creative Economy and Automotive Design
The partnership between Toyota and UPROXX highlights a broader trend in brand marketing and product design: the shift toward experiential integration. As younger generations redefine career paths through independent artistry, gig-economy entrepreneurship, and multidisciplinary portfolios, their relationships with physical assets are also transforming.
Automobiles are increasingly evaluated not merely by horsepower, fuel economy, or traditional luxury appointments, but by their adaptability to digital-native, mobile-first lifestyles. Features such as seamless smartphone integration, high-fidelity audio architecture, auxiliary power outlets for peripheral gear, and versatile cargo configurations have transitioned from luxury novelties to fundamental expectations.
Furthermore, the involvement of established mentors like Illenium alongside emerging talents like St. Mary, Otis Kane, and Toreno Winn demonstrates the value of cross-generational knowledge transfer in the creative industries. By anchoring these mentorship narratives within an automotive context, the campaign successfully illustrates how reliable mobility underpins professional resilience.
As The Next Gear series concludes, the testimonials from these three Next Gen Ideators offer a clear window into the mindset of modern creators. Whether evaluating a final mix, organizing fashion samples, or taking a high-pressure conference call between shoots, the modern vehicle has cemented its status as an indispensable partner in the creative process—proving that sometimes, the most inspiring workspace is the one moving down the highway.
