By: Cameron Knight
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 9/17/2026 – Black cars stretched as far as the eye could see. Uber Blacks, SUVs and limousines rolled through Downtown Los Angeles as Emmy night spilled out beyond the Peacock Theater and into the surrounding city. Eight stories above it all, Level 8 was just getting started.
The Emmy Awards after-party at Level 8 inside the Moxy Hotel had been billed as a red-carpet celebration, but once inside, the night became something much harder to neatly describe: part Hollywood party, part fashion showcase and part outright spectacle, with the sprawling venue revealing something new around every corner.
Early in the evening, guests lined up for photos while cocktails and beer flowed and music filled the space. Energy drinks and sparkling peach tea were scattered throughout the venue, and brand activations and vendors gave guests plenty to explore. There was some confusion as the crowd settled in and tried to figure out where everything was, though that almost became part of the experience. At one point, standing in a tuxedo apparently made me look official enough that guests began asking me where they were supposed to go.
I did not know either.
That confusion quickly gave way to discovery. Walking farther into Level 8 revealed an outdoor pool and a glowing merry-go-round-themed bar sparkling against the Los Angeles night. Guests gathered around the water, talking, drinking and taking in the view as the atmosphere shifted from red-carpet energy to something more relaxed.
Michael Benz, creative director for God of Stars, was there supporting Level 8 owners Mark and Jonnie Houston and summed up the venue simply. “The build is the vibe,” Benz said. “They have the best team, the best service, and you know what? The best view, really.” We were standing in what I could only describe as a golden skull room, twinkling lights all around us, his glowing electric jacket looking perfectly suited to the surroundings.
Fashion was impossible to ignore throughout the night. But once I began interviewing guests, I noticed another part of getting dressed for Emmy night that rarely makes it into red-carpet coverage: fragrance. It was everywhere. Guests would walk away from an interview and their scent would linger behind them, sometimes long after they had disappeared into the crowd. We spend so much time talking about what people are wearing that I became curious about what I couldn’t see. So I started asking.
Lea Reyna, visiting from London and wearing Terani Couture, said simply being in Hollywood carried a special meaning for her. “I’m from London, so this is very different,” Reyna said. “I believe it’s, you know, every small girl’s dream to be in Hollywood, and it’s definitely been mine, so I’m just very happy to be here tonight.” Her choice of fragrance for the night was Chanel No. 5.
DJ and actress Tess, better known as Tesla, arrived ready for the occasion and offered perhaps the simplest philosophy of the evening. “If you go to a party and you don’t have fun, it’s your own fault,” she said. Her fragrance for the night was YSL, one of two scents she said currently makes her feel sexy.
Susan Haber of Haber Entertainment was attending on behalf of her client. After five consecutive nights of events, Haber was still taking in the fashion around her. “I love what everybody’s wearing,” Haber said. “The women look fabulous. They really do.” Haber also spoke about the Haber Breakthrough, an offshoot of her business focused on helping women build and grow businesses. “I’m a big proponent of pushing women up,” she said.
Around the pool, Athena of Open Store LA offered guests samples of soursop sea moss in flavors including key lime and mango. But representing the company was only part of her story. Athena had moved from New York City to Los Angeles the previous summer to pursue acting. “I’m fulfilling the prophecy,” she said, adding that she has several projects on the way. “See me in theaters.”
Then the night got considerably louder. Above the bar sat a full-size boxing ring, and inside it three women launched into a full-on pillow fight. Feathers exploded through the air as they jumped, swung and made contact. Just as it seemed the scene could not get much more absurd, pyrotechnics suddenly shot into the night sky.
This was no longer just an after-party. It was a show.
Among the guests taking it all in were actresses Lauren Donzis and Brianna Reed, longtime friends who both have upcoming Netflix projects. Donzis, who will appear in the psychological drama Poser, has been acting since she was seven and grew up in Los Angeles before attending Chapman University. “I am so lucky to have kind of grown up with Bri too,” Donzis said.
Reed, who will appear in the upcoming Netflix series I Suck at Girls, took a different route to Hollywood. Originally from North Carolina, she moved to Los Angeles at 12 and is now approaching a decade in the city. “I definitely was still, you know, just trying to work, trying to get work,” Reed said of where she was three years ago.
Now the two best friends were celebrating together on Emmy night, even down to their fragrances. They had gotten ready together and mixed Cloud by Ariana Grande with another Philosophy scent, creating what they laughingly described as their own little concoction. “Friendship bracelets,” they joked. Only with perfume.
That exchange captured something about the evening that the spectacle alone could not. For all the black cars, couture, flashing cameras, rooftop views, pillow fights and bursts of fire, the party was ultimately made up of people having their own small Hollywood moments. Some were already established. Some had projects about to reach millions of viewers. Others had crossed the country, or the Atlantic, hoping to build something here.
And for one night, eight stories above Downtown Los Angeles, they were all part of the same party.
