To ease minds a little, even for those of us inside the building, the whole Pet of the Year timing can get very confusing. Add to that the new administration’s decision to let more time lapse between when a calendar year ends and when voting for that year’s annual Queen takes place, and keeping track of which Pets will be eligible for which contest, and what year’s banner they will get to put on their resume forever, can be darned confusing. … One thing we know for certain, though, Renee Olstead is awesome.
Renee Olstead, Pet of the Year 2024
Renee Olstead personifies an undeniable duality — a striking redhead with both “kind” and “intimidating” used as terms to describe her. Though she prefers the former, the balance of warmth and edge comprises the essence of what makes her compelling. With an irresistibly sexy allure and razor-sharp intellect — complete with a Master’s degree in clinical psychology — Renee blends beauty and brains effortlessly in every room she enters.
Our Pet of the Year 2024 has interests reflect that same range. In prose, Renee gravitates toward political non-fiction, from the biography on Lee Atwater Bad Boy to Kim Kelly’s Fight Like Hell. In the moving picture genre, Renee will just as passionately enjoy Paul Verhoeven’s 1995 cult classic Showgirls, a film she quotes regularly and jokingly hints that she may have even referenced during her on-set interview, if you catch it. In Renee’s world, highbrow analysis and playful pop culture coexist with ease.
Off camera, has routines both intentional and personal. Ideal mornings begin with iced coffee and an hour untouched by notifications. When a meaningful moment or milestone comes along, she’ll record it on little slips of paper to store in a cookie jar and open on each New Year’s Eve as a way to reflect back. At home, she’s joined by her two dogs and a cat to rule her household and receive plenty of spoiled affection — and Renee wouldn’t have it any other way.
Insightful, spirited, and deliberate, our Pet of the Year 2024 navigates life with charm and purpose — embracing her passions and everything life has to offer, all while aspiring, as she says, “to be some part of the Penthouse legacy,” a mission she continues to fulfill beautifully.
In Depth with Renee
We could think of no reason that anyone would was less insight into the Renee, so we quick-quick came up with another dozen or so questions designed to probe her psyche of this Pet of the Year 2024. (We have to keep our probing respectable around the office, after all.)
Do you prefer texting or face-to-face conversations?
Face to face is always better, though I’m admittedly more reliant on texts these days.
What is one word that describes you?
Ok, so the two words I hear most frequently used to describe me are “kind” and “intimidating”. I’m not sure how to reconcile that exactly? I prefer the former.
What’s your ideal morning look like if you’re not rushed?
On an ideal morning, I’ll give myself an hour before I look at my phone notifications. A little iced coffee, some time with my dogs… perfect way to start the day.
Tell us about your pets, as much as you’re willing to share publicly anyway.
I have two dogs and a cat, Ume, Oscar, and Persephone. They absolutely run my life and get everything they want.
What makes you happy?
Feeling productive, doing things that feel meaningful, time with my family.
What item in your closet have you had the longest?
Definitely some of my mom’s old clothes. There’s a pair of her jeans that I’ve had since high school.
What was the last book you read? We know you love to read.
Ooo, I’m a big reader! I hate having to pick just one — especially since I often have more than one book going at a time. Lately, I’ve found myself drawn to political non-fiction — Lee Atwater’s biography “Bad Boy”, Liz Smith’s more contemporary, “Any Given Tuesday”, and more general accounts of the polictical/labor landscape, like Kim Kelly’s “Fight Like Hell”.
What TV shows or movies are you currently watching? And is there a line in a movie that always gets you?
I haven’t had as much time as I’d like to explore new filmmakers, but I love documentaries, foreign films, and, as always, Verhoeven’s underrated 1995 masterpiece,Showgirls. Showgirls is probably the movie I quote most frequently. I think I may have even slipped in a reference during my on-set interview? I wonder how many people will catch that 🙂
You mentioned before that you wished you could time travel, can you tell us where you would travel to first, and why?
See, this sounds like a good idea on the surface, but if it were actually possible, I’m certain I’d just end up running and rerunning major historical events, trying to get “in the room”, trying fix things, and inevitably making everything slightly worse with each new attempt.
What is the best invention of the decade?
The Facebook Marketplace of Ideas (for those that don’t know me well, that’s sarcasm)
Is there a skill you’ve always wanted to pick up but haven’t gotten around to yet?
Math, lol.
What’s a little tradition you have that others might find quirky?
Throughout the year, I write down all of my favorite moments on little slips of paper. Big wins, sentimental stuff, you name it. I store them all in a little cookie jar that I crack open on NYE. It’s a great way to look back on the year.
Any advice for future Pets?
So, I love sharing my Penthouse story with new models. When I went for my final interview with Penthouse, I showed up with a full storyboard for my dream shoot — and the Penthouse team made it happen. It’s just a reminder that every shoot is an opportunity for the model to live out their fantasy. I love seeing models make the most of their moment and really make it their own!
Should you wish to impress our Pet of the Year 2024 when you meet her in person, you can still bone up on both Fight Like Hell and Bad Boy via your friendly neighborhood Amazon. Not to supercede Renee’s choices or anything, but particularly these days it seems like maybe Wag the Dog — which you can find in both book and movie versions — might capture both concepts more succinctly. Regardless, you will have a lot more fun just thinking about Renee, though. That tends to be the decision around here. The news can be depressing.
