Young Influentials

The metaverse is still something many of us struggle to understand. Thanks to creators like Michael Le, who are teaching us more about it, we can easily start to understand it. Le is known for making content with his family and dance videos on platforms like TikTok, but now he’s ready to take on Web3. In this episode, we hear from Le and co-founder Robin DeFay about their company Joystick, a next-...

From music to commerce, Sean “Diddy” Combs has been influencing culture for decades. Combs Enterprises is an agency with a portfolio of various businesses and investments like REVOLT TV & Media, Bad Boy Entertainment and more. In this episode, we hear from CMO of Combs Enterprises Deon Graham about his journey into the media industry and how the company is shaping the media landscape for the n...

If you’ve been on TikTok within the last year and a half, you’ve problably come across the various videos of girls who are going through their sorority recruitment process. In the videos, the young ladies share what their wearing and most likely it was Kendra Scott jewelry of some sort. In this episode, we hear from Amy Young, VP of Brand Marketing at Kendra Scott. Young shares how the brand react...

We all can name a few of our favorite content creators from TikTok, Youtube and Twitch, but we may not know how they move into business and figure out their next move. In this episode, we hear from Barbara Jones, talent agency Outshine’s CEO and Founder. Jones shares how the company finds talent, manages them and helps them define long-term goals to turn their passions into withstanding careers. S...

Getting kids to put their games away to do homework is a challenge? What if there was a way to make learning subjects like history and math fun? Well, the online game platform Roblox is doing just that. Vp, head of education Rebecca Kantar discusses bringing education to the metaverse and the various education efforts Roblox has that parents, teachers and those in education will want to start usin...

We all have a go-to meme account we follow where we send in our group chat's that we can't get enough of. The question many of us might ask is how those accounts stay so relevant and just seem to get it. In this episode, Doing Things Media's head of brand partnerships Austin Pollock shares how the company came about, expanding its verticals like Bob Does Sports and Rad Dad, and the art of creating...

You know their various TikToks, from reaction videos to try-on hauls, but what is it like creating content with your significant other and how do you balance family time? In this episode, Desmond and Kristy Scott break down how they started making videos, dealing with burnout and balancing being parents. Keep up with all their fun content @kristy.sarah. Share your thoughts with me at @colmeetsworl...

Have you ever experienced an ad or a meme that just seems so relatable that you end up sending it to all your friends? That cultural relevancy is what digital development agency Pink Teddy is on a mission to do with brands and their marketing. In this episode, founder José Maldonado shares how the agency came about and how it's gaining people's trust and attention with content that is purposeful,...

You know those parties or events you go to that leave you speechless because they were that epic?! Well, now you can hear firsthand how those large-scale events come about. In this episode, I speak with agency Medium Rare’s founders, Joe Silberzweig and Adam Richman, who previously worked with global festivals across Live Nation, Tomorrowland, and LiveStyle. Silberzweig and Richman share how they...

The world of sports marketing has changed over the last few years. Sports fans are looking to engage with their favorite teams beyond their designated seasons and ESPN is finding ways to keep fans plugged in from social media to in-person events. In this episode, ESPN’s vp of sports marketing Emeka Ofodile breaks down their 365 marketing strategy, the iconic “Ready For Football” campaign and the v...

When marketers need help reaching their target audience on social media, it can be challenging making content that doesn’t look too much like an ad. That’s where programmatic company  Spaceback  comes in. When it comes to content marketing, Spaceback knows how hard it can be for advertisers to make the perfect social display that spreads awareness and looks like a native post one might s...

When you think about clothing brands that have a pulse on teenage fashion trends, American Eagle comes to mind. The clothing company has influenced many millennials and Gen Zs closets from their popular jeans to their iconic eagle hoodie. Now, American Eagle is reinventing the way people try on clothes with AR and even the  metaverse . On this episode of  Young Influentials , Americ...

When Covid started causing public places to shut down, many were left to figure out how to stay in business, quickly. Seattle-based restaurant owners Jen Lao and her husband Caleb Wang decided to pivot by moving their business online. The two own the business  Xiao Chi Jie (XCJ) , which started as a local restaurant, where the mission is to build this generation’s modern Chinese food brand, w...

When it comes to representation in media, we all have various actors, musicians and artists we point to for when we first felt seen and represented. When it comes to publishing, it’s vital that various voices are heard and reflected, especially LGBTQ+ experiences. LGBTQ+ publication Gay Times has been around since 1974 shaping various LGBTQ+ narratives and shedding light on many issues and concern...

If you’ve been on TikTok lately, you might’ve seen a green owl who seems to always be in the loop with what’s trending on the platform and pop culture. That green owl is Duo, the mascot for the language learning app Duolingo. What makes Duolingo stand out on the TikTok platform is how their social strategy doesn’t involve them constantly promoting the language learning platform, but finding ways t...

When it comes to influencers, many think after you hit a certain amount of followers that everyone is getting the same brand deals and payment for their content. That is not always the case, especially when it comes to Black female influencers. Agency Black Girl Digital is here to help brands develop deeper partnerships with Black and women of color creators by helping cultivate a sustainable, lon...

They say if you want something you have to go for it. Many of us have goals and aspirations, but simply doing the first step towards it scares us. Toronto-native Christian Di Bratto thought the opposite and founded an influencer marketing company his senior year of high school. At age 19, Di Bratto has worked with major content creators and has secured major partnerships like getting Floyd Mayweat...

Have you ever gone shopping and noticed you’re more drawn to certain products over others? Ad-tech company Neuro-Insight most likely can help you understand these things based off their unique approach to studying the subconscious. Neuro-Insight’s unique approach helps brands fully understand a consumer’s subconscious, therefore providing a better way to understand their decision-making process. N...

By now, you’ve seen your favorite influencer work with various brands, but have you ever wondered how they come about and how the deals get made? In this episode, I speak with Glewee CMO Christian Brown about how the Glewee app is a platform that brings creators and brands together to simplify the process of social media campaigns from start to finish. Brown also shares examples of how brands can...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and to close it out, TikTok content creator Rod is here to speak about his content centered around anxiety in the workplace. Nowadays, more and more people are being open about their struggles with anxiety and other mental health troubles. Thanks to social media, content creators are sharing their mental health experiences and building community around others w...

When you think about those who invest and trade in the crypto space, you probably have a specific type of person come to mind. Kinjal Shah, co-founder of Komorebi Collective, helps women and nonbinary crypto founders enter the market. In this episode, we break down what crypto is, Shah’s love for business and how she’s mentoring women who are looking to enter the crypto space. Follow Komorebi on T...

Gaming has been around for many decades, and as time has gone on, it has expanded into more things like virtual reality. From filters on our favorite apps to trying on a pair of glasses, augmented reality is becoming more and more part of our daily life. In this episode, Asad J. Malik, CEO of the augmented reality social app Jadu AR, talks about where his love of music and tech began, how the mirr...

We constantly hear about the need to reduce our use of plastic, but many of us aren’t aware of alternatives or affordable brands that can help us with the switch to eliminate single-use plastics in our daily life. That’s where eco-friendly brand Grove Collaborative comes into play. From skincare to cleaning goods, this company is on a mission to be plastic-free by 2025. In this episode, I speak wi...

The way we consume media and content is constantly evolving. With that being said, how do networks and streamers stay in the loop on the trendiest creators on social platforms like TikTok and find ways to put them on everyone’s radar? That’s where RJ Larese, vp of talent and development and brand partnerships at Nickelodeon and AwesomenessTV, comes in. In this episode, RJ talks about the role soci...

Food is something that brings people together and a great way to share one's culture and story. On today's episode, I speak with Kim Pham, co-founder of Omsom, a consumer food brand that provides starter sauce kits to prepare various Asian-inspired dishes. Pham discusses starting the company with her sister Vanessa and how growing up as daughters of Vietnamese refugees influenced their business an...