Big Things Podcast

Today we’re joined by Rebekah Ho, former senior social media executive at Hypebae, as she shares about managing a community of over one million followers, operating on a 24-hour news cycle, and launching the HYPEBAE Beauty social media channels from scratch. As the female offshoot of HYPEBEAST, HYPEBAE had to carve out its own niche as a new addition to the brand and find a way to reach women despite beginning with a predominantly male audience. Rebekah walks us through the strategies and adjustments her team used in order to engage female like-minded audiences, disrupt beauty norms, and weed out the trolls.

Big Things with Mitzi (@mmmitzi) and Mike (@mmmiiike).

For more from Arcade, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @helloarcade. https://www.arcadearcade.ca/
Production by Morgan Berna, editing by Oliver Banyard.

Welcome to the finale of season one and the first time we feature two guests on the show at the same time! Our topic for today’s conversation is influencer marketing, and we are fortunate to have Jay McDonald and Kayley Reed share their thoughts on the subject. Kayley is an influencer marketing strategist, founder of Hermana agency, and host of the Self Care Sunday podcast.

Big Things with Mitzi (@mmmitzi) and Mike (@mmmiiike).

For more from Arcade, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @helloarcade. https://www.arcadearcade.ca/
Production by Morgan Berna, editing by Oliver Banyard.

Creativity doesn’t only exist in the form of design, photography, or tangible art-making, but also in the form of creative problem solving, which is equally as important. Today’s guest is Alyssa Yuhas, an award-winning designer, multidisciplinary art director, and co-founder of the Designer VACA. She is also the mother of two beautiful young boys and is currently pursuing her Masters’s Degree. Overall, Alyssa has a wealth of knowledge in the design, curiosity, and creativity spaces, and, tuning in, you’ll hear her perspective on creative problem solving, client relationships, and nurturing curiosity. She also elaborates on the importance of leaving space for perspective in your client relationships, surrounding yourself with good people, and prioritizing over-communication, as well as being intentional rather than reactionary, being strategic about which voices to amplify, and staying off Pinterest! Alyssa believes everyone is creative and that, if you stay curious and look around you, you will find that creativity is everywhere. To find out more about the enduring power of curiosity, tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Learn a bit more about Alyssa’s background and her career trajectory.
• How she chose between being a graphic designer versus getting a “real job.”
• Encouraging creativity and curiosity in her kids by modeling it for them, not teaching it.
• The power of creative problem solving: why Alyssa believes that everyone is creative
• What sparked her interest in going back to school and pursuing her Masters’s Degree.
• Hear about Alyssa’s freelance and consulting work, what she does, and why she loves it.
• The formula for good design that communicates: Alyssa shares her creative process.
• Working closely with her clients but also leaving enough space for perspective.
• Alyssa shares some of her favourite projects, including Darling magazine, the UN, and Nike.
• The value of working with good people who are also trying to put interesting things out.
• Nurturing strong client relationships: Alyssa prioritizes over-communicating.
• Teaching your client how to treat you; some boundaries that Alyssa sets with clients.
• Alyssa speaks about Designer VACA, what it is, and how it started.
• How COVID has affected Designer VACA and what their next steps are.
• Alyssa’s perspective on ethical advertising: it is intentional, not reactionary.
• Choosing which voices to amplify and acknowledging your responsibility as a designer.
• How the events of 2020 have changed the way Alyssa approaches design and the work she produces for her clients.
• How Alyssa stays relevant by being as curious as possible (and staying off Pinterest)!
• Hear about her experience of the creativity of her community during COVID.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Alyssa Yuhas on LinkedIn

Alyssa Yuhas on Instagram

Alyssa Yuhas

Designer VACA

Darling

Kate Aren

Big Things with Mitzi (@mmmitzi) and Mike (@mmmiiike).

For more from Arcade, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @helloarcade. https://www.arcadearcade.ca/
Production by Morgan Berna, editing by Oliver Banyard.

Back in 2008, up-and-coming artist, Valentin Ozich, started I Love Ugly out of his bedroom with zero experience in business or fashion. The brand experienced rapid growth, going from 0 to $10,000,000 in seven years. They had a flagship store in LA, Melbourne, Sydney, four flagship stores in New Zealand and a major license deal on the table in South Korea. They had seven global distributors with over 200 accounts stocking their products globally, plus an online store that was growing quickly. And then it (almost) all went away. For our season 5 finale, we sat down with Valentin Ozich to talk about his journey with I Love Ugly; the good, the bad and the, well, ugly. We talk about his journey of bouncing back from near-bankruptcy, the importance of working on yourself even more than you work on your business, and the mindset required to achieve ambitious goals and, more importantly, find happiness.

Shop Waves Social merch: https://www.wavessocialpodcast.com/merch

Show Notes:

1. When did Valentin get interested in art?
2. What kind of art drew him in?
3. When did Valentin move from street art styles to apparel?
4. How did I Love Ugly get started?
5. Does the name still feel reflective of the brand?
6. What inspired the iconic Zespy pant?
7. Developing a bolder mindset as a business owner.
8. What to do when your product gets a cult following.
9. How to find the right team size.
10. Navigating the really tough times.
11. Why Valentin chose to be honest and vulnerable with the I Love Ugly community.
12. How to handle loneliness as a business owner or entrepreneur.
13. Embracing the intersection where creativity and business meet.
14. Valentin’s health and wellness journey.
15. How to show up better at work.
16. How to plan for your problems.
17. What’s the best piece of advice Valentin’s received?
18. Who is making waves and why?

Discussed in this episode:

1. I Love Ugly: https://www.iloveugly.com/
2. I Love Ugly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iloveugly/
3. Valentin Ozich on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valentinozich/
4. Aimé Leon Dore: https://www.aimeleondore.com/
5. James Clear - Atomic Habits (book)

Waves Social with Mike (@mmmiiike) and Mitzi (@mmmitzi).

For more from Arcade, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @helloarcade. https://www.arcadearcade.ca/

Big Things with Mitzi (@mmmitzi) and Mike (@mmmiiike).

For more from Arcade, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @helloarcade. https://www.arcadearcade.ca/
Production by Morgan Berna, editing by Oliver Banyard.

Karen Rosalie is the Founder and Creative-in-Charge at Rosalie Agency in Los Angeles. Rosalie Agency is an LA-based creative team that produces and shoots campaigns and ads for beauty brands, specifically Sephora brands such as KKW Beauty, Dr. Dennis Gross, Summer Fridays, Kate Somerville, Kylie Skin, and many more. On top of all of the branded content and projects that she has produced for Instagram and other mediums, Karen also shares helpful content and advice for the next generation of photographers. In this episode, she talks about getting her start out of school, what brought her to photography in the first place, and some of her first big clients, as well as the transition from her personal work to a branded agency approach. Tuning in, you’ll find out why Karen believes that every photographer should be a businessperson. One thing that stands out about this interview is how intentional Karen is in everything that she does, from starting her business to producing work for her brands. Her advice is not just helpful for photographers and freelancers, but also people in the agency space or even on the branding side; across the board, you have to be creative, reinvent how you bring your product to market, and capture the value it offers. No matter what your role is in the creative process, you’ll find value in today’s episode, so make sure to tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Karen’s background and how she first got into photography.
• How studying fine art taught her about meeting deadlines and the business of photography.
• Hear about Karen’s shift from independent creative to business owner and working with a creative team.
• Why Karen believes that every photographer should be business-minded.
• Karen describes the process of starting Rosalie Agency, including her first client.
• Overcoming imposter syndrome using a fake-it-till-you-make-it approach.
• Her advice for listeners looking to land a first big client: consistently shooting and networking.
• Learn about Karen’s “social first” strategy and how she uses Instagram to market herself.
• The moment that Karen saw Instagram as a powerful marketing platform.
• What the evolution of Rosalie Agency looks like, and why Karen loves the beauty niche.
• Some past projects that stand out for Karen, such as with brands that completely surrender the creative direction of a campaign.
• How Karen manages to insert her own creative style into her commercial work.
• Behind the scenes of working with a big brand: how to prepare for a large-scale shoot.
• How Karen balances being behind the lens versus sitting in the creative director’s seat.
• The biggest challenges she has faced as a business owner, like scaling and hiring out.
• Why Karen creates personal content and invests so much time in supporting the next generation of photographers.
• How COVID has impacted her work and how she is overcoming those challenges.
• The importance of great digital content and high-quality images, especially during COVID.
• Shooting on her camera versus shooting on her phone for social.
• Karen talks about getting married and starting a painting studio during a pandemic.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Big Things with Mitzi (@mmmitzi) and Mike (@mmmiiike).

For more from Arcade, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @helloarcade. https://www.arcadearcade.ca/
Production by Morgan Berna, editing by Oliver Banyard.