Where were you raised and who or what inspired you to seek a creative path?
I was raised and still live in Los Angeles. My creativity piques when I am marveling at the world around me, and L.A. always inspires—whether at the beach or my backyard. I think God has given me this gift, and sometimes a curse, of wandering. And I have been given amazing opportunities to do so in entertainment, where I can let my creativity flow. I have found creative marketing to be a place where you’re encouraged to think outside of the box, and to have that freedom to explore and question inspires me endlessly. I constantly seek opportunities to learn, try things out and celebrate the wins and losses.
What makes you passionate about your work?
People. The more I can connect with people, the more I feel like I am tapping into my purpose. Through my newest venture, Date IRL, I have been able to connect with a wide range of people and communities. The more I work on passion projects, the more I learn about myself and feel connected to my purpose. Creating something out of nothing is so rewarding, exhausting, fun, time-consuming and always a part of my everyday conversations—but that’s how I know it’s passion and I absolutely love it.
How important is diversity and inclusion in entertainment marketing?
In my experience growing up in South L.A., I never felt a lack of representation or diversity, and it wasn’t until I started working on one show about my community that I felt this unique attachment and ownership. I wanted to be in every room, look at every deck and insert myself into everyone else’s team. Eventually, I experienced burnout and knew that I should not carry all that weight. As the only one on the team who could relate to the stories, I fought for and against creative, and it made me realize how important diversity on a marketing team is if we want to continue to have diverse stories. Representation needs to exist at every stage of a campaign, otherwise the message in might be lost during delivery.