Today we’d like to introduce you to Ania Puczylowska.
Ania, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
The experiential marketing sector has always been near and dear to me. As an undergrad student in NYC, I picked up bartending to pay the bills. I quickly found out that this world was something that I was really passionate about! After graduation, I moved to Miami and I was presented with the opportunity to become a mixologist for 10 Cane Rum, a Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy brand.
I was then offered a position as a national brand ambassador for a British gin company to assist them in their launch in the United States. I was able to take what I learned from bartending and mixology into the business world, as my duties involved cocktail crafting and securing many menu placements, including a crucial milestone with a placement at Hyatt hotels. I also assisted them in the curation of experiential marketing campaigns and trade shows. Soon after, I took a similar placement for a Polish vodka company. I took great pride in the position as a Polish immigrant – you can’t get more authentic than that!
After these experiences, I began my journey with Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy. I was approached to join their team as a Field Marketing Manager in Miami for their experiential marketing agency located in New York City. This role allowed me to travel all over South Florida. After a year and a half there, I obtained a position in Southern California as a Marketing Manager based in Los Angeles. Following my two years there, an executive from the Southeast requested that I move back to Miami and manage their experiential marketing business in the region (eight states including Georgia, Florida, and DC) for almost three years. I then went back to Los Angeles to take over the West region (California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, and Hawaii) and Moët Hennessy national accounts programming, whose clients included Total Wine, Costco, and more.
All these leadership positions across the country made it clear that I needed more formal business training. I applied and was accepted to the highly sought-after Executive MBA program at UCLA Anderson School of Management. While working and going to school full time, I decided to launch Brand Socialite as my capstone project. The idea came to me during a Hennessy partnership with Canelo in Las Vegas – we were notified last minute (three days prior) that we would need 20 promotional models. We’ve always been proactive and had 15 models placed on hold for a week’s worth of events for Canelo, but we were now five models short. Finding additional team members was incredibly challenging, as we had such short notice and other brands in Las Vegas were hiring models left and right. This is when I realized that there has to be a much better way to do this! I then launched Brand Socialite: an experiential marketing agency and on-demand staffing platform where you can book talent, either in advance or within a few hours.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My journey through the business world was far from easy. I almost gave up on my business entirely during my MBA journey as my team fell apart twice. Luckily, I had a pivotal phone call with a friend who is on my personal board of directors (everyone should have one!). She asked me, “Which would you regret more? Not having a team, or not launching your business?”. I realized that I would regret not launching my business far more than not having a team. At that moment, all of my tears went away and I picked myself off the floor (not literally) and got back on the horse.
However, since then, it hasn’t always been a smooth road. Our launch at the start of the pandemic put a massive dent in our business plan and business model. We pitched for so many business plan competitions to get capital for our strategy, but no one thought we would survive due to the pandemic. We made it to finals time and time again, yet we never won. Nevertheless, we didn’t give up. We soon launched virtual events with a team in Atlanta and California with massive success and proved everyone wrong. Soon after, my business partner decided to leave as he got a job offer from a large corporation. I then began running Brand Socialite on my own.
Just a month after my business partner left, my dad passed away from COVID-19 in Poland. As this was during the peak of the pandemic, I was not able to travel to attend the funeral. This loss really derailed me at the end of 2020 and into the beginning of 2021 as I needed time to mourn. I had to put the business on hold and take care of my mental state. I am a huge advocate for taking the time to take care of your mental health. It is so important as both a leader and an entrepreneur where self-sufficiency is key. I was able to rebound in 2021 and as a result Brand Socialite was recognized as a Bruin 100 Business in May of 2022.
As you know, we’re big fans of Brand Socialite. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I launched Brand Socialite as a disruptor to the experiential marketing sector with a mission to provide brands and marketing experts with the most qualified talent for their event demands while boosting event return on investment and decreasing operating costs. We are an award-winning social media and influencer marketing agency and an on-demand staffing platform for brand managers, event producers, and experiential marketing agencies. Clients seeking a luxury offering can book highly-rated talent and manage entire events in one place, using matchmaking technology to fill shifts in real-time with promotional models, bartenders, servers, photographers, and more.
Brand Socialite helps bold and daring companies create magical memories for their physical or digital celebrations. Whether they are a start-up or an established business, we help them grow their social media and build their experiential marketing campaigns. In short, we bring unapologetically ambitious brands the tools and resources they need to achieve massive success while building a brand they love. We provide the most qualified talent to both start-ups and Fortune 100 companies alike. Our growing list of clients includes Nike, NerdWallet, Hennessy, La Fete du Rose Wine, Chandon, and many more!
What are your plans for the future?
As an executive with a deep knowledge of the industry for over 15 years, it is clear to me that there is a need for automation on the client and talent sides of things. We are extremely excited to be launching our two-sided marketplace technology and start automating an incredibly outdated portion of the experiential marketing industry!
We are also thrilled to continue offering both in-person and virtual experiential marketing services in order to bolster the connection between brands and their consumers in these ever-changing times.
Contact Info:
- Website: brandsocialite.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandsocialite/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandsocialiteinc/
- SoundCloud: 310-845-6608
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/aniaisabella/?hl=en
Image Credits
Robin Lori (dressed in white pointing finger) Hennessy – taken with my phone La Fete Rose – Cavin Elizabeth Belvedere – Peter Hernandez | TAG media Krug – taken with my phone Moet – taken with my phone Veuve Cicquot 2 photos – Nate Burgher Hennessy last p photo taken with my camera
