Today we’d like to introduce you to Celli Aquilante.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My day-to-day, pay the bills job has zero connection to my education or my podcast. But what it does do is allow me to live a comfortable life that I needed to mature. Like most Americans during the pandemic, I was trying to stay sane. As a result, “this” all began as a “time passer” with facetiming my friends and family. We would have such wonderful conversations with so many laughs that I thought other people affected by the solitary confinement of lock down would also enjoy these conversations and I began airing these conversations LIVE on Instagram. I would ask different people in my life if they would “go LIVE” with me. From my cousin who was a former Sheriff’s officer speaking on her experience in the “boys club”, to a celebrity fashion stylist in NYC, to a local beloved blogger in Bucks County PA. But the chat, the one that changed the whole trajectory was this – I remember asking my friend, Richie Escquiche – a brilliant artist – to join one of my lives, at the time I called it “Sofa Social”. We spoke about his artwork being chosen for the Flag Project at Rockafeller Center in 2020. His appearance was so well received that one of his acting friends, Vinny Cuevas, consequently also wanted to be on a live with me. Vinny loved our interaction so much that he introduced me to the owner of a streaming radio station called Mixvibes Radio out of Queens, NY. From my original conversation with Mike, who is now my engineer and a trusted friend, The Mindminx Show was born, a weekly live-streaming podcast where everyone has a story to tell, so they tell it with me.
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?
The biggest struggle has been being a one-woman show meaning, I am my booking agent, scheduling agent, make-up artist, research team, marketing and promotional team – one stop shop. I am responsible for finding talent to come on the show, booking their slot and hoping I don’t overbook or look at the wrong date, doing my homework on them – and I pride myself on the research I do on my guests, as well creating the promotional reels that are then posted on my social media platforms leading up to the show. Day of show, I take care of my own make-up and transportation so it can all start to feel a bit overwhelming. My hope, though, is one day, I’ll have sponsors that will afford me a team that will cover all those bases with me AND that I will be able to mentally give up some of that control – if and when that day were ever to come. I’m manifesting it out into the universe. LOL
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am able to use my creativity in the promotions I create for my guests. These set me apart because I can create a buzz for my guests that is unique and exemplifies their personality. The other most notable difference is that I do not lead my show as a question-and-answer segment like most interview podcasts. I tell all my guests that we are having a “first date” to get to know each other and any questions asked will arise organically from that conversation. This creates a sense of lightness and eases nerves. An hour breezes by with information laughs, tears, and a natural connection. My guest feels comfortable sharing their story, sees that I am genuinely interested in participating in the conversation about their story and in the end, I have a new friend. My proudest compliment is when a fan tells me I speak with my guests as if we’ve known each other our entire lives. In most cases, I met my guests the morning of the taping.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I can only speak on my personal experience, and for everyone’s #favoritemindminx, the outlook is transitioning into acting. I have had the amazing opportunity of being a part of the cast of the stage play “Shadowkidz” by Keith Brown which was given the green light to start its college tour this summer in New Jersey and just auditioned for my first voice-over part. It is a bright and exciting future for me and I can’t wait to see what the universe has in store for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mixvibesradio.com/the-mindminx-show/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindminx/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/savvycelli/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celiarivera
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/themindminxshow
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLczkylxqqOuGMAqUm5yGgJ-opJwHZX44s
Image Credits
Madeyoulook Photos John Alteche Jason Madrigal Maria Saccone Paola Milan
