We recently had the chance to connect with Valerie Failla and have shared our conversation below.
Valerie , we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
**Question:** *What does a typical workday look like for you, and how do you stay motivated working independently?*
**Answer:**
Once my kids head off to school around 7 a.m., my husband brings me a cup of coffee — it’s our little morning ritual — and I jump right into work. That first 90 minutes are my most productive time of day. I’m focused, uninterrupted, and fully in the zone sending out emails and client updates. –usually I review our clients social media accounts at this time as well.
After that, I head downstairs for breakfast, and the rest of the day typically fills up with client calls, creative meetings, and planning sessions with my team. I’ve always been extremely self-motivated — I don’t need someone to tell me what needs to get done. I love what I do, and that drive to deliver great work for my clients keeps me going every day and I’m 100% confident it will never stop.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m incredibly grateful to the city of Atlanta. I channel all of my creative energy into local culinary, nonprofit, and lifestyle businesses every day in our city through my agency and in tandem with my talented and trustworthy team.
And, if there’s one thing you should know about me, while I’ll always be a New Yorker at heart, (and in mind) no matter where I live, I carry a deep-rooted love for food, design, and of course, storytelling. Since I was a kid I knew exactly what I wanted to do and where to go to college. I had earned an associate’s degree in advertising and communications followed by a Bachelor of Science in cosmetic, fragrance, and toiletry science from the Fashion Institute of Technology in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. My grandmother had attended FIT in its first year and I happened to have graduated in the 50th year –pretty cool! My early years in New York’s public relations industry exposed me to two different, global, high-profile agencies where I worked on clients such as Pantene, Olay, Old Navy, Hugo Boss, Gillette, and many other heavy hitters that taught me scale, precision, and the power of narrative. Some days it was not very easy, but I learned more than I could have ever imagined at the professional agency level, and I still lean on my learnings today. One of my strongest skills that developed from those agencies is how to navigate a brand crisis –whether internal or external. My agency is often called upon for consulting in this area.
When I moved to Atlanta, I saw tons of opportunity — not just because the city was growing, but because many local brands needed more than “buzz” — they needed strategy, voice, and brand alignment. I originally founded Via to offer full-service marketing, PR, media strategy, event production, and brand consulting with a singular approach but over the last nine years, the agency has grown to offer turn-key services including heavy digital marketing and design. My husband, Garrett Heaberlin, who handles everything behind the scenes, likes to say, “Our team executes visions that ignite confidence, shift perception, and tell real stories that reel people in.”
There are several things that make our work stand-out – first, we are a hands-on team — I limit our client roster so each account receives my personal attention and care. We definitely straddle earned media, digital strategy, events, operational marketing, and creative direction, which means we can build awareness campaigns that feel cohesive. And it would not be me if I didn’t add that we combine our decades of experience with precision and grace –sometimes a little grit too. Experience tells me that clients need to hire an agency for its honesty and consulting chops – not for office esthetic or the way their social media reads because at the end of the day, none of that will drive results.
On the personal side, I balance parenthood with entrepreneurship every day and this forces me to be precise with my energy and laser-focused regarding my hours.
And right now, we’re expanding — deepening service offerings, integrating operations-marketing strategies, and building more long-term strategic relationships with our clients.
I want to help brands in Atlanta and the Southeast develop their strategies for the modern time as well as hear more self-made, brand stories — stories that feel meaningful to their communities and contribute something unique as well as memorable to their guests – memorable moments, (even small ones!) and consistent experiences keep guests coming back for more.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
That you have to be financially rich to be successful – not true.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
No. Never. If anything, a failure or a mistake pushes me even harder to be successful. Every single day I learn something from a client or a team member or a colleague and I am extremely conscious of picking up on that learning. And if I ever stop learning, I guess I’ll be dead.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
My dad.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
When my work is at a stopping point for the day or the weekend and I can spend time with my husband and kids. I get immense joy out of cooking for my family and friends as well as creating anything beautiful such as a floral piece, elaborate table setting, or even themed decorations for holiday at home. When I have the opportunity to spend time doing something creative and my kids are involved, it is truly magical for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.viafailla.com/
- Instagram: @viafaillamarketing
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-failla-b62a175/
