SOULER Stories

Jon Wexler - Ahead of a Movement

Jon Wexler has stories you won’t believe. The former Global Entertainment and Influencer Marketing VP at Adidas kicks it with George Manley about Kanye’s Yeezy empire & harnessing lightning in a bottle, one drop at a time. A special live episode from the world famous Chelsea Music Hall in Manhattan.

Natalie Zfat and Jeff Bullas - The Evolution of Social Media

At the inaugural Souler Symposium, and in front of a live audience at the Ranch at Rock Creek in Montana, we tackle a crucial topic: the evolution of social media, and where it's headed -- from the authenticity of influencer marketing to the future of brands. George Manley (CEO/Co-Founder for SOULER) leads a discussion with the dynamic duo of Natalie Zfat (contributing writer to several major business publications, and an influencer authority in the social media marketing space -- @nataliezfat) and Jeff Bullas (named the number one business blogger in the world as well as a serial entrepreneur and an investor -- @jeffbullas). Plus, the audience members themselves from the Souler community have something to say as well. Presented by SOULER.

Actor/Model/Director/Photographer Jonathan Morgan - Inspiration Over Influence

For Actor, Model, Director, and Photographer Jonathan Morgan, the word influencer (and he has influence to the tune of for than 66,000 Instagram followers) isn’t his identity. He prefers to think of himself as an inspirer. And Jon ’s balance of modeling and promotion has allowed him to pick the brands to work with that are authentic to who he is, and paved the way to an organic audience that responds to his content. Jon shares his story with George Manley (CEO/Co-Founder for SOULER) in the MouthMedia Network studios, covering Jon’s start in print modeling; tricky ways one has to benchmark the success of an influencer; the importance of a health relationship between influencer and brand in order for the promotion to be effective; standing up for your personal brand and content, and knowing when to say no to a deal; and, what it means to be a career model versus being an influencer, and the grind it takes to be a professional model in 2019. Presented by SOULER.

Sunnies & Sangria Blogger Batsheva Weinstein - The Journey and Destination

A lifelong dream to become a hairstylist leads to a decision to go to culinary school. Then, fashion school. Then lifestyle blogging. And ultimately, influencing. For Batsheva Weinstein, the journey may have been necessary to get to the destination. Batsheva shares her story with George Manley (CEO/Co-Founder for SOULER) in the MouthMedia Network studios, covering why research is such an important factor if you want to take your blogging seriously; the importance of keeping content fresh and to keep your audience engaged; working with brands on your own terms, so that the engagement between your audience and sponsored content doesn’t feel contrived; why it takes a roughly five year grind to build your brand as a influencer into a career you can live off of; and how Batsheva’s religion and cultural background affects how she approaches her blog and personal branding. Presented by SOULER.

Model Aissata Diallo - Modeling and Medicine

For Aissata Diallo, modeling was never a part of the plan. It was medical school, for this Guinea-born American immigrant. Yet when she was discovered through Instagram and went viral in a short period of time, everything changed. Ultimately, modeling would be what leads her to help her country’s troubled healthcare system. Aissata shares her story with George Manley (CEO/Co-Founder for SOULER) in the MouthMedia Network studios, covering her challenges navigating how to approach brands; the common misconceptions and prejudices laid against the Muslim community; why consistency and regular activity are key to building a following and a brand; and, the importance of keeping a finger on the pulse of what’s getting a reaction. Presented by SOULER.

Trevor Bell - From Spidey Sense to Real Influence

Spiderman. A bit of misfortune (being bitten by a spider) gave him a future he couldn’t have possibly imagined, casting a web of influence over many. Much like Spiderman, Trevor Bell -- who works in fashion, fitness, nutrition, and motivation -- has quickly grown a role as an effective and active influencer with more than 170,000 Instagram followers. Trevor shares his story with George Manley (CEO/Co-Founder for SOULER) and guest host Christopher Holland in the MouthMedia Network studios, covering how not making it into the NFL may have actually been a good fortune; the moment Trevor turned his life’s passion for athletics and fitness into a revenue stream; reverse-engineering the success of other fitness influencers; how he differentiates his content from the pack through a Spider-Man suit; and, an eye on the emerging social media platforms, such as TikTok. Presented by SOULER.

Opera Singer Marsha Thompson - The Power of Influence for Performance Art

Marsha Thompson (@divariashow) is a person of influence. She speaks several languages, travels the world, and champions the movement of a vital art from into the modern cultural landscape. She’s also a formidable opera singer who left college where she had a full scholarship, with just 6 credits to go, to audition for a show. The rest is history.

Marsha shares her story with George Manley (CEO/Co-Founder for SOULER) and guest host Christopher Holland in the MouthMedia Network studios. She discusses how the landscape of operas are changing to reflect the times; how her bother Christopher Holland helped her utilize social media to connect with her audience and share her gift with the world; how physical techniques separate opera from other forms of singing; and, Marsha offers an exclusive in-studio performance of her remarkable soprano talent. Presented by SOULER.

Violinist Tai Murray - Active Listening

At age nine, violinist Tai Murray made her concert debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Social Media Platforms didn’t even yet exist. Before she reached 30, she had been a BBC New Generation Artist for three years. Now, Tai is a busy working concert violinist of the highest caliber, as well as an influencer. In fact, being an active listener and musician enhances her relationship with her followers .

Tai shares her story with George Manley (CEO & Co-Founder of SOULER) in the MouthMedia Network studios. Presented by SOULER.

 

Liris Crosse - Transformation

She’s been dubbed The Body, and is known for pushing curvy women into mainstream culture and as a winner of Project Runway. But Liris Crosse, model/actress & pioneer in the fashion industry for full-figured women & Black women, and he daughter of preachers who may have unwittingly set her on her unique path, is focused on showing how using the skills she’s honed as a runway model can help others transform in all aspects of their lives. Liris shares her story with George Manley (CEO & Co-Founder of SOULER) in the MouthMedia Network studios. Presented by SOULER.

In this story:

• Growing up the daughter of preachers in Baltimore, and being encouraged to set out on her own unique path from a young age
• How a family photoshoot for her father’s campaign for Congress planted the seed in Liris’ mind
• Why it’s important to invest everything you can into your passion, and how Liris put everything she had into modeling from the moment she knew this was her calling
• Fighting to fit into what the modeling world told Liris what she should be, and how she decided to fight back and be herself and succeed despite the denial she faced early in her career
• The differences between the runway modeling world, the commercial/ lifestyle world, and freedoms allowed for personal expression and performance in the latter, compared to the unhealthy standards and rigidity of the former
• How Liris took it upon herself to show the powers at be how she can challenge standards of beauty and find success as a curvier woman
• The struggle for plus-size to be accepted as a norm in the fashion world, where many brands will not make and/or advertise plus sizes
• How Liris is using her platform to show that body diversity and racial diversity is the future for the fashion industry
• Liris’ upcoming book, Make The World Your Runway, and how the reaction to her Project Runway appearance and runway modeling bootcamp courses inspired her to write about her experience and how she discovered herself so that more women can be inspired and learn from her story
• Why Liris thinks the skills she’s honed on the runway can be transformative in all facets of someone’s life, from your career to your love life
• Advice for younger men and women who want to get into the modeling industry who may not know just how ruthless and destructive to one’s ego it can truly be
• How vital it is to have a “glass half full” mindset in any pursuit in life, but especially in cutthroat industries
• The importance of surrounding yourself with people who have your best interests in mind, who aren’t afraid to tell you when they think you’re making a mistake and to dish out tough love when it’s necessary
• Staying grounded, reliable, personable and polite, because bad news travels faster than good news in life
• Liris and her brand manager Chris give some tips on how to build your own brand presence, from not buying followers to treating your audience like your closest friends
• The unglamorous leg work it takes sometimes to put together even a 10 second high quality clip
• How Liris and Chris came to work together, and how finding a brand manager who accepts you for who you are is incredibly valuable
• How Chris came to be a brand manager, and how he tried for years to become anything but

Kendra Bracken-Ferguson – Successful Balance

Helping to define and navigate the digital space as a creative force for brands and influencers, while becoming a recognized and sought-after business innovator and global digital architect — and balancing that with motherhood…

Kendra Bracken-Ferguson, Entrepreneur, Innovator, Transformative Brand Builder, Founder/CEO at BrainTrust, and former Chief Digital Officer at CAA-GBG, shares her story with George Manley (CEO & Co-Founder SOULER) in the MouthMedia Network studios. Presented by SOULER.

 

In this story:

• How Kendra knew she wanted to be in PR from the time she saw the Press Secretary in the 6th grade.
• Purdue and her internship at FleishmanHillard PR
• Receiving her Master’s in Sports Management and working with the Indiana Pacers
• Leaving the Pacers Organization after the “Malice at the Palace” to join FleishmanHillard PR full time
• Taking Cingular (AT&T) into the social sphere with MySpace
• Creating a Mobile Music Studio with MySpace and Cingular
• The birth of Digital PR, before it became Social Media and Digital Marketing
• How PR Practitioners are always the best storytellers
• Being a leader in the evolution of social media marketing
• Leading the Digital and Social teams at FleishmanHillard
• Landing at Ralph Lauren after realizing her desire to get into fashion and beauty
• Going from being an “Agency Girl” to the Brand Side of the business
• Realizing the need to shift advertising budgets into social
• Looking at social thru the lens of E-commerce
• Can you get an influencer to bring someone to your website, have them stay long enough to make a purchase, and sign up for an emailer?
• Starting a business to manage bloggers, DBA
• Ralph Lauren’s invention of “Merchantainment”
• Creating a symbiotic relationship between brand and blogger
• Picking the right influencer based on the ethos of your brand
• Starting a business without a business plan
• The first time asking “Am I an entrepreneur?”
• Launching a new product for bloggers
• Having blogger parties with Kenneth Cole
• Leaving DBA to work with brands again.
• Realizing your flaws and finding your strengths
• Building brands, connecting people, seeing the future, and being innovative
• Surrounding yourself with people smarter than you
• The busy life of PR
• What is it that drives people to be serial entrepreneurs.
• Wanting to write a book about being an Intrepreneur vs Entrepreneur
• Can you hire a COO, to handle things from management on down, and still be a great leader?
• The humanity of CEOs, from meltdowns to successes.
• What is it that makes Elon Musk and Steve Jobs so unique?
• How being an entrepreneur to psychologically damaging, the most positive way.
• Can anyone be a brand builder, install the infrastructure needed to grow and support a new brand?
• Having night sweats about being under capitalized.
• Starting a company young with no “risk” versus starting a company with a family
• Having a sense of destiny, Preparedness plus opportunity equals success
• Balancing work life with family life
• Kendra on being the best role model she can for her daughter and encouraging an entrepreneurial mind
• How becoming a mom was a bit of a wake up for her health, both physical and mental
• The best advice for being a successful mother and entrepreneur
• Creating generational wealth for her family, it should be easier for the next generation.
• Influencers are the new driver’s of commerce and pop culture trends
• Her latest company, Talent Venture Fund
• Bridging brands and influencers.
• Increasing the valuation of brands to make them more commercially successful, and to help boost their relevance based on the partnership ownership with the talent