C&C Classifieds Nº26: The Narrative Group, HelloGiggles, CMG & more!
New week. New opportunities.
Opportunities come and go, but with a new week here and a new round of C&C Classifieds to brighten up your Wednesdays, we have opportunities for you, galore!
This week, we have brand new classifieds for you from our friends The Narrative Group, Hello Giggles, Clique Media Group, Away, and more from CAA and Universal Music Group. Get a sneak peek at this week's classifieds below, and sign up below to get access to the full list of classifieds!
If you have signed up for access to the C&C Classifieds before, click here.
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Content Creator: Sophia Rossi, HelloGiggles
Played nice on the internet and won.
This article is part of our Create & Cultivate 100 List created in collaboration with KEDS, you can view the full Content Creator List Here.
Played nice on the Internet and won.
Sophia is wearing Keds' Champion Originals.
Sophia Rossi wants to run her own farm. For now she’s CEO of the HelloGiggles fam.
Despite the community she's fostered, Sophia didn’t get her start in "feel good" entertainment. “I started my career,” she says, “as a producer for The Hills, The City, and then Glee.”(One of those things, not quite like the others.) She began as an Associate Producer on the pilot of The Hills, and over the course of five years the content guru grew into the role of Executive Producer.
“I think working in entertainment,” the LA native shares, “showed me how negative the climate could be for women on a large scale. So when I met Zooey [Deschanel and Sophia’s HelloGiggles co-founder] and we both wanted to create a positive space for women, I think we were both coming from the same place.”
It’s a place that prepared her for her new role. “As a producer,” Sophia explains, “you have to just make things happen. And when you start your own company, it’s that same energy of, OK, let’s figure it out.”
Which they did. The company's first digs were Sophia's home, three blocks away from her parents in Beverly Hills. An empowerment den filled with positive vibes. In 2015, HelloGiggles was purchased by Time for a reported 20 million dollars. Sophia has stayed on; her role in creating safe spaces for women on the internet is invaluable.
“The internet can get pretty dark," she says. "I think 2016 showed us just how bad things can get, so it’s important to me that we have a place where women can share their voice and connect with each other on the issues that matter the most to them. Our community is always growing, and I love knowing there will always be a place for women to come and share their empowerment and be entertained, too.”
"It’s important to me that we have a place where women can share their voice."
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Sophia is wearing Keds' Champion Originals.
"When you’re running a startup," Sophia says about the early days, "there’s a new challenge every day. It’s literally 24/7 of putting out fires and there’s that sort of high you get from from moving from one panic to the next. The biggest challenge is to not let that be the culture of your company." She knows things don’t always work out, but has learned “it’s never the catastrophe you thought it would be.”
“When you’re building something, you don’t always know what it’s going to look like when it’s finished. But then you realize it's never quite finished. So staying authentic to myself and my original goals helps me make sure my career stays on track."
For Sophia the challenge and opportunity is "more than just inspiring other women with words." The job of HelloGiggles is to give the community "tools to really make big changes in their lives. And hopefully that inspires them to go out and do the same for other women, too."
When times turn tough, Sophia will turn to friends she counts as mentors, like fellow media boss Katherine Power (and fellow C&C 100 honoree), and friend Joyce Azria who one told Sophia, “'Always have clean hair.'" Advice that made a lot of sense to her
And she’s not joking about the farm part.
“I’m working closely with chef Roy Choi (of Kogi Truck and Locol) and we’re seeing what we can build together," she reports. "He’s such a leader and a motivator and I’m so honored to learn from him and benefit from his positive energy. But in five years, my hope is that I’m finally drinking enough water and that I own a farm." She would like said farm to have chickens.
“My favorite thing to do," Sophia says, "is create a space for humans to thrive.” From career goals to squad goals to squawk goals, it looks like success will come home to roost for this woman no matter what.
Why Nicole Richie Would Make the Best BFF
As if you don't have reasons enough already.
Inventor. Artist. Ex-Girlfriend. Australian. These are all titles Nicole Richie took on in season 2 of her VH1 series "Candidly Nicole." But while it's universally accepted that Richie is a quick-witted comedic Queen, capable of the above and more, she also takes her businesses (multiple), her friendships (more than multiple), and her role as mother (just 2) very seriously.
Almost nine years ago Richie launched House of Harlow 1960, shortly after the birth of her first child, becoming mom and mom to her career simultaneously.
“At that time I had so many fears,” she says. “I had a newborn baby. I was twenty-six. I was starting a new business. I was one of three people that I knew with a baby that was my age. I had no idea what the future would bring. I didn’t even know if I wanted to turn it into a full-blown brand yet.”
Which, is exactly what is has become. The initial 50-piece costume jewelry line has developed into ready-to-wear, eyewear, footwear, and handbags. The most recent collection was released in partnership with Revolve.
Though entrepreneur wasn't exactly a role she imagined for herself, Richie got a taste of that business life, liked it, and last November held the inaugural Pearl xChange in Los Angeles. It is her live-event series for women who want to make connections, share knowledge, and listen to speakers like Gwyneth Paltrow and Marianne Williamson drop some.
At first glance, it’s very similar to Create & Cultivate. That’s not a problem for Richie, who was a keynote at Create & Cultivate Atlanta in conversation with HelloGiggles co-founder Sophia Rossi.
“This is a perfect example,” Richie says, “of how two people in the same business with the same interests understand that we each have strengths. Joining together only helps us spread our wings, reach even more people, build the energy and make the vibration stronger.”
“Joining together only helps us spread our wings, build the energy and make the vibration stronger.”
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It’s the matter of competition being able to life us higher, together, not further apart and it’s a direction she’s focussing a lot of her energy. “I am able to see other people’s strengths where I have weaknesses. That’s not putting myself down, that’s understanding who I am and wanting to build myself up and make myself stronger. I’m so excited to be a part of the Create & Cultivate conference and spend time with other like-minded people who have been in this business longer than me.”
This approach is a through-line with Richie and many of her successful friends.
“Rachel Zoe is an example of a woman where there are a lot of parallels in our careers,” says Richie. “That being said, do we look at each other as competition? Absolutely not. Rachel is Rachel and I’m me. We’re two individuals. We have different lives. I’m so happy for her and I love going out and supporting her."
“Rachel has been very open with me,” she adds, “and this is very important to say, she’s been so open about the ins and outs of her business. She's never once said, ‘You’re on your own.’”
This approach has only helped them both. You can do it by yourself, Richie explains, “but you’re really limiting yourself. I can only get so far on my own."
She brings up longtime friend Sophia Rossi, who likewise understands the sisterhood of business. “Her business is HelloGiggles," says Richie. "It’s online, it’s so different than what I do, but we have found ways to collaborate and I’m really passionate about my friendship with her. She’s somebody who is a true connector. She has no skin in the fashion game, but she loves me and she wants to see her friends succeed.” Friends like Clique Media co-founder Katherine Power. “Sophia started a few years after Katherine, but she is the first person to say, ‘I just copied everything Katherine did. I listened to everything she said and she was my mentor.’”
“Those girls are the perfect example of two friends going after kind of the same thing but who have done nothing but support each other and maintain the closeness. You’re never going to produce the same thing, it’s just not possible. We don’t have the same souls.”
With Pearl xChange Richie wants to take this notion a step further. “When I hear other girls say, ‘Oh, I don’t have a lot of girlfriends,’ or ‘I don’t trust other girls,” I, personally, don’t understand what that means,” she says. “We have to get over that. It has to be a thing of the past and it’s really important to me. To say, or ask, ‘How can I help?’ ‘What can I give?’ and ‘What is the one thing that I have that I can offer?’”
She brings up advice Marianne Williams gave the audience at the first Pearl xChange. “She spoke a lot about us understanding our own strengths and how that takes more confidence than we know. Feeling good within ourselves about what we have to offer— that’s harder than a lot of people think.”
Adding, “There is no how-to book, but the idea of ‘this is how you do it’ can be thrown out. You can create your own way.”
“The idea of ‘this is how you do it’ can be thrown out. You can create your own way.”
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In her thirties Nicole feels more confident and secure in her decisions, her "own way," than ever before. That means exploring and pushing herself and finding new sides of who she is. “You really have to put yourself out there, give everything that you have, and do it authentically.”
“It’s been a slow and steady process of me finding the confidence in myself to take the reigns of my own business and my own life.”
“I think the key is to find the thing that you love and figure out how to turn that into a business. And just be that. Don’t worry about being anything else. Then you’ll feel like your life has alignment and true flow.”
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C&C Classifieds Nº7: Fuel Your Career Hunt With May's Listings
May the job opportunities be ever in your favor.
A new month is here and you know that you can always depend on us to bring you a fresh list of great new job opportunities for those of you who are on the hunt for a career change.
Also, we’ve made sure to include tech and engineering jobs this round. However, sound off below on any other fields you’re on the hunt for, and we’ll make sure to include them in our next Create & Cultivate classifieds!
Attn:, Los Angeles, CA
Data Analyst
Growth + Social Media Fellow
Head of Data
Product Optimization Specialist
Managing Editor
Product Manager
Site Reliability Engineer
UI Engineer
Account Exec, Brand Partnerships (NYC)
Creative Strategist, Brand Partnerships
Junior Graphic Designer
News Producer/Editor
Photo Editor
SpaceX, Hawthorne, CA
Senior Graphic Designer
Director, Commercial Sales
Proposal Editor
Deutsch, LA, NY
Digital Producer
Media Planner
Integrated Media Planner
Account Supervisor
Assistant Account Executive
Freelance Senior Data Strategist
Entry Level
Senior Designer
ColourPop, Oxnard, CA
Customer Service Manager
Customer Service Specialist
Netflix, California
Senior Full Stack Engineer - Delivery Engineering
Engineer Leader: Application Security
Senior Software Engineer:
A/B Testing Experimentation Platform
Billing Platform
Account Platform
Cloud Network Engineering
Container Platform
Partner Integrations
Payments Platform
Platform Automation
Platform Security Team
Real Time Analytics
Billing Platform
PR Coordinator, Social Media - Netflix Originals
PR Director, Awards and Events - Originals Publicity
PR Director, Original Series Publicity
Digital Production Manager- Latin America
Manager, Global Digital Production - Marketing Operations
Senior Manager, Global Digital Production - Marketing Operations
AV Production Editor
BaubleBar, New York
Art Director
Digital Marketing Coordinator
Director, Paid Customer Acquisition
Social Media Coordinator
Senior Software Engineer, Core Platform
Business Analyst
Hello Giggles, Los Angeles, CA
Finance Manager
HR Manager
Junior Developer
GoLiveHQ, Los Angeles, CA
Web Developer - Please email resume and CV to hello@golivehq.co
Yes To Carrots, Pasadena, CA
Senior Digital Marketing Manager - Please email resume and CV to dayna@yestocarrots.com
NYX Cosmetics, El Segundo, CA
Create + Cultivate, Atwater Village, CA
Social Media Intern + Editorial Intern - Please email resume and CV to hello@thereisnosubject.com
9 Killer Public Speaking Tips from Top Female Entrepreneurs
Get ready to pick up this mic we're about to drop.
Jittery hands, racing heart, blank mind. If you're climbing the career ranks, there is a good chance you've experienced one or all of these emotions when you get up to give a presentation or a talk. There's no escaping it, and the earlier you accept that public speaking is going to be a part of your career, the better. After all, practice makes perfect (or so said Tina Craig of Bag Snob this weekend at Create & Cultivate Dallas).
Whether you're prepping for a pitch meeting or you're planning to one day give a world-changing TED talk, we asked the industry best to give their quick and dirty tips for getting up in front of a crowd or an investor.
ANNIE LAWLESS, NY TIMES BEST SELLER, CO-FOUNDER SUJA, CREATOR BLAWNDE.COM
"Don't filter yourself because everyone can tell. Be authentic-- that will help you be conversational. And don't worry about what you think they want to hear."
DANIELLE DUBOISE, CO-FOUNDER SAKARA LIFE
"Memorize three things you know you want to say. Don't memorize anything else because you'll sound like a robot. And have a code word for yourself. Mine is solar plexus, for when I tap into my power."
SOPHIA RIVKA ROSSI, CO-FOUNDER HELLO GIGGLES
"The key to public speaking is to disassociate, j/k, to connect to what you are expressing, and just remember no one really ever cares more than you do."
JACLYN JOHNSON, FOUNDER CREATE & CULTIVATE
"The worst thing you can do on stage is think about yourself. What matters is the audience. So get out of your head and your inspirational insight will find a way into theirs."
JULIE RICE, CO-FOUNDER SOULCYCLE
"Speak from your heart. Everyone can understand passion...oh yeah and 'takeaways.' Leave people with something actionable."
TINA CRAIG, CO-FOUNDER BAG SNOB
“I talked about the end user, as if she was there.” On “Shirley,” the character she created and used when pitching HSN. Adding, "You do anything enough, and it becomes fun. Practice in your sleep."
HILLARY KERR, CO-FOUNDER WHO WHAT WEAR, CLIQUE MEDIA
"Some people thought we were cream puffs, but we were smart. I like to say it was like being bitten to death by a butterfly." On early fundraising meetings for Who What Wear.
RACHEL ASHWELL, FOUNDER RACHEL ASHWELL SHABBY CHIC
"Be truthful. It's too easy to say what you think sounds good."
ELIZABETH CUTLER, CO-FOUNDER SOULCYCLE
"And concise."
Mic drop, Elizabeth. *claps*
Good Vibes Only: Touring the HelloGiggles Office
We pop into the HelloGiggles office to chat the new Time Inc. acquisition, Ryan Gosling, and Sweet Valley High.
HelloGiggles played nice on the internet. And won. The company, founded in 2011 by Zooey Deschanel, Sophia Rossi, and Molly McCleer, had one initial goal: to be a place to make the internet smile. Almost five years later, the site has turned its posi content readers into full-fledged giggle junkies, with a reported readership of 18 million uniques a month.
Sales Director Evelyn Weisskohl told us, "I was a fangirl before I worked here. This office is exactly like reading the site, but in real life."
At the moment, IRL, HelloGiggles has a staff of 29-- 4 of whom are based in New York. It's a number that Sophia expects to at least double over the next two years, as the team also intends to take over the office space next door.
A recent acquisition by Time Inc. for a reported $30 million, is making the expansion possible. Sophia, who is staying on and will report to Time Inc.'s executive VP says, "It feels very validating to go from my apartment to being a part of a public company like Time Inc. We are going to be run independently but have all the benefits of this legacy brand as partners."
We popped into the company's DTLA office on the heels of the purchase and in anticipation of Sophia's trip to Dallas for Create & Cultivate this January. Click through to get the deets on their digs and the happiest staff, maybe, ever.
All images courtesy of Jeff Mindell.
HelloGiggles office designed by Clayton Asher Doyle of Plantation Design.