Interview with Girlfluence
Glitter Magazine is all about Real People like you who rock! We recently sat down with Gwen Wunderlich and Dara Kaplan, founders and weavers of dreams for Girlfluence to find out how they started Girlfluence, what services Girlfluence offers, the amazing YouTubers they have on their roster, and what their goals are for 2015. To find out more, read on!
GLITTER: What inspired you to start Girlfluence?
GIRLFLUENCE: Many moons ago before I was a partner in Wunderlich Inc, I used to make YouTube videos under the moniker BelleDuJourNYC. It was something I loved to do, talk about makeup and beauty. I connected with so many woman all over the world. I realized women had such a strong voice through video and was a power means of connecting with each other. I made many great personal relationships through doing this and social media and came to see the power that this network held. Fast forward about 6 years, working on a very high profile account with my business partner and co-founder, Gwen Wunderlich, our client came to us asking for influencers. We starting compiling our lists and reaching out to many YouTube influencers and thats when we saw the model was broken. Women were undervaluing themselves and their time, and some that had managers were taking advantage.
Girlfluence Inc took mine and my co-founder, Gwen Wunderlich’s creative approach to brand building and communications and coupled it with passion and experience. Girlfluence (The power of women empowering other women and showing women their innate strengths and power within their own businesses) to the masses in the form of not only a management and content creation firm, but a lifestyle brand that all girls and women can be a part of and live the Girlfluence lifestyle of chasing their dreams and getting what they want out of life.
#Girlfluence is the culmination of our ethos of living, following your hearts’ dream and passion and making it into a reality. Informed by our own experiences, we empower women with holistic support from management to advisement on all aspects of their business, including branding and publicity strategies to raise awareness and foster business growth.
GLITTER: Can you tell us what Girlfluence offers?
GIRLFLUENCE: Girlfluence is a New York-based management, communications and consulting firm uniquely positioned at the forefront of digital media to support and speak to the next generation of female entrepreneurs, influencers and consumers. It’s about celebrating the power of women empowering each other and powering successful, sustainable business strategy shaped by our experiences.
With strategic talent management of digital influencers, we expertly position your content creation to support an overall brand strategy. Branding a female point of view in the digital space requires an experienced and cohesive vision to drive traffic, inspire engagement and generate revenue. Girlfluence strategically manages a select and diverse group of female digital influencers that meet our criteria of high quality, engaging, meaningful, well-produced content. Girlfluence combines marketing, branding and communication expertise in a comprehensive approach that enhances awareness and conversion online and off.
We shape focused publicity and marketing initiatives for brands to resonate with the women they want to reach. Extend and enhance your communication strategies at any scale with authentic messaging and buzz that builds visibility and creates results that you can see. We combine marketing, branding and communication expertise in a holistic approach that enhances awareness and conversion online and off. Whether you’re a corporate client or a start-up entrepreneur, we know how to help brands stand out in a crowded marketplace and connect with a voice that expresses their unique DNA.
GLITTER: What makes a Girlfluencer?
GIRLFLUENCE: A woman that wants to make a difference in this world. A woman that is not satisfied with status quo. is the attitude of today’s millennial woman: connected, passionate and fearless.
GLITTER: Is Girfluence a women’s empowerment movement? If so, how?
GIRLFLUENCE: Yes, it very much is a women’s empowerment movement. Not only do we believe women should stand up and take control of their image, brand and ultimately their destiny but Girlfluence also means using a woman’s social influence for good.
As women ourselves, we support the next generation of female leaders to create a collaborative culture that amplifies their achievements. If we’re truly headed towards a new era of empowerment, we’re also committed to the communities we share to make them a better place for women to thrive. (You never know where the next CEO or President will come from!)
That’s why Girlfluence is not just about social media, but also about social goodness. We put our MONEY where our mouths are. Girlfluence donates a monthly portion of all our proceeds to a women’s charity. Of course, the only thing more valuable than money is TIME. That’s why we require our digital influencers to donate mentorship or volunteering hours in a specific capacity 4 times a year. Girlfluence is a force of women using their large followings and influence to do promote social goodness, spreading the message and making a difference.
GLITTER: Explain how video and photo campaign content creation come into play.
GIRLFLUENCE: Video bloggers (vloggers) are influencers uniquely positioned to captivate and convert a valuable audience through video content.As visual narratives increasingly become the primary form of digital content, vloggers ensure that a picture is worth more than a thousand words (or comments) by embodying an authentic voice and an emotional connection. Women trust their friends and YouTube Vlogger’s audiences are truly their friends (as cliche as that may sound). Their viewers trust them. Vloggers build and maintain passionate communities based on organic storytelling.
GLITTER: Who are some of the YouTubers on your roster?
GIRLFLUENCE: We have an AMAZING group of women that are working with Girlfluence. A few stand out women are Nur of NurberXO ( link to https://www.youtube.com/user/nurberxo), Claire Marshall (Link to https://www.youtube.com/user/ohhaiclaire), Mel Rose (https://www.youtube.com/user/MakeupbyMel), Hailey Anderson (https://www.youtube.com/user/Smilebuddiesxoxo), Alyx Weiss (https://www.youtube.com/user/ayydubs), Marnie Gold (https://www.youtube.com/user/MsGoldgirl), Ashley Marie Rosas (https://www.youtube.com/user/PinupDollAshleyMarie) and Alba Garcia (https://www.youtube.com/user/SunKissAlba.)We have over 60 women on board ranging from 15 years old to in their 50’s and we love that!
GLITTER: What are some things your fans would be surprised to know about Girlfluence?
GIRLFLUENCE: I do not think we have fans per say, I know we have a lot of women on board that love the idea. I think a lot of women that we reach out to come on board are surprised to know that we are very different than any other “YouTube Talent Management Agency or Agent”, we do not require our women to be exclusive with us, we want our Girlfluencers to work with whomever else they can to be as successful as possible. We want to add to their success, not hinder it with antiquated exclusivity terms. We are looking to build up our Girlfluencers holistically. I think also people would be surprised to learn how much business that our Girlfluencers turn down, if a brand does not respect one of our Girlfluencers time that goes into producing content or is not on-brand with who they are, we say no! Our Girfluencers are dynamic, we have girls that make beauty videos but love to cook or are motivational speakers! Girlfleuncers can not be put into any one box of who they are!
GLITTER: What celebrities have supported Girlfluence and how?
GIRLFLUENCE: We do not have anyone on board as of yet, but we are in VERY exciting talks with some high profile women! Girl power!
GLITTER: What are your goals for Girlfuence and initiatives for 2015?
GIRLFLUENCE: Our goals for 2015 is to create a global movement of women supporting others through empowerment! We want every woman on YouTube to know about us and sign up to use their social power for social goodness, especially in this world that is seeing so much turmoil. If every woman used their social influence in a small but powerful way, we would be on our way to a better society.
About them:
DARA KAPLAN– FOUNDER, CURATOR OF CHIC
Founder Dara Kaplan knows that inspiration is everywhere, but it takes influence to make it last. Her wealth of real- world experience in fashion, beauty and luxury lifestyle brands has enriched her expertise in the digital world. She has worked in buying and branding for international lifestyle companies such as Donna Karan and Kiki de Montparnasse. From opening multimillion-dollar stores to kicking open the doors of new media, Dara went on to become an acclaimed beauty blogger, travel editor and culture writer, founding her own social media and digital PR firm at twenty-five years old. Her innate understanding of building her own brand and sustaining the vision of other brands has driven her high impact media initiatives for a range of elite companies, including Maserati, Tumi Luggage, Laura Mercier, Shiseido, Skype and the NFL. In addition to her bold brainstorming and business strategy, Dara is also a jewelry designer with a love of all things that sparkle and unabashedly obsessed with her dog.
GWEN WUNDERLICH– CO-FOUNDER, WEAVER OF DREAMS
Prior to her role as founder and president of respected PR firm Wunderlich, Inc., co-founder Gwen Wunderlich brought buzz that could be heard in every corner of the globe for powerful fashion, beauty and luxury lifestyle brands. Her fifteen years of experience in public relations and press outreach includes Director roles at Jordache and Dan Klores Communications and the creation of three successful companies focused on raising brand awareness through a variety of media outlets. Gwen’s clients have included Henri Bendel, Jo Malone, Patricia Field, Camp Beverly Hills, Kelly Osbourne, Absolut Vodka and 1800 Tequila. With a flair for the dramatic and a gift for gab, her words have inspired compelling consumer engagement and fueled a sideline as a seasoned travel writer and forthcoming author. Gwen is also an interior design enthusiast…and she loves her dog, too!
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Editorial Director | Writer | Tweet me @heatherriccio
