The Red Head Publicist
God, Patience and Consistency. These were the three words that Takeyia Monique the founder of Haute Hipster Media located in Washington. D.C. A graduate of North Carolina A&T with a degree in communications and business Monique left her job at the Sprint store to start her career in being a publicist. With no support from her family and nothing but a dream she started her own company that has now expanded to Vogue, Grey Goose, Honest Tea, BET, and she recently closed a deal with Sprite.
She stated, that her persistency and consistency is what keeps her working and her business running flawlessly. She stopped by Howard University HUABJ to share her views on the industry, her successes and failures, and advice to those interested in the same field. One of the main things she stated was that you must have tough skin. This business is NOT easy therefore you must be ready to hear a “no” and come back better and stronger. Furthermore, she stated that in most meetings, she is told no but instead of getting down, she is persistent and continues to work them until they say yes! Furthermore, when it came to her landing the Sprite deal she was told no FIVE times, but she did not let that stop her. She stated that maintaining connections is another plus in this industry. Often times, she sends out thank you cards, follow-up emails/letters, Facebook or linked in messages, even an editable arrangement after working with a client. She says it is important to always stay on the radar, especially in this business.
As for her downfalls, she said that one of her biggest was not having a plan B. When she first ventured into having her own company she did not have a plan B and did not have much money saved up. She stated although, its important to be confident in yourself and brand it is okay to have a plan B just in case.
When it came to advice for students, its important to have a blog that clearly showcases your work and talent. Furthermore, its important to be active in as many organizations on campus in which you get to meet other students on campus and you form those relationships that will follow you as you enter the business. She also stated that your brand is very important. This means your brand on social media Facebook,Twitter, Instagram will follow you everywhere, so make sure brand is squeaky clean.
It was truly an honor to listen to a fellow HBCU alum share her trials and tribulations in this industry. She kept in real with the audience sharing her downfalls and also sharing some things she looks into when hiring interns. After hearing her speak, I immediately got her contact information so that I can have her as a guest on my show “Meet The People”. Her story has a publicist and the issues she faced will be beneficial to my viewers. Thank you Red Head Publicist for your wisdom!
Nayo Campbell 