8515: We live on Flavor Street

Dear Pennies & Pens,

If you’ve been following me for awhile you know that I co-founded an agency called The Network with my business partner, Cacha` Lopez in 2010. We actually started the business the same day we met. We sipped tea, ate some food, and came up with the whole concept of the business.

Two weeks later, we launched our first website. We also signed 4 models and 2 stylists so that we could provide them with management and PR. We worked with those clients for while mostly focusing on producing in-house photo shoots to help our clients build their portfolios and experience.

After working with artists for 2 years, we decided to focus on working with brands. The problem with representing artists is that it takes years to make an artist’s work profitable so we weren’t generating enough revenue from working with them. With brands as clients, we would be able to increase our revenue and see a regular profit.

In essence, we opted to focus on working with brands exclusively. From that point on, we did just that. We worked with Latin Fashion Week to produce their New York Fashion Week event and we produced a blog and social media campaign for The Fund Forum of Arts & Culture Uzbekistan. In fact, we were sponsored by Fund Forum to attend and cover the M&TVA Awards in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Both of these projects happened in 2012.

Then in late 2013, I decided to relocate to Houston from NYC to accept a job in social media at a digital marketing agency. I figured this would help with the business because I would gain invaluable experience. I continued to work with Cacha to build The Network but with a full time job, it’s been tough because I constantly have a million and one things to do.

Last year, Cacha & I realized that the best way to expand The Network was to introduce our own original products. This way, we could use The Network as a platform to market our creative endeavors. That’s when I wrote my book, #MakeUrPenLOUD: How to be a Lifestyle Blogger and Cacha` launched her jewelry collection, Jewels by Cacha`.

To promote JBC and #MakeUrPenLOUD, we hosted Flavor’s Night Out on April 23,  2015 at Y-Clad’s Hidden Gem in NYC. Flavor’s Night Out was an event created to celebrate diversity and multiculturalism by showcasing art and fashion by multicultural artists.

Flavor’s Night Out was a unique event that sought to inspire, entertain, and educate attendees. Flavor’s Night Out was sponsored by Middle Sister Wines, Quinque Inc, Mixtina, Durrah Jewellery, de la Soul Sister, and Tipsy Scoop.

Since Flavor’s Night Out, we’ve been working on promoting JBC and #MakeUrPenLOUD as well as pitching to new clients. We’ve been thinking about changing the name of our agency for years but a few months ago, we decided to get serious. Last week, we officially relaunched our agency as 8515. That said, today I present to you, 8515: We live on Flavor Street.

8515 is a combination of “1985” and “2015” aka the year we were born and the year our agency was reborn. Cacha & I are in love with the new name and I hope you guys are digging it too! I think it’s a chic and timeless name that truly represents who we are. We are a multicultural lifestyle agency and we specialize in multicultural and millennial marketing.

8515 offers branding, marketing, public relations, event production, creative direction, styling, casting, photo shoot production, writing, blogging, and photography.

We work with fashion, beauty, music, art, travel, and lifestyle brands. We focus on connecting our clients with consumers through a unique marketing mix to increase engagement and sales.

Right now, Cacha & I are focusing promoting the relaunch and of course, pitching to clients. That said, if you’re interested in working with us, please feel free to contact us at 8515agency@gmail.com. And check us out at: www.8515agency.com

And there it is. de la Pen…All Pen Everything. With us, keeping it real never goes wrong.