Emily Yost

I would say my mindset has always been about everything in my life, that the worst thing that can happen is that it doesn't work out. I'm very optimistic and always just go for it. There's nothing terrible that's going to happen if you try, right? I could have pursued a career in psychology, I could be getting my master's right now in a completely different field, but I saw an opportunity and I saw a mechanism for change in social media. I mean, I grew up with social media. I saw the beginning of the influencer marketing industry as a whole, and I think I saw an opportunity to make change for good, and I have definitely been ambitious about it.

The best advice I've received is that it's okay to be annoying. In talent management and working with brands, it can be a dead-end street here and there, so definitely, sending many, many emails was something that I had to become very used to and accustomed to. Hearing the word no and getting turned down, just knowing that that's not a reflection of the work that I'm doing and that that's a normal part of business and marketing. It doesn't have to be a bottleneck in performance, and being annoying can unlock so many doors. It's about being very persistent, and understanding that rejection is just a sign to strive for more and find someone else.

I would give the same advice that I use to fuel my passions, which is that the worst thing that can happen is that it doesn't work out. You can pivot, and no matter what you do in your life, you're going to have to pivot, whether it's in school, in your career, in your relationships, or where you're going to live. These things are all intertwined, it's an intersectional mindset that applies all across the board. Just believe in yourself and take a chance, because we all deserve to try what we want to do. We all deserve the opportunity, and no one else is going to pave your way for you.

I would say there are some challenges in terms of budgets for brands that we want to work with, especially in the sustainability sector, which is why we sometimes pivot. We never pivot from our values, but sometimes we'll work with brands that you wouldn't traditionally view as being in the sustainability space. Our goal there is to help larger brands develop campaigns that support social justice and different types of change that we can all do. If we all do a little bit, it can really go far. The challenge can be somewhat difficult working with brands that I feel like don't completely align, or maybe are engaging in some level of greenwashing. It's definitely a bit of a mental challenge for me, because I think doing something is better than doing nothing, but definitely developing the brand narrative in an honest but also helpful way is challenging.

Obviously, sustainability is a key value for me. I value the fashion industry, and the art, and the beauty, and the intelligence behind what makes an article of clothing archived and cool. I value traditional press, and I value the ability to speak out on issues that are important. Especially in the current creator economy, I feel like there is a lot of filtration that is perpetuated by both talent management agencies and brands. Authenticity is extremely important to me. I want the creators I work with and the brands that I work with to share the same values. From my experience over the past couple of years in the industry, I have seen a lot of strides in the right direction in terms of authenticity. I think my values are that I want to work with creators who have that authenticity streak going, they want to be honest about the things that they're talking about, they are passionate about social justice, of course, which is something that me and the company are all passionate about. We want to use the creator economy for good.