Gena Jean
Gena Jean is a creative entrepreneur and social media strategist who has been active in the beauty and content creation industry since 2017, officially growing her business in 2019. She operates Creations, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, producing short-form video, photography, voiceovers, and strategic content for beauty and consumer brands, while also offering hands-on makeup artistry and styling for product shoots. Her expertise bridges makeup, photography, video production, and social media marketing, allowing her to craft engaging campaigns that resonate with audiences across multiple platforms.
Gena’s professional philosophy emphasizes adaptability, authenticity, and consistent engagement. She leverages her knowledge of social media algorithms and trends to optimize client content, ensuring it reaches the right audiences. Her creative work is rooted in the belief that personal and brand image are critical tools for professional growth and brand credibility, and she integrates this approach across consulting, content creation, and influencer collaborations. Notable achievements include long-term campaigns for hair care and makeup brands, including appearing on a brand website for two years as part of her marketing work.
Gena holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Rutgers University–Newark, graduating magna cum laude, and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Social-Organizational Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is an active member of the Golden Key Honor Society, Psi Chi Honors Society, and Columbia’s Black Student Network. Combining her technical skills with her creative and strategic vision, Gena continues to expand her footprint in beauty, social media marketing, and brand consulting, helping clients translate content into meaningful engagement and growth.
• Teachers College, Columbia University
• Rutgers University–Newark- B.A.
• Magna Cum Laude
• Golden Key Honor Society
• Psi Chi Honor Society
• Black Student Network
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to persistence and consistency, a passion for my work, and the adaptability that comes from combining a broad skill set in makeup artistry with social media and content creation.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say just keep going. Do not stop. Whatever you're doing, especially when it comes to social media marketing, you have to keep going, and you have to be consistent, because some days your views are going to be low, and some days, you're gonna have a lot of viral moments. But what are you going to do when the views are low? You have to continue to be consistent, and to continue to be passionate about the work that you're putting out, because as long as you're passionate about it, that's all that matters. And the people who are going to be your viewers and the people who are going to engage, they're going to be able to feel that passion through the screen. So you'll see you only have a few people, or a lot of people, that are going to continue to engage with you, and that is going to continue to grow your engagement, and so you really have to be consistent and just keep going, especially in this field. I would also say to be yourself and to be authentic. I know when you're young, you're in that place where you're trying to find yourself, and the people who you hang out with, you tend to conform, but you have to stay true to yourself, and your morals, and your values, and do not give people more than you have for yourself. You always want to make sure that you fill your cup before you allow anybody else to drink from it. Set healthy boundaries, and just be authentic, be genuine, love others, and love yourself, most importantly. You have to be adaptable - that is the main thing. Adaptability, if you have that quality, you will get very far in whatever industry that you're in.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The challenge is it takes a long time. You have to be really, really invested in it, and I'm currently in school at the moment, so it's like I'm going from doing schoolwork to making videos, and spending a lot of my time on my phone, my computer, editing, doing voiceovers, and putting content out. It takes a lot of time. Also, the shorter the video, the harder it is, because you have to figure out how to capture someone's attention in 10 seconds or less. As far as opportunities, I would say the social media aspect is very important, but whenever you get a chance to meet people in person, that is really what's going to take your business to the next level. So whatever influencer or content creating, social media marketing event is going on, I would recommend that you go to those and really show people who you are firsthand, because before there was social media, there was word of mouth. And word of mouth, in my opinion, still travels way farther, and it has longevity to it. Social media can be very quick - you get your 15 minutes of fame, which is why you have to be consistent, because you want to keep up that momentum. But when you have that word of mouth, it travels. And once you make a good impression on somebody, then they don't forget. People may forget what you said, but they never forget how you feel. Meeting in person, networking, going to events, joining different clubs - you don't necessarily have to go to a networking event, but you can promote yourself at different events. Go to a run club, promote yourself there, you never know who you will meet.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
You have to stay true to yourself, and your morals, and your values, and do not give people more than you have for yourself. You always want to make sure that you fill your cup before you allow anybody else to drink from it. That's the way society has conditioned us - we take on the burdens of everybody else, and then when you enter motherhood, you're taking on the burdens of your family, and if something goes wrong, then you feel as though it's your fault, and you're always making time for other people, but you cannot give people what you don't have. And so you have to make sure that you are investing in yourself. Take care of yourself, you know, invest in your self-care, get your nails done, get your hair done, put a little lipstick on. Anything that you need to do to make you feel good, so that you can then be who other people need you to be, you have to do that first. Being authentic and genuine is important, and loving others and loving yourself, most importantly.