Zhan Chesson

I've been working in marketing and content creation for about 6 years now, starting with social strategy and event production back in college. When I first graduated from Virginia State University in 2023 with my mass communications degree and entrepreneurship minor, I tried different paths including banking and real estate, but I realized social media and marketing was truly my calling. While waiting for my first full-time position, I took on freelance social media clients, managing accounts for a hair store and creating content for real estate agents, including videos for open homes and international travel opportunities. In 2024, I landed an internship at IFG, an influencer management agency based in New York but 100% remote. I never operated as an intern - I always acted like I had the full-time job, which is what I was aiming for. Out of 5 interns, only 2 of us were chosen to go full-time, and I was one of them. During my nearly 2 years there, I worked with a diverse range of influencers from beauty gurus to estheticians to family and cleaning creators. Some of my top projects included creating an acne reset kit rollout for Tiara Willis and Topicals, and a Notoreum collaboration with the same creator, who has been in the game for 10 years even though she's only in her twenties. I also worked on campaigns with major brands like P&G, Amazon, Juvia's Place, Stella Rose, and Tito's across different niches. Now I'm running my own social media agency, IZEA Media Agency, where I do strategy and event production for clients in various industries, from hairstylists to luxury golf apparel brands for women. I also co-founded 'So You Graduated Now What?' with my freshman year roommate to help recent Black college graduates transition into life after college, focusing on community building because your network is your net worth. About 60% of Black graduates are first generation, so starting over after college is like being dropped into a foreign land, and we want to help with that. I'm most proud of the pivots I've been able to make so early in my career. What I love most about my work is that I get to touch different industries and learn from different people while helping them with creative strategies. I work with driven individuals who have 9-to-5s or are full-time entrepreneurs, and it's inspiring to be around women and men who didn't let anything stop them from making their vision happen.