hihi, lovelies!
it’s been, dare I say, a ‘weird’ week in New York—though, perhaps that’s a poor word choice on my part considering that ‘weird’ is the word being used in political attacks on both sides of the aisle as of late. but I say that because vibes were OFF this weekend in the city…we oscillated between punishing humidity and intermittent rain storms mixed with bouts of sunshine. though, I suppose the weather has felt parallel to my ever-changing mood.
if I’m being honest, it’s been a tricky couple of days. yesterday, I ran 12 miles as a part of my New York City Marathon training cycle, and it was HARD. not like, “oh, I’m tired” hard, but more like my feet were writhing in pain every step hard. I’m working through next steps with my run coach, and hoping yoga and rest will help because I’ve still got 13 weeks left until race day (YIKES). the upside to it all was that I got to enjoy Park Avenue being closed to traffic for 75 whole blocks as I weaved my way up to Central Park! if you’re in the city, the next two Saturdays, you can enjoy Summer Streets from 7a-1p. and if you, too, are training for the marathon, let’s commiserate and cheer one another on!!!!
in the spirit of romanticizing New York as much as possible while I’m here nearly all month, I’ve been trying to take advantage of everything I can this summer. some fun city moments as of late have included: trying out the dining outlets at Pier 57 (I didn’t realize I could get Nom Wah dumplings just a short walk from my apartment!), going to an outdoor concert at Little Island, trying out the new Caffè Panna in Greenpoint, going on The Mark sailboat, attending the pre-release book event for THE WEDDING PEOPLE (West Village Book Club’s September pick!), and getting bagels at the iconic Barney Greengrass. I’m also making silly little day in the life TikToks to document it all, like the one below.
📰 some articles I enjoyed this week
Mariah Kennedy Cuomo Wore Vera Wang to Marry Tellef Lundevall at Golden Hour in Hyannis Port (Vogue): I couldn’t get over this wedding! for those who live in New York State, you’ll remember the pandemic days of then-Governor Cuomo’s daily briefings in which his daughters occasionally made appearances. his eldest (who has a twin!), Maria Kennedy Cuomo, got married in a super chic East Coast affair, complete with the most stunning six-tier cake inspired by her great-aunt Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s wedding cake.
Tessa Bailey Just Wants You to Have a Good Time: The romance novelist is proud to be behind your favorite filthy sex scenes. (The Cut) I’m really enjoying the increased press coverage we’re seeing for the romance genre, so headlines like this are extra fun to see pop up! I have a bunch of Tessa Bailey’s books on my TBR, and this was a good reminder to reprioritize those.
The Fashion Brands Taking Over European Beach Clubs This Summer (Citizen Femme) while I unfortunately don’t have any more beach clubs on my docket this summer, this was a fun scroll! some of these I knew about (Loro Piana at Saint-Tropez’ La Réserve à la Plage), and some I didn’t (Off-White™ at Jondal). it’s interesting to see how luxury brands continue to partner with top resorts around the world, with special attention played to how these collaborations photograph and appear on social.
100 of the Greatest Posters of Celebrities Urging You to Read (Literary Hub) I had forgotten about these!!! but for nearly 40 years, the American Library Association has been putting out “Read” posters featuring celebrities and books. this roundup compiled some of the most noteworthy celeb features over the course of the decades of this campaign, all of which are a nod to how far we’ve come in the world of graphic design :)
Teen Girls Are Spending Big. She Tells Them What to Buy. Demetra Dias is your typical American 17-year-old. Brands are betting their futures on her. (WSJ Magazine) I’ve written quite frequently in the sunday series about my fascination with teenagers and their relationship with the internet, and this article is no different. Gen Z? noooo, no. brands are now targeting Gen Alpha.
Amazon MGM Wins Auction For Hot Book ‘Yesteryear’: Anne Hathaway Attached To Star & Produce Adaptation Of Caro Claire Burke Novel (Deadline) I’ve been stoked for this book since Caro posted it out her deal in June (Jenny Jackson is her editor!) but seeing the book scooped up for an adaptation with Anne Hathaway as the star and producer is extra exciting. if you’re on Ballerina Farm-Tok, you already know what this is about, but if not, Google “trad wife.”
🇺🇸 THE OLYMPICS OF IT ALL 🏅
I’ve been loooooving all of the Olympics content on my FYP (For You Page, aka your ‘Explore’ page for those who don’t speak TikTok!) lately. I’ve unexpectedly been wishing that I was in Paris for the Games…I mean look, I always wish I could be in Paris, but it’s more that I didn’t expect for people’s coverage to make me want to be dressed in head to toe Ralph Lauren with tickets to the actual events. obvi gymnastics, but also swimming! handball? dressage!! thank god we have Martha and Snoop there to cover it all for us. anyway, here are some of my fave videos I saw come through my FYP on all things Olympics this week.
Suni Lee and Simone planning out their TTs immediately upon winning gold
Ilona Maher confirms her sister invented ‘Girl Dinner’ and she’s her manager
meet Carly Hill
I’ve loved following Carly for quite some time now, so it was super fun to connect with her to kick off my month-long summer school series where I’ll be introducting you to inspiring women across the creative, finance, design and fashion space. in our Q&A, Carly shares a bit about her advice for making it in New York, how she launched her business Carly A. Hill Communications, and what it looks like to be an entrepreneur in the influencer space.
Kayla Douglas: Carly, before we wind back through your career path, tell us a bit about what you do today through your work at Carly A. Hill Communications.
Carly Hill: I started my company about four and half years ago after getting laid off from my longtime job during the first week of Covid. What started as a small idea has now led to my dream job in influencer management. I have 14 incredible women on my roster now, and I handle all of their partnerships. From pitching, contract reviews, invoicing, and negotiating on their behalf to brands/agencies, I'm there to help handle all of the backend steps of their partnerships so they can focus on creating the content.
KD: What inspired you to move to New York, and do you have any advice for those who are dreaming of "making it" in the city?
CH: I'm from a small town in Northern Michigan, and my dream as long as I can remember has been to move to NYC. I've loved fashion, Broadway, and travel since I was little, and I just always felt New York where I was meant to be. I think my biggest advice is it's never too late to move here if it's a dream you have. While I am about to celebrate 10 years this fall, I have lots of friends who moved here in the last few years and are so happy they did. It takes a lot of strength, patience, and grit to live here, but it's so worth it!
KD: Tell us about some of your initial jobs that helped shape where you knew you wanted to wind up professionally.
CH: I grew up with parents who both owned their own businesses, so I always strived to do the same one day. In college, I got involved in a range of different internships and positions so I could have as many experiences as possible. I was social chair of my sorority, a fashion editor at our college fashion magazine, worked retail at my mom’s clothing store, and then interned as a wedding planner assistant, a blog writer, and then in fashion PR at Oscar de la Renta. Everything was rooted in fashion and the advertising/event world, but all gave me different experiences and perspectives, which helped me decide what I really wanted to do for work.
After a summer of working at home and saving money, I moved to NYC in the fall after graduating college with a lot of interviews lined up and, luckily, got a job as a fashion assistant for a brand. Three months in, the company went bankrupt, which led me to lose my job and find a new job at a PR firm I had dreamed of working at. I worked there for five years, helping build and run the influencer team, which helped lead me to my own career. I also started my blog one year into living in NYC, which still is a creative outlet I feel so grateful to have.
KD: You launched your own business amidst so much uncertainty at the beginning of the pandemic. What had you done leading up to 2020 to build up your network, which, in turn, allowed you to reach out to your contacts and make them your first clients?
CH: Along with my PR job of building influencer connections there, having my own blog also led to more personal relationships in the influencer space. I've always said I'm an inside spy as I do both sides of the influencer world so I felt lucky to work with so many incredible partners but also have many of them as friends. When I decided I was going to start my own business, I emailed every contact I had and asked about ways I could help their businesses. Many came back needing management help, and I jumped at the chance to try. Now, almost five years later, I feel so grateful that is where my path led!
KD: How have you approached growing and scaling your business to best align with your vision for your life as an entrepreneur?
CH: After about my first year of work and getting a routine more in place, I was able to really decide what type of clients I want/needed to work with to hit my business goals. But also, a very important factor for me is also the type of person I am working with. I have always said I will only work with those who are kind and honest people and I feel very lucky to have those types of women on my roster.
As a small business, it's important to be surrounded by people who uplift you, and I'm always doing that for my clients as well, and I feel grateful they do the same! In other areas, I know the best money I can spend is on an accountant as that is not my strong suit, and it's the most important part of my business to stay on track and achieve my goals. I want to keep my business small but still growing financially, and I feel very lucky to have found my groove!
KD: Speaking of, what does an average "day in the life" look like?
CH: Every day is different, but the majority of my day is spent on my laptop emailing my clients with offers, partnership details, etc., and then pitching, negotiating, and handling all the back-and-forth aspects of a partnership. Some days, I focus most of the day on pitching and finding new contacts, and some days are more admin, which includes sending invoices, updating analytics, and content calendars.
One of the best parts of my job is that I have flexibility with my hours, so while I'm always available all day to my clients, I do like working at night sometimes more and scheduling emails for the AM as I've always been a productive night owl. I spend a few hours a week working on my own blog/social channels. I now have an assistant who helps me there with SEO and graphics, which has been such a godsend this year in saving me so much time. A non-negotiable for me each day personally is a workout class or extra long walk where I put my phone down for an hour. As someone who is constantly on her phone for work, having that time off is so key for me.
KD: What's the best part of working for yourself?
CH: Definitely the flexibility of where and when I work. I work the same (or more) amount of hours as everyone but it's done on my daily timeline. I also feel really grateful to travel a lot for my blog/personally but it doesn't stop me from running my business. Being able to work wherever I am is such a gift and not having to worry about PTO and other elements of having a boss.
KD: On the flip side, what are some of the things (that Instagram may not see) about running your own company that you'd advise people they need to be ready for before going out on their own?
CH: While being your own boss is incredible, being a one-woman show is a lot. I play all roles in my business, from admin to HR to boss. It's just me running my business and supporting my lifestyle, so it's up to me to keep my business growing and thriving. There are lots of behind-the-scenes costs and elements, like paying and finding health insurance (which is SO beyond expensive for small business owners), to accounting and taxes to website fees, etc. It can be really overwhelming sometimes but I feel lucky to have friends also in the same boat who I can go to for advice and commiserate. I also never have a day off, so while I can take my business on the go, it is hard mentally not being able to truly ever turn off.
KD: Beyond work, what inspires you?
CH: New York and traveling are still my biggest inspirations. There's nothing quite like discovering new places in my neighborhood and beyond that really get me excited! I'm heading to Greece for the first time in September and CANNOT wait!
KD: What's next? What are you looking forward to as we approach 2025?
CH: I'll be celebrating five years of my business in March and 10 years in NYC this fall, and just truly feel so grateful to be where I am! I'm excited to see what next year brings with these big milestones!