Meet Sola, CultureHype’s new Content & Marketing Intern. Sola is a third-year at the University of Texas at Austin studying Public Relations & Journalism & minoring in Sports Media.

Sola is an avid sports fanatic & lifestyle enthusiast. While she isn’t taking in the sights & sounds of the live music capital of the world, you can find her trying new restaurants, indulging in trivia, playing Guitar Hero & watching movies. Although she doesn’t consider herself a good singer, Sola loves karaoke and credits much of her music tastes to growing with up her parents and their vivid tastes.

Sola believes there is never an inappropriate time to enjoy the melodies & blasts music in all settings of her life.

Check out her playlist below!

“These are songs that are never skipped. This playlist, like me, is a mixed bag. My ikigai is to fully embrace & appreciate the world around me which means trying everything at least once. I like to think that my music taste covers a wide range of genres & reflects my affinity for exploring new experiences. ”

— Sola

culture_hype · Playlist · 17 songs · 0 likes

“I love anything with a fun beat and upbeat vibe! You won’t be able to sit still listening to this playlist!”

— Sophie

Welcome back to Mixtape Monday! Meet Sophie, one of CultureHype’s Public Relations interns. Sophie is a senior at Texas Christian University and is studying Strategic Communications (Public Relations and Advertising) and minoring in Business. Being originally from the rainy Pacific Northwest, you can usually find Sophie enjoying the Texas sun whenever she can.

Sophie is an avid music festival attendee (pre-COVID, that is) and loves all different genres of music, depending on her mood. She often finds herself lost in the depths of Spotify looking for new music!

Check out her playlist below!

culture_hype · Playlist · 23 songs · 0 likes

Happy Monday to all! This weeks Mixtape Monday is brought to you by our other content intern, Veronica. She is a Houston native & senior at UNT working on her degree in Fashion Merchandising. Her passions include holistic self-care, online shopping and is an avid concert goer. Obsessed with pop culture and lifestyles, Veronica found the immediate interest in CultureHype!

Growing up Veronica was surrounded by a wide range of musics & sounds from 70s funk to 90s hip hop to Texas country. Along with constantly browsing YouTube for new artists she has developed the taste for all sorts of genres.

Jam out with Veronica down below!  

“For me good music is good music. I don’t label my taste as anything specific, it’s a continuous spectrum that is always evolving. This perfectly explains this playlist, it’s filled with some of my all time favorite tunes.”

— Veronica

Welcome to Mixtape Monday! Meet Perla, CultureHype’s new Content-Creation intern! Perla recently graduated from the University of North Texas majoring in Political Science & Spanish. 

Perla’s mixtape has new songs and her summer classics, really just anything to make it through the Texas heat. 

Perla loves going to concerts & festivals, if there’s good music she’ll be there. Her music taste ranges from pop to indie to neo-psych, basically whatever she’s in the mood for that day! In her free time you can find her making digital illustrations, reading someone’s birth chart, or obsessing over skincare. 

Listen to Perla’s mixtape down below!!  

“I have tendency to gravitate towards very melancholic lyrics and sounds, so I always throw in an upbeat pop song to balance out my mood!”

— Perla

Check out some of her illustrations down below!

Hi friends,

 Welcome to the next phase of CultureHype + the brand new CultureHype website!

 Things look pretty different around here, don’t they? This has been an ongoing project of mine for over a year (yes, over a year!) In Entrepreneurship Land, setbacks happen &, in our world, our clients come first. I wanted to take a moment to share with you what we’ve been up to, what I’m most excited about & brag about our awesome team. If you haven’t seen me out much, now you know why. I could not be more excited about the crazy thing I’ve built called CultureHype.

 So what is CultureHype?

 Some of you might not know my story, how I got here & ended up as an entrepreneur. I’ll give you the Cliff’s Notes version. I fell in love with music, art, fashion & culture at a young age. After studying Marketing & Business in college, I chose internships in the entertainment industry because I couldn’t see myself doing anything else. I loved it, regardless of its crazy hours & high expectations.

What I wasn’t expecting to happen was becoming an entrepreneur. I leapt off the cliff & frankly never looked back. When my internship supervisor-turned-friend suggested that we should start a business together, I went for it.  I figured I might as well try, but I was terrified. Nearly seven years later, the new era of CultureHype is something more amazing than I ever imagined it would be! We’ve expanded our services, planned some epic campaigns & brought on huge clients like WFAA 8 & W Dallas - Victory. The heart of the organization has always been supporting & shining a spotlight on creatives but it’s evolved into so much more. Now, our creatives & corporate clients collab with each other, & (possibly my favorite part) we are a safe haven for creatives who want to express themselves as a part of what I call #TeamHype.

Building a tribe: #TeamHype

Over the last few years, I took a long hard look at myself. I realized I was still playing small. I was no longer 24 & I needed to stop being afraid of going after the bigger projects that I wanted. I put my big girl pants on & started to go after what scared me. I had to let go a bit, bring more people onto my team & delegate to grow. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but since January, CultureHype has grown by 75% as a business! My team has grown rapidly too. My tribe is my family. Whether I’m their first-ever “work mom”  as an intern or I’ve brought on someone who was unhappy in their former career & found a place to expand their creative wings with us, I love them all. Building a tribe that 100% believes in my vision is the most important thing I’ve ever done. Learning how to delegate & bringing on people that I trust who understand the big picture has been tough, but an integral part of our growth. 

Can someone say girl power?

In Dallas, I’m thankful to be surrounded by many women in the industry who support one another. The life of an entrepreneur is not easy, but having a group that you know you can count on is key. This growing list of women is also a part of my tribe. I love meeting new female entrepreneurs or aspiring industry professionals & introducing them to the rest of my tribe. It brings me life. Ladies, there’s enough to go around - help each other & have fun doing it! Coming to the table with a collaborative mindset is one of the things I credit to our growth & my company’s success.

What’s next?

When I think about the next phase of CultureHype, I feel confident & excited. This started as a creative space for artists & musicians, & it is certainly still that. You’ll notice we’ve been chasing after some new & bigger clients, because I believe that synergy between the corporate & creative worlds is incredibly important. Nothing brings me more joy than presenting a series like Living Room Live with W Dallas - Victory & using it to expose people to local music. Bonus: helping artists make money in the process! 

Some of you know us as a PR force behind your fav local creatives & small businesses, but the truth is we’re so much more now. My marketing background, tribe & creative rolodex has enabled us to take it to the next level. If you check out our services, we now offer everything from Project Management to Influencer Marketing, Event Planning & Programming! 

PR & marketing is a behind the scenes job & we live in a deadline-oriented/what’s next world. I often forget to celebrate myself & celebrate this crazy thing we’ve built. Our new website does just that: it celebrates creatives like us! Thank you to everyone who has joined me on this journey so far, my co-collaborators, clients, & team. I can’t wait to show you what we’re up to next. We love each and every one of you. 

xo

Amber

MOD + JO

Established in 2016 by 29 year-old Jordan Flynn, the brand was created out of frustration with the lack of quality & unique pieces that wouldn’t break the bank. Inspired by different elements in architecture & Jordan’s travels, the jewelry line carries everyday pieces that are classic with a modern twist, perfect for layering & creating your own look. Mod + Jo’s aim is to handcraft durable & fashionable pieces that maintain a guilt-free price point, with prices ranging from $28 to $132. The line is available online at modandjo.com and is carried in over 100 stores nationwide.

The jewelry brand recently soft opened their very studio/shop in the Bishop Arts District in Dallas (421 N Tyler St.) just a few weeks ago! We paid them a visit to see their new (very Instagrammable) space & to try on their new fall collection before the grand opening. As you can see from these pics, the store’s decor is very modern yet earthy, which creates a relaxing, calm atmosphere perfect for a day of shopping in one of Dallas’ cutest neighborhoods. The store has a very cute rosé cart but also offers other complementary drinks such as water, coffee & sodas while you shop, making it a better experience. So, grab a couple of friends, make a trip to Bishop Arts & stop by Mod + Jo to make your jewelry dreams come true! 

About The Jewelry

Mod + Jo specializes in gold-filled & gold-plated jewelry but you can also find solid gold pieces. Who doesn’t love jewelry you can wear everyday? The brand mostly focuses in dainty necklaces, earrings & rings which are perfect for stacking but you can also find statement pieces in their collections. Nowadays, we’re living in a time where we love giving (& receiving, let's be honest) gifts that are personalized & thoughtful. So, if you’re looking for a gift this upcoming season for yourself or a loved one, Mod + Joe is definitely the way to go!

Grand Opening

Join us for Mod + Jo’s grand opening event on Saturday, Nov. 16 from 11 a.m to 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 17 from 12 to 4 p.m. We’ll be mixing & mingling with local ladies & working on getting yet another piercing to up our ear game, specially curated by piercing artists Afton Alexandra (@aftonalexandra) & Lucy Machel (@lucy.machel) of Heart in Hand. The first ten guests to visit the grand opening on Saturday morning will also receive a special gift!

Sip, shop & say hello to Jordan and the rest of the Mod + Jo team. It’s truly a great brand with great people behind the scenes. You can find them on Instagram @modandjo to see their collection &  gorgeous space. We hope you will soon love Mod + Jo just as much as we do!

Styling Mod + Jo

Here, our Account Executive Frida is wearing the Whitney Pendant Necklace, the Old English Initial Necklace, & the Coco Gold Vintage Earrings. These necklaces can be layered up for a more dynamic look or wear alone & have them as a statement piece. Either way, you can't go wrong.

Here, our PR Assistant/Influencer Marketing Lead Marisa is wearing the Kyle Necklace, the Mila Drop Earrings (Large), styled with the Izzy Huggies. Marisa went with just one necklace since she fell in love with not one, but two pairs of earrings. She felt this gave her more of a balance & was a good look especially when wearing your hair up!

---

Images courtesy of Marisa Peterson & Frida Cossio.

Find them at @allegedlyfrida & @marisaepeterson

Happy #MUSICMONDAY everyone! Meet Marisa, CultureHype’s new PR Assistant! Marisa is a senior studying Advertising, Sociology & Fashion Merchandising at the University of North Texas in Denton. 

Marisa’s music taste depends on her mood; however, she doesn’t discriminate against any genre. Marisa’s #MUSICMONDAY playlist will give you an insight into the current songs she keeps on repeat. 

Marisa enjoys traveling to any beach (beaches > mountains any day!) music festivals & staying up to date with fashion trends, as she is also a stylist at Free People. Her guilty pleasures are binge-watching Friends on Netflix for the 10th time, or perfecting her açaí bowl recipe. When she’s not working you can find her at West Oak coffee shop in Denton drinking a vanilla latte or getting a quick workout in at the UNT rec. 

Listen to Marisa’s #MUSICMONDAY playlist below!  

“I love songs with lyrics I can relate to or music that makes me roll all my windows down and vibe!”

— Marisa

“This playlist just reminds me of moments in my life. I listen to these songs to bring me joy or to help me through tough moments. Music has always been an integral part of my life & I couldn’t fathom living one day without it. In this playlist you can find really happy songs that make you want to dance & sad songs that make you reflect about love, life, & that might make you cry. You can clearly see my love for indie rock & reggaeton in my choice of songs. I hope you enjoy the soundtrack to my life!”

— Frida

Happy #MusicMonday everyone! Meet Frida, CultureHype’s new PR account executive. Frida graduated from UT in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations & has experience in the music, fashion, & lifestyle industries. Frida is from Fort Worth but she spent most of her childhood living in her parents’ hometown of Zacatecas, Mexico. As a result of splitting her time between Texas & Mexico, she speaks fluent Spanish & is very proud of her Mexican culture. Whenever she has time, she goes back to Mexico to visit family & her best friends. She cites Zacatecas, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico City, & Tulum as her favorite places in Mexico & encourages everyone to visit. Frida also has traveled to Europe, she says that her favorite city is Amsterdam because of the lifestyle & the stroopwafels! Frida loves music & dancing & her favorite genres are indie rock & reggaeton. Two very different styles of music but she says these two genres describe her perfectly as a person. Whenever she goes out you can find her in the dance floor with a good Gin & Tonic or at a rock concert in the pit!

Happy #HumpDay! We're launching a new series highlighting local creatives from our fam who give us a serious dose of career inspo. As an intern for CultureHype in 2015, 23-year-old Justin Chavez went on to make some major moves after graduating from the University of North Texas. Now an on-air personality for the Kidd Kraddick Morning Show, Justin works for a nationally syndicated radio show on 106.1 KISS FM airing 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. From interviewing celebrities, attending lavish events, & traveling as perks of the job, he really is living his BEST life.

How has working at CultureHype helped you in your career so far?

"CultureHype gave me the experience I needed to understand how the media works. Public Relations is all about communication & relationships. Amber created an environment where you are meeting new people and networking. It was my first PR internship & made my resume stand out because of the skills I obtained through the CultureHype experience. Creating media lists & setting up events caught my employer’s interest!"

How was the transition from college into the workforce?

"I graduated with a full-time job! It was smooth as a butter. I knew from the start going into the workforce that employers are looking for experience NOT a GPA. I sought out as many internships as possible to build my experience. I had three PR internships & two jobs tailored to PR. For my last internship, I was a social media intern for the Kidd Kraddick Morning Show, tweeting out to 96 thousand people. Interning for the show turned into a part-time job and finally into a full-time salary!"

What is your day-to-day life now working at Kidd Kraddick Morning Show?  

"Day-to-day I am constantly thinking of ideas & content for the show. If I’m not planning a segment I’m thinking of something for the next one. It’s a lot of conversation, social media scrolling & people watching for this kind of job."

What are some cool events you attend now because of the Kidd Kraddick Morning Show?

"I’ve been to ACL, Jingle Ball, resorts in different countries, etc. The coolest experience of them all was Kanye’s concert when he was on his Saint Pablo Tour in Dallas. Also, our boss took us to Las Vegas for the weekend to celebrate new staff contracts & we stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel, saw Rihanna perform & I won $250 in Scrapps."

What are some of the weirdest interviews that you have done for the Kidd Kraddick Morning Show?

"My first celebrity interview was V Awk. It was Demi Lovato & I fanned girled all over the place. I touched her arm like thirteen thousand times, squealed & brought up old stuff she was trying to move past like her Disney Channel show, 'Sonny With A Chance.' All she did was smile & gave me fake compliments. It was the coolest & most stressful time of my life."

What do you love the most about working at Kidd Kraddick Morning Show?

"The thing I love most about working at the Kidd Kraddick Morning Show is working with the team. Everyone knows the cast: Kellie, Big Al, J-Si, & Jenna. They are just as lovable in person as they are on air. The support staff & my producers, Robert & Nick, are so supportive & encouraging. They are constantly giving me ideas & helping me up when I take a radio tumble. We’re a small team but we are a very close team. The love is there. I honestly could not ask for a better group."

What are some tips you can give readers to enter the job of their dreams?

"Britney Spears said it best 'You want a hot body? You want a Bugatti? You want a Maserati? You better work bitch.' Don’t wait until you graduate to find a job. Start looking now. Start gaining experience. Start building your resume. Get more than one internship under your belt that way you stand out from all the other candidates. If you show that you are capable of taking on the tasks of a job you are applying for you are more likely to picked over someone who doesn’t have any. Feed your resume! Get to work bitch."

As part of our #TeamHype Spotlight series, we introduce the incomparable Sarah Badran. From CultureHype intern to founder of Creative Currency, Sarah has truly hustled her way to the top & created a name for herself throughout the Dallas scene. Sarah Badran is the true epitome of a go-getter & a great story to boot!

We interviewed Sarah & got to touch base on what the creative mastermind is up to, how CultureHype helped hone her talent, obstacles she overcame & how she engraves self-care into her hectic routine.

What skills did you acquire or build upon while working at CultureHype?

"Amber is the ultimate girl boss & she instilled a lot of knowledge & confidence in me. She allowed me to learn by asking an infinite amount of questions & getting to see the world of PR first-hand. She taught me how to be relentless in going after what you want & how not to get discouraged by this business. A degree can give you a fundamental knowledge of what you need to know but experience is everything. She always encouraged me to get creative & empowered my ideas; it truly gave me the confidence to branch out on my own & create my own company."

What was your greatest hardship as you transitioned from college to a post-grad lifestyle? How did you overcome it?

"Figuring out how to channel my talents & skills was probably the toughest part. I had so much ambition & passion that I felt I could do anything but it was tough to focus on one thing & project & start to build from there. Also letting go of the stigma that I needed to get a job right out of college or I was a failure. I interned with CultureHype my last semester of college and I continued to learn & build with the company after graduating. I always find joy in forever being a student of life."

As a founder of Creative Currency, has this new journey changed your perspective of the world of public relations at all?

"It was hard & scary to branch out at first. My strength had always been in events & that’s what I chose to focus on. I also wanted to work with an underrepresented sector of the music industry & try to be as innovative as possible with how to brand an artist. It has definitely made me realize that you have to wear many hats & that the industry is constantly evolving. You need to stay on your toes & not get stuck or complacent in how you view PR strategy."

What has been your most rewarding moment in life, thus far?

"One of my most memorable events is getting to work with the local hip-hop community to plan a red carpet event at The Bomb Factory to honor it. Getting to learn how rich Dallas's history is & being in the forefront of getting to showcase it was such a dope experience. I got to work with Erykah Badu, The DOC & even Micheal Finley from the Dallas Mavericks. I think the most rewarding aspect is getting to see an idea come to life & become successful. I love getting to inspire & help people through it all."

What are three things you’d like to improve on this year?

"Improvement is always key. I always take every downfall as an opportunity to learn & grow. The main thing I seek to improve on is balance. I tend to take a lot on & sometimes I may disregard my personal relationships or taking time to work on myself in the midst of it. I'd also like to get a better understanding of the direction I'd like to take my company in & not fear that change. I also hope to empower women & mentor as many as possible."

Public relations tends to take a lot of energy out of one. Do you implement any self-care practices into your weekly routine, if so what are they?

"When I take the time to take care of myself it usually is in the form of massages or getting my hair or nails done. It's still important to take care of yourself & continue to be confident inside & out. I also love to go to concerts. It helps reaffirm why I love this business so much and helps to keep my creative juices flowing! I also love to travel, eat good food & experience as much culture as possible.

If you had the opportunity, what would you tell the 18-year-old Sarah Badran from the past?

"I would tell her to start early if you can to get as much experience as possible. To not be so hard on herself & to learn to enjoy the journey. Trust in the process & her ability to do anything she puts her mind to. Never doubt yourself & learn to appreciate all the special moments that life throws at you."

What are a couple of your favorite tracks, currently?

"Everything Cardi B, she is my spirit animal."

Current On Repeat: 

"Kings Dead" Kendrick Lamar
"The Weekend" SZA
"Say Something" Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton
"Stir Fry" Migos
"Icon" Jaden Smith
"The Middle" Zedd and Maren Morris
"Mine" Bazzi
"All Night" Steve Aoki