She Modeled the Numbers.Then She Hit Them.

Q: You grew up in Philadelphia and studied communications. What actually got you into the industry?

Internships — not classes. I'll be honest about that. My school was in New York and we were encouraged to go find opportunities ourselves, so I sent cold emails to people whose work I admired because I wanted to learn from them. That hands-on experience was everything.

I was always drawn to tastemakers. Oprah, people who could take a message or a product and move it to a massive audience. At one point I wanted to be a red carpet interviewer like Giuliana Rancic. I'll save that for the next career.

Q: You went from Diane von Furstenberg to Tory Burch to Kate Spade. What did those rooms teach you?

How much energy and storytelling go into great branding — and how to do things to a high standard. I'd read The Woman I Wanted to Be before I ever worked at DVF, so walking in felt like stepping inside a world I'd only read about. Creative, fast, a little magic.

But by the end I was leading influencer partnerships, which meant I was on the other side of the table from a lot of agencies. That's where the idea started.

Emma & Izzi at Creators Loft 2023

Q: Was there a single moment?

No. It built up over a few months. I kept looking at the people ten years ahead of me and noticing they weren't excited about the work anymore. That'll make you reflect.

At the same time I was watching agents operate. So many of them were transactional — focused on hitting a monthly quota, not on the talent or the brand. I kept thinking, I could do this better, because I actually care what the best version of a deal looks like. It was scary. But my bigger fear was regret.

Q: People must have told you not to.

They were skeptical about walking away from a steady income, and I understood why. So I de-risked what I could. I served my notice properly, set up the LLC, got an accountant and a lawyer. My kind of business doesn't require much capital to start, so the math was: I might not make much right away, but I won't be burning cash while I figure it out.

Q: What problem were you solving?

Unhappy creators. Talented people getting taken advantage of — signing contracts they didn't understand, getting promised things that never materialized. I wanted a place where being genuinely pleasant to work with and being on your talent's side was the standard, not the exception.

I also knew I had a knack for spotting talent early, before they'd made it. Being someone's first believer and watching them rise — that's the whole business. It's why it's called The Rise Group.

Q: And the first move?

I told people I was doing it. Saying it out loud made it real. Once it's in the world you start owning it, and that's where the momentum comes from.

Q: Walk me through the first ninety days.

Three things, in order.

Discovery. I talked to creators about what they wanted and what they felt was missing from their current representation. That conversation defined how I talked about my agency, my differentiators, and who my ideal client actually was. I didn't invent it on a whiteboard — I had actual creators hand it to me.

The financial roadmap. This is the one I tell everyone about. I found an MBA student through The Club and we mapped how many clients I'd need, average deal size, and the number of projects required to match and then beat my old salary. For the first time I had a real target instead of a feeling. We also built out my P&L and revenue charts, so I could see early what was working and what wasn't. That's what let me grow deliberately instead of chaotically — which is where most people seem to burn out.

Network. I contacted everyone. Past colleagues, collaborators, friends of friends. Putting feelers out is unglamorous and it's what produced my first clients. The roadmap was my compass and my motivation to keep reaching out. Looking back I can't believe I hit the numbers we modeled almost exactly.

Q: What did you decide your differentiators were?

Inclusivity, being easy to work with, and building talent careers on and off camera. I wanted The Rise Group to feel like a true partner rather than a middle layer. We invest in relationships, not campaigns, and we think long-term about where each creator actually wants to end up.

Q: How did you work out what to hand off?

Honest reflection. I looked at what energized me and what consistently produced results — lean in there. Then I looked at what drained me or where I wasn't confident. For me that was finance and accounting. I always say to get help early and often.

Q: A lot of founders identify the gap and then sit in it for a year.

It's a shame how many people get stuck and don't act. I found someone who built my roadmap with me, and it changed how I made every decision after that. When everything about a new venture feels unknown, having one thing that's actually modeled gives you somewhere to point. Double down on what you're great at. Don't hesitate on the rest.

Q: A project that mattered.

Bri Scalesse and Anthropologie, on Adaptive Fashion for Everyone. A true 360 partnership — the brand built the line around Bri's real experience as someone with a disability. She worked directly with their leadership to give guidance and feedback, shot the campaign at their HQ, and carried the story across social. Watching her shine in that was a reminder of why I started this.

Anthropologie Adaptive Fashion Campaign

More recently we worked with Meta on the launch of their AI glasses. That one blended storytelling, tech, and lifestyle in a way that was new for us, and it showed how creators can bridge tech and fashion.

Q: How is AI actually changing agency work?

It's taking the repetitive work off our plates, which means more time on strategy, storytelling, and the creative decisions that actually connect. But it's also raising the bar. When everyone has the same tools, originality and authenticity become the only real differentiators.

The agencies that thrive won't be the ones using the most AI. They'll be the ones using it thoughtfully — to amplify human insight, not replace it.

Q: Advice for founders navigating it?

Experiment, but don't outsource your voice. Use AI to move faster, not to decide who you are. The brands that stand out will blend efficiency with empathy, because that's what audiences respond to.

Q: For someone about to start an agency or a consultancy?

Don't overthink it — start. Everything is iterative. A perfect feed or website is not a prerequisite for a business, and waiting for one is just a socially acceptable way to stall.

Listen to your clients and let them shape your value proposition. And know your gaps. You won't be great at everything, but you can find people who are. Don't wait for perfect. Start, learn, keep going.

Q: And for The Rise Group?

Investing deeper in the talent we have and helping creators build careers that last. I love finding rising stars, and I want to be more present as a voice in this industry. I'm speaking at St. John's soon, telling students to take their own risks — which is a strange and good full circle.