Introducing the First Wave of Speakers for #SMWLA 2021
We’re excited to introduce the first round of leaders who will bring our 2021 theme, “Reinvention,” to life at the 12th edition of #SMWLA taking place June 29 – July 1.
Featuring insights from REVOLVE, PepsiCo, Google, Hulu, Wieden + Kennedy, and creators including Hannah Bronfman and Luvvie Ajayi Jones, gain actionable insights into the business of influencer marketing under the umbrella of our annual theme.
Register today so you don’t miss out any agenda updates in the coming weeks and save 40 percent on your pass when you register before Friday, April 16th.
Creators
Hannah Brongman
Author, Founder of HBFIT, Activist & DJ
Hannah Bronfman is the Founder of HBFIT, a unique destination for all things Health, Beauty + Fitness, a DJ, author of the book “Do What Feels Good,” and entrepreneur. On social media, she inspires her followers to embody a life of health and wellness by sharing her workout regimens and favorite homemade recipes. She is a vocal advocate for social and racial justice. Beginning in June 2020, Hannah began posting “History with Hannah” videos to her IGTV where she tackled voting rights, civil rights history, and the contributions that Black artists and chefs have made to American culture.
Luvvie Ajayi Jones
New York Times Best-selling Author and Podcaster, “Professional Troublemaker”
Luvvie Ajayi Jones is an award-winning author, speaker and podcast host. Her books include New York Times bestsellers I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual and Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual. Her podcasts “Professional Troublemaker” and “Jesus and Jollof,” tackle culture with both humor and criticism with an underlying aim of making people laugh, think, face their fears and use their voice for the greater good. Luvvie is also the co-founder of the #SharetheMicNow global movement.
Building brands
Raissa Gerona
Chief Brand Officer, REVOLVE
Raissa Gerona is the Chief Brand Officer of REVOLVE and Co-Founder of Alliance Apparel, which REVOLVE acquired in 2014. In her role, she leads the brand’s strategy at the forefront of marketing to connect with the next-generation consumer through social media and experiential events. In support of this, Raissa oversees brand marketing for more than 20 REVOLVE-owned brands in addition to the company’s owned brand collaborations. These involve global lifestyle influencers such as Chrissy Teigen, Nicole Richie, Aimee Song, and Camila Coelho.
Ben Trinh
Global Head of Entertainment and Cultural Marketing, Uber
Ben Trinh is the Global Head of Entertainment and Cultural Marketing at Uber. Previously, he served as the entertainment and influencer marketing arm of Postmates, leading successful campaigns which featured John Legend, Chance the Rapper and Billie Eilish. Prior to Postmates, Ben spent several years at Lyft as a city launcher and then Head of Influencer Marketing. Earlier in his career, he led his own agency, Bredfor, which also focused on influencer marketing and served as a foundation for his current role. In his spare time, Ben is also an investor and advisor as well as the host of the celebrity featured podcast, “First and Featured.”
Gabe Alonso
Head of Digital Platforms and Community – Energy Drinks, PepsiCo
Gabe Alonso is a seasoned digital strategist, with experience across multiple marketing disciplines spanning digital products, social media, and CRM. In his current role, he spearheads digital Platforms and community for the Energy Drink portfolio at PepsiCo. Previously, he served as industry-defining brands like Activision and Nike, where he drove best-in-class digital storytelling across platforms with an obsessive focus on the consumer. These roles included Global Director, CRM Strategy and 1:1 Marketing and Global Director, Member Programs. In his free time, you can catch Gabe hitting milestones on his Peloton.
John “JP” Petty, III
Head of Social, Wieden + Kennedy New York
John Petty, III — “JP” — leads engagement strategy development for the likes of McDonald’s, Bud Light, Ford, Heinz, and Delta at Wieden + Kennedy New York. Prior to his current role, he spent five and half years at advertising agency, Translation. In November of 2017, he was instrumental in launching artist services company, UnitedMasters. He is a hip-hop and sports fanatic well-versed in project management and data analysis, a mix that allows him to combine a connection to culture with a methodical, data-driven approach.
James Andrews
Founder, Authenticated Ventures
James Andrews is the founder of Authenticated Ventures, a venture advisory home to over 300 community members made up of influential creative entrepreneurs, brand builders, investors and innovators in culture. Prior to his current role, James founded Social People, a strategic digital agency that was acquired in 2013 and worked with clients including Nike, Beats By Dre, The Grammy Awards, CNN, Equinox and Lexus on global social media initiative. Before launching Social People, Andrews was VP, Ketchum PR and built their global social media practice area for clients including Monster.com, FedEx, GeekSquad, Nokia, and Wendy’s.
Reid Hailey
CEO and Co-Founder, Doing Things Media
Reid Hailey is the CEO and Co-Founder of Doing Things Media, a digital content, entertainment, and e-commerce company. Under Reid’s leadership, Doing Things owns and operates over 25 of the most culturally relevant brands on social media including ShitheadSteve, RadDad, AnimalsDoingThings, MiddleClassFancy, DoggosDoingThings, GamersDoingThings, and DrunkPeopleDoingThings. Since 2017, the company has doubled in size every year, organically garnering an audience of more than 60M followers across social platforms that consume more than 1B videos monthly.
Platform leaders
Tatiana Holifield
Head of Social, Hulu
Tatiana Holifield is a seasoned marketing executive with 15 years of experience in media, sports, and entertainment, As Head of Brand Social for Hulu, she leads the streaming giant’s social media marketing strategy to drive earned media and brand awareness. Her unique ability to lead high-performing teams, reach Millennial & Gen Z audiences, and elevate legacy brands through digital innovation has named her one of the industry’s top change agents. Prior to her current role, Holifield was the Vice President/Head of Digital Strategy for Pacers Sports & Entertainment where she one of the Pacers’ highest-ranking women in leadership.
Tobias Rauscher
Global Influencer Marketing Lead, Google
Tobias Rauscher is the founding member of Google’s social media team, the Social Lab, and Influencer Marketing Lead where he oversees more than 80 collaborations with social media influencers and YouTube creators to meet marketing objectives. Prior to this role, he served as Social Media Marketing Lead where he drove Google’s global social team, creative excellence, and innovation partnerships across over 100 teams including Google Assistant, Google Maps, and Pixel. In addition to starting #teampixel he built the first social network at the age of 14.