Issue #7: Jennifer Paccione Angulo
"So often, I think we close chapters of our life for new ones, but often lose sight of how those chapters set up a foundation so to speak for the sequential ones."
Hello! Happy holidays + happy new year + happy every other life event that has happened since I last hit publish on this newsletter.
I will acknowledge that it’s been a minute. 257,326 of them (thank you Google Calculator). But hey, it’s 2022, and in true January fashion I am proactively attempting to climb BACK on top of things (attempting being the key word there) - including publishing upcoming issues of Hype Women that have been sitting in my drafts.
I promise my excuse is a valid one - I got a new job! Here’s the quick summary you never asked for: I’ve gone from advertising agencies to in-house at a tech company. It’s exciting, challenging, and has (unsurprisingly) taken up a lot of my time. But I love it. Throw in a trip home to Australia, getting COVID (again), and generally letting procrastination get the best of me - and we arrive at this much overdue Issue #7.
After a long absence I’m not going to waste your time with the usual recommendations, ramblings and other musings. But I will shout out one thing in the spirit of being a Hype Woman. My sister launched an incredible platform called Missing Perspectives. It’s a global newsroom with a goal of challenging the underrepresentation of young women in news worldwide. Check it out, and sign up for their newsletter. You won’t regret it. #notsponsored #justafangirl.
It’s now time to dive into my interview with one of the coolest, most creative (and chic) women out there: Jennifer Paccione Angulo!
A chat with Jennifer Paccione Angulo
Jennifer Paccione Angulo is a multi-faceted creative born and raised in New York. Before joining Ceremonia as Creative Director, Jennifer had a dynamic career in journalism and digital brand marketing. She has worked with prestigious fashion houses in Milan and innovative clients through her previous role at next-gen brand marketing agency bybabba, where she also conceptualized and hosted bybabba’s podcast Out of Office, interviewing industry leaders. Today, Jennifer is the acting Creative Director of Ceremonia, the clean hair care brand rooted in Latinx heritage, while simultaneously advising clients in the realm of interior design.
Your career path has been very unconventional & exciting. Tell us a bit about your journey so far!
I went to the Fashion Institute of Technology, and my first job out of college was in fashion, but in a very corporate setting. I had quite quickly learned that I didn’t thrive in this kind of environment and began exploring journalism. Eventually, I moved to Milan, Italy to continue my pursuit in fashion journalism and lived there for just over two years, working as an editor for international publications and Italian media outlets, alongside Italian heritage brands, including Bulgari. While I was writing in Italy, I also began exploring digital marketing, particularly in the realm of social media marketing and learned so much from a boss of mine, Giuliano Calza, the co-Founder of GCDS. I was freelancing for GCDS at the time and Giuliano was truly on the cusp of the importance of social media marketing, having conversations that people weren’t really having yet.
After some time, I felt the next career move would be to move back home to New York, taking my experiences from Italy with me. I crossed paths with Babba Rivera just as she had left Away and announced she was going to start her own agency. She had such conviction and a strong vision that I knew I wanted to be part of whatever she was building. I joined before the agency even had a name! Eventually that name became bybabba and I worked as the Creative Director of that next-gen brand marketing agency for three years, leading creative externally in regards to our clients and also internally, in developing our brand. During the pandemic, bybabba transitioned into something even larger- Ceremonia, the clean hair care brand rooted in Latinx heritage. Today, I am the acting Creative Director of Ceremonia.
How is startup life at Ceremonia? What has it been like building a brand from scratch?
It has definitely been interesting! I’m so grateful to be able to challenge myself and learn so much with a team that I adore. We essentially built this brand entirely during the pandemic which has had its challenges to some extent. We were all working from home, mailing samples of formulas back and forth to each other to test, try and feedback virtually. We had so many optimistic launch campaign ideas that involved travel that were eventually squashed. We shot our launch campaign locally and now when I look at those images I am so proud of how we were able to continuously pivot to adjust to the ever-changing situation, while still accommodating our vision. We just celebrated our one-year anniversary with a party and it was so surreal to be in person and to have everyone who had a part in contributing to the brand over the past year- from photographers, faces of the brand, videographers, investors, vendors- together in one room. The energy was incomparable.
You’ve also recently been working in interior design, aside from your full-time role as Creative Director at Ceremonia. What tips do you have for young women working full-time, but interested in starting their own venture?
I’ve always been someone who does more than one thing at the same time. Creatively, it has always stimulated to be able to express different interests through different outlets and mediums. I’ve started to recognize just now that some things can and should be left solely as a hobbies, whereas some can be things to monetize from. It’s really important I think in a creative role to find ways to produce things just for yourself from time to time.
In terms of starting a venture while having a full-time job, I think it is one of the best ways that you can invest in yourself and in your own future. I do believe in structure as a necessity if you’re trying to balance more than one thing, but I also believe there are ebbs and flows to it-personally and professionally- if you are in tune with yourself you can feel when to advance and when to pull back and I think if you can be kind to yourself in those moments of pull back especially, that’s a bit of a superpower.
What do you wish your college-aged self had known about careers?
That you don’t need to have a degree in it in order to pursue it.
You interviewed leading industry women as part of bybabba’s Out of Office podcast. What were the best pieces of advice you received?
Yes! Wow, such nostalgia! Interviewing is one of my favorite mediums and it was the medium I was able to work with the most while in Italy, but on a print-level (where I was used to recording interviews only for the sake of transcribing them to write a story, not for others to listen). It was so fun including listeners on the process and the actual conversations. I had the privilege to speak to so many incredible women over the course of that podcast, from Lindsay Peoples Wagner, Laney Crowell, Coco & Breezy to Rebecca Minkoff, to name a few.
Lauren Chan, the inclusivity advocate and Founder of Henning, once spoke to me about the importance of previous positions in your career shaping your current and future ones and I found that really interesting. So often, I think we close chapters of our life for new ones but often lose sight of how those chapters set up a foundation so to speak for the sequential ones.
How do you avoid burnout?
I’m not quite sure I’ve figured out how to avoid it just yet! But, I have become a lot better in knowing when it is starting to creep up and when I need to slow down and rest. For example, I now try to anticipate a rest day following a 3-5 day campaign shoot. I put a lot into my work, both physically and emotionally and with that have realized the importance of recharge. I like to have really slow weekends and I love hosting friends and family at home. If I’m in a creative rut, I pick up a magazine, watch a visually-inspiring film, or go to a museum.
What impact do you want to ultimately make with your career?
Throughout my career so far, amongst the various positions I’ve held, I realize that they all have something in common and that is storytelling. I think that is what I am most passionate about- telling a story, whether it is through interviews or campaigns. I hope to continue to story-tell in any medium or form my career takes me.
To close - what’s a social account everyone should follow?
@savedny and @apresski. They give so much visual inspiration!
Bye for now
Thanks for not unsubscribing after such a long period without posting. Seriously, kudos. I owe you a wine. I will say that I’m super excited about the next issue - I can’t wait for you all to be inspired by this woman’s incredible career & the impact she’s making. But for now, I’ll leave you with a film postcard of Australia.
See you soon!
Chloe x
Congrats on the new role Chloe! Hope you are loving it!