We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alexandra ‘Alyi V’ Ventura a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Alexandra ‘Alyi V’ thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
I started Growing Up Latina about five years ago. I always had this vision of telling our stories from the Latina lens. It was important for me to create a space where Latinas could be seen, be heard and live out loud. I always had the end goal in mind, but I really did not know how to get started. I just remember telling my videographer at the time that I wanted to record my conversations I had a radio background and always had a passion for interviewing, so I told him one day, ‘this is it, I’m going to do it’. Due to the fact that I did have the end goal in mind, I always knew at the very least what I wanted the show to embody and look like. So, one day, I did it. I reached out to a friend and asked her if I could tell her story. I selected a quiet space, and it was literally, her, myself and my videographer. I recorded about an hour of that interview. One thing I’ve always told myself is that “work produces work”. I always understood that as long as I continue to work, I will continue to get more interviews, more people watching and that vision that I held onto in my mind of what this show will eventually look like will come to fruition. I executed, I did what I could, with what I had and never gave up on my vision. Even if I did not have all the pieces of the puzzle just yet, I knew at the very least that I had one piece that would get me to the next step.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Alexandra “Alyi V” Ventura is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Alyi V Experience Inc., a full-service creative agency with experiential marketing at its core.
In true New Yorker fashion, Alyi V is recognized for her signature event ensemble — a designer pant suit paired with vibrant stylish heels. As an event producer, Alyi V and her passionate team are tasked with creating an experience for each of their clients. Her vision for aesthetically pleasing décor and one-of-a-kind details for clients has made her agency the optimal choice for over 6 years.
The New York based event specialist produces celebrity and corporate events, social celebrations, and celebratory dinners. Alyi V has had the pleasure of working with notable clients, including Lil Kim, James Harden, Floyd Mayweather, RZA, Angie Martinez, Dream Doll, and the Notorious BIG family. No matter the celebration, Alyi V prides herself on infusing her clients into the details so that no two events ever look and feel the same.
Alyi V began her career in broadcasting as an on-air personality at Sirius XM Shade 45’s VIP Saturday’s and Hip Hop Nation. She has contributed to the New York Post and TMZ Live as well as a red-carpet on-air correspondent for MTV Video Music Awards and Tony Awards.
When Alyi V is not planning the next big client experience, she enjoys a daily cup of piping hot DUNKIN’ coffee, spending time with her family, jet setting across the Caribbean islands, podcasting and working out.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
The best source of new clients and something that has worked for me is me pitching. In the very beginning, I had always taken pride in not soliciting my work to anyone. I would never solicit, and my business would grow by word of mouth. I eventually realized that this is not a bad thing. I had to reframe my way of thinking and told myself – if this was the response I received if I did not reach out to anyone, imagine the endless possibilities if I tried. Once I had that thought pattern, I began to pitch. In me pitching, it gave me the opportunity to really target my clientele and go after the ‘dream client’ and I’ve found much more success that way.
How did you build your audience on social media?
One of the biggest advice that I always tell people that try to build their social media audience is to service the ones that you currently have. How can you handle 2500 followers if you don’t service the 25 that you currently have? Social media is not only a platform, but also a community. It is not only about liking and scrolling down, but also about engaging, commenting, etc. For example, when I release an interview or produce an event and put the recap video on my social media – I always take the time to DM my followers with the link and encourage them to like, comment and share. I communicate with my audience which in turn helps me build it. I will even go on my stories and ask my followers what they would want to see more of. What they like or dislike. I allow them to talk to me and I talk back. I like to communicate with my community
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TheAlyiVExperience.com
- Instagram: @AlyiV
- Facebook: @AlyiV
- Linkedin: @AlyiV
- Twitter: @AlyiV
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prHq7mOUH34&t=2215s