Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Donee Chin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Donee thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

I hope that when posterity evaluates my career, it will be apparent that I have championed minority voices within my companies and in my client rosters. Currently, my focus for both my roles at Prima Donee Designs and WME is to acquire clients who identify as POC and/or LGBTQ+, since they have a history of being taken advantage of by bigger corporations who often steal their work or underpay them for brand collaborations. There is little to no pay transparency and with my deep understanding of the marketplace, I want to step in and provide due guidance to those who may not have received it otherwise. While the minority client is running their own business or working on their craft, I can be out in the field educating brands about up-and-coming minority talent and businesses, as well as negotiating fair rates with more established minority talent and businesses. Furthermore, changing the inclusion landscape from within the company is incredibly important to me, as I am one of the co-leaders of the AAPI employee resource group at WME called ACE (Asian Coalition of Endeavor). Through this, I help foster connections across the global company between AAPI-identifying employees, provide additional resources and support to new AAPI-identifying employees, and host community events and opportunities for those interested in a community within the company that isn’t based on role, seniority, or location, but rooted in identity.

Donee, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I graduated from the University of Southern California in May of 2019, with a degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Advertising, and began working at the talent agency William Morris Endeavor a month later. I knew I wanted to pursue the Brand Endorsements department, rather than the more traditional departments (such as TV Scripted, Motion Picture, or Talent), and I seized the opportunity to begin my apprenticeship under the department in August of 2019; currently, I am the department coordinator in the New York City office. I help match celebrity talent on our roster to appropriate brand collaborations, negotiate deals from the casting stage through to drafting the agreement, and curate campaign creative to assure mutual approval of concepts.

Additionally, at the height of the Coronavirus pandemic, I established Prima Donee Designs to help small businesses market themselves to stay afloat during one of America’s toughest economic years. Prima Donee Designs is a full-service brand development and management agency and, though we are more than happy to work with anyone seeking branding and marketing consultation, our clients are and have been mainly women, LGBTQ+, and POC individuals and small businesses. We want to continue to help businesses find their niche in today’s crowded marketplace by accurately and effectively exemplifying what makes their brand story unique.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

For Prima Donee Designs, I acquire new clientele by first being a sincere patron of the business. Get to know your local coffee shops and nail salons, and establish a rapport. Trust and familiarity with a brand manager work best with small businesses because they often work more with independent contractors (or even keep the role(s) in-house) rather than large corporations with reputations. Then, after doing my research online via social media and press outlets, I’ll have a conversation with the owners to determine if they need my services. I think the most important part about servicing small businesses is that you service the clients from a place of insatiable curiosity about their company; your work will be stronger and it will have more heart behind it.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

With both Prima Donee Designs and WME, client relationships are everything! I find that the worst brand managers or agents will call their clients only when they need something from them. They are human first, businesses second, and they should be spoken to regularly like an old friend. The more you know about them or their business, the more natural, creative ideas you can conjure around them. Furthermore, being physically present (if possible) is imperative. If you work with small businesses, they likely have less than fifty employees (and many may have less than ten). Show up to the store for meetings. Ask them about their projects. If press breaks about their event, call them to congratulate them and then attend. Though we live in a world where video conferencing is now more commonplace and convenient, we need to maintain the in-person aspect of human interaction. When the time comes to reassess budgets, they may just keep the contractor who shows up in the flesh, rather than the one who solely preaches advice via Zoom.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.primadoneedesigns.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prima_donee_designs/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donegal-chin/