We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Linda Arroz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Linda below.

Linda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

The name of my company is Makeover Media. I wanted the name of the company to reflect who I was as well as represent the hybrid concept that I was also a writer in addition to the specialty services I would provide.

The backstory: in 1989, I was signed by the Spiegel catalog to a three-year contract, becoming the first plus size spokesmodel to represent a major brand. As a result, I became a regular guest on daytime TV programs, talking about and presenting fashion and lifestyle trends for women who wore a larger size. I was thrilled to inspire women to feel confident and encourage size acceptance and diversity.

After the three years with Spiegel, I became an editor for two specialty magazines focused on plus sized and maternity fashions. Five years later I became a marketing director for a famous department store clothing designer’s plus size division. As a fashion and lifestyle expert, I was frequently interviewed by the media.

During those years I continued to appear on TV, often doing makeovers, which were very popular. I was important to me to work with women of various heights and body types. I developed a method that allowed me to make all women look and feel better in their attire, called If You Can Wear That, You Can Be That™ that incorporated optical illusion techniques.

Network morning shows loved makeovers, especially if there was a hook. I would come up with fun concepts like “surgery free breast makeovers.” To this day, many women wear the wrong size bra. I wanted to help women who felt shy or shame about their breasts. Many women think their breasts are too small or too big, or they’ve experienced the trauma of losing a breast. The mission behind all makeovers is to give great tips and boost confidence. Networks would tease the upcoming segment with me as the guest expert.

By 1999, I’d been self-employed for about ten years and had appeared on hundreds of TV shows, including Entertainment Tonight and Good Morning America, in addition as well as several years of working with QVC and HSN developing their plus size business.

People were always asking me to help them get on TV or featured in a magazine, to give them advice on how to grow their own business, so I decided to start my own business.
But what to name it. Inspired by the makeover segments and my relationships with the media, Makeover Media sounded perfect. Taking a cue from the online world, I chose the @ symbol for the letter a in media.

Linda, 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?

At Makeover Media, we develop, package, pitch, produce, write, and speak on behalf of our clients. We are currently pivoting services to offer solid guidance to people who need help archiving their body of work, writing a book or memoir, or simply downsizing as they plan for retirement.

During the three years I represented the Spiegel catalog, in between the TV appearances in cities around the country, I was expected to visit their public relations firm’s offices in Manhattan. Jody Donahue and Associates was respected as one of the best public relations experts in the business. I sat in on meetings. This was magical. I observed and later participated in the brainstorming sessions that turned into the story ideas and pitches. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was acquiring the equivalent of a master class in public relations. This is where I honed my skills in storytelling and understanding how the media works.

Not everyone is ready for public relations, but they don’t realize it. Sometimes that can be hard to hear.
When I’m approached by someone who says they’d like to work with me, I do a situation analysis of the client’s business, and listen to what they say they want.

I guide them with strategic development to get them ready to be in the spotlight. That could mean updating bios or content on their website or linked in profile, overhauling their internet real estate, boosting their social media presence, even some media training.

Getting to know a client better, I often come up with new ways to present their knowledge, book (s), or products. I pay attention to the news cycle, looking for opportunities to connect the dots with my client’s expertise to pop culture or the headlines. Sometimes a client’s past efforts can be resurrected in new ways.

A perfect example is a project I worked on for two years. The mission was to raise money for and produce a hybrid coffee table book/textbook (women’s studies and film studies) called Great Women of Film. The book was an anthology, giving the reader the chronological order of how a film comes together, starting with the screenwriter, as well as what each skilled worker does, all told with interviews of accomplished women, accompanied by beautiful photographs. Great Women of Film provided the perspective of what kind of jobs and women can do in entertainment industry. Academy Award winners and nominees like Jody Foster (Academy Award and BAFTA winning actor), Joan Allen (Tony award winner and multiple award nominee – Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globes), Ruth Carter (Academy Award winning costume designer) and Kasi Lemmons (filmmaker), agreed to share their knowledge. As we delved into the client’s oeuvre, we learned about one of their previous books, a coffee table book profiling the unsung heroes of film, the screenwriter.

When studios market a film, they tout the director or boast about the producing team because they made some other blockbuster. But we rarely recognize the person who wrote the script, who created the characters.

We were able to generate interest in this book by getting the photographs hung in prestigious galleries and secured our client a prestigious camera sponsor for the new work we were creating.

By the end of the Great Women of Film project, in addition to garnering A List media coverage and an exhibition of the photos at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gallery during Oscar® week, we procured sponsorships valued at close to $200 thousand dollars for the various requirements like costume rentals, a Lexus vehicle, camera equipment, film and film development, locations, and two book deals.

I’m proud that I can see things others don’t and that I’ve been able to incorporate my passion as an activist into my work ethic.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The genesis of my creative journey was the driving desire to help women feel confident and go for what they want. I was a chubby child which meant my weight was a constant source of irritation to family and other well-meaning adults. I developed low self-esteem.

I got a late start. In my early 20s I went to work for General Motors to get a high paying job with benefits. I was promoted, fulfilling the American dream of climbing the corporate ladder, but was expected to work a lot of overtime. The pay was terrific, but the factory environment was dreary and the work unfulfilling.

I was the only woman supervisor in my department, and experienced harassment every day. I happened to wear a size 12/14 and was ridiculed daily by the men who worked for me.

I was burned out and wanted something more. I needed an opportunity to make a real difference. The local university offered a course called Women Returning to School. I was curious since I had yet to identify what I really wanted to do.
The textbook for this class was “What Color is Your Parachute,” by Richard N. Bolles. This book is still relevant and updated regularly. Full of guided exercises that help one define skills and strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes, you can determine what could be the perfect work environment and career path. At the end of this course, I concluded I could use my communication skills and interest in fashion to work with women. It was a start.

I needed a couple more years to vest for stock options, and figured I would ride it out as an hourly worker. I requested to be relived of my management duties to work on the assembly line, in hopes that being relieved of my responsibilities would give me more time and the mental space to find my way to fashion.

General Motors assigned me to the body shop as a spot welder. Welding was one of the most arduous jobs I’d ever done. It was the hope and insight I’d derived from “What Color is Your Parachute” kept me going.

In 1983 a film about a welder who wanted to be a dancer was released. Between the happy Hollywood ending and the great soundtrack, I was buoyed in my goals. If the welder in the movie could make it, I could too.

Through a series of calculated actions and sheer luck of being in the right place at the right time, or another way to put this is the phrase “luck is preparedness meets opportunity.”
After attaining the number of hours required to vest, I left General Motors.

Within one year, I was actively working as a spokesmodel, stylist and motivational speaker, helping women learn how to define their personal stye and feel more confident about themselves. This entire journey was fueled by creativity. The original goal was to work with and wear beautiful clothing and jewelry and encourage women who wore a larger size to feel more confident through clothing. But over time, finding wonderful ways to guide clients with their goals and finding their career and company path was even more creative.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

My reputation was established early by the very nature of becoming a respected and regular TV guest expert. Millions of women watched daytime morning shows for entertainment and information. When I moved to magazines, I also had an audience of women seeking advice. By the time I started Makeover Media, I was established. My relationships with journalists, TV producers and successful outcomes with clients helped me maintain the reputation.
In the early aughts, like many creative people, I started blogging. I would share the blog posts via email to everyone.
One post, titled “Broke is the New Black,” written as a bit of a spoof during the recession, caught the attention of a colleague, an editor with a new publishing imprint in London.
Conversations ensued and with the collaboration of friend who was a fashion illustrator, we were invited to submit book ideas.
I believe my reputation and high-profile career convinced the editor to bring me on board.
In 2012, my first book, co-authored with my fashion illustrator pal, was published.
Becoming an author is a great calling card and a moniker I take great pride in.
For the last ten years, I’ve worked with clients who want to write books. It’s been very rewarding and the fact that I’m an author myself cemented my credibility.

Over time I’ve had a lot of creative adventures using my skills and expertise. I’ve been able to express my creativity in so many areas. I’ve been a TV personality, a magazine editor, a motivational speaker, an actor, and an author. All of these experiences have enriched my ability to help women. Along the way I’ve met some of the most creative and inspiring people.

This year I was asked to help a former client organize her archive and body of work so it can easily be accessed for future projects, with the end goal to donate to a university. This was a new way to use my creativity. As a result, I’m now designing a roster of services for older creatives, including helping organize and downsize.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lindaarroz.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindaarroz/
• Twitter: @makeovermedia and @lindaarroz
• Other: Wikipedia
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_ArrozIMDB
  https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2542411/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Image Credits

Book cover “Great Women of Film” by Mika Manninen
Linda Arroz with Richard Simmons by Jeani Volker, courtesy of Linda Arroz
Linda Arroz on the red carpet for the premiere of “Before You Know It” courtesy of Linda Arroz
Linda Arroz with Buzz Aldrin by Joyce Michel, courtesy of Linda Arroz
Linda Arroz professional shot by Fernando Escovar
Linda Arroz with Michio Kaku courtesy of Linda Arroz
Linda Arroz Interview on Camera courtesy of Linda Arroz
Linda Arroz with Claudia Schiffer by Christine Taylor, courtesy of Linda Arroz