Category: Blog

More Ballet, Less Bullying

UPDATE: The day Lara Spencer apologized on Good Morning America for making fun of a young prince and his study of ballet, an amazing thing happened outside their New York studios. Watch here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1oVOlTBNad/

By Friday morning, the ballet pages I manage were abuzz with activity and outrage. I found out it was because on the TV program “Good Morning America,” host Lara Spencer seemingly mocked a little boy who was interested in ballet.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1fMMPGAxy-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

To me, it definitely looked like Lara and the others on the show laughed when they found out that young Prince George (yes, Future King of England!) was going to take ballet lessons. It was ignorant, insulting and straight-up mean. If they could make fun of a prince wanting to dance ballet, what would they do to other children who expressed an interest in the centuries-old art? There was nothing even funny about the news report. If anything, it was impressive – I mean, how many six-year-olds do YOU know who are studying the following subjects: “religious studies, computer programming, poetry, and ballet?”

In response to the news, I posted up images and videos of danseurs that had just performed at Festival Ballet Theatre’s recent gala.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1g58pHgGmO/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1g9oJMAIqB/

On my personal page, I cut together this video highlighting some very talented boys/men who do ballet!

Meanwhile, the internet was on fire, and #princegeorge #ballet4boys was trending. Dancers from around the world, young and old, celebrities and non-celebrities shared their stories:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1gjmZTBCxW/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1hehsahFFw/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1hK8gwnu4s/

Everyone is demanding a real apology.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1g7BbQl2DE/

Not like this lame apology.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1gzsy_D7-L/

In the words of the iconic Debbie Allen: “Lara Spencer and Good Morning America. you owe the Royal Family and the dance world an apology. “

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1hDs_Rhi2l/

UPDATE!

Lara Spencer of Good Morning America apologized on camera for the comments she made about Prince George studying ballet. She sat down with dancers Travis Wall, Robbie Fairchild, and Fabrice Calmels. It seemed heartfelt enough and the dance community is a forgiving lot. So all’s well that ends well.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B1rkUKbAx40/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

In my opinion, the whole situation just highlighted the ignorance of many people and the low regard our culture has not only for dance but for arts as a whole. This Washington Post article goes into it deeper. Here’s an excerpt: “It’s admirable that the future king of England gets to study ballet as part of his schooling, and that should be valued, said former New York City Ballet principal Philip Neal in an interview with The Washington Post. As a victim of bullying who found life-changing solace in the dance studio, he was disturbed by Spencer’s attack on arts education.”

August 24, 2019
What does it mean to have influence?

Not 5 years ago, the influencer landscape was different, it was when moms ruled the blogosphere and back then I had “klout.” The influence sort of just came along with blogging territory. Obviously, if people read, interacted and commented on your blog, surely you carried some influence with them. Right?

To further the perception of influence, mom bloggers were all early adopters of social platforms – so they (we!) were the first to be on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and much later, Instagram!

The smart PR people realized this and built relationships, offered swag, goods, services in exchange for our “influence.” But unlike the way it is now, when a company or PR person “gave” you something, there wasn’t the expectation that you would make a sales pitch for them and endorse what they gave you. It wasn’t so much an expectation as it was a hope. Old school PR style – I’ll pitch ya a story and if you think it interests you, go write about it. If you write a review, make it an honest one.

Then things started to change and mutual expectations began to rise – companies expected bloggers/influencers to churn out content, views and traffic; while bloggers/influencers started expecting compensation both in cash and kind.

And then something curious happened, you didn’t even need a blog to be insta-famous anymore – you just needed followers.

And that’s where I got lost.

These days I find myself on the other side of the table, preferring to work with clients. I am no longer considered an “influencer” with my small numbers. Apparently, I am a “microinfluencer.” When “hosted” at an event or given “swag,” I have to remember to hashtag-ad #ad and no, #spon (short for sponsored) is not acceptable.

One last thought – if everyone becomes an influencer, who are we influencing?

May 19, 2019
Creative Inspiration Abounds at Monthly Social Media Breakfast

When thinking of ways to do community outreach, beyond digital means for my new client, SOCO and the OC Mix, I decided to put together two of my favorite things: Social Media and Breakfast. Thus was born the first SOCO Social Media Breakfast, a collaborative gathering of social media managers, influencers, creatives and SOCO super fans.

The idea was to gather like-minded people to share tips and tricks about social media, bring questions to the table and network.

What happened was so much more – it was a creative burst of energy. Not only were new personal connections made but also awesome collaborative photos!

During our first meeting, Portola Coffee donated coffee to fuel our creativity. We also got a sneak preview of their partnership with Mr. Holmes Bakehouse.

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse and Portola Coffee – a match in made in breakfast heaven. Photo by Kait McKay

Collab upon collab! This photo was taken by Stephanie Lin, who had just opened the shop Kestan at SOCO and the OC Mix. Fashion blogger Ashley models a Kestan top AND a cup of Portola coffee.

Fashion blogger wearing a Kestan jacket and bracelets while preparing to sip some Portola coffee. Photo by Stephanie Lin.

Shortly after that November meeting, I scheduled a December breakfast, not even a month afterward since I knew the holidays would be hectic for everyone. While most of the original attendees did not make it, we had a new photographer join us and staffers from Travel Costa Mesa. December’s meeting was short and sweet and yet super productive. I just needed to get the group together to keep the momentum going.

We even got Travel Costa Mesa’s Social Media Manager, a photographer herself, model for us!

Not Vodka, promise! Water bottle available at Local Fare. Model: Mackenna Waterhouse at ModShop. Photo by Kait Mckay

Naturally, she turned the cameras on one of our other photographers and captured the photo below. I always tell all attendees to come ready to be behind and in front of the camera! I’ve gotten some great headshots of myself from these collab sessions too.

Ballerina and photographer Skye Schmidt holding a California Bear Mug available at Local Fare. Venue: Modshop Photo by Mackenna Waterhouse

During the first two meetings, we produced some high-quality product shots, which we shared with the shops that lent us their items. We provided quality content for different brands and also increased engagement for the photos used. But best of all, we made new connections and found kindred spirits in the photographers, bloggers, and social media managers, who have attended the events.

What collaboration looked like during that first meeting. Portola Coffee, Birdie Bowl, SOCO and the OC Mix flyers. Posted as an Instagram story by Suzanne Moshenko.

Collaboration. Photo by Jackie Lovato

The social media breakfasts will continue into the new year. In fact, we already had a meeting this month! Watch the video. The attendees change sometimes and I am careful about who to invite. I feel that the group has to be just right with a mix of social, creativity and community. Besides practical ideas that each one can implement in their social media marketing efforts, we end with more than just content, we leave the social media breakfasts inspired to create more!

January 30, 2018
Entrepreneur’s Life Beyond Coffeeshops

“I’ve spent a lot of time in coffee shops…” – quoting myself in My Life in Coffeeshops- An Entrepreneur’s Journey, originally posted on LinkedIn.
—
Much time has passed since I last wrote, and since I last worked at a coffee shop. After leaving my job, I ventured out on my own, with a handful of social media marketing and PR clients. It felt good to have my own clients but I also struggled with making sure I had enough work to make up for the relief provided by a steady paycheck. When you are on your own, the struggle is real and you have to hustle.

One of the best things about going on your own is the flexibility. I made my own hours and could go pick up my kids from school and help them with their homework. Meetings in coffee shops with potential clients and friends continued and before long, one of those coffee meetings would change the trajectory of my entrepreneurial journey.

It was over coffee that I met with Suz, my blog mentor, and former editor at the magazine. A year before me, she had left an agency to go on her own too. In fact, even when I had my full-time job, she sent some referrals for freelance work my way. For that, I was always grateful.

She wondered jokingly, what if we just worked together? A year before I left to go on my own, she already set up Social Smarts Media and had most of the operational structure down- website, accounting, legal papers etc. These were things I had yet to work on myself. “You mean your company would like to acquire my fledgling agency?” I replied half-serious. My mind started racing. I thought of the PR spin. Social Smarts merges with boutique agency –Marcie Taylor Media! Two pioneering mom bloggers team up to form powerhouse social media marketing firm! After that coffee session, I only needed one night to sleep on it and the next day we were ready to go.

We’ll do an announcement press release, we said excitedly. We’ll go on FB Live and tell everyone about the merger. We’ll bring champagne we’ll build excitement … WE were so excited but of course, none of those things happened because the work started coming in as soon as we put it out in the universe that we had formed a company together. Suz is the Founder and I am the Director of Social Smarts Media.

Suz and I co-working at ROC in the Vine.

Next step was to find an office. In one day, we visited several coworking spaces and ended up at the Vine in Irvine. We found Real Office Centers (ROC), a co-working space in a building called The Vine at the University of California Irvine Campus. ROC has a good vibe, it’s creative, active, inspiring. So that’s where we ended up. We meet there several times a week. It gives us the discipline of having to go “into an office,” while still having the flexibility of someone who works remotely. Often, when working at one of the standing desks, it feels like we’re at a university library. It’s abuzz with activity — people speaking different languages, collaborating, or simply working solo, on their phones or laptops. There’s free coffee, tea, and yes, beer on tap. Overall, it’s pretty chill. Our goal is to eventually have one of the offices that open up with big garage doors… but that will have to wait.

Reception area at ROC

So that’s where I’m at in this entrepreneur’s journey. I’m busy – my partner and I are both busy – but we can be busier. It’s an exciting time. Learn more about our company at socialsmartsmedia.com More photos of our coworking space at marcietaylor.com

March 30, 2017
Bowling for Fun

When you have tweens and teens and are trying to find a way to get together with another family with same-age kids, it can be challenging to find an activity that both adults and reluctant kids would enjoy. So when the idea of meeting up with our friends for a post-holiday game of bowling came up, we went for it.

The kids are alright.

We met at Tavern+Bowl located at The Triangle in Costa Mesa. It’s a boutique bowling alley, which means it isn’t massive and overwhelming. Instead, it’s quite warm and welcoming, really. Tavern+Bowl has 10 state-of-the-art bowling lanes. Their scoring system even allows you to post your score on social media sites directly from the console, but since I didn’t do so well, I opted not to take advantage of this feature. The kids normally glued to their phones, were having too much fun bowling against each other too so that was refreshing to see, for sure.

Bowling is more fun with friends.

But if you want to know what makes Tavern+Bowl better than your regular run of the mill bowling alley, I’d have to say, it’s the FOOD! The delicious gourmet menu features something for everyone – from meat lovers to vegans, gluten-free and paleo people.

Inception? Nah. Just these delicious tavern tacos – Choice of chorizo chicken, beef barbacoa, carnitas, or beer-battered cod over corn tortillas, served with fire-roasted corn + black bean salsa.

These nachos were a winner!

Ten-Pin Nachos. Corn tortilla chips topped with jalapeño cheese sauce, fire-roasted corn + black bean salsa, avocado relish, and cilantro lime sour cream= Winner!

Beer and Bacon Jam Sliders!

I am told the restaurant is also one of the best places in Orange County to watch your favorite sports teams. Not a big sports fan myself, but this would be a nice place to watch a game – Large TV screens, good food and a full bar.

Tavern+Bowl

As for me, you’ll find me at the bowling alley trying my best to improve my score while noshing on some tasty grub from Tavern+Bowl’s scratch kitchen.

Bowling lane rates start at $25/hour for up to 6 bowlers. Check out the Tavern+Bowl website here for more details.

Tavern+Bowl
The Triangle
1870 Harbor Blvd. (at the end of the 55 Fwy., at Newport Blvd. and 19th Street)
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
(949) 438-2320

December 29, 2016
Out and About: Tasting Naugles Tacos for the First Time

For the longest time, I kept hearing about Naugles Tacos from friends, who grew up in Orange County. They waxed nostalgic about a 24-hour drive-thru and their famous cheese burritos. I was starting to think people were just being wistful and that perhaps this was just one of those food memories that would remain just that – a memory. Fast forward to 2015, Naugles returns to the scene. Christian Ziebarth, whom I had known via Twitter as @ocmexfood, won the Naugles trademark and eventually set up to revive the brand, which merged with Del Taco in the late eighties.

Cool Naugles sticker sheet designed by Parker Jacobs of Yo Gabba Gabba and Goon Holler fame.

At the Naugles Test Kitchen in Fountain Valley, a flyer had these fun facts about the brand:
• Naugles originally opened in 1979 in Riverside, CA.
• The Naugles brand lasted 25 years and at its peak had 275 locations in 10 different states.
• Naugles invented the 24-hour drive-thru concept and helped to popularize breakfast burritos in America.

The Naugles menu includes tacos, burritos, “cups” (which is basically the taco fixin’s in a cup), nachos and burgers! When I was there, I just tried the original taco (so filling!) and the taco salad cup, both of which I enjoyed. Unfortunately, they didn’t have their milkshakes yet and I’m definitely coming back for that and I’ll probably try a Naugles bun taco too!

Naugles Tacos Test Kitchen is at 18471 Mt. Langley
Fountain Valley, CA 92708 and it is open 7 days a week. The Naugles location on the beach in Huntington Beach is closed for the season. For more information, visit nauglestacos.com

December 8, 2016
A Boy I Love: #NicoNicoNico

So I’ve fallen in love with a podcast called “The Love Bomb.” Hosted by actor Nico Tortorella, the show features a conversation between him and “someone he loves” and while the conversation always somehow starts off or ends up discussing sexuality, the true beauty of The Love Bomb, for me, is the spoken word opening by Nico. He is an artist, a thinking man, a young man, sometimes confused but always confident, intelligent, friendly and loving.

A photo posted by nicotortorella (@nicotortorella) on Oct 21, 2016 at 6:40am PDT

I imagine I’d have met him at a poetry slam when I was younger, then I’d be struck by his beauty (because he is, to paraphrase Zoolander, ridiculously good-looking), After consciously staring for about a minute too long, I’d probably make an effort to e his friend. And we’d hang out in a totally platonic way because maybe I don’t fit his sexually fluid tastes. And we’d be friends and all our other friends would be other twenty-something artistes and we’d all be hanging out ruminating about life and death and truth.

If I met him now, I’d feel like Liza, his girlfriend on the show Younger played by the very talented Sutton Foster. You know, an older woman pretending to be, well, younger. And I’d be embarrassed to look at his ridiculously good-looking self and say something stupid like, “You’re so young. Just wait till you get older,” as we ruminate about life and death and truth.

But here’s the thing, age doesn’t matter when it comes to true wisdom. I feel like there are just some people who are wise beyond their years. I’d say Nico were an old soul, but that’s totally not the vibe I get when listening to him or watching his Instagram feed. I feel like, if anything, he is a new soul, with new ideas, new energy. This is what is exciting about him and his podcast and his work.

I like podcasts in general. I like that I can experience a whole story without seeing anything with my eyes. I listen to NPR regularly and almost every program is on my Stitcher App. Come on, I was obsessed with “Serial” too like the rest of the world. But with Nico and The Love Bomb, I feel like I’m meeting a friend or friends for coffee. And they talk about things and life in general. They talk about personal, very personal things, and I just listen and nod, sympathetic, empathetic, I hope.

Before jumping into the conversation, Nico kicks off the show with Spoken Word and he’s really good at it. He should write a book. Or record an album of spoken word (do they even still do those?)

Anyway, this week’s spoken word podcast opening was extra special. Unlike his other intros, Nico didn’t really talk about the guest, instead, he used it as an opportunity to talk about something current, something we’ve all been processing, thinking, feeling. It was so good, I actually transcribed it for you below. (Forgive any mistakes as I was literally just listening and hitting the pause button to hear.)

Just read it and imagine this pulsing beat in the background and Nico emotionally reciting his thoughts. Our thoughts,our feelings.

By Nico Tortorella
(Episode 11 of The Love Bomb)

What just happened
WHAT JUST HAPPENED
What just happened
No seriously what just happened
Is it still happening?
One week it’s only been
One week it’s already been
One week
Yes it’s still happening
Yes people are sad
Yes people are mad
Yes people are glad
What just happened
No seriously, what the fuck just happened
Why haven’t I stopped weeping?
What’s the next step for this giant ball floating through space
World My World
And your world
And his world
And her world
And white world
And colored world
And religious world
And malicious world
And salacious world
And queer world
And fear world
And first class world
And working class world
And no class world
Every country in the world’s world
This is America’s world
The United States of America’s world
The fucking Divided States of America’s world
A world for people that are trying
And a world for people that don’t know how
Don’t know better world
It’s the way we were raised world
The way they played world
Love is instinctual
Hate is taught
That’s not a thought
That’s a fact.
Love is instinctual.
Hate is taught.
Whatever any of it is,
This is love’s world
Love for the light world
And love for the dark world
Love for the fight’s world
Love for the champion’s world
I will always have more love for the underdog’s world
But today we must unite, world
The United States of America world
Unity —
United Sates her plea please
Dear America please
Red White and Blue have proven to do and be and breathe
and fall and fail and succeed
But just like me, these colors sometimes run and bleed
And stars once tall, they cheat.
We have to remember, we’re all in this shit together
Birds of a feather
Underdogs unite
And never forget, laughs are loudest in masses
NicoNicoNico
A work in progress
This country
A work in progress
Let it be said that I love my country
And I will continue to
But just like me, sometimes the flag falls apart
Frayed lines and burnt cloth and we must –
My God! We must put the pieces back together
I have undeniable faith in the good of people,
The indigo spirit
Come to the rescue and reach and reach and preach
And catch and dive and survive
And pollinate and teach these stars and stripes to fight, to flight to breach
One day we will break the fucking glass
United States her plea, please
Dear America, please, above all, I ask: Be Kind to One Another
Compassionate, empathetic, no matter what side you are on
I encourage you to find humility in your heart
I beg of you
We need it more than ever
And to the rest of the world,
Light a fucking candle for us or somethin’
We’re gonna need it.
At the end of the day, our hearts all beat the same
Love you
Love you
Love you
Now go tell someone you love them.

November 18, 2016
The Challenge Sweeping the Nation

I suck at challenges. I apologize to anyone who has challenged me to push ups or questionnaires, thirty days of blog posts or 90 days of videos. Sorry, it’s just not my thing. Maybe it’s because I do not have a competitive bone in my body and the idea of someone “throwing down the gauntlet” does nothing to motivate me. And it’s not because I’m scared of failure but more because I’d rather not start something that I may possibly not finish.

I didn’t even do the Ice Bucket Challenge… technically, my kids did it for me because they thought it was fun.

And then, just the other day, I decided to film the #mannequinchallenge for one of my clients and it turned out really well. So once again, I did not take on the challenge myself.

So yeah, I am unchallenged by these challenges personally. Too often they are chain letter-like and even threaten the non-challenger with some horrible fate or worse, the guilt of breaking the challenge chain.

I’ll tell you what the real challenge is right now: It’s the FUTURE! It’s figuring out our next steps in the days, the months and the years that follow that colossal decision (mistake?) that America made last week.

These are challenging times we live in. Just a week into this “new era,” it seems like it is suddenly okay to hate someone just because they are different from you, they are a different race, religion, sexual orientation etc. As an immigrant, woman of color, mother, human being, I will admit that I am a tad bit frightened of this scenario. But I will not cower in fear and be paralyzed by inaction.

This is our challenge:

To speak up when someone is being mistreated or bullied

To keep calm when confronted by someone angry

To do something to make a difference

To love when everyone else hates.

Will you accept this challenge? I know I will.

November 15, 2016
Review: Urban Armor Gear Protects Your Phone

Since my iPhone is such a part of my daily life, it is important that I protect it with the right case. I personally prefer function over form so when a product can give me both, it’s a win! The Urban Armor Gear (UAG) line of products may seem a little masculine-looking to some but for me, it’s simple and stylish and what’s more, it’s light weight and actually protects your device!

You see the Urban Armor Gear cases are drop tested to US Military Specs – that’s what their website says. Now, I haven’t dropped my phone intentionally but I have accidentally and so far my UAG has cushioned the fall. (Luckily, it hasn’t fallen on its face or glass side to shatter the glass – I really need to get one of their screen shields too!)

My husband has the Composite Case for his iPhone 6 Plus. It’s sleek and black and has an armor shell and impact resistant soft core, which is lightweight and still gives you easy access to the touchscreen and ports.

Now wait to see what I have – it’s the black card case from the #UAG Trooper series and I love it! It doubles as a wallet for me and it can hold up to 4 credit cards! It has the same impact resistant soft core as the Composite Case and of course, also meets military drop-test standards. Like all the UAG products, you get easy access to touchscreen and ports too.

Check out UAG online at urbanarmorgear.com . They have cases for other brands like Samsung, Microsoft, LG, HTC and Motorola as well as a variety of cellphone and tablet products.

May 24, 2016