The Category Taking Influencer Marketing By Storm
You don't have to look far to find today's top food and home stars. Between our feeds and screens, they're everywhere — racking up views, likes, clicks and deals left and right. DBA's talent are no exception; in fact, our clients lead headlines for their caliber of creativity and demonstrated ability to stretch a viral moment into a multifaceted career.
Take TikTok star Jamie Milner for example. This summer alone she's amassed over 22M views in a single video, all but solidifying her "Everything Delish" accounts as a go-to for quick and easy, healthy and tasty recipes anyone can make at home. Likewise, The Home Edit continue their reign as premier organization gurus, extending their expertise through global retail deals with Walmart and 360-degree brand partnerships most recently with Nature Made Wellblends. Another prime example comes through Adrianna Adarme of "A Cozy Kitchen," whose journey as a creator-turned-2x cookbook author began 10 years ago and has since evolved to include over 1.2M supporters across channels.
This month's recap also spans to include a spotlight on the newest additions to DBA's ever-evolving roster — alongside the latest industry trends, Who's On Content?! podcast episodes, plus helpful insights regarding how to use your platform for advocacy, as shared by influencer-educator Blair Imani alongside Planned Parenthood executive Kelley Robinson.
Alix Frank
Vice President of Talent
What's The Deal? Produced By Digital Brand Architects
On Wednesday, 7/13, Blair Imani co-hosted the latest session of What’s The Deal? alongside Kelley Robinson, the Executive Director of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. The fund works to advance access to sexual health care and defend reproductive rights. Together, the two educators shared helpful ways creators can utilize their platforms to advocate for a variety of social causes. Click here to watch the full recap!
New Signs
Featured Talent:
Food Creators You Should Know
Liz Moody is the host of the hit podcast, Healthier Together, where she is joined by some of the biggest names in the wellness industry. She is also the creator and founder of the Healthier Together conversation starter deck and best-selling cookbook author of Glow Pops and Healthier Together. In her past life, she was a journalist for publications like Vogue, Marie Claire, goop, and mindbodygreen, where she served as the Food Director. As a longtime journalist and author, Liz has spent years researching the best, science-backed health tips and turning that knowledge into delicious food you can make at home, product recommendations that won’t let you down, and easy, actionable wellness tips that will change your life today.
Palak Patel is the creator and founder of The Chutney Life, a community where people feel inspired, understood and empowered. Palak is a mother and chef who specializes in traditional and fusion Indian cuisine (i.e. Chutney Grilled Cheese, Air Fryer Paneer Tikka, and Naan Pizza with Whipped Ricotta and Spicy Broccoli). She learned how to cook from her mother, as well as friends and family while growing up, and now shares her knowledge with her loyal community. On her blog and social channels, you’ll find tried and true recipes, Palak’s must-have purchases, and the trials and tribulations of motherhood.
Fan-favorite cake artist Robert Lucas, also known as the Sweet Impact, only started baking in 2019. In that time, he has amassed a following of over 2.2M on TikTok and is closing in on 370k on Instagram. He is known for his fantastical artistry, modeling cakes after pop culture icons (Nike Air Jordan, Beauty and the Beast, Cocomelon) and more. A gifted natural baker, Robert’s inspiration and curiosity led him to challenge himself to create his very first cake, a unicorn, based on a photo he saw online. In 2021 Robert was included in the coveted TikTok’s The Discover List in the food category, and in 2022 he was named as part of TikTok’s Black Trailblazer list.
Growing up, Violet looked up to Martha Stewart, reading her magazine like it was the bible, took cooking classes and worked as a line cook. But it wasn’t until during the pandemic that Violet shared her love of cooking with the world. She turned to TikTok to share easy, healthy recipes she creates from her dorm room, and landed herself a spot on TikTok’s Discover List. She’s honored to have a platform that empowers people in the kitchen, and believes that cooking is not only a powerful way to show love, but can also help people financially, mentally and physically.
One of the youngest and most dynamic BIPOC chefs in the industry, Jordan Andino began his foray into the culinary world at the young age of nine, learning under his father. Jordan was born in Toronto, Canada and moved to California where he pursued his culinary career, staging at Jean Georges, Spago and The French Laundry. Andino impacted the NYC restaurant world with his Filipino Taqueria, Flip Sigi, which has been integral in bringing Filipino food to the American masses. His unrelenting energy and unbridled charisma has landed him multiple shows as a host, judge and guest chef on Food Network, Cooking Channel and HBOMax.
Hawa Hassan is a dynamic chef, James Beard Award winning cookbook author, TV personality on Food Network and entrepreneur. She left Somalia during a period of unrest for a refugee camp in Kenya at age 4. From there, she emigrated solo to the United States at age 7. In the 15 years she spent away from her mother’s cooking, she began a new journey, one that displaced people around the world understand: the desire to rekindle what she left behind and to feed the body and spirit with the cultural legacy of those who came before her. Through her many endeavors – as a model, a cook, an activist, and a business owner – her understanding of the world is informed by a singular, heartfelt philosophy: longer tables, lower fences.
Adrianna Adarme is an author, blogger and the creative chef behind A Cozy Kitchen, a content platform that celebrates carbs, indulgent breakfast ideas, and sinful desserts. The Los Angeles-based kitchen chanteuse offers a playful approach to her original recipes (think s’mores pavlova, lil’ pizzas on pizza, and pretzel milk pancakes with whipped sweet yogurt) with beautiful cinematography and styled imagery. A lover of comfort food and self-taught culinarian, Adarme has published three cookbooks and collaborated with several venerable brands. She lives with her corgi, Amelia, who often has a cameo on her wildly popular website and social channels.
Jeremy Scheck is a recent graduate of Cornell University who double-majored in Spanish and Italian with significant coursework in nutrition, food science, and culinary science. After starting a TikTok account in March 2020 while quarantined in his childhood home, Jeremy’s presence grew to over 1.5 million followers in the first 6 months. His most popular recipes – a spicy rigatoni and a homemade Pie crust – have received over 3 million views and 800 thousand likes. Jeremy has since garnered a combined following of over 2.3 million on TikTok and 264 thousand on Instagram and has been named the next generation of cooking heroes by culinary titan, Bobby Flay.
Gina Homolka is the author and recipe developer behind Skinnytaste. One of the most well-established food brands, Skinnytaste has published five New York Times best-selling cookbooks with over 1 million copies sold. Known for her mantra of, “light on calories, big on flavor,” Gina quickly became one of the top food influencers after her viral Facebook videos centered on farm-to-table, clean eating. Her weekly dinner plans have become a coveted mainstay for her audience of over 22 million followers looking to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Mariam Daud is a Palestinian home cook behind the ever popular account TikTok and Instagram, Mxriyum. Daud started her dabbling in the kitchen at the young age of seven. Growing up watching her mother create beautiful dishes for her nine siblings sparked what soon became a deep passion for cooking. Her most popular recipe – homemade pita bread – has received over 19.8 million views and 3 million likes. Since the start of her content creation career on 2020, Daud has since garnered a combined following of over 7.6 million on TikTok and 824 thousand on Instagram.
Brand Partnerships & Launches
Nature Made Wellblends
Clea and Joanna of The Home Edit launched their partnership with Nature Made Wellblends, as a part of a larger 360-degree campaign. The launch included a live panel with health experts from their hometown of Nashville as well as a satellite media tour, which reached an audience of over 57.2M. Nature Made is also a supporter of Clea’s Breast Cancer Fund, which she announced at the end of June.
Outdoor cooking and summer are all but synonymous with a good time! That’s why Whole Foods teamed up with Fabrizio Villalpando and Violet Witchel, each who shared their favorite grill recipes and top five condiment trends. Together, their content garnered nearly 10k likes on Instagram.
Mikayla Nogueira joined forces with Glamlite to launch her second makeup collection with the brand entitled, “Paht Two.” To date, the collection has been well-received by beauty lovers and fans alike — amassing over TK likes across TK promotional posts.
Stephanie Valentine, known online as Glamzilla, announced the next phase of her partnership with Nudestix, which includes joining the brand as an ambassador and investor. Stephanie also shared the news of her new collection, gaining over 10k engagements on Instagram and over 60k on TikTok.
To celebrate Pride 2022, Amazon partnered with four DBA talent who created video content that showcased how to #ShopTheLookWithPride using the Amazon Lens — a feature that allows users to upload an outfit photo and shop from similar styles. Garnering buzz across Instagram and TikTok, the content collectively received over 726.4K impressions.
EvetteXO curated her own edit with major online retailer SHEIN for summer! Through this partnership, she garnered the company millions of impressions, with her audience selling out many items within the first day of launch.
Kate Bartlett and Brigette Pheloung both shared their “Big Flavor Energy” this summer in an out-of-home campaign for Poppi, appearing on billboards and wild postings throughout New York City.
Patrick Starrr partnered with YouTube to curate his own limited-edition lollipop in promotion of the platform’s Vidcon drive-thru activation. Pop Off! was filled with Patrick’s favorites: pop rocks, glitter and gold stars.
Industry News
Jamie Milne of Everything Delish was featured in an article on People for her rendition of the viral “Jennifer Aniston” salad that took TikTok by storm. Jamie’s video has since been viewed over 22M times!
Achieng Agutu visited Today’s Hoda & Jenna Show, speaking about how viewers can spark greater self-confidence this summer and beyond. Matt Armato and Beau Ciolino, the creators behind Probably This, joined the co-hosts as well, talking about all-things interior design and their best DIY tips.
Catie Li was featured in Women’s Health’s Naked Issue, where she shared her thoughts on body image and self-worth — including how she’s learned to change the way she views herself as a plus-size model and content creator.
Who's On Content?! Produced by Digital Brand Architects
Hosted by DBA’s SVP Special Projects, EJ James, Who’s On Content?! explores and dissects the influential, behavior-altering power of content through thought-provoking, culturally relevant and industry-shifting dialogue. Episode 14 features beauty powerhouse Stephanie Valentine a.k.a Glamzilla who discusses the many ways in which she uses her content to inspire her community to love themselves first. Designer, podcast host and entrepreneur Pia Baroncini joined for Episode 15, sharing how becoming a creator led her the career she always wanted. Click here to take a listen!
Dear Media:
New Shows & Highlights
with Kristin and Stephen
Go behind the scenes of everyone’s favorite iconic hit MTV reality TV series, “Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County,” with OG cast members, Kristin Cavallari and Stephen Colletti, as they rewatch episodes for the first time in 18 years. The former sweethearts relive their high school experiences, break down the truth of what happened on and off camera, including which fights were real, which hookups got complicated, and of course, what really happened in Cabo. Tune in every Tuesday for new episodes of Back to the Beach with Kristin and Stephen, a Dear Media Original podcast.
Sex educator and social media darling Eileen Kelly was on top of the world, running the successful blog KILLER AND A SWEET THANG, when she decided to step away from it all. After struggling with her mental health, Eileen entered treatment at the most infamous mental hospital in the US. Five months and some serious “self-discovery” later, Eileen was discharged and created GOING MENTAL, a podcast dedicated to destigmatizing the mental journeys we are all on. Eileen interviews some of today’s most compelling media figures, influencers, celebrities, and mental health experts on topics ranging from body image, to addiction, to the prison industrial complex, to the fashion industry, and everything in between. New episodes every Thursday.
Jordan Younger is the entrepreneur & creator behind The Balanced Blonde, a blog, brand, podcast, & loyal community that reaches millions of listeners worldwide looking to live more high vibrational lives. She started this podcast in 2016 to interview dear friends, healers, practitioners, & some of the most successful people on the planet to hear more about how they find balance, joy, success, and spirituality in a fast-paced world. What to expect? Completely raw and unfiltered conversations about spiritual awakening, wellness, nutrition, healing, astrology, channeling, angels & aliens, and realms beyond. New episodes every Wednesday.