The book surrounds his relatively quick and calculated rise to personal branding fame and the opportunity that is newly available to everyone in today’s restructured digital society.  In the book, Gary states that he lives by three simple rules:

Love your family.
Work Superhard.
Live your passion.

With this, he says, you will find ultimate happiness and success.

The main theme of the book is identifying and pursuing your true passion, with a focus on the current (free) social media tools available to all of us.  Although these channels may change as rapidly as they’ve been created, the strategy for success remains the same, “If you spend most of your life time working, then it better be for something you love,” warns Gary.

Gary was an entrepreneur from the very beginning, creating a “personal brand” on everything he did, from his franchised lemonade stands to his baseball card trading empire. Soon, he was working at his parents liquor store in Clark, New Jersey which he later grew into a $60 million business.  The book explains why we should all be able to do the same (if we’re truly crushing it, that is).

Gary, with his life-long obsession to one day buy the New York Jets, has used his god-given DNA to pursue what comes naturally to him, and what doesn’t even feel like work.  The book points out that we all have different DNA, and it’s important to embrace what we’re instinctively good at and recognize what we’re not.  Authenticity in business is key.

Gary, like me, shares the motto “refuse to settle” and was prompted to do this book out of the disbelief that there are still people out there who haven’t figured out that you don’t have to settle, ever.

We all love something, we’re all overly knowledgeable about something, and we are all the ‘go to’ person for something amongst our family and friends. As far as Gary is concerned, the more niche your passion the better, in one example showing how even a fisherman particularly interested in the best bait for the best catch is a walking money machine if monetized correctly.

Advertising dollars are going where the eye-balls are, and the eye-balls are moving from print to screens, so if there was ever a time to create a loyal audience online and offer that inventory up to an ad-buying company within your niche–it’s now.

In today’s world, the gate keepers have lost their power and to succeed, you just need to clarify where your DNA and passion intersect–and be willing to hustle.

WATCH the below video of AMP3 PR client, Justine Suh of The Green Scout Report, interviewing Gary Vaynerchuk about the new book (and disregard my shaky camera work!).

For anyone out there looking to motivate their personal and career goals, I strongly recommend this read. I personally plan on gifting it to several people in my life who are in the process of reinventing themselves or are considering new entrepreneurial ventures this year.

From Roberto Gonazalez, my friend and NYC real estate guru who conceived, wrote and directed the viral video “The NYC Realty Guide” to my big sister who is a pharmacist by day but a passionate family travel blogger by night, the niches that social citizens could be capitalizing on are endless, and @Garyvee is not afraid to say it, “Quit your job, quit your job today.”

Gary (next to my hero Oprah) is in the running to be my mentor of the decade.

Get out there, and start crushing it today!

And for the wine lovers out there, don’t forget to tune into WineLibrary.TV for Gary’s ongoing video series on all things wine.

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]

Here is Joe’s article, which you can also read directly, here.

How To: Plant An Item in Page Six

Alyson Campbell:  So Robin, what inspired you to start YouAreOnTheList.com?
Robin Ross: Well, I grew up in NYC, so I’ve been going out here since my high school days: always checking out all of the newest clubs, bars, parties, etc.  As I got older, I have always had access to all the exclusive events and I wanted to be able to share the experiences that I have been lucky to have, to empower those people who want to try new and exclusive experiences, too.

AC: What was your background before launching your own web company?
RR: I worked at Polo Jeans Ralph Lauren where I became VP of Marketing then went to W Hotels and was VP of Worldwide Marketing.

AC:  Has the website grown and evolved since inception?
RR: Omg Yes! First, we have increased our membership. We have also expanded to Los Angeles. We have worked with some of the best brands such as The New Yorker, GQ, Elle Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Gotham,  Equinox, Warner Bros. to bring our growing list to their events as well as offering an alternative marketing and advertising site to promote their brands.  But since I am such a fashionista, this is my true favorite.  A  fabulous designer by the name of Christine Marchuska of “cmarchuska” debuted a new dress called “The Robin Dress” at her fashion show just this past week.  For me, this has been the best compliment of all.

*The Robin Dress by cmarchuska (photo courtesy of Keith L. Lew)

AC:  If you had to name the Top 3 events you’ve promoted through YouAreOnTheList, what would they be?

RR:

1. The 2009 Sundance Film Festival- which included a Martin Scorsese hosted dinner, William Morris Agency event, and the Creative Coalition Celebrity Poker event
2. YOUAREONTHELIST.com Lifestyle Lounge at New York Fashion Week
3. All of the charity events I have had the privilege of working with to help raise money for a good cause, including Fashion Fights Cancer, American Heart Society, Red Cross, Project OVC, and Save The Eggs.

AC:  Fantastic.  I’ll be seeing you at the Save The Eggs event in a couple of weeks!  So, how do you select the events you are going to work with?  What do you look for in an event?
RR: I like to pick events that I would want to attend myself.  Not just based upon free drinks and food. To me, that is secondary though now with the economy, something complimentary is indeed nice.  But I look for new places, new people, unique experiences or parties, up and coming talent, product launches, hard to get into events too since we all love a challenge.  But mostly, events where you feel that you are not doing the same old thing.

AC:  So can just anyone “be on the list,”  how do you keep your list targeted and exclusive?
RR: No and yes. No, meaning you have to meet with our membership team and we need to make sure its a right fit. But yes meaning besides paying the annual fee, we do not require referrals or a certain heritage or lineage like other “clubs” do.  It’s more about your personality and spirit than your family name.

AC:  Can you give us an insider scoop on some exciting up & coming New York society events?
RR: The Led Zeppelin Wine Pairing at City Winery, a series of lifestyle events at Equinox Gym where YOUAREONTHELIST.com experts and myself will be there to talk about membership, and of course all of the June charity events in the Hamptons. No specifics until you are a member!

AC: Touché !  So, being someone who is in the know of what’s hot and what’s not in New York, what is your favorite NYC venue? Restaurant? Bar?
RR: For me, I don’t always think what’s new is hot. I like authentic places with that special feeling when you walk in. You cannot describe it but you keep going back. I grew up here, so a lot of places I go to all the time are those my parents took me to, which shows me it doesn’t matter your age, a place has it or it doesn’t.

Some favorites:
Mr. Chow on 57th
Gino on Lex
The Palm
Pink Elephant
BLT Prime
Nobu 57 for the bar
Marimoto
Balthazar

AC:  Tell us something that would surprise us about Robin Ross?
RR: I really am shy!

AC: And, what’s next for you and your business?
RR: It is my goal to have a YOUAREONTHELIST.com Lifestyle Lounge at all of the big events,  all of the award shows, fashion week, film festivals, and in The Hamptons.  I really want to make it “the place to be”.  I’d also like to grow The Clipboard–our editorial part of the site, and eventually, I’d like to have my own column and a reality show.

*Robin Ross, Founder of YOUAREONTHELIST.com

For more information about YOUAREONTHELIST.com, Robin will be doing a personal appearance in promotion of the website, on May 16th, at the Equinox Gym (74th Street location @ 2nd Avenue) where she will be offering limited-time only VIP memberships.   You can get more information about this, and how to become a member, on the official website, here.

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]

The event featured a series of booths manned by various hand bag companies who share an eco-friendly “green theme,” as well as a tucked away spa area where you could get a massage or a non-toxic manicure while you sipped on organic cocktails courtesy of Yellowfin wines and Pink Champagne.

At the event I ran into a few of my favorite party-goers, including:  Robin Ross (Founder of YouAreOnTheList.com),  Courtney Anderson (Blogger/Activist),  Lorna Solano (MapFlex.com), Dynelle Skinner (My Life on and off the Guest List),  Geraldine Laiz (Fashion Stylist), Jeremy Logan (Jeremy Logan Enterprises), Thei Zervaki (FullyBooked.biz), Patty Hughes (Curvy Girl Style), Jill Goldsberry, and of course, the women of the hour, Michelle & Pamela.

*Co-Founders and Party Co-hosts: Michelle Finkelshteyn & Pamela Pekerman

*Teich Bag Booth

*Jane Marvel Booth

*Dr. Remedy Eco-Friendly Nail Polish

*On Site Manicures

*Fellow event-goers: Lorna Solano, Courtney Anderson, Geraldine Laiz, and Jeremy Logan

I could tell how much work must have gone in to pulling off such a great event–congrats to the BagTrends team!

[Photos courtesy of me!]

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]

*Micah Jesse

Alyson Campbell: When did you start your blog and why?

Micah Jesse: I started blogging in April 2007. At the time, my site was called “Micahisms,” a term I use to describe some of the words I make up on a daily basis.

AC: What was it like interning for Tommy Mottola!?

MJ: Tommy Mottola is a music genius. It was an honor working for him and his team. His assistant, Joanne, was the first person in the Entertainment industry to truly believe in me. She gave me a chance, and I proved to her that I was in it to win it!

AC: You’ve really created a name for yourself. How did you initially parlay all of your connections and experiences into what you’re doing now?

MJ: Thank you! I’ve always been the type of person to want to know everybody. I find something special in every person I meet. So, being a natural networker has definitely helped my career. Now, my Blackberry has so many contacts that when I get a new phone and they have to transfer my information they tell me to go somewhere and come back!

AC: How did you make the switch into Red Carpet reporting?

MJ: I’ve always been fascinated by celebrities, high profile events, and camera flashes. I’m not in it for the ‘fame.’ I am a true Entertainment guru; I immerse myself in every opportunity I can to learn from the amazing people I’ve met.

AC: Who have been your favorite celebs to interview?

MJ: Kelly Ripa was a doll! I’ve actually interviewed her a few times now, and she always remembers me and never forgets to comment that she loves my eyes. She’s just as bubbly as she is on TV! In 2008, it was a true honor to interview Elton John at a gala for his foundation, The Elton John AIDS Foundation.

AC: You’re making good use of Twitter and all the social networking platforms and your site is full of video, photo and text content. Are you a natural at all this new media stuff or do you have help?

MJ: Yes and no! I wouldn’t say I am a natural, because it takes a lot of work and time learning how all of these new platforms work. But, I’ve been creating web sites and creating art on programs like Adobe Photoshop since I was little!

AC: What’s your take on the current shift in the industry towards online media?

MJ: I’m excited! In my opinion, the “press release” is dead. New platforms like Twitter are the new press release. We still want the same information as we did before, but we want it faster and more condensed. I’m a big fan of Twitter. Follow me at @micahjesse!

AC: I am so with you – I LOVE Twitter (@AlyAMP3). So, what’s your take on PR and PR people? Love us or hate us!?

MJ: Love you! I’ve learned so much from my friends in public relations. A good publicist, when pitching a story to me, will make it personal (ask me how I’m doing, tell me about a recent blog post they read of mine, etc.) and make the pitch interesting, exciting, and newsworthy. There’s nothing worse than a publicist sending me a negative story idea. That means they clearly don’t read my site! MicahJesse.com is all about positivity and “amazingness”! I’m genuinely not concerned with the negative gossip. I’m the biggest fan ever. Why would I want to see my celebrities fall?

AC: I like it! So, what’s next for Micah Jesse?

MJ: Hopefully TV! I think the tube is ready for some Micah Jesse!

*Micah Jesse with Aubrey O’Day of singing group Danity Kane

Lightening Round:

Favorite blog to read (other than yours!)? TMZ is my guilty pleasure!

Best event you’ve been to so far in 2009? The Belvedere IX Launch at Chelsea hotspot 1OAK was really fun! I love the folks over at LVMH; they have a great edge.

If you could have lunch with 2 people (living or dead), who would they be? My grandma and Madonna.

Favorite Reality Show? I don’t watch TV! Do you believe it?

Blackberry or iPhone? Blackberry! I’m a total “Crackberry” — term people use to describe a Blackberry addict.

Favorite Celebrity Couple? Easy! Angelina and Brad. They’re like superheroes!

If there were a book of memoirs about your life story, what would it be called? That’s a hard question! And I’ll save the answer for… when it comes out!

PR: Yay or Nay? Yay!

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]

Alyson Campbell: So, you get to test out parties & events that often entail free swag for a living. I bet most people assume you have a dream job. Is it indeed the best job ever, or does it have its limitations as well?

Kelly Samardak: Oh this lovely economic environment has been hard on us swag lovers, but they show up here and there It is a dream job, I get to do what I love: write, eat, photo stalk, eat, and eat. My Big Bosses give me the freedom to write in my own voice and people seem to like it. If I had to call out a limitation I’d say it’s currently resting in the expanding waistband of my jeans – and I’d like to have a closer relationship with my couch in the evenings sometimes. Even so, I’m lucky, so scratch the limitations.

AC: Can you give us an example of one of the best events you’ve ever been to / covered?

KS: This is tough. La Cucina Italiana was the best food mag party. The food was incredible and the goodie bag had truffle oil in it. Daily Candy also did a really nice job – great space, recognition of local goodness. You know, any event is the best when the people are welcoming, the company is truly grateful for something and that’s why they’re celebrating, and/or it benefits a charity. CoreMedia’s party was a dance fest I won’t easily forget – that company killed it.

AC: Any hilarious stories about an event gone horribly wrong!? What’s a huge event no-no?

KS: I should stop poking fun at the RADAR/Campari party, but that was a doozy because I was dying of starvation, but I’d say the event when something went horribly wrong was the Heidi Klum/Stardoll party where I was screeched at and threatened with burly bouncer extracting. Other than that, nothing has gone horribly wrong. Event planning is rough work and often thankless, so I try to go easy on that stuff .

AC: You are a very active twitter user, and I thoroughly enjoy your tweets! Is embracing social media part of your job? As in, are you expected to use Social Media as a vehicle?

KS: It’s not a part of my job, it’s something I believe in. I’ve been a communicator type my entire career. I was an avid podcaster and blogger at IBM and, in fact, I rebelled against Twitter for a long time. I caved and now I’m addicted and I’ve found it to be a great way to not only connect with others in this twisted social circuit (what time people are going, who’s there already, how long the line is, are there cocktail wieners?) but it’s also created this weird family that I genuinely care about. I think it’s turned me into a face to put with MediaPost as well and I welcome the role.

AC: How do you decide what you’re going to cover? What makes a good story?

KS: Luckily I’ve only had to choose a few times. I’m very sensitive to commitment – if I’ve RSVP’d to something, I have to go no matter what shiny invitation comes in later. First come first serve is usually the way – but sometimes a more relevant invitation slips in (like something digi/online medi/mkting/advert focused) and I have to choose that over the wine festival. Yes, that’s a true and sad example.

AC: What do you hate about PR / Publicists?

KS: I’m going to remove PR/Publicists from that statement because I call a few of those people my friends. I think unsavory qualities in any job function are: overly pushy (determination is great, but come on), not honoring a 5th 6th or 7th request for beat specific emails instead of all kinds of announcements is annoying, but you know what, we’re all guilty of sending unwanted emails at times. It’s life. Anyone who is too big for their britches.

AC: What do you love about PR / Publicists?

KS: Again, I’ll apply this to anyone – open honest communication is key. From anyone. Genuine personalities and the ability to stand around at a cocktail party and talk about life, not just the canned powerpoint pitch are awesome. A certain PR person asked me “so, how do you like to be pitched to/what’s important for you to hear” and I was floored because 1, I’m just me, not someone who needs to be pitched to and 2 – it was really thoughtful and a straightforward honest question. Help me help you. Help me. Help you.

Lightening round:

Favorite time of day? 11:00 Am, it’s when my coworker Sergei and I usually do a coffee/fresh air run.
MAC or PC? PC – although I’m currently on a Dell with a Mac sticker on it that an IT nerd stuck on it.
The one thing you can’t live without? In this day and age, I’d say I couldn’t live without a job. Or at least pay rent. Or eat pizza.
If you didn’t live in NYC, where would you live? I would probably find myself in London or some wild and wooley midwest town.
Favorite Social Media tool? Life’s too short to limit yourself with favorites, a wise man once told me.
Last thing you ate? Trader Joe’s carb reduced whole wheat tortillas. They were empty because I couldn’t break into the damn Trader Joe’s turkey sleeve!
What did you want to be when you were little? I wanted to be a lawyer or a model. I’m too short for one and not diplomatic enough for the other, but sure sounds like I was a confident little girl.
PR: Yay or Nay? Some people/brands need someone to be socially/publicly savvy for them. Some do not.

*Kelly Samardak with a Gus’ Pickle of course (photo courtesy of Kelly!)

Go subscribe, follow, and read up on Kelly’s world.

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]

PART 2 – Freelancing, Tech, PR & More:

Alyson Campbell: So, your personal blog, Blonde Rules, when did you start that blog and what do you use it for now?

Kelly Will: Honestly, its 100 percent personal. Its truly for friends and family to know where I am, who I’m interviewing, and what I’m doing at any given time. Because obviously, I travel and I do a lot of different things in any given monthly period. It’s hard to make sure my mom tells my aunts or my cousins. It’s strictly for fun to let my family and friends know where I am and what I’m up to!

AC: And what was it like contributing to The Moment Blog for The New York Times?

KW: It was fantastic. I strictly did it for Sundance. I would love to work with them again. I considered doing Sundance again this year, but frankly its very cold and I can barely take the cold here. It’s a different kind of cold in Sundance. It was so much fun, but I actually decided I’m going to go to LA to do my New York Post column for a week instead.

AC: That sounds like an excellent plan. What was the New York Times like as an organization? Were you working in-house or did you do it from your own space?

KW: I did it from the slopes of Park City. Strictly from the slopes.

AC: So you didn’t get to absorb a lot of the corporate culture?

KW: No, and that’s sort of the upside and downside of being a freelancer, doing what I do. Chris Rovzar from New York Magazine is a really good friend and Chris is constantly going into the office everyday. So, he’ll work from home in the morning blogging daily Intel and then he goes into the office in the afternoon. I’m sort of the opposite of him. I stop by The New York Post office every few weeks. Pick up magazines, say hi to my editor, say hi to friends and anytime they have group things, I love to get together, but I love the freedom of my time truly being my own and that I can work while I’m doing laundry around the corner. You know, I can grab breakfast with a really good friend and easily accomplish my work in the day. I was always in an office, especially at Star, and I remember thinking “ oh there’s so much at home I need to be doing and I could totally do it all in between working, ugh this is so hard!!!” …and that’s what celebrity gossip allows you to do.

Alyson: You’re like me then, you find it easier to “get in the zone” from your own space…

KW: I do. And I don’t think freelancing is for everyone by any means. In fact I think it’s for fewer people. A lot of people think they can do it and they can’t. You really have to keep track of everything. Keeping track of your own taxes, your own health care, and just in general making sure you have enough work to pay the bills. But even more than that, when at home you have so many more great distractions. There’s DVR now and my DVR is always full with something I could be watching. I find with the invention of the blackberry and laptop, I can be productive from anywhere. I can close a column from the treadmill or the bike at the gym.

AC: Alright, so let me switch it up a bit. First of all, do you use twitter? Do you twitter at all?

KW: I don’t and Gregory Littley (I hope that his Google Alert just pinged when I said his last name!), I hope he’s reading this because I cannot stand Twitter! Gregory Littley is my best friend as most people know. In fact, they started to think that we couldn’t go anywhere without the other. He loves twitter; he loves the idea of it. I personally can’t stand it. I think blogging for me has already dumbed down my writing skills as far as it just being a quick thought, a paragraph. I make the effort to spell everything properly and make sure my sentences are proper and twitter really takes that to the next level. It’s like a half thought, an incomplete sentence for a thought. Honestly, I don’t think that people need to know what I’m doing every second of the day. I’m already on Facebook, I have a blog. There are so many ways to know what I’m doing and I think twitter is sort of a selfish place. People just seem to want to self-promote more and more, and I don’t really think people care what I’m doing every second of the day.

AC: That’s what kept me from signing up for a good 6-9 months. because I just thought “oh my gosh I don’t know if I can be that incredibly self indulgent to assume that people need to know my status every half hour.” As a publicist, I’ve been benefiting, though, because there are a ton of journalists on Twitter that are using it as a tool to source stories. I’ve also since learned that it’s about providing value to your audience. I learn so much from my tweeps every day!

KW: That’s wonderful and if that’s what any one person is using it for, that’s great. If you want to twitter about your minute-to-minute trek through the snow, that’s fine and you can go ahead and do that. I do think that’s great to have it used in the way you mentioned and I think Facebook is another example of how helpful these new internet sites have become. Similarly on Facebook, I have actually communicated with people for work-related reasons instead of just basic email – because I might not have their email, but I can track them down on FB. I definitely see the benefits.

AC: So do you mind being approached from a professional standpoint on Facebook? I know there’s a lot of talk about the blur between what’s your personal time and what’s your professional time. Do you get anyone soliciting you in that way?

KW: I do and honestly I do prefer things to come through email, but I also understand that not everyone has my email. So, if this is the best way you can find me, then I’m totally ok with that and I’ll usually just forward a note to myself. My life is organized through my Gmail account. Gmail is the greatest invention. I truly believe it’s the best email server possible and I could not survive without Gmail. So, I think it’s fine. If you want to contact me through Facebook, contact me. If I can use something you’re sending me I’ll use it and if I can’t, I can’t. It’s ok with me.

AC: Ok. So, you may have answered my next question. I was curious from a journalistic standpoint if you’ve noticed a shift within traditional media? Maybe some of your mentors who were used to the scene before social media became so huge are feeling it? Have you noticed a shift and are you ever expected on the job to implement any of these other skills or tools? Do you think any of your colleagues are encouraged to do these things or is it kind of ‘to each his own’ however you do your job, just do your job?

KW: I think it is ‘to each his own’ but I also think if you are on Facebook, it does benefit you to be on and fairly active. Personally, I’ve even questioned my non-use of twitter and I think “Am I really missing out on something, should I be on twitter?” and then I think “I don’t have the time to be on another one of these things!” I don’t want the stress. For me, if I’m not updating something at least weekly let alone on twitter every 30 minutes or something I feel like I’m behind and I don’t like that feeling. I do think that using everything at your fingertips that is available can only benefit you. If you’re using it for work, play, as a combined effort I think it can only benefit you.

AC: Maybe you want to use Twitter to say something like “Who’s at Sundance this week, talk to me?” People search twitter by ‘hot topic’ conversation threads so maybe it would help? I really hesitated to join the conversation myself, and now, just like you talk about your love for Gmail, Twitter is what I’m advocating! At least consider it! I’m on Gregory’s team.

KW: I’ll consider it. I’ll consider twitter. I also think the word twitter just sounds like a dirty, sexual game. It just sounds funny and I always joke about that with Greg.

AC: OK, I’m done with my sales pitch! Lets just talk about publicists a little bit. Do you get pitched on a daily or weekly basis by a ton of publicists? Do you get pitched because you’re writing such & such a column by such & such a paper? Do you get pitched because you have a warm network of publicists who know you personally, so they email you at Gmail? Or, do you get blind pitches through being in some kind of media database?

KW: I would say it’s mainly from my network and my specific contacts. Secondary is where I’m almost blindly hit up for different things that people want me to cover. Most things that I’m invited to are from my built up network of contacts and friends. Usually when someone hits me up for attending an event, covering their new product or party, interviewing someone… it’s actually somebody who has heard of me from a friend of mine that has recommended me. I have a nice network that I really do rely on and I do get pitched to daily. Definitely daily. Many daily.

AC: So with the left field cold pitches, do you have any feedback on what publicists do that’s inappropriate or frustrating?

KW: First, I would say that I do my best to reply to everyone. No matter what, I try to never ignore an email, no matter how far off base it may be. If it’s a personal email then I’m never going to ignore you. It may take me a day or two to respond because I’m ambushed with stuff or I really don’t know how to respond so I have to sit on it for a day or two to figure out how to kindly say that I can’t use this but in the future let’s talk and this is what my beat is. Something I don’t need and that I get a lot of is Fashion. I’m on tons of PR lists as a fashion contact and it’s just a rundown of somebody wore something. Say any old fashion designer, I get emails all the time that are like “Kelly Rutherford was seen in this Dolce & Gabbana dress”. Now, I’m not going to respond to that because it’s a mass email and I’m not on a fashion beat and people that know me would never really send that to me. So those kinds of things I don’t respond to. As long as it’s a personal email that’s addressed to me that seems like someone took the time to get my email and seek me out for help, I’ll respond.

A lot of people don’t realize what it takes to make a gossip item. I think the anatomy of a gossip item is hard for some publicists to understand. That, or they know exactly what the anatomy of a gossip item is but they’re praying that I will bite on what they’re trying to sell me without having the proper anatomy. I understand where they’re coming from and it never upsets me. So it’s fine, I welcome those emails, I don’t care at all and I’ll just simply say unfortunately there’s no real lead in this. A lead in a gossip item is some simple juicy tidbit. I would prefer if it was positive.

Jeremy Piven just quit Speed the Plow and I got a tip from a friend who knew David Mamma and he wasn’t really happy with Jeremy from day one and I thought, “Well, this is a great item and there’s just so much truth to this I’m going to run with it.” It just takes one simple nugget of an interesting something. You know like, Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal, if they’re shopping in a store that you rep and you let me know that Jake came in with Reese over the weekend and they bought clothes for a little boy and a little girl and they were holding hands and very sweet. That actually is an item because they’re two A-listers. Anytime you combine celebrities it’s a gem of an item. People just want to know what a simple day in the life is, really.

AC: So, what do you love and hate about PR people?

KW: I don’t hate anything. Hate is not a word in my vocabulary. What do I love about publicists? They’ve made my career. I mean, without PR there is very little celebrity news. Whether its personal publicists or event publicists or product publicists, it doesn’t matter really…all publicists have in some way helped me along the way–every single step of the way. It’s just a give and take. I try to help as many people as possible. If you’re a publicist and I can do a favor for you, I will in a heartbeat. Sometimes I do go to them. I go to some people more frequently because they’re close friends of mine and I say “I really need help, I’m a little short this week, please help!” But, I never trade gossip. I never say I’m going to give you this for that. I just try to be really nice, really straightforward, with this is what I need this week and if you have it, send it to me, and if I can use it, I absolutely will. If it’s tied to a product you’re working on, I’m absolutely going to mention the product as long as it has relevance to where I interviewed that person or anything like that. I think that its important that I rub your back and you rub mine. It’s a hugely important synergy. I don’t think I could do my job without publicists. Well maybe that’s not true. Maybe I could do my job but my quality of life would be so horrible because I’d never sleep, I’d frequent every celebrity known restaurant, I would frequent every single club. I mean, it would just be so difficult. I have friends that are not publicists who also help me on a daily basis. I just consider everyone in my network, friends. I really do. For the most part everybody’s my friend. I treat you like a friend (I hope) and I do my best to be honest. I think its an important friendship. I really can’t say anything negative about publicists. If you flood my inbox with emails, that’s ok. If it comes to a point where you’re sending me one email after another that’s just not relevant, I will find the nicest way I can to tell you.

AC: You know what, sometimes we just get that simple “not interested” email and then we go, “Ok, this is not her beat, let’s make sure this she is removed from this list.” I love that more than a ‘no reply’ whatsoever. Just a simple “thanks but no thanks” is appreciated from a PR perspective.

KW: I think follow-through is the most important thing in any relationship that you have both personally and professionally. I hope that I’ve been able to do that for most people and that’s always my goal. I never want to leave anyone hanging . If I can’t use something, I hope that I tell you and if I can, by all means you’re gonna know that I can. I’m going to do my best to let you know what issue its going to run in and exactly what day… make sure you pick it up and I’m going to remind you a few times because I want other people to benefit.

AC: That’s really awesome to hear.

KW: Well, I think you’re only as good as your contacts, friends, and relationships. I know that without all those things I would not have a career. I would not still be living in New York City, I would not be writing a gossip column for the New York Post. I would be nothing without my relationships.

AC: Ultimately, how do you think you got to live a life that you love?

KW: My parents are the true reason for all of my success. They pretty much blindly support me no matter what and they give me the greatest advice, especially in tough times.

AC: Very cool. Well that ends the formal part of my questions. Thank you so much for your insight, Kelly!

*Kelly Will with Ana Ortiz at the Men’s Final at the 2008 U.S. Open

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]

Redbook, Shape, Star Magazine, The New York Daily News, The New York Times, and now, The NY Post with her Page Six “Six & The City” Column–these are all publications that Celebrity Gossip Columnist, Kelly Will, has written for during her impressive and inspiring career.

This is definitely my longest blog post by far (I know: tisk, tisk), but I was so thoroughly interested in Kelly’s perspective, career, and the various topics we touched upon, that I decided I’d keep it all in for those who are interested, too.

If you aren’t up for the full read, here are the cliff notes: Kelly Will is awesome. She created her own career from the ground up by following her gut and making conscious choices to pursue her dreams. There was little sleep involved (I was exhausted just listening to it), but what we’ve learned is that hard work pays off and sets you up for a lifestyle to envy later on.

This interview is going to be revealed in TWO PARTS, as we chat about Celebrity Gossip, Travel, Social Media, and life as a Freelancer.

[Big thanks to @JoAnaSwan for transcribing this interview!]

PART 1 – Making It Happen:

Alyson Campbell: So Kelly, you’re a celebrity gossip columnist. How do you keep up? Where do you get the bulk of your tips? Through friends & warm contacts? Is that successful for you?

Kelly Will : Definitely. I believe that you’re only as good as your warm contacts. I could not do this job without all those people who get that “tips” email reminder from me every month. So many people contact me with simple sightings, even a publicist who isn’t repping Kevin Bacon will see Kevin Bacon crossing the street in SoHo and tell me “He was running into such and such restaurant,” and that’s the simplest way that I get a great sighting without physically being everywhere at what time [which is nearly impossible]. Plus, I’m turning 30 this year and I really wanted to transition into a place where I don’t have to go out every single night. You don’t have to see me at Rose Bar and the next night at Beatrice and maybe one night at Gold Bar and another night at Marquee. I know people and if something “big” happens I’m confident someone will let me know “this happened.” Also, I really count on all my PR contacts as far as my celebrity interviews go. It’s amazing how generous and willing people are to get the celebrity to talk to me. If I can have five minutes with a celebrity on my own without other reporters’ microphones coming in, then it usually can become an item and I can thank the publicist by making sure its properly stated where the celebrity was, what the event was for, who was involved, and it’s a really nice synergistic relationship. As a good gossip columnist in New York City, if you can’t help your publicist friends then they will not help you.

AC: So not just as a publicist, but as a reporter too, it’s who you know, and you just sprawl out across many circles?

KW: Yes, any opportunity to meet new people (as long as I have the energy and I’m not completely exhausted), I will make the effort to exchange business cards and just say “Hi, this is what I do.” Every week I have three sightings available that are open for restaurants in the city. You know, the restaurant publicists, I don’t think they quite realize that I’d love to have every restaurant publicist in the city know me, because people love to go out and eat, celebrities love to go out and eat! It’s just a simple sighting and it’s not invasive; that’s what’s great about sightings is that they’re not invasive. A lot of people are still so worried about the negative gossip column item and I completely understand that so for the most part I try to be as positive as possible cause karma’s a b*tch! And, I want good karma!

AC: Well that is something I’m sure that celebrities are happy to hear from you…

KW: Yeah, you’ll never see me do a mean celebrity interview…never…ever. You’ll never see me making up quotes from a celebrity to make them look bad ever. It’s all on the record and its all positive. About once a week I do have one great gossip item that is not an interview with a celebrity and that definitely might not be great for my karma but I believe some celebrities deserve it if they’re going to pull the things they pull.

AC: And some of them know that they’re pulling these things. Some of them do still believe that ‘all press is good press and they’re just happy that they’re in your column whether it’s negative (KW: Right, the younger celebrities especially)…or the socialite crowd, I’m sure they always love getting called out?

KW: Oh yes definitely. All press is good press in that arena.

AC: So, you said you transitioned into freelancing about 3 years ago? How did you get to that place?

KW: I started my career as an Elementary Education Major at Indiana University, in the good ol’ Midwest. I grew up outside of Chicago so I lived in the city throughout childhood and I thought to myself, “I don’t want to go back to Chicago after graduating.” My friends were coming to New York so we all decided on graduation day that we would move to NYC together. We slept on couches for a couple weeks. A couple of us got apartments together and I got a job as an assistant at Redbook Magazine at Hearst. Hearst is a wonderful company, they really take care of their employees, and you’re not a number to them at all. From Hearst, my boss took me with her to Shape Magazine, and while at Shape I met Bonnie Fuller. She had just come on to Star Magazine from US Weekly and had just renovated US WEEKLY into the pink and magenta glorious animal that it now looks like today, that Janice Min has taken over. Bonnie met me and she needed a new assistant and we just really clicked.

AC: So, what was your big break? How did you make the leap from assistant to reporter?

KW: I will never forget it. I got a tip that Britney Spears was performing at the old Limelight (which at the time was called Avalon) and I thought “Wow, I’m just gonna go down there and see.” I was still at Shape at the time, and I leaned against the stage for an hour and had a drink with one of my friends and all of the sudden Britney Spears decided to surprise everyone! It was Britney Spears, “Out all Night on MTV.” I happened to be there and happened to have a camera and I took photos; I was inches away from her! Bonnie had only been at the magazine for a month or so at the time and she ran the photos. Star Magazine actually paid me for the photos because they were really good shots, and they ran my reporting on Britney, too. I had a job offer the next week. I definitely look back at that moment, my choice to go to that concert after I had gotten the tip, and I remember consciously making a decision. In my head I was thinking, “I have a feeling if something good happens here, this will change my entire career.” At the time, I had been in New York for almost a year, so I was still pretty new and I was willing to do anything to get ahead.

AC: That is so inspiring! Good ‘ol Britney, she’s probably made a few careers happen in her day! I remember when I first started to hear your name around town, that you were officially reporting at Star Magazine. So were you at Star for a while and then The New York Daily News?

KW: It was a huge transition actually. I’m really willing to share this story now because (especially in this economy) so many people are going through it and it’s a very difficult thing when you get laid off from a job… I was Bonnie’s executive assistant for over a year, I was promoted, she made me an editor, she was a wonderful boss, and we had a great relationship. I truly admired her and respected her and still do. I was an editor for a year and then suddenly I was laid off in just a regular slew of like 10 people that were also cut. I remember I didn’t cry that night, but I went home and called my mom and she was so upset. She said “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe this is happening to you,” and I was like “It’s going to be ok, Mom.” I signed up for unemployment the next day because I just didn’t know how I would pay for my New York City bills without having a job. I decided I was going to take the summer off because I did had some money in savings. I took a few weeks to really figure out what I wanted to do. To be honest, I did a lot of soul searching that summer.

AC: So, without realizing it, you almost needed that break?

KW: Yeah, I mean I had worked 80 hours a week for almost 3 years straight. Star was a great place, and a wonderful learning experience and I would do it again, I would definitely do it again. It was also a truly exhausting experience. I was going out all night long and I was partying with THE celebrities of the moment. Marquee had just opened, and it was a SCENE. Every night you ended up at Bungalow 8 and maybe you got in somebody’s SUV and went to an after-party. It was just the time of your life in your mid twenties to be having. It also just sucked the life out of me. When I was let go it gave me a reason to sit still and realize how exhausted I was because you just go, go, go and you don’t think about it. So yes, it took a lot of soul searching to figure out who I was. I thought I was defined by my work because I had labeled myself as a “Bonnie minion”, a person that Bonnie Fuller had created, and I had to recreate my own image of who I could be, now that I was on my own.

Gosh, it took a lot of work, but when you’re getting near the end of unemployment and you’ think “Oh my gosh, I still don’t have a job, what am I gonna do,” you push yourself. I interviewed for a lot of PR jobs because everybody said I should do PR. I actually got a lot of offers and with every single one, I found a reason to turn it down, even though I desperately needed a job. I kept telling myself “C’mon, your name, people are forgetting who you are,” and I was still going out often specifically because I didn’t want people to forget who I was. You think it’s so important to keep your name out there. It was really getting near the end and finally a really good friend of mine said: “You can do anything you want and why aren’t you thinking: ‘I can freelance, I can do this on my own, I can run my own business’.” And that was the turning point. I said, “You know what? Wait a second I can, and I will.”

It was my good friend Jared Shapiro at Life & Style Weekly, he was Bonnie’s assistant right before I was. We had a great friendship throughout the Star years together and he went to Life & Style and he said “I’ll help you.” He supported me and to this day I still do a little work with Jared at Life & Style. He was the start of my freelancing career and I can give him a lot of the credit for that. He helped me out when I really needed it. One thing built on another, and because I had been friends with Ben Widdicombe (of Gatecrasher at the New York Daily News) and he needed a filler (Laura Schreffler was going to be out and I was friends with Laura), he asked if I could do it and I said “ I guess I could!” So, I agreed and thought “What the heck, its been a good summer, and I should just make the summer even better.”

Ben & I ended up working out a deal that I would do the gossip column once every other week and it was completely part-time. I felt like I was helping him out and he was helping me out. He has become a great friend of mine, he’s such a funny person, a nice guy and so smart. Even on days when we thought “Wow, a daily column is a killer, to come up with three celebrity items plus 3 full sightings every single day, five days a week!” I give him so much credit for doing that for so many years. There were days that his writing was so sharp, so witty, so funny, that it was an unreal column. That tone will forever be lacking. I doubt anyone can ever compete with that Ben Widdicombe tone. I just remember a lot of his one liner jokes in the column, and I never would have come up with them. He can take full credit for all the good writing in that column.

Soon, a friend of mine recommended me to The New York Times, to Ben’s friend Horatio Silva, and he wanted me to do a daily column from Sundance last year, so I did that and the Daily News and was still working with Jared at Life & Style. It was a great time. But, there was no sleep involved.

AC: When you were working at that many publications at one time, how did you decide who you would give which lead story to?

KC: I think most people look at it as such a difficult task. As a writer who’s sort of immersed in it, it jumps out at you what’s going to work for which publication. There’s just a certain thing that each outlet wants. For example, the New York Times obviously has a very different tone than a small item for Ben (in the Daily News). So, I actually did a lot of movie coverage for the NYT, where I would interview the celebrities featured in the movie, and we would really talk about the movie. In a gossip column there’s not a lot of room to talk about the project someone’s working on, sadly. I’m happy to mention it. I’ll always mention the project, and the place. The important stuff is always going to be there. The real meat of the item, though, is going to be something about the person or their attachment to another celebrity. Unfortunately, while I’d love to focus on the projects of each celebrity, what sells is celebrities tied to other celebrities and celebrity gossip. People want to know the insides of celebrity life. At the same time, Ben decided he was going to let go of the Daily News, so it sort of worked out with perfect timing, and I could take a little bit of a break and not work quite as hard. I decided this summer that I was going to learn how to live a little bit more frugally, travel all over the world and not work SO hard. So, I did a lot of traveling.

AC: I think I need to learn from you on that one, I would like to do that.

KW: Yeah, I did 16 countries in 15 months. I am very proud of that number. It was really my goal, and to do it on a budget too. Having a great experience on a budget.

AC: Did you go to Greece?

KW: I did, it’s actually one of my favorite places in the world.

AC: Greece is the best. I did the Greek Islands a couple of summers ago. Now, I know I should go explore other places, I should go see the rest of the world, but all I want to do is go back to the Greek Islands.

KW: Greece is on my top list of travel spots! It’s on my American Airlines homepage, I keep an eye out for big Airline deals, and anytime there is, Greece is #1! It’s a beautiful country; I can’t say enough about the whole country of Greece, I love it. When it comes to traveling, people say “Well, did you do this club in Paris?” and I’m just like no, that is the opposite of what I do when I travel. I truly am the opposite of my personality in New York. I climb the volcanoes, I hike to the top of mountains, I do silly things like jumping off cliffs in Croatia. I do active, fun, adventurous things. I want to experience it as much as a local and as least like a tourist as possible. I just want to soak it in. I can never guarantee I’ll be back to any one place so I just want to take it all in.

AC: Well I mean, being out at the club all night and then being exhausted, you can do that in New York and once you’re in a dark enclosed space with a DJ, it’s all the same thing, so it makes sense to see the sights. Very cool. Thanks Kelly!

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our interview, where we talk about the evolution of media and where Kelly Will is today!

*Kelly Will at an event in Los Angeles.

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]

Alyson Campbell: Tell us what you cover at THR?
Georg Szalai: I mainly cover business and financial news from big media and entertainment companies (Time Warner, News Corp., Viacom, CBS, etc.), satellite TV companies and any other business news and trends in the industry that I may notice. Anyone still awake? (I know friends would prefer I covered celebrities, but I love what I do). Plus, I’ll cover NY conferences, events and news as needed.

AC: So obviously, you deal with publicists in your day-to-day affairs. How many pitches do you get a day?
GS: I probably get 3-10 pitches on an average day and 200-plus other emails.

AC: Do the pitches you receive tend to be on topic?
GS: It’s about 50:50. Sometimes people just throw out pitches with the apparent hope that we may care. But too often they are either glamor-focused (as in: J-Lo wore a dress from xyz at this premiere last night, which doesn’t interest us as a business-to-business publication) or about small companies that don’t have a compelling story and hook (e.g. if a small Web company is helping big media giants sell TV ads, they better have a major success story to tell that we can showcase with numbers. Just saying they are cool and fun and good isn’t enough).

AC: What makes a good pitch in your eyes?
GS: I like email pitches that have a clear story angle and fit thr angle into larger trends and developments (e.g.: here is a company that is growing despite the recession and here is why, or: Obama has promised to push “green” technologies, and here is a film studio that is overhauling its operations to abolish all greenhouse gas output within 3 years.)

AC: What do you love & hate about PR?
GS: I love it when I have worked with PR people for a while and we understand each others’ needs and interests. I hate it when someone new calls me to say they have a great story and they only need 5 minutes to explain why. Hey, I don’t even have 5 minutes to get a coffee, and please, let me decide if a story is great or not (or let me believe I decide).

AC: With the changing landscape of the traditional media, is it part of your job requirement to embrace social media / new media in your day-to-day efforts?
GS: Our readers care about new media more and more, and a growing number of them work in new media. So, I feel I must learn about it, cover it and also use it in our reporting at times.

AC: So what do you use? Facebook?
GS: Yes, I sometimes post questions for THR or freelance stories I am working on in my Facebook status line…in case a friend has a tip or thought.

AC: What about Twitter?
GS: I scoured Twitter as part of our Obama inauguration coverage this week. Otherwise, I will explore it more in the near future. Alyson, you are definitely the one person suggesting the most that I use Twitter more to learn about latest developments that may not be in the offline mainstream yet, so I’ll work on it.

AC: I know, you would think I do PR for Twitter. So, do you mind being approached from a professional standpoint on personal networks? For example, being pitched via a Facebook message?
GS: I prefer email, but am not opposed to a network approach, especially if it’s a sensitive issue someone may not want to discuss via email.

LIGHTNING ROUND:

Favorite time of Day? Evening, when I catch up on more email & memos via Blackberry from home or see sources/friends.

Mustard or Ketchup? Ketchup…and lots of it.

If you didn’t live in NYC, where would you live? Berlin or London.

Favorite sport? Rugby. I love the team I play for – the Village Lions RFC.

Fav blog or online pub to read? I love the Wall Street Journal and The Economist – online and offline.

Blackberry or iPhone? Blackberry. Less fancy, more efficient for typing.

Mac or PC? Either way…as long as I get broadband.

Favorite NYC restaurant? I can’t believe Florent closed. I also love Q2, a Thai place in midtown West.

What’s your vice? Lack of sleep – because there always seems to be something interesting or fun going on.

PR: Yay or Nay? I often feel like other journalists I know: Can’t live with PR, can’t live without it.

Thanks to Georg for contributing to this week’s edition of “Meet The Press” and for the delicious pineapple-coconut mojito!

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]

AC: What inspired My “it” Things and how/when did you bring it to life?
YZ: MyItThings.com started in 2005 from my idea of simply having a fashion blog, but rather than being a “lonely blogger,” I was more excited about allowing other people to contribute and upload their own content. After a long brainstorming session with my techie friend (who is my biz partner today) the concept evolved into an online fashion magazine, created entirely by people online. We established a company in early 2007 and launched the site in March 2007.

AC: How did you initially spread the word? Are there any defining moments or key milestones in the growth of the site?
YZ: Our marketing strategy relied a lot and still does on creating contests that would attract the fashion crowd online. Our first contest in May 2007 was for the best fashion article, and we managed to get Santino Rice, then fresh Project Runway alum, to judge the best entries. The word had quickly spread in the blogosphere and a few hundreds of entries were submitted within a couple of weeks. Today we have a community of more than 10,000 site contributors and more than 200,000 visitors every month. 2008 marked 400% growth for the site and we hope to keep a similar growth pattern in 2009.

While we do use external PR services to approach industry publications, mostly we’ve been relying on creating successful promotions and using our own network to spread the word.

The major growth milestone was in 2008, when we launched our own online version of “Project Runway” named “It” Designer, and invited aspiring designers to submit portfolios for a chance to have their own runway show in NYC, judged by industry experts and press. The contest, which run for several months, was record breaking both in traffic and press MyItThings received, including the prestigious designers feature in Women’s Wear Daily.

AC: My “it” Things allows users to use all kinds of fun tools like creating a virtual closet – which function is your favorite?
YZ: I like the idea of providing users with all kinds of tools to make expressing ideas easy: from bookmarking favorite products, to making a wish list, uploading a video or showcasing latest sketches – we try to cover any feature our audience would possibly want to use and hope to become a one stop shop for them to share their point of view on style.

AC: So you guys allow users to post their “it” things and post their own columns which might end up as features on the site. Have you discovered any fashion editorial superstars this way?
YZ: Plenty! Our starts could make “Stylista” contestants look like interns. I’m very proud of our Top 50 List, which includes some of the best fashion bloggers, who regularly contribute content, as well as fashion students and stylists who use the site to share their knowledge with the community.

AC: I learned through “Girls in Tech” that it was you who spearheaded the Fashion 2.0 Meet-Up! Tell us about it?
YZ: Fashion 2.0 is a monthly networking gathering of like-minded people who have three things in common: internet, fashion and NYC. Each event we dedicate to exploring a different subject within the fashion industry in relation to web 2.0. This month, the panel discussion will revolve around Fashion PR 2.0, and the way the traditional PR industry is adopting the online space. As the group continues to grow, I’ve realized that the events are bigger than just a social get-together – we are initiating the much-needed conversation between the new online world and the traditional fashion industry one. The new generation of designers, consumers and trendsetters is about to transform this highly hierarchal world and I’m thrilled to be part of a group which leads this change.

AC: So, I’ve been following you on Twitter, and you know that I found one of your recent tweets fascinating: that you had actually been pitched by the NY Times. You know the industry is going through a change when it’s no longer just PR people pitching media outlets, but it’s now also traditional (print) outlets pitching other online outlets such as yourself. What was your response to this pitch? And have you had others like it?
YZ: The interesting part about this pitch was that it was successful – I got an early sneak peek into the NYT new style magazine issue and was excited to share it with my readers. Beyond the obvious flattery, it was encouraging to know that traditional media recognizes the power in independent online publishers – the power to spread the message to the audiences they don’t necessarily have a connection with. It was probably the only case of this kind I’ve seen, but I won’t be surprised if Vogue didn’t start sending sneak previews to selected fashion bloggers. In fact, I think they should.

AC: What is your experience with PR people as Editor-in-Chief of My “it” Things? How many pitches do you get a day and what, in your eyes, makes a successful pitch?
YZ: I get somewhere between 20 to 50 pitches, most of them are just forwarded press kits with a bunch of visuals attached. A successful pitch would include one of the following: 1) piece of news that relates to our site content, 2) curious story behind product/ trend/ label 3) unique angle for MyItThings.com – for example why this product is the latest “It” thing.

AC: What do you love and hate about PR?
YZ: I love the idea that people spend the time to craft interesting stories and help me find the best angle to tell my readers. It makes our work easier, and personal contact allows asking followup questions, requesting more material on the subject and so on. One thing I hate about PR is the tone some of the PR people are using: from too personal to template-like, rarely it sounds just right.

AC: Because of the impact of Web 2.0 on traditional media and PR — where do you see things moving in 2009? Predictions?

YZ:

• Brands will continue to explore and occasionally get burned from the so called “social media” engagements.
• Magazines will (hopefully) start integrating online features into existing publications, rather than simply republishing the content online and attaching a blog to it.
• Fashion designers will finally start taking advantage of the low barrier to entry in the online world and the free self-marketing tools it has to offer.
• People will continue to define style, online and offline.

FASHION RAPID FIRE:
Who’s your favorite designer? Marc Jacobs to watch, Max Azria to shop.
What accessory can you not live without? 12″ HP TouchScreen notebook
Heels or flats? Heels!
What was your “it” thing of 2008? My list of top 10 is here.
Favorite cosmetic? Mac Studio Fix Powder Foundation
Fav discount finds? Black Patent Corcovado Tote, from Hayden-Harnett for $110 instead of $650 during Twitter-exclusive Christmas sale.
Fav outlet or blog to read (besides your own!)? The Cut by NY mag
Fav online store? Net-A-Porte to watch, Nordstrom to shop.
Fav offline store? INA vintage in Soho
Fav Tweeples? Impossible without leaving out anyone, so http://twitter.com/yuliz/friends
PR: Yay or Nay? Yay to PR 2.0!

*Yuli Ziv: Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of My “It” Things

For more information on Yuli Ziv, you can check out her official website: YuliZiv.com, her business: MyItThings.com, or you can follow her life in Fashion & Web 2.0 via Twitter @YuliZ.

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]