Elite Careers: Bollare
Alle Fister is the principal at Bollare, a bi-coastally headquartered, full-service, beauty, fashion and lifestyle public relations firm. Between offices in New York and Los Angeles, Bollare works with brands across three verticals: celebrity seeding, digital consultancy and traditional press coverage.
Bollare has earned a reputation amongst clients, editors, producers and stylists as a go-to for top-tier, contemporary brands. Bollare clients range from leading retailers to the finest in contemporary fashion to the best of beauty and lifestyle goods.
The agency employs savvy publicists within the three realms of expertise, allowing for a depth of knowledge and understanding in scope. Bollare thoughtfully layers competencies to create an effective public relations campaign for each, individual client.
Give us the run through of a typical day.
As the Principal of a growing business the best part about my work is that no two days are ever alike! To give a snapshot, my efforts tend to be divided into thirds: 1/3 of my time I spend meeting with new business. I personally meet with each potential brand partner and am looking for synergies between their brand and our contact base. 1/3 of my time is spent with the internal team assessing strategies and determining objectives for our current brand partners. 1/3 of my time is spent mentoring the internal team. We have 50 team members between our NY and LA offices. I really enjoy spending as much time as I can with each team learning and growing with them.
How did you become interested in this industry?
I often have the opportunity to speak to college students, and I always say that I would have never known I could have a job as cool as this (and such a fit for my personality and strengths) if I hadn't interned through out college.
What was your first job in the field? How did you get it/what was the application process like?
I came across Shopbop and took to the web to cold email in a compelling 'pitch' on why I would be just what the business needed. My pitch was a success, namely because I thought about the recipient while drafting, and I soon found myself moving to Madison, WI to become one of the initial employees the e-retailer.
What is the best business/career advice you’ve ever received?
Dreams don't work unless you do!
What do you suggest to 20-somethings aspiring to get involved in your field?
The PR industry has so many facets and vibes. Spend time researching brands and firms that are a cultural fit for you. When you've found the right fit, and you're passionate about your clientele, the pitching process is much more organic, and therefore much more successful!
What is the most important thing to know about your job?
It's a lot of work! People newer to the industry take a look at our firm's social media and think...wow, I want to do that! But to get there, we had to, and have to continually, earn our way to the 'cool stuff' by a lot of smart and hard work first.
What is the biggest misconception about your work?
That it is all celebrities, parties and lip gloss. Our work is all about thinking about 'the other' and creating strategies and messaging accordingly!
Are there perks to your position/job? Any downfalls?
Absolutely, so many so that you can see them mentioned in my above responses. The perks come in exchange for a job well done and can include beauty and fashion freebies, press trips, to sneak peeks on what's coming next from brands we love!
Are there internships/entry level job openings currently available? Where can readers find more information?
Absolutely, Bollare really believes in hiring from within and promoting our star interns to the next group of our entry-level team members.
Check out www.bollare.com for more info.
Hilary Sheinbaum | Elite.
