Meet Teresa La of Digital Candy PR

Today we’d like to introduce you to Teresa La.

Teresa, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I moved out to LA from the Bay Area to attend grad school at Pepperdine University.

After graduating with my MBA, I worked at Fox Interactive Media which is where I got my start in digital – during the OG days of social media. From there, I worked as a Sr. Account Executive at an entertainment PR company leading their digital efforts.

It was there I learned all about media strategy and PR from some of the industry’s leading PR vets. At that time, social media was the wild wild west, and I wanted to be a part of shaping it. I went on to work for a social media agency doing digital publicity briefly before I took the leap to start my own company, Digital Candy PR.

About a year into it, a recruiter found me on LinkedIn and liked that I had both social media and PR experience and I was brought in to work with the NBC Entertainment PR team. It was hard for me to leave what I had built, but I always knew I could go back to running it one day and that the experience that I would get from working with a big company would be worth it.

I was at NBC for almost five years working closely with our network publicists on weekly social media activations involving talent, producers, and press. After NBC, I went on to work for another social media agency before I decided I was ready to go back into running my own business.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As you can see it wasn’t linear by any means. I started the company in 2010, hit the pause button in 2011 to work at NBC, and then went back into it in 2016. One of the struggles is not having the peace of mind you have when you work for an established company.

There’s no safety net, but the freedom that working independently gives me is so rewarding it makes the risk worth it. I get to do more of what I love and take on projects that aren’t restricted to just one vertical. You have to really believe in your vision, bet on yourself and be okay with failing again and again.

When we look at success, it’s usually portrayed in a linear way — we always see the highlight reel. There are so many ups and downs — both daily, and over time, wins and losses but the exciting part is the process of navigating it until you finally get to where you want to be.

Please tell us about Digital Candy PR.
Digital Candy PR is a social media and pr company. At the heart of it, we help entrepreneurs and brands tell their story in the digital space and develop social and pr strategies that will help them reach their business goals.

What sets us apart is experience and our non-traditional agency format. Our team is made up of the best handpicked industry talent that have the foresight and know-how to help brands navigate the changing digital landscape. We work with clients both big and small, start-up or established, and both in-house and remotely.

I’m proud the company has grown organically and through word-of-mouth. Other than my LinkedIn and social media, I haven’t done any marketing. All of my current clients are friends, part of my network, or through a referral.

What’s your favorite memory from childhood?
Going to my grandparent’s house in the summer. My cousins and I would swim all day, pick cherries off the cherry trees, and eat all the pizza we wanted.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.digitalcandypr.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/digitalcandypr
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/digitalcandypr
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/digitalcandypr

Image Credit:
Christine Choi

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.