Meet Sierra Imari of Society House in Culver City

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sierra Imari.

Sierra, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’m very fortunate to come from a creative family and have parents that have worked in the music industry as executives at ASCAP and Universal Music Group so, from birth, I’ve always had a different perspective and passion for the industry because it’s how my parents met and it’s true in my DNA. My life changed intensely though when my mom and I moved from Manhattan, NY to Charlotte, NC and everything I knew shifted. Growing up and seeing the actual engine behind the industry and observing how it works and yet living in North Carolina in the early 2010s, before DaBaby and Deniro Farrar put Charlotte on the map, it was truly like I was living in two different worlds. I would say all the time during my freshman year of college I had Hannah Montana Syndrome. I remember my parents instilling in me to not speak much about our family’s true being as It was important for me to 1) know how to move in silence if this was something I wanted to pursue in my life and 2) I didn’t want to make friends from them wanting to use me. And I’m forever grateful for those life lessons but as a passionate 12 year old I still wanted to express myself and being the Virgo I am, I made a way to still express the interest of the industry I had inside.

Although living in Charlotte contradicted my lifestyle when I had winter or summer break, I would always find a way to feel like I was back home in New York or in Atlanta where creativity and expression thrived. If it wasn’t organizing girl groups at school or finding artists on YouTube, then showing my mom so I could beg her to see if she could call one of her industry colleagues and I could get a broker’s fee then fast forward to staking on MAJOR but unpaid gigs my freshman year of college just to be in the industry’s presence to learn and experience it in its movement. I attended an HBCU on the east coast for my freshman year of college and although I loved being around people that looked like me and seeing them express the beauty of their knowledge, I still didn’t get that same feeling I did every time I went back home to New York. I needed to be around the industry’s energy, the movement, the brainstorming, all of the moving parts behind the scenes that played a part in the industry’s function. I had to make some changes if I wanted my life to change so I did some research, found the institution called the Los Angeles Film School that had an entertainment business program, I packed up my bags and bought a one way ticket to Los Angeles. From being 18 and homeless living on couches than being 18 years old and now running a Music Business Conference highlighting Dame Dash and conversing with Chairman and CEO of Epic Records Sylvia Rhone to now a year and a half later, where I am the Social Media Coordinator at one of the top PR firm start ups, Society House founded by Public Relations luminaries Tony Ferguson and Karen Lee.

Has it been a smooth road?
Anything that’s great won’t come easy you know? I feel like one of the major struggles I had is more so internal and it was feeling out of place. I was so excited and intrigued by things a lot of other kids my age weren’t so I feel like I had to conform during my pre-teen and teen years to make friends. Due to that, I was bullied a lot and took on many mentally and emotionally abusive friendships that I thought was good for me because I assumed It would be better to have friends than be the “weird and annoying” lonely girl. I talk with my hands, I’m a tad bit animated, always asking the questions no one wants to ask and not everyone was accepting of that so I had to learn (and still am learning as I figure life out as a young adult) that it’s okay to still be yourself even if other people may not understand you. Being misunderstood is sometimes a good thing, it gives you an element of surprise, substance, something that builds upon your character while you grow up in this world. It’s okay to be yourself and love yourself selfishly sometimes because how can you pour into something and or someone passionately when you, yourself aren’t full.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Society House is a Public Relations Firm that is founded by seasoned professionals whose experience, in life and business, is the foundation for our Los Angeles based company specializing in urban and general market PR strategic leadership, event production, and non-profit oversight, social media/digital strategy. Each of the founder’s diversified paths has allowed this special collective to contribute to various types of businesses including entertainment, sports, philanthropy and technology. I am a Social Media Coordinator for a PR company which means I help our clients with strategic creative campaigns, digital branding, documenting red carpets/events, managing and overseeing all social media content, and content creation. A common theme I hear from my mentors is how my efficiency, ability to have clear and concise communication, the quality of work I produce as well as my resilience to continue through adversity are some of my greatest assets. Which I truly believe stems from my Hannah Montana Syndrome, from having the industry I loved and had so much passion to be taken away from me and kept at a distance for so long made me truly hungry. So now that I am in the position to get to work and contribute my gifts to a cause that’s bigger and greater than me – that’s what I’m going to do. I’m most proud to say I am apart of the Society House Team because it truly is the next level. Each team member comes from a different generation which I think is so amazing because to be in a space where everyone’s perspective matters and plays a major role in the bigger picture of what we do is so beautiful and truly a representation of unity and coming together for the common cause.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Los Angeles is a good place for businesses like mine because we’re able to contribute our strategic skills to help and expand upon the brands of others. If someone was just starting, I would recommend them starting out either here in LA, NYC or Atlanta. With these cities being top entertainment cities, it would be ideal for them to start where many of the action happens but I would also recommend ensuring they have a plan to sustain themselves while pursuing their dreams and goals. Having the balance of passion but also responsibility is key.

Contact Info:

• Address: 10000 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
• Email: sierra@teamsocietyhouse.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imarisierra/

Image Credit:
Jordan Diomande, NRB

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