Check Out Cygne Cooper’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cygne Cooper.

Hi Cygne, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska by parents who co-owned a small business together for most of my life. In addition to being the CEO, my mom was also a passionate dancer who taught classes weekly, exposing me to many unique art forms at a young age. Transparently, I was a ‘theater kid’ throughout most of my childhood, participating in extracurriculars like drama, tap and jazz, debate, and cheerleading (which was the closest thing my school had to dance).

As I approached graduation, my heart ached for somewhere to explore these passions, leading my search to universities in New York City and Los Angeles. In 2010, I accepted a Trustee Scholarship to the University of Southern California and moved from the central U.S. to South Central L.A. less than six months later.

I began at USC as an undecided major and completed my entire first year without naming one. I vividly remember sitting in freshman orientation, having not clue what classes to put on my first schedule. I raised my hand and asked the advisor, who simply asked back, “What sounds interesting?” That first year, I completed five art and design classes, eventually landing on a major in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Design and a minor in Communication Design. I graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2014.

Post-college is where my journey really begins. After finishing my studies at USC, I joined a small public relations firm as an Assistant Publicist and a social media marketing firm as a Graphic Designer, splitting my time between the two companies based out of Santa Monica, CA. After a year learning the ropes of marketing, advertising, and communications firsthand, I found myself gravitating again towards the creative side of things, so sought a position where I could explore that full-time.

In 2015, I joined Endeavor (then a newly merged WME|IMG) as a Graphic Designer in the Corporate Communications division. Over the five and a half years I spent with the agency, I partnered with their vast network of media and entertainment talent and brands to concept and produce creative campaigns seen worldwide. It was a stellar role which exposed me to so many different industries and creative outlets while providing me the opportunity to hone my skills alongside some of the industry’s most powerful minds.

My path took a hard left once 2020 arrived (as I’m sure many could say the same). The world faced an uncertain future ahead, so I embarked on a new journey alongside two close friends from college, Evan Quinn and George Youmans. At the time, Evan was heading to UCLA in pursuit of an MBA at the Anderson School of Management, exploring a few product concepts alongside George, his former roommate. They approached me as a pair for (what I thought would be) a one-off logo project, which over the course of the past three years, has led me to where I am today.

In June of 2021, we launched Hiyo, an organic non-alcoholic seltzer, and began our journey to change the way the world drinks. My role went full-time four months later in October 2021, when I joined the company as Co-Founder + Chief Brand Officer. I’m tasked with the responsibility of creating and overseeing Hiyo’s entire brand identity, and I am loving every second of it.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I will be the first to admit I have been very lucky throughout my life to have had a relatively smooth road in the grand scheme of things. With the current state of the world, I think my personal struggles seem insignificant and have been solvable, common experiences that most people face these days.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Currently, I am the Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Hiyo, a position in which I direct multiple channels of the brand’s marketing, including social media, digital advertising, content creation, press strategy, e-commerce, events, and more. (The list goes on, but I’m trying to keep it short.)

Though I selected ‘Employee/Professional’, I would consider myself a specialist in brand concept, development, and creative production. I began my journey in college as a graphic designer focused in communication design, which led me to my career on the creative side of Brand Marketing. Throughout the past decade, I have worked with both large and small-scale brands worldwide on a host of projects in the entertainment, food + beverage, fashion, lifestyle, and music industries to build and establish them as household names.

What I think sets me apart is the variety of industries I have touched as a creative and the exposure I have had to media and communication throughout my life. I grew up in the 90s, right before the tech boom of Y2K, so learned the ins and outs of mass communication as it learned itself. As a creative, I realized the potential of brand design early on (custom coding my Xanga account and design directing my high school’s yearbook), so have consistently sought innovative ways to develop the identity of a brand that coincides with where the world is headed.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Spend less time worrying about where you should be, and seek happiness in where you are. I spent most of my 20s concerned with the future, where I was headed, and feeling like I was ‘making it’… which caused me to miss out on things that could have benefitted me and moved my path forward, without me even knowing it. One of my favorite quotes is the one at the end of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” He wasn’t wrong.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.drinkhiyo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drinkhiyo
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drinkhiyo
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/drinkhiyo/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQVqTaS4dVg
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@drinkhiyo

Image Credits
Images: Hiyo Inc.