Meet Nadya Rousseau of Alter New Media in Palms

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nadya Rousseau.

Nadya, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My journey hasn’t been exactly traditional, but I tend to think the more unorthodox tales make for the most inspiring stories.

At 18 years old, I decided, after meeting my significant other, that I wanted to move out of the small Western Maryland town I grew up in, to pursue a career in fashion and entertainment. I first considered New York City, but having grown up in harsh winters, I desired a climate change as well. That brought me to Southern California, where I moved with just a few hundred in my pocket to pursue my dreams. Unfortunately, that first foray into Socal life did not pan out as planned, and I and my girlfriend ended up homeless for two weeks, forcing us back cross-country on a train to Maryland, where we both lived and worked for nine months before moving back to Los Angeles again. This time, I arrived armed with a three-year modeling/acting contract, savings from working two jobs, and a new found determination.

From 2006 to 2013, I worked regularly as a model and actor, appearing on shows like Ugly Betty, Californication, Entourage, and even seeing my own short film (that I produced and co-starred in) get showcased at the Action on Film Festival. However, I did not feel fulfilled. I decided to pivot to my first love of writing, and freelanced for Examiner, Yahoo News, Elite Daily, and even had my own blog. It was when two of my interviewees requested help with their social media, that I was thrust into a world that at that time “wasn’t a thing.”

From there, I began picking up more and more social media clients, realizing that social media was another platform where I excelled with my gift of storytelling. Communicating others’ stories to help them realize their dreams and business goals were (is!) so rewarding. My freelancing evolved into a role of United States director of a digital marketing agency startup, and today, I now have my own marketing agency, Alter New Media, where we offer everything from social media marketing to purposeful publicity, influencer marketing, and more. Since starting my own agency (completely self-funded) I have scaled our team from a team of two to a team of six, and we span the globe. Having a global team as well as a global client base forces me to be more culturally aware and has contributed to a tremendous level of business and personal growth. We’ve worked with verticals ranging from tech to fashion to the social sector to finance to cannabis and more.

Last November in 2017, I launched an Instagram growth and management service, Instagram Rockstar, which since it’s launch, has supported over 100 customers with growing their Instagram accounts!

In 2017, also, I produced and hosted an original online TV show, Nadya’s Identity Files, where we explored multiple nuances of identity.

At the end of the day, my motto is purpose and profit are NOT mutually exclusive and when you have a mission bigger than yourself, anything is possible.

Has it been a smooth road?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road because I have been completely self-funded while living in one of the most expensive cities in the country.

Growing a business to six figures in under a year, completely out of revenue with no investor or significant backing requires a commitment that most people are not prepared for. My days have been long but we are beginning to see the fruits of our labor. Being able to see the positive impact we make on our clients’ lives is the most special thing.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Alter New Media is an impact based marketing agency as we strongly believe that purpose and profit are not mutually exclusive.

Our services range from influencer marketing to social media marketing, purposeful PR, content development, and more.

The influencers we bring on (as we sign influencers to our board as well as run influencer campaigns for clients) are all focused on making a difference and passionate about using their platforms for good, rather than just make money.

Our agency has a purposeful partnership service, also, where we partner nonprofits with for-profits or individuals for greater impact. The thrust of this service is to ensure that nonprofits do not come out of pocket for marketing expenses and our for-profit clients become more socially responsible and connected with important social issues.

While we could work exclusively with nonprofits or benefit corporations, however, we aim to serve multiple verticals as we believe that everyone has the potential to be impact-minded and with our support and expertise we can drive that mission forward.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
My business is global, I actually only have a couple of clients in Los Angeles, with the majority being in New York City or abroad.

Why is this? In part, because reigning people in within Los Angeles can be extremely challenging as there tends to be a more “scattered” nature to people in Los Angeles.

I can’t really say if Los Angeles is a great place for someone starting out as every niche may have a unique experience. For those with online businesses, I would suggest starting elsewhere first as Los Angeles is an expensive city.

What I will say, is Los Angeles IS full of resources and a great place to network and connect, it just takes more time than other places. However, when you make a valuable connection, it can really be worth the wait!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alternewmedia.com
• Phone: 310-853-3798
• Email: nadya@alternewmedia.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/alternewmedia
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Alter-New-Media-495423027519461/?ref=br_rs

Image Credit:
Denise Luce of dlartphoto.com

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