ELITE MODEL MANAGEMENT TORONTO : 2018

Sunday, November 11, 2018

#elitehotseat: HANNAH SABUELBA

How did you get started at Elite Toronto?
-- I started at Elite Toronto December of 2012 as an intern when I was studying Fashion Communication at Ryerson University. During my internship, I had a particular interest in social media - my goal was to build Elite a credible reputation on social media and for the agency to be seen as an authority in the industry. I ended up interning for a whole year until I officially joined the Elite team. There's more to this role than just publishing attractive images—our online Elite community is the product of thoughtful strategy, a well-defined brand identity grounded in visual creativity and effective community management.

What stream of social media do you think is the most influential and why?
-- In this industry, it would definitely be Instagram. It's layout and design allows companies to share visual content easily. The dynamics of other platforms vary and are for different target audiences.

Do you have any tips for someone who wants to improve their social media game?
-- Post consistently and post quality content. Knowing what type of feed you want to curate will help you when you're trying decide on what photos to post. Also, this one is pretty obvious: be yourself. Uploading content that reflects who you are is important and anyone visiting your profile should be able to get an insight into your brand or personality.

Since you work on both sides, can you give us your first hand experience of how the rapidly changing landscape of social media has effected both the fashion and media industry?
-- The rise of social media has brought connectivity, innovation, and diversity to the industry. Users are building their own brands and finding their own fans and followers. Currently, I work for YM Inc., and oversee social media marketing for retailers such as Urban Planet, Urban Kids, Sirens, Stitches and West49. Social media has made it easy to connect to our consumer and increased customer satisfaction. Fashion used to be a two-dimensional, one-sided industry and users didn’t have a say in what they were consuming. Social media has reframed this structure, allowing people to not only consume fashion but to also contribute to it; the demand for the opinion of consumers and influencers is stronger than ever. Social media has also contributed to pathways for creatives to not only expose their work, but to also book clients and work with brands with such convenience.