Welcome to Inspiring Brands Academy
Hello! It's nice to (virtually) meet you. I'm Christina-Lauren Pollack, the Creator of Inspiring Brands Academy™. Because I've always loved to help women succeed, I'm here to educate & empower female small business owners with digital branding strategies & inspiring ideas.
About my background
While I've been in business for over 20 years, I've been a digital entrepreneur, pro lifestyle blogger & social media influencer, and small business advisor for over a decade. Here's a summary of my career managing small businesses, building global brands, and doing online marketing.
Starting in 2000, I handled the Communications, Marketing, and Public Relations for Dandy Productions (which is the creator and producer of a line of patriotic children's characters), which taught me the foundation of marketing, media relations, and graphic design.
Since 2003, I've managed the global operations and digital marketing for Creative Balloons Mfg. Inc., (a leading worldwide producer of party supplies since 1973). Our company is a long-term supplier to companies like McDonald's, Karl Lagerfeld, Walmart, and other major brands, and does both B2B and B2C sales via traditional and e-commerce business. As the company's Executive Vice President, my role is to oversee our international supply chain and our online branding, marketing, advertising, and publicity campaigns.
In 2008, I was a Co-Founder & Angel Investor of WorldMusicLink™, a tech startup that built a music industry social network. Our platform connected thousands of music industry pros (record labels, producers, agents, etc.) with indie talent (singers, songwriters, musicians, etc.). Our Board was led by music industry leaders including the former Chairman & CEO of Sony Records, the former Editor-in-Chief of Billboard Magazine, a top music festival producer, and other executives.
In 2011, I launched my lifestyle blog Inspirations & Celebrations, (which later turned into a part-time business). Through my blog, I've collaborated with brands like The Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons and have had 300+ sponsored campaigns with clients like Ulta Beauty, Unilever, Olay, Dove, and more. I've been seated front row at New York Fashion Week, featured on InStyle.com, Shape.com, and other publications, and have been dressed by designers like Badgley Mischka and Cynthia Rowley. My blog currently reaches 300k+ followers and subscribers, including celebrities, industry leaders, and the editors of top magazines.
In January 2022, I became an Advisory Board Member for the Women in Leadership Executive Program at UC Santa Barbara | PacE Extension.
In April 2022, I launched the IC Lifestyle Images shop on Etsy, which carries premium-quality, framed, and unframed lifestyle photography prints.
I've been featured in books like Fast Track Networking: Turning Conversations into Contacts and 99 Things Women Wish They Knew Before Getting Behind the Wheel of their Dream Job. I've been featured in magazines, appeared on television, and quoted in top industry publications. To educate and empower business owners about branding and marketing strategies, I'm a contributor to Entrepreneur.com. For over 5 years, I was a regular contributing writer for Carmel Magazine, Shakers Magazine, The Los Angeles Fashion Magazine, SeeMonterey.com, and The Huffington Post. As an eHow.com Style Presenter, I hosted and co-produced a 10-part "style how-to" video series. And my secret is - I never hired a PR firm to get publicity!
As I'm passionate about helping women succeed, the mission of Inspiring Brands Academy™ is to provide digital branding solutions, social media marketing & advertising strategies, and inspiring ideas that help you elevate your brand online. Sign-up below for the IBA e-newsletter which shares free branding tips, marketing strategies, and helpful advice. I'm excited to join you on your digital journey toward success!
A few words of praise from clients + partners
Michael W., Chairman & CEO, SYNQY (VC-backed Retail Media-Tech) "Christina is one of the sharpest minds in marketing today. She performs at a level that most can't. She understands how the world really works today and is incredibly proactive and insightful. She brings a "make it happen" mindset that is unrivaled."
Tiffany R., President Influencer Management, SWAY Group "Christina-Lauren is wonderful to work with. Not only does she deliver beautiful content, created according to client guidelines, but she is also on time and a true pro in the influencer space. What really makes Christina-Lauren stand out as one of our favorite influencers to work with is her engaged audience and ability to drive sales - in fact, on a recent campaign for a luxury item, she was our top performer."
Daniel H., Dir. of Public Relations, Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore “We’ve been loving your posts! Thank you, Christina! It is a beautiful piece.”
Jonathan D., Store Manager for Cynthia Rowley “Christina was amazing to work with. She is a hard-working visionary that is very fun to work with and she knows her stuff. From the very beginning, she was focused and had a timeline on when things needed to be completed to ensure we both could be present and available for what we worked so hard to plan. She is very experienced in her field and loves what she does and that is the best person to work with because the passion bleeds through everything she does. She is such an amazing person and a rare gem.“
Briitni K., Marketing Manager, Resort at Squaw Creek “This is fabulous! The pictures are beautiful... I can’t wait to see the video.”
Sascha B., Acct. Mgr. for Popsugar Select on behalf of Jockey “I just had a chance to review your video - it looks amazing!”
Trisha D., Ballantines PR on behalf of Portola Hotel & Spa "Thank you so much for such a wonderful collaboration with Portola Hotel & Spa on this campaign. It was great exposure and response."
Misty M., PR, InterContinental Hotel The Clement Monterey "Thanks for all your hard work, and I look forward to working with you again soon!"
Katie G., Dir. of Public Relations, Rinck Advertising for Secret Supper “What a fantastic write-up. You did such a wonderful job.”
O. Verkhotina, PR Coordinator, Augustine Agency for Downtown Napa “It looks awesome! Thank you so much again.”
Libby S., Social Media Mgr., Mirum Agency for Albertson’s/Safeway “Everything looks GREAT. We look forward to another partnership together!”
Ellie H., Assoc. Producer, Collectively Inc., on behalf of Cupcake Vineyards “Everything looks great, thanks so much!“
Kelsie B., Social Media for MPF for AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am “This is awesome. Thanks so much.”
Stella R., Director, Performics, on behalf of Kohl’s “This is awesome! Thank you for all of your work on this and dedication to making it a success.”
Stacy R., Owner, Peninsula Glow Medical Spa "I highly recommend Christina for any branding and marketing expertise. On countless collaborations, she has helped both myself and my company stand out and make a name for ourselves in the community. Christina takes into consideration the importance of how you would like to represent your brand, adding the perfect amount of her creative expertise. As a start-up medical spa, this was exactly the outcome we were hoping for."
Maddy C., Owner, Physique Exercise Salon "Christina's creativity and ideas aren't her only affinities. While collaborating on a fitness tutorial series, I was impressed by her knowledge of the ins and outs of marketing through social media. We were able to reach new audiences and guide them through her blog to my website and Instagram!"
Heidi S., Marketing & International Business Student "Inspiring Brands Academy is an in-depth, effective toolbox for managing your brand. I consistently looked forward to learning the new content and speaking with Christina each week, as it always made me motivated and prepared to take action. A business idea combined with Inspiring Brands Academy is an unstoppable team!"
