Fashion and Social Media Collide in SMCLA's October Event

Darling, you look mahhhvelous!In the middle of LA’s Fashion Week, Social Media Club Los Angeles is dressing to the nines and showing off our sense of style as we present a must-attend event: “Beyond Fashion: How Brands are Building Community and Sales.”Fashion brands are leading the social media revolution. From creating entire stores on Pinterest to revealing their newest lines on Snapchat; whether it's engaging customers on Twitter or offering full wardrobe tips on Instagram, companies are turning to social media to define style. Utilizing a wide variety of digital tools, fashion brands are changing the way companies reach consumers.Sponsored by Dogtown Coffee and Icebox Water, SMCLA’s fashion forward panel takes place on Tuesday, October 21, at 6:30pm at General Assembly, 1520 2nd St., Santa Monica, CA 90401For tickets, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/smcla-presents-beyond-fashion-how-brands-are-building-community-and-sales-tickets-13405483161?ref=ecountMeet and mingle beforehand and then stick around after the panel for networking with many of LA’s top social media minds.PanelistsKristi Marquez @shoedazzleKristi Marquez brings over eight years of social media experience to ShoeDazzle. As Director of Social Media at ShoeDazzle, Kristi oversees the strategy, branding, growth, and engagement for the company’s millions of fans across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube. In addition to overseeing all social media platforms, she supervises the brand ambassador program, Stiletto Society. Prior to her role at ShoeDazzle, Kristi served as a Senior Account Manager and Social Media Strategist at one of the top-ranked U.S. public relations firms, O’Donnell Agency. Kristi’s digital experience spans across multiple industries, with accounts such as Red Bull, retailbrands, film and entertainment clients, and a nationally ranked video game. She has also worked in both online reputation management and digital content marketing. Kristi holds a BA from Florida State University in Communication. When she is not training for marathons, she spends her free time on set assisting in wardrobe styling and costuming.Laura Knapp @LauraKnappLaura Knapp founded Social Spotlight Media in 2012, a digital marketing and media relations agency, with a focus on lifestyle consumer brands. It was recently acquired by Social Reality, Inc., an Internet advertising and platform technology company that provides tools to automate digital advertising marketing.Before launching the Los Angeles-based agency, Laura spent nearly a decade at global public relations and marketing agency Fleishman-Hillard in both New York and Los Angeles as part of digital marketing and online influencer teams.Combining her big agency experience and her passion for working with lifestyle brands, Laura and the entire Social Spotlight Media team have been responsible for the strategy and execution of digital and social media campaigns utilizing a strategic cross-channel approach. Together they have well over a decade of experience working with brands big and small including Tommy Hilfiger, Reebok, De Beers, AT&T, Robert Graham, Sara Haley Fitness, Charming Charlie, iRobot, Urology of Indiana, Ruze Shoes and many more. Aside from their professional work, the team participates and belongs to the Social Media Advisory Council for the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising.John TomichFounded in 2003, Onestop is a full-spectrum e-commerce partner whose integrated technology, design, marketing, imaging, customer service, and warehouse facility is located right here in Los Angeles. Their prestigious client list includes Juicy Couture, Rag & Bone, Seven For All Mankind, Lulu Lemon, Paul Frank, Paide Denim and more. In his role as Onestop's Chief Executive Officer, John Tomich is responsible for successfully guiding the company's continued growth and product innovation. Prior to Onestop, John was a Senior Associate at Shelter Capital Partners, a Los Angeles-based $200M venture capital fund, focused on investments in technology and technology-enabled companies in the Southern California area at all stages of development, principally in the media, wireless/communication, enterprise software, and semiconductor industries. At Shelter, John was involved in sourcing and screening potential investments, as well as providing financial analysis, market research and due diligence support. Prior to joining Shelter, John worked as Vice President, Client Services for iXL, a leading Internet services company which provided Internet strategy consulting and comprehensive Internet-based solutions to Fortune 1000 companies and other corporate users of information technology. After a series of acquisitions, it is now part of the Razorfish agency, owned by Publicis Groupe. At iXL, John led strategic e-commerce development initiatives for key clients including Sony Electronics, General Electric, Kawasaki & Warner Bros. Previously, John was a partner in Spin Cycle Interactive, a multi-media and Interactive Television developer, which was acquired by iXL. John earned a bachelor's degree in Finance, with an emphasis in Russian Language, from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.Moderator Tara Gardiner @GardinerConnectGardiner Connections is founded by Tara Gardiner who has worked in numerous sales and marketing industries for the past 12 years. Her in-depth experience ranges from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, including those in the architectural and design community, fashion industry, pet industry, non-profits and with technical and specialty products. Gardiner earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Marketing from Michigan State University and has studied at the University of London in England, Scotland and Ireland. Currently based in Los Angeles, California, Gardiner Connections services clients throughout the United States.