Over the last year, we have seen Influencers, brands, and social media platforms shine a light on the mental health impacts of social media.

While the digital creative economy has grown exponentially and generated millions for content creators, these platforms have also been at the forefront when it comes to conversations about mental health. 

Trolls, social media pressure, misinformation, personal attacks, and judgment are lurking everywhere. It can be challenging for the social media professionals as well as their brands they manage to moderate and navigate the minefields.

Our Moderator

Mandy Hoskinson (Social Media Agency Founder, SMCLA President) is a digital marketer by day, visual artist by night and a dog mom in every moment she can spare. Amanda came to Los Angeles from Long Beach, California to attend UCLA, and she’s in no rush to leave the City of Angels. Early in her career, Amanda was hired as the second-ever social media manager for UCLA’s marketing team, where she co-launched UCLA’s Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and more. Her time launching a large, public-facing brand made her fall in love with digital marketing and community management.

As she gained more experience in the digital realm, she took on a nickname, MediaMandy. Like many marketers, MediaMandy occasionally took small jobs on weekends and evenings, building a roster of clients who hired her. Her network grew, and her clients became more diverse. As time went on, those clients began asking for additional services like photography, videography, analytics, print marketing, design, and more. Within a few years, MediaMandy had too much work on her plate, and left CBS to work solely for her boutique marketing agency…you guessed it… MediaMandy Agency.

Mandy serves as the President of the Board of Directors of the Social Media Club of Los Angeles.
You can find her on most social media platforms as @MediaMandy

Panelists

Ramiro Castro Jr. (Director of Post-Production at Headspace) is the son of two Mexican-American parents. His father, Ramiro Sr., a Vietnam Veteran who made a living as a truck driver, and his mother, Catalina, who left her home in Mexico for a new life in the States, made a living as a factory worker. They are both so much more than their job titles but this laid the foundation for his experiences growing up in a working-class suburb of Chicago.

Ramiro was drawn to entertainment at a young age and pursued theatre after school and was part of several improv and sketch troupes in high school and college. This led to becoming a YouTuber where he made sketches and videos, garnering millions of views.

After that unique experience of going viral, he completed his Masters in Film Production at DePaul University, moved to Los Angeles, found niches both in Post Production and Development, and continues that work to this day.

Lauren Salazar (Mental Health Counselor) is a Filipina American mental health counselor in New York City. A proud Bay Area native, Lauren moved to New York to attend NYU where she received her BS in Applied Psychology. She then received her MA in Psychological Counseling and Ed.M in Mental Health Counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University and trained at Mount Sinai Hospital working with individuals with personality disorders and substance use. She has experience working with adults of diverse backgrounds, genders, sexualities, and socioeconomic statuses.

Lauren joined the mental health field to make mental fitness more accessible and digestible for the BIPOC community. She currently works with adults in their 20’s and 30’s through life transitions, establishing identities, healing from trauma, imposter syndrome, burnout, and mental illnesses.