FIDM Visual Communications Alumni Hannah Roeloffs and Matthew Alexander recently launched Visualize Creative Agency, a full-service public relations agency focusing on influencer marketing and management. The two met while attending FIDM. Hannah grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska and attended Lincoln Southwest High School where she started a FIDM Fashion Club and applied through the Junior Advantage program before moving to Los Angeles at 18 to attend FIDM.
After graduation, the friends embarked on different career paths, but kept in touch. Hannah went into influencer marketing and managing, while Matthew focused on creative direction, styling, and public relations. Just a few years later, they’ve combined forces and skill sets to start a business together. We caught up with former FC President Hannah Roeloffs to learn more.
Please tell us about your new venture, Visualize Creative Agency: Visualize Creative Agency is a full-service public relations agency where we specialize in all things influencer marketing, public relations, earned media, event planning, and more! We also have a talent management division where we work with a lot of influencers.
What inspired you to start Visualize? I always knew I wanted to own my own company, but I honestly didn’t expect to earn one so early in my career! One day when Matthew and I were talking we realized we both specialized in different aspects of the industry so we were inspired to start something amazing together. We have had such a wide variety of experience in the industry, and launching Visualize was a perfect next step to fill a gap in the market that we saw where no small detail will be missed in our work.
Tell us about some of the work you did before this joint project: Prior to this project, the bulk of my experience was in influencer marketing and management. I worked at an influencer marketing agency, running marketing campaigns with Victoria’s Secret, Bumble, Olay, and more and partnering with some of the most established influencers at the time, including David Dobrik and Erika Costell. I was a creative director for a YouTube channel with over 6 million subscribers and helped them increase their audience by another 2 million in a year across YouTube and TikTok. This position helped me grow as a leader and understand what it takes to lead a team and expand a business. I was able to meet so many people in the industry and collaborated with David Dobrik, FaZe Rug, Ben Azelart and more. During this time I also launched my own online clothing boutique called ILLIE Society. I then worked at an agency where I co-managed some of the fastest growing influencers in the industry, including Markell Washington, Michael Sanzone, Kayli Boyle, Aaron Maternowski and more! I use every position I am in to grow and learn as a professional. I have so many big visions for the future and cannot wait to watch them come to life!
How did FIDM help prepare you for your career? FIDM taught me so much about the importance of networking, getting involved, going the extra mile, and hard work! I am so grateful for the years I spent there. I would not have the job or the career I have now without FIDM. I got my first internship, part-time job, and full-time job from connections I met there. I learned the importance of details and how important it is to go the extra mile to stand out. So grateful for my family at FIDM and how supportive they are of alumni now! As a FIDM Social Ambassador, I got to experience the ins and outs of that industry. I visited the BuzzFeed headquarters, Reformation headquarters, and Colourpop headquarters and met their entire teams. I was also able to volunteer with a variety of YouTubers and influencers including James Charles, Nikita Dragun, and more.
Explore Hannah’s new company on Instagram @visualizecreativeagency.
