I’m a Featured Venus Girl!

Venus Zine magazine is going to feature me as Venus Girl of the week. What a fun honor! They sent me a list of fun questions, and below are my off-the-wall answers. Why not, right?

From when you wake up to when you go to sleep, what is an average day like for you?

I go to the gym in the mornings before work, and pump up my toosh for like a good 40 minutes before I head into the office. I sit on my booty all day long in front of my computer, and this seems to give me a nice, how do I say this,“lift” before my social sage powers go into full speed.

I work with making content sexy all day long. Kind of like a dream job because I get to be extremely creative and social, while using a lot of social media content and sharing strategies. I get to inspire writers and community members to truly speak from their heart. They create content and shopping lists that not only represent who they genuinely are, but are fun to interact with, and share online.

I work with every type of social presence possible on the web… and together, one at a time, we are creating an interactive shopping community that plans to take over the shopping retail world… One list at a time. Bruhahaha! After work, some might call me a spandex socialite.

How would you define/describe your personal style?

Some people might look at my Spandex Queen style as a negative thing, but at least they are not telling me to not wear them, right?

If I had to name my style, it might be something like, “Baby Got Back.” When I am not ruling the “Baby Got Back” style, I think I would describe myself simply as a hot Bohemian chick. Surprised? Don’t be… I grew up in Seattle in the 90s, people! That look is hard to get rid of… Even after I lived in Miami and New York. My move to Santa Fe, and now Denver, only brought out the Bohemian-cowgirl in me, which I think is also a popular style on the ski slopes.

Tell us about Shoptopia and what your job entails.

Shoptopia is bringing the social back to shopping! Seriously, my favorite aspect about our social shopping site is that users come from EVERY sort of style and background, and make creative and hilarious shopping lists and content. I mean, who wouldn’t want to know what to wear to a Vegas Socialite Pool Party? And since I am a spandex and workout queen, this Richard Simmons inspired list is one of my recent favorites. I think we are bombarded with so many social platforms that we forget about the social activities things that make us feel good… like:

1. Being yourself and creative
2. Feeling accepted
3. Being part of a community &
4. SHOPPING!

Do you have any hobbies outside of work?

Does spandex count as a hobby? I am totally into interior design, and love being modern-creative with my 100+ year old home here in Denver. Here is a teaser photo of my house.  See the mirror coffee table to the right? I made that! See the two MACs on the kitchen table? All should note: Tech girls are HAWT! Other hobbies include improv, writing (working on my amazing site as we speak), yoga, running, skiing, hiking, being a socialite, and crockpotting!

You are very involved in the world of interactive media and internet-based social networking. What drew you to these things in the first place and how do you stay on top of the ever-expanding world of web-communities?

Many years ago I got involved in the Denver Yelp community and started working as the Denver Marketing Assistant for the site. I met amazing people, helped grow the local community (shout out to Taj Moore!), and expanded my creative writing style. Everything felt right in that role, and I realized that this was the industry I had to be a part full time.

What is your favorite web-based social-networking tool right now? Why?

Hmm, intuition tells me to say Shoptopia! Ha! What I love most about working with new social content platforms like Shoptopia is that I get to be part of both the site’s awkward growth years, and then help the teenage-like social site morph into a beautiful young adult. So, right now, a lot of my time is consumed with Shoptopia…  Other social platforms that I am a huge fan of include Yelp, Linkedin, and Stumbleupon. On a smaller scale, I love the concept and people on the “Twenty Something Bloggers” site: http://www.20sb.net/, Meetup.com is also an in-person social favorite of mine, and lately I am addicted to Fouresquare… I finally got mayor status at my local gym, and it is about time! Location-based interaction is really the future of social media, and it is fun to be part of it.

What is your favorite thing about living in Denver? What restaurants, bars, cafes, parks, etc would you recommend to visitors or those unfamiliar with the Denver scene?

My favorite thing about living in Denver is that it slightly reminds me of what Seattle used to be like when I was growing up… You know, before Seattle became a hip and cool city, and there were only two Starbucks in the city, and they were my local coffee shop.

Denver is an up-and-coming city, and it is fun to be part of that excitement, and evolve with the city. Anybody can really  get established here, and specifically, in the tech industry. There are a lot of startups here, and the tech energy is buzzing with excitement.

If you have one day in Denver, most likely it will be sunny! Yup, sunniest city in the country, people! Grab brunch at Snooze downtown, then walk down to the flagship REI store which sits right on the Platte River. The REI flagship store is an old train station, and a beautiful site right in front of the city. Rent a bike for a couple hours and cruise around Platte Park (often kayakers are practicing right in front of REI), hop on the Cherry Creek path and bike over to Washington Park to get a better idea of the local life. After some sunning, turn around and bike up into the Highlands (what I call the Brooklyn of Denver) via the Pedestrian bridge, and check out Highlands Square… Cute boutiques, cupcake shops, and a local neighborhood favorite. On your way back to returning your bikes, stop at Root Down in what is called LoHi (Lower Highlands), sit in the patio to enjoy the afternoon sun and stellar views of the city. For dinner, head over to Larimer Square in lower downtown Denver. Larimer Square is a cute street with lots of beautiful shops and fun restaurants. Rioja is a great pick (make a reservation), but I also recommend Osteria Marco. After dinner, if you are feeling a little hipster-cool, head over to the Meadowlark  for drinks, or if you are feeling a bit more Portland-fresh, check out Forest Room 5 in LoHi.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be on Broadway! Although my ballet teacher hated me (I was a horrible ballet dancer), I did have some killer jazz hands and rocked it hard in tap shoes. I also had a private singing teacher for many years, and she had to force me away from Broadway tunes. Why it wasn’t cool to be in musicals when I was in high school, I will never know… But I am bitter, very very bitter.

Who inspires/influences you the most?

The woman who inspires me the most is my cousin, Kahane Corn. She is one of the producers of the Daily Show, and she worked very hard to get where she is today… Meaning, she stuck to her intuition that The Daily Show would be a success, and as a result, was part of that success. Kahane obviously has an incredible career with intelligent and influential people. She is an amazing business woman, and through busy career, has also managed to raise a beautiful family. She is everything I hope to be!  I really look up to her, and am also so proud of her. I hope to accomplish as much as she has… And all with humor!

Do you have a philosophy on life? If so, what is it and why is it important to you?

“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes “Awww!” Jack Kerouac, On the Road

Alex loves new friends. Find her on Shoptopia, or on these other social sites:

- Twitter

- Facebook.com

- Linkedin

Categories: Featured :: Humor :: Interview :: Professional :: Social Media :: Video