A Day within the Lifetime of Alex & Michaela of Blended Asian Media – The Indiegogo Evaluation

Operating your personal enterprise isn’t any straightforward feat. It takes a wholesome dose of ardour, self-discipline, and dedication. Ever puzzled what a day within the lifetime of a small enterprise proprietor and founder is like? We’re right here to present you a glimpse!

In the present day we’re sitting down with Blended Asian Media co-founders Alex Chester and Michaela Ternasky-Holland. Blended Asian Media started again in 2017 as Hapa Magazine, a publication for individuals of mixed-Asian and Pacific Islander ancestry to specific their heritage. As Hapa Magazine grew and took on extra contributing writers, so did their following. Ultimately, they outgrew their weblog, and earlier this 12 months they determined to relaunch and rebrand as Blended Asian Media. Now Alex and Michaela are elevating funds to take Blended Asian Media to the following stage. 

Learn on to study what a day within the life is like for Alex and Michaela as they run their crowdfunding marketing campaign.

eight A.M.

MICHAELA: I get up and journal about my day earlier than I have a look at my telephone. I drink a heat glass of water with peppermint oil. I have a look at my telephone and compensate for emails/Slack messages whereas consuming the identical breakfast nearly every single day: greek yogurt, granola, berries. 

9 A.M. 

ALEX: I get up round 9:30a. I have a look at my telephone straight away to kind my emails and reply any urgent Slack messages. I drink a 12 ouncesglass of water with lemon juice, whereas watching the information. Then I make espresso and likewise eat my breakfast, which is often: greek yogurt, berries, honey, and cinnamon. 

10 A.M.

ALEX: It actually varies each day. At this level, I begin the deep dive into my emails inbox and examine social media platforms for myself and Blended Asian Media. If I’m rehearsing for an audition or present, I may be learning music, strains, and choreography. I may even take Zoom calls presently. Proper now, I’m taking a variety of partnership and sponsorship requires Blended Asian Media Fest.

MICHAELA: It actually varies each day. At this level, I could possibly be on Zoom calls with inner or exterior crew members for varied initiatives that I handle, answering extra emails or messages, sending suggestions on initiatives, or I could possibly be utilizing this time to work out or clear my condo. 

three P.M.

ALEX: Once more, it actually varies each day. At this level, I attempt to get a web based exercise at my condo. If I’ve extra time, I attempt to go for a run or bike experience round my neighborhood. Generally I’m additionally commuting to rehearsals or auditions. Since I don’t have a lot time to cook dinner in the course of the day, I often have a fast inexperienced juice for lunch. Irrespective of how busy I’m, I all the time find time for my remedy appointments.

MICHAELA: Once more, it actually varies each day. At this level, I attempt to take a fast stroll round my neighborhood to reset and have made myself a fast lunch in between venture calls, public talking occasions, and workshops. Meet somebody at my co-working house, and If I’m accessible I might have additionally taken a drop-in dance class at one of many skilled grownup studios in New York. Irrespective of how busy I’m, I all the time attempt to schedule an acupuncture appointment each week due to how athletic I’m. 

eight P.M. 

ALEX & MICHAELA: On Mondays, now we have our weekly Blended Asian Media Competition assembly with our unimaginable employees! We speak by objects like venture evaluation committee, sponsors, audio system, and our Indiegogo marketing campaign!

9 P.M. 

ALEX & MICHAELA: Proper after our weekly Monday assembly, we bounce onto a platform to have interaction our neighborhood with an hour-long dialogue. Generally we use Clubhouse and different instances we use Instagram. Our subjects vary from #StopAAPIHate from the Blended Lens, Illustration in Media, Rising Up Blended, and Okay-Dramas!

10 P.M. 

ALEX & MICHAELA: Normally we’re making dinner. 

ALEX: My go-to dinner is meat or fish with potatoes and greens. Generally, I don’t need to do dishes, so I make High Ramen with an egg on prime. FANCY!

MICHAELA: My go-to dinner is meat or fish with rice and spinach. Generally, I additionally make eggs and have brinner! YUM. 

11 P.M.

ALEX: I’ll proceed engaged on any upcoming auditions for exhibits. 

MICHAELA: I’ll do one final clean-up of my e-mail inbox and look over the notes from the conferences from the day. 

12 A.M.

ALEX: My husband and I wind down from the day by watching some tv. We love horror movies, 90-Day Fiance, Hell’s Kitchen, and United Shades of America. 

MICHAELA: If I haven’t but that day from post-workout, I take a bathe. If it feels proper, I’ll watch a twenty-minute Star Wars animated episode. Proper now, I’m watching Star Wars Rebels. Then I do some breathwork and meditation to go to sleep. 

1 A.M.

ALEX: I take a shower to calm me down and put together me for mattress. 

2 A.M. 

ALEX: I go out and do all of it once more tomorrow. 

Now that you simply’ve gotten a glimpse of what their days are like, get extra inspiration in our unique Q&A with them under!

INDIEGOGO: How and why did you turn into a media entrepreneur and creator? Was it one thing you all the time supposed for your self? 

ALEX: This was completely by chance. I’ve been performing since I used to be 5 and was consistently being advised by casting brokers that I used to be not Asian or white sufficient to slot in a household on TV exhibits or films. This narrative has adopted me all through my whole performing profession. Granted, I’ve been lucky sufficient to name myself a working actor. I are inclined to e book work the place the character is described as “ambiguous.” All of this closely influenced why I needed to create a platform for the combined API perspective. I used to be so uninterested in attempting to suit the packing containers casting and society had positioned me in and I needed a neighborhood the place I could possibly be seen and heard. This is the reason Blended Asian Media was shaped. 

MICHAELA TERNASKY-HOLLAND: I truly left my journalism diploma for 9 months to bounce and carry out on Disney Cruise Strains. After I returned to my college, I noticed that our program wanted extra multi-media alternatives for college kids. I started the information program at our on-campus radio station and likewise led and expanded the video journalism scholar media group. After I mirror again on these occasions, I notice that I needed to assist college students like me – it wasn’t about changing into an entrepreneur or creator. These have been simply the steps that led me to doing work that I used to be and am nonetheless captivated with. 

INDIEGOGO: What makes your Indiegogo venture distinctive? 

ALEX: MIXED ASIAN MEDIA (MAM) is a collective created by multiracial, combined Asian/Pacific Islanders Individuals (APIA’s). We search to construct a neighborhood inside this group by conversations of what it means to be of combined Asian/Pacific Islander descent and discover intersectionality in our seek for our ever-evolving place in society.

We offer a platform to discover pertinent experiences, construct highly effective relationships, and uncover sought-after readability within the mixed-Asian narrative. We imagine that illustration and variety issues in all mediums. From each difficulty of the journal to an annual artistic pageant, we try to seize combined Asian/Pacific Islander American (APIA) tales and experiences all through all of our present and future mediums.

Final 12 months we have been featured as one in all three on-line magazines within the Nielsen Client Report on partaking Asian American shoppers. Our publication has featured such notable combined Asians as Apolo Ohno, Jessica Henwick, Midori Francis, Jason Tobin, and Andrew Koji, to call just a few. We additionally had over 1.1 million impressions from Google search outcomes the previous 12 months.

We have now been a volunteer-based group since 2017. With the identify change and re-brand, our hope is to have the ability to financially cowl our enterprise operation, together with however not restricted to, paying our employees and journal writers, buying a password supervisor, and upgrading our e-mail suite. We may even be capable to help our bigger initiatives such because the Blended Asian Media Competition in September 2021 and canopy Blended Asian Media’s picture and video manufacturing prices for the rest of 2021.  

INDIEGOGO: What’s your greatest piece of recommendation for girls who need to begin their very own media enterprise?

ALEX: Have a constant remedy routine with a therapist you belief. 

MICHAELA: Have a constant routine that grounds you, whether or not it’s journaling each morning, having a breathwork or meditation apply. Know your self, set your boundaries, and detach from any expectations. Attachment can result in poisonous types of disappointment, insecurity, and nervousness. 

INDIEGOGO: What instruments would you advocate to anybody beginning their very own enterprise, crowdfunding marketing campaign, or venture?

ALEX: Encompass your self with superb individuals who comply with by with what they are saying they may do. 

MICHAELA: Have a stable deal with on GSuite from Varieties, Slides, Sheets, and Docs; use Slack in case your crew is past three individuals for fast communications; use Shift if in case you have a number of e-mail accounts you might be managing; and use Canva in case you don’t have a graphic design background.  

INDIEGOGO: What’s your favourite Indiegogo marketing campaign, or a AAPI-owned marketing campaign you’ve not too long ago supported? 

ALEX & MICHAELA: OURS! #StopAAPIHate

Need to help Blended Asian Media? Try the Blended Asian Media campaign immediately.