We had the good fortune of connecting with Corey Staley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Corey, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
The amount of time and effort it takes to create content that keeps a brand relevant. There’s a lot that goes into content creation – I’m talking blood, sweat, and tears and manpower. From creating content buckets to shooting to creative direction to copywriting — and let’s not forget client approval — there’s an incredible amount of intention and thought behind even just a single post. I’m lucky that I have a really great team to make it happen, but sometimes I don’t – and I’m doing the work on 3 people to keep a brand’s social platforms alive. But the (content) show must go on. (So please like our posts?)

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My business is… an actual baby. It’s very new but somehow in the back of my mind I knew I’d get to this point – despite resisting it. But after working in multiple offices, it became clear that it just wasn’t for me. My work was great, but I wanted autonomy which doesn’t really go hand-in-hand in office culture. But I was kind of thrown into all of this because the last startup I worked at folded and half the office was let go, myself included. I had one part-time client at the time and just decided to not go back – and I really didn’t have a choice because it was the end of the year and no one was hiring. So I decided to just go for it and not stop. And I think that was the deciding factor of it all – I committed and fully jumped in. Once I did that, God worked in my favor and things started dropping in my lap. It was incredibly uncanny. But that doesn’t mean it was easy though. The uncertainness of having your own business can be stressful and scary – a big client of mine decided to take their work in house last February and I was devastated. But you learn to relax into the turbulence and trust that it’s going to work out. And when you do that more comes your way – I’ve replaced that client with 3 clients, doubling my revenue since then – so for me, a big part of success is… relaxing into it.

On top of that, my business is different because I believe in humanizing brands and giving them personality. No one connects with a cookie cutter brand, we connect with other humans. So, a big part of how I operate social and copywriting for brands is to really bring out themes and language that are universal for us all. I also do it all – strategy, copywriting, creative direction – so clients can get the full experience laced with my POV.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh wow, do you mind just eating for an entire week? Because that’s my idea of a good time. I’m still relatively new to the city BUT I’d pick them up from LAX and drive straight to DAMA in DTLA. It feels like a vacation and everything tastes like a vacation for your mouth and is my current favorite. Later, we’d hike Los Liones Canyon (and have a picnic at the top under my fav tree) or Sandstone Peak for beautiful views. And then hit Electric Owl for a quick cocktail – tequila tang if you’re asking and maybe a smash burger because they’re my second favorite in the city (shoutout to Burgers Never Say Die for being the first) I’d make sure to also hit up La Antica for the best pizza and wine, do some shopping and a pottery class (oddly very soothing and fun) at ROW DTLA, eat (again) at The Silverlake House for some great Thai. I always love the Venice Canals and a beach spot in between Venice and Santa Monica that’s relatively quiet. Then maybe a cocktail at Elephante (or just to eat their bread). Lastly, we are definitely going to take a hot yoga class at Hot8 Yoga where I teach and then brunch at Millie’s in Silverlake and getting a coconut pancake.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d give a shoutout to Kelly Meyer at Muse Digital and Cole Moser. They both have been instrumental in getting me where I am as they’ve introduced me to clients or brought me on to work as part of their team. Working with them is a joy because they understand the industry and space and we work as a well oiled machine, each bringing something crucial to the table. It’s a lovely little dynamic.

Instagram: coreystaley_

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreystaley/

Image Credits
Corbin Cox – image of me Cole Moser – image of grid with toothpastes Cole Moser – image of shoe

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.