Meet Jennifer Baker Asiddao | Intergrated Marketer, Communicator and Public Relations Expert

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Baker Asiddao and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.
I’m happiest, feeling joy and most content when I’m outside in nature, watching bees circle on lavender, picking fruit from my garden, seeing butterflies land and fly, smelling orange blossoms waft in the breeze, sharing laughter with my family and friends, eating a meal with loved ones, baking sourdough bread, reading a good book, listening to a podcast, walking near the ocean, dancing, hiking, doing pilates, cruising a museum or gallery, listening to live music and writing stories. In my professional life, I love what I do, so it makes me happy! I’m an expert in integrated marketing, communications and public relations.

What should our readers know about your business?
I LOVE WHAT I DO. I care about providing stellar results for clients. I’m an integrated marketer, communicator and public relations expert, so I dig deep into helping my clients tell their stories to reach a wider audience. There’s a lot more that goes into a project than just a beautifully written or visual story that is told through a media outlet, on a podcast, through a social channel, on a website or in a Substack. This normally includes strategic thinking and planning, formulating talking points, coaching clients on how to tell their story and creating a set of materials. Although the world has changed dramatically, my philosophy is, and has always been, a good story is worth telling.

I face challenges every day. Whatever is happening in the world, nationally, in California or in my community, it impacts me personally and professionally. Combine that with the fact that AI is impacting the way that people view good, soulful and intelligent writing, and that media companies are changing their business models to stay relevant (and in business). Also, there is so much information available today, through so many channels, that’s complete bulls**t. I’m constantly in pursuit of the TRUTH. The dialogue is constant: Is the information factual? Is the image or video real or made via AI to support untruths?

Beyond my work, I mentor emerging talent in marketing and communications, especially those coming into the workforce from the journalism/PR program at my alma mater, California State University Long Beach (CSULB). I serve in a volunteer position as the chair of the Journalism/PR advisory board, working alongside the Chair of the department and nine distinguished alumni who are also in the world of mass communications.

Being focused on my work often results in spending hours in an office. To counterbalance being inside, I spend as much time as possible in nature. I volunteer at the South Coast Botanic Garden, especially during the seasonal butterfly exhibit. It’s pure magic to experience the joy of people as they gather together to interact with hundreds of brilliantly colored butterflies.

When I’m not working or volunteering, I’m serving as an amateur urban farmer in my home garden, experimenting with growing herbs, veggies and flowers and tending to my bins of worms and their marvelous “worm tea.” I also nurture my relationships with my husband, kids, extended family and an amazing group of friends. All of this is punctuated by my decades-long love of vintage jewelry and travel. I search for treasures at flea markets here and abroad and create one-of-a-kind necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The first stop for us would be fresh sea air. We’d go to the beach for a walk. Afterwards, we’d meander into one of the local coffee shops and sip our brew outside, watching the people and the parade of pups. We’d wander in and out of the mom-and-pop boutiques and then decide what was for lunch. It’d likely be tacos, Mediterranean food or sushi. This would be repeated on another day, in a different beach town.

For one of the afternoons, we might pick up sandwiches, salads, or sushi from a nearby grocery store or deli counter and head to LACMA, The Getty, The Broad, or explore galleries at Bergamot Station, or in Chinatown.

For an “only in SoCal” experience, we would make the journey to Riverside and spend time at The Cheech and eat at Tio’s Tacos.

After a long day, we’d cook a delicious meal together and talk into the wee hours. The exception would be if the Hollywood Bowl was in full swing. We’d find a fun concert, pack delicious eats and head up to The Bowl via the park-and-ride.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to do a shoutout for the love that surrounds me.

I’m giving a standing ovation for the generations of women that came before me, especially my beloved Grandma who was a trailblazer. She was a huge influence and supporter. She was the first generation of my family born in the U.S. in the early 1900s. My great-grandparents had the courage to flee Russia and start a new life in New York. This bravery resulted in building a life that included four girls, one of them, my Grandma. She was the first in her family to graduate from high school. During her childhood, she played handball with the boys. It was not acceptable in the 1920s and 1930s for girls to be physical alongside the boys, or for them to beat boys at their games. But she did. It was her lifelong pastime. When I was in kindergarten, she taught me how to slam that pink rubber ball against the playground wall.

My grandparents met in New York, but decided they ultimately wanted to live in California, “the land of lemons and sunshine.” They had the courage to gather enough resources to move away from their parents and families to start a new life. They built a life in the Golden State in the 1930s, while the world was in turmoil and there was widespread hardship in the country and the world. Despite it all, my grandfather built his business in Los Angeles and they started a family. While raising my mom and uncle, my grandma continued to keep the books for small businesses. Eventually, she went to work for the city health department. It was the 1950s, and few women in her community worked outside the home.

As a lifelong learner and creative, she cooked, baked, knitted, crocheted, fished in Mexico and traveled the world. She was the first person, especially female, I knew that understood finances. She worked with a financial planner in the 1980s, well before it was a service that was widely available to regular, hard-working people. Her investments helped her become fiercely independent after my grandpa died. She used her investments to travel around the world, taking a “plus one” – my mom or one us grandkids – on her adventures.

I feel deep love for my grandmother every day. She shared the importance of unconditional love and support of family to the two generations that followed her. Personally, she taught me lessons about the importance of investing in myself, my own future and working with an expert to help build a solid financial plan for the years ahead.

That love, coupled with the support of my husband, three kids, sisters, brother, extended family members, and tight-knit group of friends – of all ages, walks of life and backgrounds – keeps me connected, grounded and focused on what’s important in life.

Instagram: @jba_studios

Linkedin: @jenniferbakerasiddao

Facebook: @JenniferBaker-Asiddao

Image Credits
Images courtesy of Jennifer Baker Asiddao