Meet Renea Martoff: Entertainment Publicist & Beauty Mogul

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

Hi Renea, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thought process behind owning my own business was simply – FREEDOM! I wanted the freedom to direct my own financial freedom by working for myself. When you develop a discipline to go after your dreams and not depend on someone else fulfilling them for you, it’s a different type of thought process you gain. So you start small and build yourself up brick by brick until you reach your highest pentacle of freedom.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have an amazing career overall. Some would call me a serial entrepreneur because I’m constantly developing new business ventures. I have so many different hidden talents but once I left my corporate job with Sony Music I started my independent company Sharibella Events and about 12 years later I added the PR division to it. This was one of the best business decisions I’ve ever made because it allowed me to expand my business services for my clients by also having the ability to build their brands through public promotion, media access and throw them an amazing launch event. Although it wasn’t always easy to do at first, I must admit. You face so many different challenges from scheduling, being able to find the right market for your clients brand, especially if they don’t already have a name for themselves and just so much more. In time I was able to overcome these challenges by networking with the right people, companies and vendors who specialize in specific niches that fit my clients brand and overall needs. I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned along the way is to make sure you do your research. I cannot stress this enough! You want to be able to provide the best possible service so that you can stand a chance in such a competitive market. I’m known for making the impossible POSSIBLE and I really live up to that challenge with every new project I take on. I have pep talks with my team all the time and I have this saying that we have to approach everything with the “Cardi B. Effect”. If you follow Cardi B’s career then you’ll notice how her team has always raised the bar for every project they take on. Her branding is insane. It’s something that every business owner can relate to when trying to reach the next level of their business career.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Ahhh…this is a good one! Well everyone’s favorite thing to do is to take people to the Hollywood Walk of Fame or to Beverly Hills to see the big homes and shop on Rodeo. But actually my favorite thing is to take them on a nice ride up the California Coastline, visit the Getty Museum, go wine tasting in Temecula or Napa Valley…that sort of week long trip. It’s just so much more to see than just Hollywood, lol. I like culture so taking a friend to different cultural hot spots around the city is always fun! For instance, I was born and raised in Compton, California and so many people have this negative vision of the city but there’s so much history there. So I like to make this the first stop and show my out of towners where the old Skateland USA skating rink and Doto’s Music Center used to be, which is also where rap legends N.W.A got discovered. Those buildings no longer exist and have since been replaced with townhomes off Central Ave but it’s always nostalgic when driving up Central Avenue past Piru Street. If you grew up there in the 80’s then you definitely can relate to what I’m talking about. It’s nothing like it! Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have so many people to thank for my success and where I am today. But my biggest support came from my mentor Ashley Tsarukyan. Ashley is the owner of Designs By Ashley located in Glendale, California. I refer to her as ‘Mama Ashley’, lol. This woman is AMAZING! I remember when I was once in a bad business partnership and on the verge of about to lose my event planning business and Ashely helped me turn my entire business around. I’m quite creative and she loved that about me but I just needed a little tweaking here and there to help take my business to the next level. So Mama Ashley taught me how to design and arrange flowers to enhance my selling power to my event clients. I trained with her for over 5 years and later became one of the top wedding and event planners throughout Los Angeles and Santa Barbara Counties. She literally is one of my biggest inspirations! I would also have to say my client/sister from another mister Tamara Anderson. I started representing Tamara over 6 years ago with her Sugar N Spyked business and one day she reached out to me and decided she wanted to incorporate a Cannabis business, something I knew NOTHING about. But she believed in me that I could help her build it from the ground up and I did just that! I taught her everything I know about about planning events and showed her the ropes. She’s now one of the most popular Cannabis Event Producers on the West Coast.

Website: www.sharibella.com and www.candypinatabeauty.com

Instagram: bellarenea_eventpr

Image Credits
All photos are provided by me Renea Martoff