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

Hi Cassie, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve always had this creative side ever since I was a kid. I loved participating in anything art-related in school but I never imagined I would be doing something in a creative field as a career. Since it runs in the family bloodline, I always thought I would end up becoming a Nurse. So out of high school that’s the route I decided to take. One day on a clinical, I was about to gown up to see a patient and it was at that moment, I realized I was meant for a different path. I had to break the news to my parents that I wanted to pursue something in the arts and I have not regretted that decision since. I knew pursuing a career in a creative environment would ultimately mean I would be doing something I actually enjoyed. To me that is living the dream. When you love what you do, it will never feel like work or a job. And I feel blessed to be doing what I’m passionate about every single day.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My craft is marketing & social media and every bit that goes into it. I went to college for marketing, but there was never a course on social media. It was during the MySpace era when adding music to your page was a cool thing to do, Facebook was new and you had to be invited to join, and Instagram didn’t even exist yet. So fast forward to after college, I was given an opportunity to manage an Instagram page for an employer. I took it and just ran with it. Learned so much along the way and was surprisingly successful in doing it. But it wasn’t until I was able to replicate that success on a bigger scale for another employer, that I began to see it was preparing me for my biggest career move yet. Working in the craft beer industry and managing social media, I learned that creating genuine connections with people was what it was all about. Social media is often overlooked and under-utilized by most businesses. It’s more than posting a photo with a clever caption- it’s an opportunity to connect. It’s going the extra mile and doing the little things that take time like responding to comments, liking posts, re-sharing, and giving shoutouts that can truly resonate with the person on the receiving end. That’s why I love marketing so much. Social media in particular, because it is such a powerful tool for any business. It’s making an effort to connect directly with your consumers to make them feel valued, seen and heard. I think that’s why I decided to branch out on my own and start my own business. I had discovered my own secret sauce to not only growing a loyal customer following on social media, but how to grow a brand, and I wanted to help more people accomplish that.

If you aren’t familiar with The Craft Cooperative, it was created out of passion to help others. We’re passionate about helping you find a creative voice that resonates with your customers. We believe in creating genuine, long-lasting connections. We specialize in social media management, content creation, photography, digital marketing and event management. If you’re passionate about growing your business and need help on the marketing & social media side, please reach out to us! We’d love to work with you and give each other high five’s along the way!

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?
Being born and raised in San Diego, I have a major love for this city. If I were to play tour guide, the first place we would go is a given: the beach! Specifically Del Mar/Torrey Pines. You can enjoy a hike and the beach in one shot. I love being outdoors so anywhere in San Diego that has a view, I am content. The next place I would visit is Balboa Park. This is one of my favorite places in all of San Diego. I love to lay out on a blanket and sit by the Botanical Garden for a picnic or just hang out to enjoy the sun. Next I would definitely take them to Little Italy. There are so many good restaurants and bars to stop at in one area. If they’re feeling like they need to get a workout in, I would challenge them to run the stairs with me down at the Convention Center. And it wouldn’t be a complete trip to San Diego without visiting a brewery or two.

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 would love to give a shoutout to my close friends and family for believing in me and for all of the support and encouragement.

Website: https://www.thecraftcooperative.com
Instagram: @thecraftcooperative
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecraftcoop

Image Credits
Theresa Dimapalis

Nominate someone: ShoutoutSocal 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.