Name: Alexandria OTT
Hometown: Coronado, CA
Currently Living: San Diego + Chicago
Website: chromecitycreative
Instagram: @AlexVott
Name: Alexandria OTT
Hometown: Coronado, CA
Currently Living: San Diego + Chicago
Website: chromecitycreative
Instagram: @AlexVott
Chrome City is truly a reflection of the creatives that we represent. I wanted to tell the story of the people I admired most starting with those leading the charge in Chicago’s dynamic hospitality scene.
In addition to hospitality, we have been able to tell the story of artist collectives, interior designers, salons, and showcase some of the top events around the city, which is a dream come true and something I never knew was possible but always wanted to do.
We have been lucky enough to collaborate with the most interesting people in town and that is really what inspired me to start the company.
Our approach is unique because we custom tailor every single project and program for each of our clients so that they reach their audience in the ways that make sense for who they are and what they do.
We create organic and original content that represents our clients in a way that feels authentic and compelling. We use gut instinct and don’t present anything that we are supremely proud of.
We approach each client with a deep and bleeding desire to pull apart every aspect of the business and search high and low for the perfect nuggets of information that make them unique and worth writing about.
It is an endless pursuit of telling a story through content creation that appears in a number of ways: PR, marketing, social media, graphic design, events and more. It is morning, noon and night. It is full of highs and lows. It requires you to always be on. It means always listening and evolving your approach. It means showcasing your ability to move in and through all situations with grace and strength. You only really get it if you do it yourself.
Figure out what you can bring to the table that no one has thought of and execute your vision of that idea even if no one asks you to.
Instagram helps me see what others are doing on a regular basis- whether its my local competition, other firms around the country, influencers, hotels, photographers, creators- it doesn’t matter, I am always staying up to date on how to relate to people by seeing how others are relating to their audience.
We keep our firm current by making sure that we curate our client list and only bring people on who we feel is pushing the envelope with their craft or as a creative.
I love reading magazines still and have a subscription to almost every single major magazine.
I also stay inspired by taking time to myself and stepping away from work stuff.
I am heading to Paris in January with the full intention of getting super inspired for the next phase of Chrome City. Stay tuned!
Figure out what you can bring to the table that no one has thought of and execute your vision of that idea even if no one asks you to. Joanna Coles, former editor of Cosmo, recently said in an interview that she likes to surround herself with staff that are better at things than she is so they can make her look good and I couldn’t agree more.
Bring it on, all of it.
Plan out your vision over time before you take the jump. From logo design to your mission and vision statement, from your business plan to your website, make sure you spend a ton of time developing your brand before you leave your job to go off on our own.
Keep the side hustles going for as long as you can to keep the money flowing to keep the business afloat.
I still take side jobs to keep money coming in and it allows me outside creativity as well as means for a few fun extras each month.
We keep our firm current by making sure that we curate our client list and only bring people on who we feel is pushing the envelope with their craft or as a creative.
Filming with my brother, Anthony, was the most special part of this season because he is my best friend and has been since we were little kids.
To be able to share what we have built as a team is super exciting.
He and I have definitely pushed each other to achieve phenomenal results with the business and sometimes it has been at the expense of our friendship.
It’s never easy to run a business with family but when you trust that person as much as you do, you have a power that is unlike any other type of business relationship.
He is the only boy on the team, so he is super special to every single person that works for us.
I hope the world can see what a strong and smart guy he is in the show because he leads our team in ways that are immeasurable and is the backbone of what we do.
Thanks, Alexandria!
