Karine Idrissi worked client-side for many years in the beauty and fashion industries, notably at L’Oreal, Mackage & Lise Watier. As Founder of both Stop and Stare PR and Influence + All Management, an influencer management agency, Karine is at the forefront digital promotion, amplifying brand stories through traditional and online media in both English and French.
Name: Karine Idrissi
Title: President & Owner
Location: Montreal, Canada
Education: BA English Literature at Concordia University
Company: Stop and Stare PR, Influence + All Management
Instagram: @stopandstarepr, @iaminfluenceall
Facebook: @stopandstarepr
I was working in PR at a well-known company but felt like I wasn’t building genuine relationships with media and could not activate ideas outside of the corporate box. I started by taking a few one off projects and it quickly grew into a full-grown business. I have a passion for digital PR and working with influencers so I launched Influence + All management; our influencer management division. This is due in part to Julia Mateian, a top content creator who trusted in me enough to manage her career. From there we hired our first employee, Jasmine Machate, who has been instrumental in the growth of both divisions.
Ahh I wear so many hats but primarily: business development, communication strategist on all account and client relations.
We’re still relatively new (2 years) so we have myself (team lead), an account manager, coordinator and 2 interns at all times.
I feel like the vibe is very positive. Having worked corporate most of my career, I really wanted the team to feel like their entrepreneurs withing this company; we can only be successful if work as a team. We work with an amazing vegan brand called I love Tyler Madison, we’re working on uplifting their presence in the US. As for Influence + All, we are grpwing so quickly; constantly adding new talent to our roster.
We recently secured an influencer campaign with Lise Watier Cosmetics; we will be managing the influencer portion of their latest launch: Rouge Intense Supreme.
Hiring my first employee; that meant we were growing!
Traveling. As we are expanding both our PR and Influencer services through out North American and soon Europe; it means a lot of traveling!
Accounting! I absolutely dread it since there are so many moving parts and you can’t make any mistakes. I didn’t get into PR because I was good at math!
There’s definetely some high highs and low lows but we deal with it as a team and lean on one another for support when we receive a rejection.
Instagram, ScannerforMe, Google Drive and VSCO.
That we don’t drive sales necessarily. There’s a big misconception that if you hire a PR person, your sales will automatically increase. We’re the cherry on the sundae, I always say. Everything else needs to be put in place before we come in and push the message out to media and influencers.
The influencer trend. It’s so fascinating because I do think we’re all in the middle of an industry shift and figuring out where “organic content” and “pay to play” will end up.
That so many traditional media outlets are shutting down and re-shifting.
There’s definetely some high highs and low lows but we deal with it as a team and lean on one another for support when we receive a rejection.
I do think we’re all in the middle of an industry shift and figuring out where “organic content” and “pay to play” will end up
Instagram, ScannerforMe, Google Drive and VSCO.
That we don’t drive sales necessarily. There’s a big misconception that if you hire a PR person, your sales will automatically increase. We’re the cherry on the sundae, I always say. Everything else needs to be put in place before we come in and push the message out to media and influencers.
The influencer trend. It’s so fascinating because I do think we’re all in the middle of an industry shift and figuring out where “organic content” and “pay to play” will end up.
That so many traditional media outlets are shutting down and re-shifting.
Don’t take things so personally, it’s business.
We are always on the hunt for new interns! If you’re located in Montreal or Toronto, please send resume to team@stopandstarepr.com
Thanks, Karine!
