Honoring Arab American Heritage Month With Olivia Shalhoup

We spoke with the CEO and founder of the digital marketing and PR company of Amethyst Collab.

Image courtesy of Olivia Shalhoup

April is Arab American Heritage Month, and to celebrate an iconic, hard-working founder and CEO, Olivia Shalhoup is at the top of our list of girl bosses who unapologetically embrace their Arab heritage. Amethyst Collab is a digital marketing and public relations company that targets unique social media strategies to help grow its clients’ platforms as much as possible.

“I wanted to create something that I thought was lacking,” Shalhoup says. “I saw the same social media and PR strategies being applied to every artist, like a copy-and-paste. When I founded Amethyst, social media for artists wasn’t a popular or respected job. Now, it’s essentially the most important job on an artist’s marketing team because social media is the most impactful way artists are reaching new fans.”

On the social and digital side of Amethyst Collab, Shalhoup handles social media management, social media strategy, creative rollout and execution, influencer relations, and content capture, creation, and editing. On the public relations end, she works with media relations, brand and image consulting, creative direction, and event planning. Basically, Shalhoup can do anything she puts her mind to — which leads us to understand why she and her clients have some of the best social media accounts and content.

“My mission is to bring creativity to the ever-evolving digital age,” she says. “A rollout, when done right, can add so much to the storytelling of a well-crafted song or album. I have a deep passion for creating content for artists that adds value to their stories and holds their music at the forefront while staying ahead of the cycle of algorithms that we are constantly up against. I want Amethyst to be known for working with people who shift art and culture with their eras.”

Shalhoup’s range across the board, including the series “Power’s Raising Kanan,” musicians 070 Shake, Aminé, Äyanna, Bentley Robles, Coco Jones, DaniLeigh, Hillari, Muni Long, Maiya the Don, Memoria XI, and drink brand VYBES. Not to mention some of her favorite clients, Trippie Redd, Ashanti, and Asian Doll.

“Trippie Redd will always be my favorite because he took a chance on me early in my career,” she says. “Ashanti is another favorite because she is just so legendary. I learned a lot from her work ethic — both on the social and digital side. On the PR side, I loved working with Asian Doll. Her rollout was fun, and I love a queen who keeps people talking.”

A day in the life of the CEO and founder of a digital marketing and public relations company is different from a typical workday. Shalhoup could spend her day doing anything from being in front of her computer editing, pitching, and sending emails all day or hopping to multiple label offices a day for photoshoots and meetings. Regardless of her schedule, Shalhoup’s career requires a lot of screen time to keep her own business — as well as her clients’ — running.

Image courtesy of Olivia Shalhoup

“It’s definitely a delicate balance,” Shalhoup says. “Being an entrepreneur means I need to stay present online myself to continue putting my work out there for potential clients to discover. Most people either find me through word of mouth or on Twitter. So carving out time to schedule my own social media like I would for my clients is important as a business owner.”

Although Shalhoup knows the ins and outs of digital marketing and public relations, every day is an ever-evolving learning journey. Social media trends, clients’ brand identities, and public relations strategies change. Despite this fact, Shalhoup always wants the best for her clients, so she makes sure to stay up-to-date with these trends and changes.

Some of Shalhoup’s dream clients are Beyoncé, Anees, Chloe Bailey, and Chloe x Halle because she loves what these artists stand for in terms of activism, messages, and artistry. She also wants to expand into the TV realm more. When she had “Power’s Raising Kanan” as a client, she fell in love with working with those in the film industry.

“I’m really focused right now on landing the right kind of client,” Shalhoup says. “Building intentional relationships with artists and not taking on anything that doesn’t allow me to utilize my full creative arsenal, that’s at the forefront for me right now.”