Check Out Alice Fuller’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alice Fuller.

Alice, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
The foundations of my professional career actually began at St. Augustine’s University, one of two of Raleigh’s HBCUs. I interned at St. Aug right out of high school at the school’s radio station, WAUG AM 750 before even registering as a college student there.

When the college acquired its commercial television broadcast station, I left the radio booth and entered the new world of tv production. I was like a kid in a candy shop, working with brand new equipment in a new tv production studio shooting, editing, lighting, and producing local talk shows.

Eventually, I left my alma mater’s tv station to work as a news editor at WNCN Channel 17, then an NBC affiliate. Now it’s CBS-17. I was part of the first staff when the station went on the air.

The stress of working as the Chief News Editor for the 4pm and 6pm newscast began aging me fast, so I was happy to be hired at UNC-TV, the state’s largest PBS affiliate as an Associate Producer/ Assistant Director. And that’s where my love for producing television really blossomed. I produced various shows, segments, and tv documentaries including:

* NC Visions, a showcase for NC filmmakers,
* NC Quiz Bowl, a televised high school competition
* Black Issues Forum, a weekly show address issues impacting the NC’s Black community
* Legislative Week in Review, a weekly show about NC legislators

And with those shows under my belt, I wanted to learn to produce bigger televised events and sitcoms. So I stepped out on faith, literally, and relocated to Los Angeles, CA. to work in entertainment. It was not a glamorous life at all working my way up the entertainment ladder, but along the way I earned some great tv production experiences on:

* The 75th Annual Academy Awards
* The 55th Annual Emmy Awards
* Lots of BET Awards and Grammy Awards
* UPN Sitcom, The Parkers

When my gig as Associate Producer for HGTV’s #1 show, House Hunters, ended, I knew the entertainment industry was turning its focus to online content and monetizing it. I followed my gut and did the same by producing an entertainment blog, then called Hollywood As I Live & Work. By day I was still a freelance tv producer, but at night I covered red carpet events and conducted celebrity interviews for my blog.

Basically, I used the skills I came to Hollywood with to create a parallel career in online media. I saw a trend and took advantage of the various opportunities it presented. In doing so, I literally became my own media outlet before it was popular to do so.

Ironically, my initial goal in creating the blog was to showcase my skills in media and content creation so I could get hired by Entertainment Tonight or Access Hollywood, but I never got hired by them. Instead, I worked alongside them covering the same Hollywood events for my own website.

Once entertainment publicists began paying me to produce online content and distribute it, I knew I had a potential business as a professional blogger and social media manager. My first clients were Heineken USA and a little-known rock band, I can’t remember the name of now to save my life. I managed their MySpace page as they toured around the country. Who remembers MySpace? Lol.

And with those successes, I just kept building my skill set in social media and content creation. Then in 2010, I started my own business, Sheer Social. Through it, I’ve since worked with a range of businesses and professionals managing their social media profiles, consulting on campaign strategies, and teaching. Some of my clients over the years have included:

* AARP
* The Hollywood Black Film Festival
* Voice-Over Actor, Bill Rather
* CoachArt.org
* Reality Star, Sheree Fletcher
* Bottom Line Publishing, Inc
* Eaddy Perry & Associates, PR

And now with over a decade of experience in both traditional media and social media, I’ve discovered I really enjoy teaching social media marketing. Currently, as an Adjunct Instructor for both Wake and Durham Tech, I teach adult learners how to navigate the ever-changing landscape in marketing and media. I’ve also guest lectured at SKEMA International School of Business.

When I’m not teaching and consulting, I’m still at heart a tv producer. I produce a social media show called, The Social Media Scene every Friday at 12 PM ET on my Sheer Social fan page. If my experiences have taught me nothing else, it’s to evolve with the times and the show gives me the opportunity to explore new opportunities in social media marketing.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, the road has not been smooth. It’s like Tina Turner performing Proud Mary. It begins nice and easy and then it gets rough along the way. But I consider those pop quizzes in faith. Without tests there’s no testimony. For example, the decision to relocate my entire life to Los Angeles was not a popular one with my family. But I knew I couldn’t do the kind of television I really wanted to do in North Carolina.

Honestly, I took three trips to LA to convince me to make the move. And each trip, I ask God for what I called Divine signs. Some would call them coincidences, but I don’t subscribe to that notion.

Another great struggle was finding work in the industry. I thought coming from NC with producing credits under my belt meant something. It meant nothing in Los Angeles. I literally started out as production assistant all over again only to have to work my way back up to a producer in entertainment. My ego struggled with that journey each day. Some days I won, many days I lost, but I kept pushing.

I had no family, no close friends to pull my into industry jobs, so the first few years were a struggle.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
What sets me apart from others in this field is my experience and insight into how the traditional media and social media all work together. Too many social media managers only know platform features, but they don’t think big picture. They don’t know how to work inter-departmentally because often we work alone. My experience is diverse enough to be able to work solo or within a department or with a team.

I specialize in strategy, not just tactics. The strategy involves the tactics implemented to reach specified goals. I’m also savvy in video production because of my parallel career in television.

I’m known for my deep knowledge of traditional media and seeing the trends in social media. More importantly, I’m known for cutting away fat and getting to the heart of what really works in social media now, not three years ago. Stay abreast of what’s happening now so clients can leverage the trends, or in most cases the algorithms.

One thing I’m most proud of is how I was able to secure AARP as a client. I didn’t know a soul at the company. But thanks to research, tenacity, and a willingness to hear “no” a lot, I finally got through to the right person. And again, I used my knowledge of trends and demographics to convince the right person to give me a chance.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Willingness to try. Social media marketing is a lot of trial and error. That’s how data is created that can be used and reused to our benefit as businesses and marketers.

And an eagerness to learn. Every couple of years the industry is introducing new platforms, new strategies, new tools. Do you need to know and use every new shiny toy introduced? No. But to be successful in an industry that’s constantly evolving, you must be eager to learn and discern what’s of value and what’s not.

Most importantly though, if I see a potential opportunity, I go for it. To some that makes me a go-getter.

That quality is what led me to my first internships in media, some of my best jobs in entertainment, and some of my best clients.

Most didn’t ask for my presence, but once I was in theirs I proved my value.

Contact Info:

• Email: alice@sheersocial.com
• Website: https://sheersocial.com
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/sheersocial
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/sheersocial
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/sheersocial

Image Credits
Marlana Semenza Photography (Headshot) All others: Alice R. Fuller