Instead of donning a costume on Halloweekend, I dressed up like a fashionista and attended the 2019 Teen Vogue Summit at Goya Studios in Hollywood. 

The day before I left for LA, I re-branded and relaunched my fashion blog. This summit was an insane opportunity for me to learn more about the digital media industry and creating content. 

Through work immersions, guest speakers and workshops, I was exposed to a multitude of careers in the digital media industry. The summit focused on my areas of interest: fashion, entertainment and music. It was one of the best weekends of my life. 

Day 1: Work Day

I visited HBO and IMG Models/The Wall Group.

At HBO, I learned about show development, production and post production and the careers behind each phase. Writers in the drama and comedy departments told us about their new series’ coming out. We finished with a marketing exercise for HBO’s popular teen show, Euphoria. 

From there we visited IMG Models and its sister agency The Wall Group, which manages photographers, makeup artists, stylists and hair stylists. Chris Horan, stylist, Joanna Simkin, make-up artist and Justine Majan, hair stylist, came in for a panel. Model Ellie Thumann and her IMG agent, Amy Black, spoke to us about Ellie’s career and her plans for the future. 

Day 2: Boss Moves or Tastemaker

The next two days took place at Goya Studios in West Hollywood. Day two started with a block party featuring food trucks and interactive stations, my favorite being makeovers by the Euphoria makeup artists. 

At 9:30 am, Lindsay Peoples Wagner, Teen Vogue editor in chief, and fashion influencer Aimee Song kicked it off on the Main Stage. From there, attendees chose either the ‘Boss Moves’ or ‘Tastemaker’ track. I attended the boss moves session and heard from Sami Miro, Dave Gross, and Samantha Smith, among others. The founder of Black Lives Matter, Patrisse Khan-Cullors moderated a panel, followed by a deeply emotional Q&A session from the audience. 

After lunch, I heard from my favorite YouTubers, Denzel Dion and THE Rickey Thompson. I also enjoyed a conversation with stylist/activist Karla Welch. 

Day 3: Wellness

Day three was all about self-care. The morning began with facials, manicures, massages, and an outdoor workout by Katrina Scott, co-founder of Tone It Up. Victoria’s Secret Pink sponsored a healthy brunch hosted by Valentina Sampaio, VS Pink’s first transgender model who gave a heartfelt speech. 

Later at the Main Stage, I took part in a guided group meditation led by Eve Lewis Prieto, voice and founder of the wellness app, Headspace. The meditation was followed by a welcome from Alex Morgan, co-captain of the US Women’s National Soccer Team, conversations about mental health with NAMI and writers at HBO, as well as a panel on VSCO. My favorite conversation of the day was with Style Influencer Camila Coehlo. I loved her personality as much as I love her style. The day concluded with a performance from Teen Vogue cover star Zara Larson.

After three days, 400 photos, tons of free swag and thousands of important takeaways, the Teen Vogue Summit was an experience I’ll never forget.