OLIVIA SEALLY —
an accomplished creative director, brand strategist, photographer and programmer
with a track record of driving acquisition and creating outstanding experiences, particularly for membership-based businesses. She leverages her expertise in managing teams, collaborating with industry contacts, and curating high-quality events and content to foster diverse and creative community-building. With a strong background in leading events, membership, and communications at renowned establishments, Olivia has successfully orchestrated a multitude of high-profile events, secured notable partnerships, and achieved impressive revenue growth.
Soho House
Head of Membership & Communications, California
Los Angeles, May 2022 — May 2023
Head of Member Events
Los Angeles, Apr 2021 — May 2022
Responsible for 3 departments (Membership, Events & Communications) across all 4 West Coast properties (Soho House West Hollywood, Soho Warehouse DTLA, Holloway House, & Little Beach House Malibu).
Drove the region’s membership acquisition, retention, and member experience, owning the membership P&L reports, member events calendars, and communication channels.
Oversaw 120 member events monthly across 4 sites that retained and engaged members, as well as served as revenue generators for the Houses.
Managed a team of 21 total, inclusive of all membership managers, events team members, and content managers across the West Coast to create a high-quality experience.
Worked with clients such as HBO, Bacardi, Moet & Chandon, Netflix, Balmain, and more.
Booked artists including Macy Gray, Dave Chappelle, Frankie Quiñones, George Lopez, Estevan Oriol, Iann Dior, Travis Barker, Jazmine Sullivan, Tinashe, Mayer Hawthorne, Violet Chachki, and more.
Soho House Toronto
Head of Membership & Communications, Toronto
Toronto, ON, Feb 2020 - Apr 2021
Membership Manager
Toronto, ON, Jul 2018 - Feb 2020
Drove the House's membership acquisition, retention, and member experience, owning the membership P&L reports, member events calendars, and communication channels.
Led the membership team in successful growth, meeting business targets and exceeding forecasted member retention.
Collaborated with internal stakeholders to support the member experience across various departments, resulting in roughly 30 events per month.
Evaluated membership applications and actively participated in recruitment and acquisition efforts.
Acted as the face of the House and responded to inquiries in line with the company ethos.
Ensured a top-quality experience for members and guests throughout each visit.
Responsible for a holistic, year-round events and programming calendar for this dynamic, member-only co-working space and events venue - in its most significant, startup stages.
Curated, staffed, managed and directed all aspects of events within the space for both the internal members and external clients, including weddings and corporate events. Duties included creative directing, set designing, booking talent, handling all travel, licensing and paperwork, as well as on-site management of: bar, catering, security, A/V, reception and other venue management responsibilities.
Social Media strategizing and implementing, which included oversight of the creative team and all content, resulting in a 300% increase in Instagram followers.
Programs I’ve helped create or produce for this brand include: ‘Room Service’: a monthly music performance event sponsored by Timberland, ‘East Run Crew’: a weekly run club supported by Nike, ‘Business Builders’: a quarterly business workshop, ‘Meet the Member’: a monthly member social and more.
Artists I’ve booked for ‘Room Service’ shows include: Lion Babe, MeLo-X, A.CHAL, Quantic, KhruangBin, Daniel Caesar, Jesse Boykins III, Madame Gandhi, Wulu, Charlotte Cardin, Jaunt, Dana, Harrison, Boyslashfriend, Bambii and more.
Events I’ve venue managed here include: Daniel Caesar’s album launch for both ‘Freudian’ and for ‘Pilgrim’s Paradise’, Universal Music Group’s Holiday party, Tiffany & Co.’s product launch, a Hudson Bay editorial, Edelman’s Annual Staff Party, DesignHotel’s Toronto Launch, Lac + Co’s Live Haircutting Workshop, a Sally Hansen photoshoot, various weddings and more.
Publications that have featured my work at East Room include: Toronto Life, Now Toronto, Noisey, Vice and Suitcase Magazine.
East Room
Director of Events & Marketing
Toronto, ON. 2015 – 2017
Olivia Seally Photography
Toronto, New York & Los Angeles
2009 – Present
Freelance, Photographer 2009 - Present
Curate, cast, photograph, produce and edit lifestyle and editorial shoots - focus on portraiture.
Subjects I’ve worked with visually include Popcaan, TV on the Radio, Azealia Banks, Theophilus London, Wynter Gordon, Jesse Boykins III, Phony Ppl, Boy Crisis and more.
Clients I’ve worked with in a photographic capacity include Universal Music Group, Warner Brothers, Mixpak Records, Tokyo Smoke, LuluLemon, Gee Jam Hotels, Trump Models, Major Model Management, Fat Radish, Raen Optics, Bantu Wax, Telemundo TV, DJ Booth and more.
Publications that have featured my work include i-D, Vice, Brick, Suitcase, Interview, Billboard, Acclaim, Ellements, Complex and more.
Freshmen Friday, Founder 2015 - Present
Conceived, launched and contributes to Freshmen Friday: a web platform showcasing original content, highlighting emerging artists. In addition to generating the majority of content, I also direct an international team of contributors.
Profiles include: Chloe Wayne (co-chair of MoMa’s PopRally), Tyrone Edwards (Much Music and E! host), Jeff Laub (founder of Blind Barber), Ashley Outrageous (hip hop personality/blogger), Phillip Annand (founder of Madbury Club) and more.
Created new business opportunities by introducing contacts and participating in the sales process.
Supported business development through sales, production, and ideation stages of projects for existing clients and inbound leads.
Created promotional materials and curated content for the brand’s website and social media channels.
Somewherelse
Brand Strategist
Toronto, ON. Apr 2018 – Oct 2018
Provided an elevated experience to all guests visiting the Series II Exhibition, as well as the clients visiting the Rodeo Drive maison during high-traffic months.
Provided effective communication on the exhibition content and SS2015 collection, as well as of company history, heritage and products.
Assisted sales associates with sales, customer service and client tracking.
Louis Vuitton
Brand Ambassador
Los Angeles, CA. February - June 2015
School of Visual Arts
Teaching Asst.
New York, NY. Sept 2013 – Feb 2014
Assisted Photo Studio and Photo Foundation classes in the Bachelors of Fine Arts Photography department
Organized, set up and managed equipment for students
Planned, organized and conducted lessons in Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and Final Cut