Nov 26, 2020
Julie and Casey sit down with Sam and Pauli, (our co-founder dopplegangers!) from Crew Events (crew-events.com).
Gatherings are on our minds. Sam and Pauli take us on a journey of what makes an event memorable: how to engage emotions, senses, and other unexpected mediums to make your events a gathering to remember.
We also get to share the very special relationship and magic of a co-founder small biz relationship, talk authenticity, and get to have some deep connections as we head into a holiday season like no other.
Top Takeaways:
- Events NEED to have an emotional connection, or what's the point?
- You can use all five senses to create connection- use your creativity! (Sam and Pauli give some ideas)
- Thinking Surprise/Delight or Shock/Awe: using down to the last detail to create something people will be talking about FOR you.
- Events are an investment- and a learning curve. Don't panic if it takes time!
- The co-founder relationship will make or break you- find someone you trust, or find a way to create that trust.
SAMANTHA (SAM) WEINGLASS, CMP
Favorite Weekend Activities:
Running in Central Park, chasing after my 2
kids, and mixing up some of Sami's Signature
Sangria
Most Memorable Events To Date:
2009
AOL Spin-Off
2016
Democratic Debate
A Jersey girl with a New York edge, Weinglass found her passion for events early on, leading her to the University of Florida to earn a degree in Event Management and to college internships for esteemed event companies, BizBash Media and BKA (now FIRST Agency). After graduation, Weinglass moved to NYC, where she continued her love fest for events at AOL. As part of the Corporate Events team, Weinglass was responsible for the planning and execution of large scaled events such as the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Media Center, AOL’s spin off from Time Warner at the NYSE, and client hospitality programs and sponsorship executions at CES, SXSW, and the Oscars.
In 2012, she took on a new and challenging role at Univision, where she helped establish the Event Marketing department from the ground up and led a team responsible for producing a range of internal and external events. At Univision, Weinglass worked on events such as the Latin Grammy Awards, the network’s annual Upfront, consumer promotions for premieres, a client program at the World Cup in Brazil, as well as numerous sponsorship executions for notable brands such as McDonalds, T-Mobile, Cover Girl, Dr. Pepper and Verizon.
Most recently, Weinglass left the comforts of corporate America, hand in hand with her best friend and partner-in-crime, both in business and in life, Paulina Tapia Lee, to start Crew Events.
During Weinglass’ 14+ years in the industry, she has earned the reputation of a collaborative and innovative event expert with a keen eye for detail. She is a mastermind when it comes to bringing a brand’s story to life and has a proven track record of producing results.
Outside of planning events, Weinglass is a wife and mother of two wild and crazy toddlers. She lives in Manhattan, and while she was born and raised by the Jersey shore, she is obsessed with the unmatched energy of life in the city.
PAULINA (PAULI) TAPIA LEE
Favorite Weekend Activities:
Yoga, gardening, and exploring Brooklyn's best
cocktail bars
Most Memorable Events To Date:
2014
World Cup
2018
Univision Upfront
With more than a decade of experience strategizing, planning, and executing mid to large scale events, Lee started her career as a corporate events intern at AOL and quickly fell in love with the creativity, adrenaline and relationships she was able to build through her role. Her goal since then was to not only gain experience in the corporate world but also engage in-house clients in a way to clearly understand business goals and how to obtain them through events.
As her role evolved and expanded at AOL, she planned, directed and executed events with vastly different scopes; from a 15-day, 10-events execution at SXSW, to a 32-country global employee volunteer day. After three years with AOL, Lee made the switch to advance her career with the Spanish-language broadcast network, Univision. During her time there, she helped develop an award-winning event marketing department producing global events. During her six year tenure, she managed a team that supported both B2B and B2C events, as well as CEO initiatives. Furthermore, earning recognition and nomination as a rising female leader in the company through the Women’s Leadership Academy at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Throughout her career, Lee has produced best-in-class events alongside her best friend and business partner, Samantha Weinglass. Moreover, sparking a continued relationship and co-founding Crew Events, which has seen growth since its inception in 2018.
Lee was born in Mexico City, Mexico and moved with her family to the United States in 1991 in pursuit of the American dream. She grew up in McAllen, Texas and is a graduate of Stephens College with a BS in Marketing: Public Relations & Advertising. Currently, Lee lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband, Daniel, and their two fur-babies, Squid & Ziggy.