Client Made Jewelry
Date 2009-2010
Service Provided Sales & Promotions

MADE Jewelry echoes the hustle of our generation. We hold down demanding careers, pursue our dreams and passions, and find time to wild out with our ladies. We stay on top of the game with our fashion-forward style and forward-thinking attitude. In 2007, MADE Jewelry was conceived as an artistic expression of this hustle. MADE Jewelry brings a fresh aesthetic to women’s urbanwear through hand-crafted jewelry that reflects versatility, boldness, and a playful edge. Something special for women, MADE by women.

www.madejewelry.com

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Paloma epitomizes the industry’s two most valuable qualities - creativity & professionalism – which will take you to the top. I’ve come to rely on her as a trusted advisor for important strategic decisions that have shaped our company’s identity and direction.” – Debbie Sheen, MADE Jewelry Co-Founder

MADE Jewelry has become a recent partner in crime here at Papa Lo Down, I love working with the women involved with the brand!

As some of you may know already, I’ve taken on the responsibility to assist MADE with their West Coast accounts, and I’m very excited about the new collection “L&VEHATE”.  There are beautiful pieces throughout , and what has easily become a MADE trademark design, the half hoop/half chain earring, is one of my favorites!

Check it out folks, a MADE present for the holidays would be perfect… for yourself

Don’t forget to download the soundtrack for the latest collection:

ps. I told you guys I was going to get involved with the Fashion Industry again

Aug 21, 2009

Whew! I stayed up till 3am last night, (haven’t had one of those in a while…)! Finalizing the promo material for PapaLoDown, and now I want YOU to be filled in on all the exciting projects and adventures coming ahead as we end the year of “shine in 09″!

Just to fill you in, I quit my day job and legally licensed my business, it’s official! I’ll forreals be an independent hustler now, and I’m excited to finally let go of my security blanket of a steady paycheck to maximize my full potential as an entrepreneur.

If you’re in The Bay tonight, begin the celebrations with me, and support the Beats, Rhymes, and Life Film Project at Club 6!

I’m currently setting up meetings with potential clients, please contact me at paloma@papalodown.com for your first steps in mastering the independent hustle

“In our obsessive wish to arrive, we often forget the most important thing, which is the journey.”  – The Pilgrimage, Paulo Coelho

Working with iLL-Literacy for the past two years has been a blessing and an amazing journey.  I often get on them about not taking the time to reflect on their accomplishments,  but hey, I can’t knock the hustle and the never ending determination to maximize their potential as artists, educators, and entertainers, which often leaves minimal time for reflection.

So let me take you through iLL-Literacy’s journey in 2008 and give you a brief summary of what was accomplished, the lessons learned in the process, the achievements, and what my role was in the adventure.

- “iLL-Literacy” name and logo legally trademarked 
- iLL-Literacy experiments performing with a live band and writing songs as a collective
- Dahlak (and I), negotiated (our first!) licensing deal with mycypher.com
- Ruby releases her first published work “Miss Universe”
- Dahlak releases mixtape “Live From The Boondocks – Commencement, A Kanye West Tribute”
- Ruby has earrings designed for Miss Universe by MADE Jewelry
- Ruby’s first feature on the cover of a magazine (OAKBOOK)
- Ill-Literacy tours nationwide on the “Natural Electricity” Tour

hmmm…. I might be forgetting some things, but considering I took a personal hiatus for more than half the year working with ANY clients, I must say that iLL-Lit did quite well with minimum help from Papa Lo. 

I want to highlight one particular accomplishment which actually began back in 2007 when I first signed on with iLL-Lit.  The first thing I did as their PR manager was to help them trademark their name and logo.  This process takes about a year, and we really couldn’t have picked a better time, because early 2008 iLL-Literacy was sent a cease and desist letter from another group with a similar name.  To make the long story short, iLL-Literacy was proactive and thorough with their paperwork and now legally own the name and logo “iLL-Literacy”!

For me personally, if I don’t ever get them on the cover of Fader Magazine, or a clothing sponsorship with Creative Recreation, or help them get booked on a stage at SXSW, at least I did help them secure their brand and gave them peace of mind, that no one can take away the name they have worked so hard to build. 

As an independent artist, the smartest thing you can do for yourself is to make sure you OWN all your work.  From your name, your logo, website, lyrics, beats, etc., legally owning all your work should be the first step you make when you’re ready to really make this a lifelong career.  The process is time consuming and can be very confusing, so you have to be serious about yourself and your art, or else you’re just wasting a lot of time and money.

Overall, 2008 was a good year for all of us, we worked hard, we played hard, and we continue to push each other in our careers and personal relationships.  Every year there is progress, which is a positive sign that independent artists DO NOT need a label to be successful.  What is needed, is strong management skills, open communication, accountability, organization, and a dope graphic designer (thank you soooo much Adriel!).  It is a team effort, a community effort, and although there are struggles, there is comfort in knowing that compromising yourself and your work is not a factor in the success.  I’m not saying, that getting signed is a bad thing, but you are definitely going to be trading off some freedom for luxury.   But why trade in your freedom, when you can have your cake and eat it too…

MISS Crew is hosting a poetry contest for Ruby’s Miss Universe book – prizes include a copy of Miss Universe and a pair of MADE Jewelry’s Miss Universe earring.

All you have to do is submit your own poem for a copy to win Miss Universe and the earrings.  The only requirement is that the poem cannot be longer than 1 page in length.  Ruby herself will read all the poems and choose the lucky winner.  Put those thinking caps on and get to writing!   All entries must be in by Sunday, December 21st, midnight PST.  Send your entries to misscrewcontest@gmail.com.  May the best poem win! – misscrew.com

When you produce a contest, make sure it’s worth every one’s time, and that there is value in it for everyone involved, these things can be more trouble than they’re worth if you don’t really think it through.  Common sense – but some folks don’t have that.  And you probably don’t want to invest in this kind of promo if you don’t have a fan base yet (FYI).

looking forward to the winning poem… I should submit one anonymously and see if Ruby likes it, haha!

www.misscrew.com
www.madejewelry.com
www.rubyisill.com

When Ruby and I put together the marketing and PR plan for the release of her book “Miss Universe“, who knew it would include an exclusive earring designed by one of our favorite independent designers?!

Creating additional product to sell with the release of your own project will only enhance sales and branding, not to mention the cross promotional opportunities!  Keep in mind it’s important that the brand and product you go with make sense to your image and fan base.

With that said, check out MADE Jewelry’s  new collection “That Girl“, which includes the Miss Universe Earring!  MADE is currently the only online retailer where you can cop the book, and they even put together a special combo package so you can save a few bills when you buy both.

retail $44

retail $14

I’m already picking out a few pieces I need to buy myself for my bday and xmas

ps. fellas if you want to buy your special lady (mom, sister, significant other, friend, etc) something she’ll really love, go to MADE Jewelry’s site NOW before they sell out!

www.madejewelry.com
www.rubyisill.com

Fashion and Music – These two industries are pretty much a perfect marriage… a balance of creativity that compliment each other, work together in harmony, and often inspire one another.

Artists and DJ’s – I encourage you to do research on your local retailers, know the local designers in your area, make a wish list of your favorite brands.  This information is valuable because it’s become common place for brands and retailers to build their companies with music.

Company inspired mixtapes are quickly becoming part of the music industry, which means another avenue for independent artists and Dj’s, to showcase their work.  These are promotional and licensing opportunities that you should be taking advantage of.

Tip – You want to keep in mind your “target market” when deciding what company to partner with.  Would your fans shop at this store?  Do you want to be affiliated with a certain brands image?  Lots of things to consider… so knowing the company’s history, and audience is important to make this opportunity work for everyone involved.  Don’t just agree to something because it sounds like a good idea…

With that said, the Ladies of MADE Jewelry are presenting their first mixtape tonight at Otis in SF!! Joining them is Acrimony and Brooklyn Circus, and DJ Yusai who is the man behind the mixtape “sundayMADElove”.

Come out tonight and celebrate if you’re in SF or just download the mixtape here for FREE!

www.madejewelry.com