26–Mandy Maddela Hoskinson: Evolving with Social Media

In this episode of The Unfolding Thought Podcast, host Eric Pratum chats with Mandy Hoskinson—a digital marketer and agency founder whose journey took her from UCLA’s nascent social media team to founding her own agency in Los Angeles. Along the way, Mandy led social campaigns for marquee brands (like CBS primetime shows, the LA Olympic bid, and more), using her holistic, multicultural perspective to connect data and storytelling. She shares how seizing the right moments (and sometimes pure luck) catapulted her from being an intern dabbling in “the new Facebook events feature” to orchestrating global campaigns with large, diverse teams. Now at the helm of Zolay, Mandy offers high-level strategic social media, bridging her passions for community-building and operational data.

Topics Explored:

1. From Art & Anthropology to Social Marketing – How Mandy’s unique UCLA degree and global curiosity shaped her approach to communications.
2. The UCLA Flood & Crisis Comms – Early in her career, Mandy landed in a real-world crisis scenario that taught her the power of facts and quick thinking.
3. Scaling Strategy & Data – Why Mandy believes every brand needs both “heart” and a CRM-level view of their audience if they want to see real ROI from social.
4. Building Communities – As President of Social Media Club LA and VP of SMC Global, Mandy talks about how local chapters can support marketers’ careers.
5. From One-Woman Shop to 12-Person Team – Lessons learned in the transition from freelancing at home to opening an LA studio, including the pandemic pivot.
6. Cultural Sensitivity in Content – Why certain words, trends, or jokes can backfire, and how Mandy’s multicultural background helps clients navigate complexities.

Links:

• Mandy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandahoskinson/
• Zolay: https://zolaystudio.com
• Social Media Club Global: https://socialmediaclub.org
• Social Media Club Los Angeles: https://www.socialmediaclub.la
• Air Force Blog Assessment: https://web-strategist.com/blog/2008/12/31/diagram-how-the-air-force-response-to-blogs/

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