Do it for the Gram: Inside Careers in Influencing & Public Relations

Janna Macatangay

Lead Video Producer at Buzzfeed

Janna is a Filipina-American digital creative and filmmaker currently residing in sunny LA. She graduated from UCLA in 2016 with an English BA and a Film/TV/Digital Media minor and is currently a Lead Video Producer at BuzzFeed, where she leads video for BuzzFeed’s Asian-American identity brand, A*Pop. Outside of her 9-5, she creates cozy lifestyle content for her community of 43K followers across Instagram and TikTok. Besides spending too much time on the internet, Janna likes to read contemporary romance novels, watch anime, play cozy video games, and try to be a decent plant mom.

Ty Bentsen

Head of Business Development at BMF

Ty brings 19 years of experience in marketing and communications to the table in her role as Head of Business Development at the award-winning creative marketing agency, BMF. Since joining the agency in June 2021, she has successfully signed marquee clients to the BMF PR roster including Bruno Mars’ SelvaRey Rum, Loews Hotels & Co., Sorel Liqueur, and a new purpose-driven wine brand – The Hidden Sea – currently making its debut in the US market.

In prior roles, Ty has managed top-level strategy PR for travel and hospitality clients including Visit Victoria, Experience Scottsdale, and the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board; global airlines and private aviation companies including Qantas and Cathay Pacific Airways; leading hotels and resorts including The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay, The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco, and the recent rebirth of the Arizona Biltmore, a Waldorf Astoria Resort; and supported world-renowned restaurant groups such as Patina Restaurant Group.

Believing no matter what you do for work, everyone has a pitch to make, Ty is a proud Bruin (class of 2003) and brings the spirit of excellence instilled in her during her time at UCLA to her daily life – both in and out of work.

Paris Sumpter aka “LeSweetpea” 

Content Creator and Influencer | Toyo Life Services International Inc. and Tokyo Creative

Paris also known as “LeSweetpea” born and raised in Los Angeles, California has been creating beauty, lifestyle, and Japan related content since 2015. During her time at UCLA, she majored in Japanese Language and Culture and took her studies to Japan to study at International Christian University in Mitaka, Tokyo through UCEAP. She also received an associate’s degree in Communications. After graduating in 2018, she became an English teacher at a local English school in Mitaka, Tokyo where she worked with students from ages 0 to 100. She also signed with an Influencer Talent Agency called “Tokyo Creative” among other agencies, where she was a guest on their YouTube channel and did contracted marketing, modeling, and influencer work with Japanese and international companies. Paris shares countless adventures and tips about attending UCLA, as well as Japanese and Lifestyle on her YouTube channel. She now resides in Los Angeles, where she works part-time as a Content Creator for a Japanese Skincare Company and does contracted talent work. Most recently she was a host of a Japanese TV show called “Amazipang” where she highlighted how Los Angeles has been handling the last few years in Japanese. In addition, she uploads videos to her 134K following and gives updates on her Instagram page. Her hobbies include playing video games (mainly Nintendo), playing guitar, hiking, going to the beach, reading self-improvement books, and paddle-boarding.

Sheehan Parker

Office Manager for the Center for Academic Advising in the College

Sheehan Parker (He/They) is the Office Manager for the Center for Academic Advising in the College.  He graduated from UCLA in 2015 with a major in Philosophy and a minor in French.  He went on to work at the UCLA School of Dentistry postgraduate clinic for Orthodontics before joining the advising team at College Academic Counseling.  In each of his roles, he has found joy in mentoring the development of students and new professionals.  Although his first experience with social media was in applying html glitter to his MySpace profile, he has gone on to inexpertly use social media platforms to share information as a student DJ with UCLA Radio, to advertise for the orthodontics clinic, and to build community among advisors across campus as part of the Advising Communities of Excellence professional development program.