From epic shoots with Fifth Harmony to VMA fails with Miley Cyrus, our talent and partnerships expert, Sheila Hozhabri, discusses career highs and lows spent with some of pop culture’s finest…
1. If you could go back and relive one day in your career, which would it be?
The day we shot Fifth Harmony’s “Work from Home” video.
We’d actually shot another video the day before, and I was in the middle of moving (perfect timing), so what I remember most from that day was that we were all running on fumes. Looking back on it though, that was the last real day of calm we had before the storm.
A few weeks later the song dropped, and after that, everything accelerated – visiting radio stations around the country promoting the single, morning show performances, promoting the album with a takeover in London, multiple award shows, and touring South America, North America and Europe.
Of course, none of us knew at the time just how big it would all get. But I’d love to go back and just be present in the moment, knowing we were all about to have one of the craziest years of our lives.
2. Now tell us about the day that still gives you nightmares.
My first VMAs, August 2013. I was less than two months into working with Miley Cyrus, and we’d run a full fan voting campaign built around Boo the Bear – the giant stuffed bear from the “We Can’t Stop” video – to get him to the VMAs. The campaign grew beyond Miley’s fans and it was decided that we’d cap it off with a special red-carpet moment: Miley arriving in a police car, with a dressed up Boo by her side.
Unfortunately, the driver taking her to the meeting point missed the drop-off point entirely. He drove straight past the police car, past Boo, and past me. Just like that, the arrival moment was gone and poor Boo never made his red-carpet debut.
The kicker? It was all captured as part of an MTV documentary. So I’ve had the pleasure of reliving it repeatedly for the past 13 years.
3. Who gave you the piece of advice you still live by – and what was it?
When I was going through a rough patch at my first job out of college, my best friend and roommate said something that stuck with me: “This too shall pass.” I know it’s so simple, but it’s a powerful reminder that nothing, good or bad, is permanent.
I still think of it often, and depending on where I am in life, it gives me either hope or gratitude. Sometimes both.
4. What piece of work done by someone else are you truly jealous of?
In 2017, Taco Bell did an unconventional fashion collaboration with Forever 21 and it was truly epic. From bodysuits inspired by their sauce packets to cropped hoodies with variations of the Taco Bell logo, the collaboration tapped into youth culture in a big way.
The brands took it a step further by recruiting Taco Bell super fans – who took their senior portraits at their local restaurants – as models to preview the collection. Pieces sold out quickly after the launch and led the way for future food x fashion retailer collaborations.
5. What’s your elevator pitch to people thinking about getting into the advertising industry for the first time?
You get to take fun, sometimes quirky ideas and watch them grow into campaigns that resonate with millions of people and actually shape culture. It’s hard work, but the payoff is unlike anything else.