Meet Sarah Sweeney | Social Media Video Marketing Expert

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Sweeney and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

After a 14+ year career in television, I was laid off in 2020 from my job in television due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I was working with Univision at the time. Coincidentally, I was also finishing my MBA with a specialization in Entrepreneurship & Innovation from Florida International University, so I was learning a lot about markets, industries, and expected economic trends during recessions.

When I was laid off, it was tough to jump into another job as most corporations were laying-off their workers.

During one of our long walks in our neighborhood, my husband said to me that I was very talented and creative and that maybe this was just a sign for me to take a leap of faith and do a business out of what I know best which is video marketing.

My professional repertoire was international broadcast networks such as ABC, MTV, ESPN, Univision, The Travel Channel, and Discovery. I have produced content for brands such as Kraft Latino, Disney, Sony Animation Studios, Universal, Uber, and Amazon, among many others.

Although my husband’s encouraging recommendation warmed my heart and made me blush, the reality was that the thought of starting my own business gave me cold feet, but I left the idea on the back burner.

I decided that since it was challenging to find a job, I may as well invest my time in a better way, such as working on my portfolio and connecting on LinkedIn and Instagram with other professionals.

It was as other small businesses and brick-and-mortar stores that had to close for business due to the pandemic; they started seeing my portfolio and work that I was doing on social media and digital marketing that they started approaching me for help building their e-commerce stores, helping them with their brand identity, digital marketing, and content creation.

It felt nice to feel recognized and “needed.”

That’s when I had my “aha” moment and realized that my talents and offers were in high demand due to the shift in the market.

That’s when my brand, SaralinaDigital, was born! I decided to build my business around my personal brand and digital expertise.

While in the pandemic, I was serving small businesses in E-commerce, and website design, among many other services; I realized I needed to niche down because I was going crazy and running around in circles serving too many clients at a time to the demand. I needed to focus on one concentration and do it well so I could scale and my brand and growth wouldn’t suffer.

As the economy started getting better and people started going back to work, there was a lot of hiring happening, and I sometimes questioned if I should go back to corporate. With the birth of our first child in August of 2021, I realized that I needed to keep going! It was nice to be present and be in the moment for my family while I worked on my business. My business is important, but my family is more important, and my favorite job, being a mom, became my priority. Having my own online business gave me that flexibility that corporate life never gave me.

I also know that I am investing in my future by building equity in my business. Something that I can’t do in corporate, no matter what percentage in a 401K they give us.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I’m a Video Content Marketing Creative Director that uses video storytelling to tell brand stories that stick. What sets me apart is my 14+ year career working with some of the most recognized TV networks in the world. I use the production methods of storytelling and editing that I learned in my lifelong trajectory in media, and I apply them to the brands I work with to make them stand out and look unique.

I’ve created and produced video content for household names like Disney, Amazon, McDonald’s, Kraft Latino, Sony Animations, and Dreamworks. My personal brand allows me to teach people how to use Instagram to create their own video content.

I got my start in television while I was studying at Baylor University in Texas. I scored an internship with VIACOM where I worked at MTV in TIMES SQUARE. While in NYC, I also worked at ABC NEWS, where I collaborated on news pieces with the most influential journalists in history! Some household names include Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer, John Quinones, John Stossel and Deborah Roberts.

Thanks to my experience working in NYC for these networks, I then had the opportunity to freelance with other networks such as Discovery Channel, The Travel Channel where I worked on the show with Adam Richman, Man Vs. Food. My favorite part of working with them was eating all the left-overs that were shown on the show.

I then had an awesome opportunity to move to Miami to work at ESPN studios on Highly Questionable with Dan Lebatard, who is a Miami sports icon. I was hired to work in the early stages of the show. I had a great four year run there and that’s when I decided it was my time to move on and find another challenge and that’s when I started working for Univision where I worked in the Partnership Marketing department working on the ad campaigns of the networks partners. Some accounts I manage included Google, Disney, Uber, Ford, Apple, Toyota, Amazon, Sony Animation Studios, Dreamworks, among many others.

All this background is what has contributed to all my experience, today and the same one I use to create the best in class campaigns for my clients.

The project I’m most excited about in my business is creating my video podcast which is called Pivot to Launch. It will launch in the Fall of 2022. Pivot to Launch is the ultimate online business podcast and community for professionals pivoting from their 9-5 grind. It’s fun, filled with actionable weekly tips to empower professionals that dream of launching their online business.

During the pandemic I met many new entrepreneurs pivoting from their corporate jobs to work online and I didn’t find a community for them and I thought this would be the best way to bring them together.

Some other awesome projects that are on the pipeline of SaralinaDigital are PDF downloads to get businesses jump-started on their Video marketing journey.

I’ve realized that information about video and video marketing is so scattered all over the internet that I’d like to create a HUB for people wanting to get into video marketing to find all these resources.
Also included within these resources will be video marketing courses which will teach shooting video, editing, producing, storytelling, content writing, lighting, and audio, as well as guides on what equipment to buy as a video content creator for your brand.

The lesson that I learned is that “ROME WAS NOT BUILT IN ONE DAY.” This couldn’t be more true. I always thought that creating a business was easy and pre-meditated, but I’ve come to realize that you discover so many things as you go, and you tweak details as you learn. There is not one road, and there is no one way. Every day that my husband comes home from work, I greet him excitedly at the door to share something new I discovered or a new business idea I’ve created or a fantastic opportunity that has been opened in my business.

No day is like the other…you need to be in love with constant change and embrace failure because it’s a sign that you’re one step closer to finding success.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
– Our first stop would be to rent a boat with about 5-10 friends, grab some beers and head out to the warm waters of the Nixon sandbar.

– Then we’d go to Newport Beach Restaurant for some sushi and to see the beatiful beaches of Sunny Isles Beach.

– The next day, we’d go have the best Peruvian food at Ceviche 105 in Aventura. We’d drink Pisco Sours, share a Ceviche Mixto and for dessert, eat a Suspiro limeno.

– On Sunday, we’d go to Casa Church in Surfside.

– I would show her the Wharf and listen to some music and meet up some friends before heading to Wynwood. In Wynwood, we’d take pictures at the murals, then have a paleta at Morelia, then dance at the marketplace and finally, finish the night out at La Victoria!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband for being the first person to believe in my talents and encourage me to take the leap of faith. And my business buddy, Leslie Lawson, owner of Renegade Pilates for giving me great ideas, advice, feedback and encouragement.

Website: www.saralinadigital.com

Instagram: saralinadigital

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/saralinatv

Twitter: saralinadigital

Facebook: saralinadigital

Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/colombiana5

Other: www.saralina.tv