Beyond the Plate: Meet Jess Iacullo

Kayla: For those that don’t already follow you, tell us all about Hungry Jess Big City.

Jess: Hi! I’m Jess Iacullo of Hungry Jess Big City. Essentially, under the umbrella of Hungry Jess is an influencer brand I run, social media marketing and management for other local businesses, ghostwriting, a group in downtown Pittsburgh called the Happy Hour Club with another creative, and a podcast called The Hungry Jess podcast. I wear a lot of different hats in a similar landscape of creative social media marketing fields.

Kayla: Tell us about Hungry Jess from the beginning. I know you’re from New Jersey, and you moved to Pittsburgh for school, but tell us about the beginnings of Hungry Jess Big City and how it’s evolved.

Jess: Well, if anyone’s reading that’s been following me for quite some time, you’ll know that I started as Hungry Grl Big City, but we love growing up. We love learning the importance of trademarking, which I can get into later.

I started the Hungry Grl Big City Instagram brand as a sophomore at The University of Pittsburgh in 2015; at the time, I was doing it for fun to procrastinate writing papers. I was not in business school, I was not taking advertising marketing classes, and I was a communications and nonfiction writing major. But I was really interested in this new realm of social media and just kind of exploring what you could do with it. I ended up being a brand ambassador for brands, and I started writing for the Pitt News, so just all these things where it was important that I was aware of social media trends — and it was very different than it is today. That’s how I started the brand and built a following at the time.

I also had a lot of internship experience that helped me along the way. I worked in New York at Business Insider as a food writer intern when I graduated. Then I ended up at Forbes as a freelance social media producer for the women’s network there. I finally moved back to Pittsburgh as an adult about five years ago, and that’s where I took the leap to start my own business and do everything on my own.

Kayla: It’s really cool to look back on that when social media just started. It seems like a couple of years after Instagram launched, people were starting to realize the business value of social media and influencer marketing. So that’s cool that you could jump on that and learn that right at the advent of that.

Jess: I remember being a senior in high school, and everyone started getting an iPhone and talking about Instagram, and I still had a Blackberry. It was when the Instagram icon was that Polaroid icon. And it’s actually ironic my friends used to make fun of me for being bad at Instagram when I was in high school, and now we’re here, which is crazy.

Kayla: How has Hungry Grl Big City evolved into Hungry Jess Big City, and what’s your journey been like?

Jess: I don’t even know what inspired me to go with Hungry Grl Big City. I remember sitting in the Starbucks on Atwood and Forbes and procrastinating. I was going to intern at Food Network magazine that summer, and I wanted to bring something with me to impress them. And within maybe 10 minutes, I came up with the handle, which, again, I don’t really know where entirely came from. The “Girl” was “Grl,” which was an ode to my screen name from middle school. And then, from there, I had a friend looking to build her graphic design portfolio as she was graduating, so she made my first logo. And now my current logo has adapted from that original logo, that very Sex and the City vibe. It used to just be a fork and a knife, but now it’s a fork and an old fashion pen, which is an ode to my tattoo. So the brand definitely has evolved into more of a personal sector. Now my name is in it. I’m no longer 20; now I’m 28, so I think it’s nice to make it a little bit more mature and also be able to expand the content that I have.

Changing the name didn’t necessarily come from, “Oh, I want to rebrand!” It was more that I got a cease and desist in the mail one day, which I’m very open about; branding and owning your intellectual property is very important. This was right when the pandemic started, actually. But I was super lucky because I was able to connect with a trademark lawyer who helped me evolve my name. The process is really long. I don’t know if you’ve ever trademarked anything, but it can take anywhere from nine months to two years. So in May of 2021, I officially stepped into Hungry Jess Big City, which now I own Hungry Jess Big City, and I own Hungry Jess, which is super cool. I was worried about people still calling me Hungry Grl, and not understanding the shift there. But I had a few billboards at the time, which I think helped, and I think a lot of people that had followed me were able to shift with the new name. So that’s how I started and how I ended up here now.

Kayla: What do you love most about your business?

Jess: I love how it’s constantly changing. That’s both a negative and a positive because it’s much harder to find comfort in the profession, but it forces me to evolve and work constantly. Not necessarily hustling, because the constant hustle culture has lost its charm, but in the sense of finding something new to work on that I love weekly. Working in social media means keeping up with the trends, what works, what people want to see, and what feels right from my point of view and interests.

Kayla: Beautifully said. How do you set your brand apart from other competitors, either within Pittsburgh or just in the industry in general?

Jess: Definitely! What sets me apart is that I work in multiple areas. Not only do I work as an influencer, but I also manage the marketing for other businesses. What’s really cool about being in Pittsburgh, specifically, is that the pandemic highlighted how important it is to have a digital presence and invest in digital marketing. The same goes for working with influencers and having them create unique content that aligns with a business’s goals. It’s great to work on both sides and see the importance.

The rebrand helped me stand out from others who do similar things. It allowed me to focus more on the lifestyle component and talk about myself more. I’m able to incorporate more wellness topics into the space, as well as a broader small business mindset as opposed to just food. I’ve always loved things like fashion and body positivity, and it’s been cool to see the brand grow alongside me. People have been receptive to it, which is great.

Kayla: I love that you’re expanding Hungry Jess Big City. I could see “hungry” obviously as a foodie, but hungry in general for the things you’re passionate about. That’s cool.

Jess: Totally. My tagline is basically, “Stay hungry.” You can interpret that however you like, but it’s been cool to expand the range of people I’m able to work with.

Kayla: So, what made you want to come back to Pittsburgh and create your brand around the culture in Pittsburgh?

Jess: It’s crazy to think it’s almost been five years since then. The pandemic itself feels like it’s been 20 years. I’ve never had a traditional 9 to 5 job where I work for a big company and am on salary. My last job at Forbes in 2018 was a great opportunity, but it burned me out. Working for big companies taught me a lot, but it made me realize that I could do the same work on a smaller scale without feeling as burnt out or exhausted. At the time, my brand wasn’t at the forefront.

So, I moved to Pittsburgh on a whim. I knew someone freelancing in social media and marketing and was looking to hire someone. When I contacted her, she got a job in Arizona and was looking for someone to fill her space. It worked out timing-wise, and everything unfolded within two weeks. I gave myself a year, and when I moved here, I said yes to anything that came my way. The pandemic helped solidify my client list and brand as an influencer in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is a very small city, sometimes, it even feels like a big town. Everyone is one degree of separation away from each other, which is a good and bad thing because everyone knows your business, but it’s also great if someone who knows of you and what you do can connect you to someone they know that’s looking for what you do. So it’s a really good connection city.

Kayla: How do you avoid burnout as an entrepreneur?

Jess: I take at least one full weekend day off. I also take advantage of making my own schedule, which means taking time for a walk or workout class when I can and getting outside when it’s nice out. I also have my own communication boundaries, and I only work on things that build me up.

Kayla: That’s very well put; I couldn’t agree more. So let’s transition to your social media channels and how you’ve utilized different social media platforms to expand your reach. Talk to us about your content creation, how you’ve grown your following, and what advice you’d give to someone who wants to make an impact on social media.

Jess: I feel honestly, in a way, that’s the hardest question to answer because I feel that it’s changing every day. Especially when Instagram really wasn’t video-focused at first. And now it’s like, “Is it? Is it not? Is Instagram prioritizing reels, or are they prioritizing pictures?”

Kayla: No one really knows, right? It’s hard.

Jess: Exactly. I feel like it used to be a little bit more cookie-cutter, like, “Okay, we know what works,” and now that’s kind of thrown out the window, in a way. As far as growing your audience, I believe that emphasizing your local audience can help you grow your following. However, I never want to limit myself, so I always mention that I’m located in Pittsburgh. This allows me to post about my travels and other things without feeling restricted.

Consistency is a big key to cultivating and keeping an audience — a lot of the messages I receive come from the same people. I’ve had the opportunity to meet some of my followers in person, and it’s great to connect face-to-face. It adds a level of personal connection that makes it feel like you’re talking to a real person rather than just someone behind a screen.

I also believe that authenticity is more important now than ever before. With the rise of TikTok and viral content, there’s a shift from telling authentic stories to framing things in a certain way just to get attention. People lean into trending sounds and other popular things to get noticed. Staying authentic to your brand and what you believe in is important.

Kayla: How have you grown personally from becoming an entrepreneur?

Jess: It’s definitely forced me to be more organized, follow a schedule and calendar more intensely, and be an expert in the digital space. It’s also taught me how to create boundaries for myself, negotiate my worth (whether it’s my rate or someone trying to take advantage of my skills/business), and find a balance between work and being offline.

Kayla: What has been one of your favorite collaborations that you’ve done with a brand so far?

Jess: I had the opportunity to work with McDonald’s recently, which I absolutely love. I even have a picture of myself when I was four or five years old, holding a McDonald’s cup and eating french fries in a highchair. So, you can say I’ve been a fan for a long time. Recently, McDonald’s released Big Mac sauce for a limited time, along with special cups, which was fun to be able to participate in that launch. It was also interesting to learn that the first Big Mac was sold in Uniontown, and I even had the chance to meet the son of the creator of the Big Mac. I met the PR team that runs all their local television, print ads, etc…

On the marketing end, I’m fascinated by it. As an influencer, it was a dream partnership for me, and many people commented that it looked authentic. I can confidently say it was authentic, as I’ve always asked for Big Mac sauce on the side anyway, so now it’s just nice that I get paid to promote it. I typically say no to about 70% of the brand partnerships that come my way, but the ones that align with my personal and brand values excite me.

Kayla: Working with you in the past, it’s very clear that you only engage with things you have a personal interest and an investment in, which goes back to authenticity.

Jess: Even from a consumer standpoint, if I work with a business, I’ll want to continue being able to support them as a customer as well.

Kayla: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Jess: “No is a complete sentence.”

Kayla: What advice would you give to someone who wants to be an influencer or content creator and has that independence and control in their work? Going off alone can be scary, and as you mentioned, there’s a lot of beauty in being self-employed. So, what advice would you give to a young person or anyone who wants to start their own business?

Jess: I’m fortunate that I was able to have other jobs to get me to a point where I felt comfortable going off on my own. In a way, I didn’t plan too much ahead to move to Pittsburgh, but I had a financial plan and business goals. I also recommend looking into trademarking before getting started. Owning an LLC and a trademark are two different things, and it’s important to understand the difference. It’s inevitable to have really high highs and also really low lows.

Don’t do something just because it’s trendy or because you see others doing it and gaining viral success. Viral success is often short-lived. What people will remember in the long run is the kind of influencer you were and the work you put out there. It’s important to find your brand voice and not just follow what others are doing or trending. There’s room for being original and unique.