Ilene Carol is the CEO of ICE MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT, a marketing and advertising agency. For 20 years, she has been working with small businesses, non-profits, entertainment, authors, and professional athletes help build their brands. Services included: website development, social media marketing, ad campaigns and business consulting. She is the Publisher of New League Magazine – culture and entertainment for men, Publisher of Women’s Quarterly Magazine – providing a platform to give women a voice to tell their stories and offering resources to empower, educate and inspire. In memory of her sister who died at 50 and suffered most of her life from mental illness and eating disorders. She never felt like she had a voice or a support system. “This magazine allows me to help others who may be suffering.”
Ilene is also the Founder of Extended Hugs – assisting disadvantaged children and families with living, medical and educational expenses. The magazines are creative outlets to raise money for this charity.
FWM: For 20 years, you have been working with small businesses, non-profits, entertainment, and others to build their brands. What is the secret to a great brand?
I find the secret is being authentic, uniquely you and finding your own voice. You can’t be all things to everyone, so speak to your specific audience and have a consistent message throughout. Whether it is a social media post, your website, a blog post or when you are meeting people and networking.
FWM: What are your strengths at ICE MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT?
We provide one on one service. We find that some companies get wrapped up in the bottom line versus getting to know the client. People are not one size fits all. We pride ourselves on quality versus quantity. We make every client feel special, take the time to listen to their needs and not the latest marketing trends. The latest trends may not fit the mold of the client. We partner with our clients and look at their project as if it were are own.
FWM: Are you seeing any trends?
The “trend” we are seeing the most is follow the leader. We spend most of our time on Instagram and every time they change their algorithm this creates a frenzy on how to beat the new algorithm. Because of the popularity of TikTok, we are also seeing people get out of their comfort zones and create more video content. Reels has become extremely popular and using trending music to create the reel.
FWM: Can you share a few success stories?
We have successfully helped people reach their goals, build their brand, and offered sound advice. However, we are most proud of the growth of one of our own projects, Women’s Quarterly Magazine. We were not getting the traction we wanted until we applied the same principles we use to help people build their brand on our own project. In 3 months we increased our following by 1,000%. We have people coming to us now looking to partner with the magazine.
FWM: Giving back is part of your core. Tell us about Extended Hugs.
I want Philanthropy to be my life’s work. My parents would always give to St. Jude’s, they liked how parents can bring their children there without paying for anything. I would often wonder how these parents managed their other bills. I created Extended Hugs to help families with unexpected life events and disadvantaged families with living, medical and education expenses. Every little bit adds up so supporting our GoFundMe would help us with the initial stage of setting this up. We are offering some great gift incentives. Here is the link to donate: https://www.gofundme.com/f/extended-hugs
FWM: You are also the Publisher of Women’s Quarterly Magazine. What inspires you?
We got into creating magazines during the Walk to Defeat ALS after my father died from the disease. I found out that I am not good at raising money. I would ask for donations in memory of my father and was not getting anywhere. I came up with the idea to do an annual publication that people could place their ads in and this allowed us to use that money to give to ALS. I have several connections with professional athletes, many are familiar with this disease. I would interview them for the magazine and a few celebrities. After doing this we realized we wanted to create this as one of our company products and began creating a magazine for men. However, my sister died at the age of 50. She had suffered most of her adult life with mental illness and eating disorders. I felt it would be important for me in her memory to give women a voice to tell their stories and a platform to talk about their business. Women’s Quarterly Magazine was born.
FWM: Are you looking for stories for the upcoming issue?
We are always looking for stories and features that resonate with our message. As we continue to grow, we are becoming more in tune with our audience and we realize that not all content and features will be geared to our message. We want our articles to be centered around growth and giving back. We know people get excited when they hear the word “celebrity,” but even celebrities have a core message that has been built around them. Therefore, we have a vetting process as to who and what we feature. Anyone is welcomed to visit our website, WQmagazine.com and contact us there.
