Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexus Blanding.
Hi Alexus, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My journey as an event professional began organically. Through planning events for family and friends I realized I have a natural talent for this line of work. Complementing this experience are the skills I am developing as a book publicist. In this role, I work with authors to craft high-level media strategies designed to garner coverage for their titles, as well as create and organize nationwide author tours. Working in book PR has honed my ability to manage large-scale projects and event logistics with tons of moving parts. These strengths are what are highly transferable, making my cross-industry journey a logical–and exciting!–next step. Both of these roles combined bring me great joy and satisfaction. Being the owner of and lead planner at Precisely Yours: Planning & Coordination Services is a new path I’m thrilled to trek!
Like many people, though, the work I do now isn’t where I originally picutred myself. I never imagined I’d land in publishing or event planning. Ever since I was a little girl (Or, like a dear family member of mine always says, ever since I was knee-high to a duck,) and up until my very last semester of undergrad at the University of South Carolina – Columbia, I wanted to be a prosecutor. It was in that last required course for my English program, a class on Young Adult Literature led by Dr. Johnson-Feelings, that I realized perhaps law wasn’t what I should do. There could be more for me. I could do more. Within two month’s time I researched ways to break into the publishing industry, applied for and eventually got accepted into the Denver Publishing Institute at the University of Denver, and began picturing a life very different from the one I had always envisioned.
That dream of becoming a lawyer was flaling. I eventually broke my mother’s heart and told her I no longer desired a law career. Her disappointment was temporarily, though. She’s very proud of me now. I graduated from USC in 2017, deferred DPI for a year and then attended in 2019. From there I went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from American University in our nation’s capitol, where I worked in editorial at the college’s literary journal and simultaneously interned at a few publishers. One of those publishers happened to be Flatiron Books, the division of Macmillan Publishers that had the foresight to give me a chance and now, the great pleasure of having me as a colleague. My time at Flatiron has afforded me the opprotunity to design PR campaigns for New York Times bestsellers like THE THREE MOTHERS by Anna Malaika Tubbs, THE BIG LIE by Jonathan Lemire, DEAR BLACK GIRLS by A’ja Wilson, MASTER OF ME by Keke Palmer, and most recently ERASED by Anna Malaika Tubbs, to name a few.
I mention all of this to say that sometimes what we plan for ourselves isn’t always what our outcomes will be. And that’s the best part because what’s in store for us is often far greater than we could have ever imagined. It’s also incredibly ironic because both my careers are centered around meticulous planning. Thinking about this often makes me giggle.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Smooth isn’t an adjective I’d use to describe my journey into entrepreneurship at all! The greatest obstacle throughout my career has been my own fear. I was too terrified of what could go wrong that I never entertained the idea of what could go right if I stepped out on my own merit. I worried that my branding would fall flat. I questioned if my experience in event planning and logistics would be enough to compensate for the traditional hospitality education I do not have. I was terrified of never building clientele. And most often of all, I didn’t think there would be room for a low-vision event planner at the proverbial table. Perfectionism and imposter syndrome together is a deadly concotion. So deadly that I almost let it kill my dream.
I also had never been an entrepreneur before. The comforts of corporate america were indeed comforting. Someone else always had the say-so and the fault. Things rarely ever truly fell on me. But starting a business? I had no idea where to begin! Building something from the ground up, founded on my own merit alone seemed impossible. I ddin’t want to believe that I embody the skills required to run a successful small business. However, once I allowed myself to feel the optimism that comes with faith in self, I began taking action. The pieces fell into place. Challenges felt manageable, and they became mere stepping stones. This part of my story is a testament to the power of hope and self-confidence.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As an event planner and coordinator I pride myself on planning with precision. Meticulousness and commitment to perfecting the minute details is the foundation of my work. Being detail-oriented is what sets me apart in my field.
Taking my clients’ passions, interests, and likes and incorporating them into every aspect of their events adds an extra layer of personalization and makes each occassion unforgettable. For instance, I recently planned a surprise birthday party for a gentleman that loves pastels and sequins. The caveat to this is his birthday is in early January. Pastels and sequins aren’t necessarily representative of winter. Instead of a potentially out-of-season event, the gentleman’s family and I opted for an all-white affair. This theme accompanied by touches of silver, blue accents, and sky-blue uplighting created a winter wonderland effect. Furthering the wintery feel the theme provided and nodding to the birthday boy’s love of pastels, was the reflection of the uplighting off of each guest’s white garments. Lastly, for a final flare and as a callback to the birthday boy’s love of sequins, we opted to use a starlit white dance floor that mirrored the way light bounces and dances off of sequins.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
When working in publicity and event planning a great skill to have is the ability to read people. Listen not only to what a person says but how they say it; the words they employ, the tone and tenure of their voice, their speaking rate, and even what they opt out of saying all matters. Bettering this skill will guide your planning and coordination work far better than most other skills. It opens up a world of communication that provides insight you may not otherwise have gained.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.preciselyyourspc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/precisely.yours
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1ABbmg3s9U/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexusblanding
- Other: Tiktok: @precisely.yours
Image Credits
Headshots: Spikey P Production
Event Photography: Simmons Perception
