What started as side project eventually turned into a full-time career for Jess Iacullo. Hungry Jess Big City began as a food photo blog and Instagram page where she could express her creativity and showcase her work to potential employers. Today, Jess has over 35,000 followers on Instagram and an impressive roster of local and national clients and brand sponsorships. In 2020, she had to overcome a major obstacle when she received a “cease and desist” letter from someone claiming to have the rights to a similar business name. After successfully rebranding her company, Jess acknowledges that although this was a painful experience, it has made her a better business owner in the long run.
Jess Iacullo started her brand, Hungry Jess Big City, as a passion project. It also served to give her a leg up on internship opportunities while she was a student at the University of Pittsburgh. Little did she know at the time but in a few short years her Instagram page would explode to over 35,000 followers. After working with a number of noteworthy media companies, such as Forbes, Business Insider, Food Network, and Discovery Plus, Jess realized that her increasing online popularity may be an avenue for her to explore entrepreneurship.
In 2018, after moving back to Pittsburgh, Jess started to monetize her brand through client work and brand partnerships. Just when things were going well for her, she got an unexpected “cease and desist” letter in the mail from a California attorney. The explosion of her brand had reached across the country and caught the attention of someone with a similar business name. Jess had to go through the excruciating work of renaming and rebranding her company, which took a year to fully complete. Today, Hungry Jess Big City is a thriving business, and Jess currently works with many local and national clients.
If you have any questions or if you’d like to chat, you can reach me at my contact info below. The purpose of this podcast is to share ideas, inspire action, and build a stronger small business community here in Pittsburgh. So please say hello, tell me what you think, and let me know how I’m doing. It means a ton!
YOU CAN REACH ME AT:
Website: https://www.proprietorsofpittsburgh.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/proprietorsofpittsburghpodcast
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/proprietorsofpittsburghpodcast
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darinvilano
Phone: 412-336-8247
YOU CAN REACH JESS IACULLO AT:
Website: https://hungryjessbigcity.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hungryjessbigcity
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hungryjessbigcity
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hungry-jess-big-city