Behind The Spotlight: Vanessa Coppes

Morning, how's everybody doing? Welcome to another episode of Behind the Spotlight. Friday mornings have become my favorite because I get to talk to some of my favorite people like you, uh, and like amazing people who I get to actually spend some time with. Today we have Vanessa Coppes. She is the director, the media mogul, the woman in charge of Bella Magazine, Bella Media, Bella Boss, Bella Beauty, and she's doing amazing things. I just actually DM'd her. It's like, what don't you do? If we could accept it and come on up to Vanessa. Here she comes. Both wearing white t-shirts.

I heard.

Good morning, my friend. How are you?

Good. How are you?

I'm good. I'm so happy to see you. Oh wait, I can't hear you. Don't you love technology? Because I can't hear you.

There we go.

There we are.

There we are.

Good morning. Good morning. Happy Friday.

Happy Friday.

So happy to see you. I've been waiting to have this conversation with you live because I always want to shout from the rooftops of what you're doing. And I stalked your social media this week so we can have this conversation. You in that cream dress with the lights and the hair. What was going on there? Tell us what's going on with you and what is going on with Bella Media.

Green dress?

Cream.

It was like a khaki cream.

It looked like a— I don't know. Your legs go— you know, I'm little. So when I see your legs go on for hours, they're so good.

Well, thank you. There's always something going on here, obviously, personally, professionally. I try to work smarter, not harder. So I marry a lot of the things that we do through Bella with— anything that we have, you know, I may have going on on a personal level, but there is a lot going on. It's been a really very busy summer. Thankfully, it's always— I mean, you pray for these moments, right? You pray for these opportunities and then they come and you're like, huh? But, you know, I can't complain. It's been, you know, years, I think. Years in the making, especially after— because, you know, we keep referencing the pandemic, and I spent quite a few years kind of recovering from that. And once we finally did and we really hit the ground running, a lot of really incredible opportunities have come for the publication, allowing us to grow beyond one print book to now five, which is insane to think about it. And also a lot of really fun media partnerships that we've been able to create along the way. And on a personal front, I am launching along with one of my private clients, Annabelle Hedges. She is a small-town girl with a lot of really big city dreams. She's a model, an incredible dancer, but her dream has been to launch her own makeup brand, and we are working on that together. To bring that to everyone, hopefully by Fashion Week. So—

So very soon. So that's what you've been teasing, Hello Gorgeous.

Yes. The brand is called Hello Gorgeous. That is based on a phrase that Annabelle has coined from the moment that she, I think, put on lip gloss. And she greets everyone with a hello gorgeous every single time. So it just— it's a very natural— progression into her own little empire, which I'm so incredibly honored and blessed to be a part of. She has her biggest cheerleader, which is her mom, Angela. If you're watching or if you get to see this, I so wish every young girl with bold, audacious dreams had such a true cheerleader behind them. And then she came into our orbit and we are all just here sitting in awe and watching her just scale the ladder of success at such a young age. So to be a part of anything that she does is just truly a blessing. And I'm really proud to be a part of it.

Oh, that's so nice. I'm sure she feels the same way, knowing you well enough.

I would hope so. We like each other. It's OK.

It's a love fest. And I love Hello Gorgeous. I actually have an aunt who is Grandma Gorgeous. So gorgeous is a big part of my life. So tell us a little bit more about what beauty means to you and why being a part of Hello Gorgeous is something you wanted to put your strength into.

Of course. So I always reference, you know, I came from very humble beginnings. I think that anyone who ever had to create something out of nothing has kind of like that, you know, story. So when it came to like fashion, even my, you know, my dip into the fashion industry, I remember making my own clothes and having to really just kind of like make do with what we had. And beauty was a very big part of it. I come from a culture where you don't leave your house without a face on. And, without your hair, you know, looking a certain way. And I think culturally it's just something that has always stuck with me. So I learned at a very young age to do my own makeup at home with what I had. You know, I had to make lipstick work as blush because I couldn't afford both. So you, you really learn how to, you know, make yourself look a certain way. And, you know, through the years I kind of mastered it. Then I actually stepped into the makeup world. I think a lot of people don't know this, but I'm a trained makeup artist by Chanel. I worked for Chanel about 10 years ago. And I had the honor of being trained by some of the top beauty professionals in the world. And so makeup is just something that I've always dipped my toe in. I love it. I feel like it allows anyone who wears it just to feel better about themselves. You know, I don't think of it as— hiding behind a mask. I think it just enhances what, uh, you have going on. And it does, you know, once you look at yourself in the mirror and you approve, you feel so much better about yourself, and you can step into your day, um, you know, with that energy. And I love it. So this just, for me also, is just kind of like a natural progression because it's something that I think many people expected from us. Yeah.

So, well, that's exciting.

Yeah. Yeah.

I'm not a huge makeup wearer because I don't always know how to put it on.

Yeah. So help me. Well, the really cool thing about this, and listen, there's a lot of noise, there's a lot of brands and you can, you know, I think the freedom of being able to pick and choose is a beautiful thing. And I think even as we get ready to launch this brand, I still have favorites from other brands, but these are meant to be like your hero products, right? Like if you were to think of an eyebrow tint or an eyebrow powder, we hope that you think of Hello Gorgeous 'cause it's easy to apply, it's great for your skin, and it's also really affordable, right? So those are, we've hit like the nail on the head on these 3 very key components that it's gorgeous, it's easy, and it doesn't hurt your wallet. So yeah, and the goal is, you know, she's approaching it from, the Gen Z perspective, right? Young girls who like to try on new things. I'm approaching it from a busy entrepreneur, busy professional where I don't have a lot of time to spend. Like to your point, you don't wear a lot of makeup. Some people just don't have that time. So these products are meant to just help you get ready very quickly and you can, you know, head out the door and look like you put it, like you actually did something to your face. I actually am wearing all of it right now, so.

Oh, whoever's watching, also go to Vanessa's social media and you can see, uh, there's that first photo.

It just has like—

you're just dewy and beautiful. I can't wait to try it. No, it's, it's one of those things that I would love to be able to go buy a full brand because I trust the product. Yes, because I don't know enough.

Yeah, well, and that's the thing, like, these are like Leaping Bunny approved. Um, it's again really good, like good stuff that even if you were to fall asleep in it, you're going to be okay. You're not going to break out from— good for your skin. And again, just easy. Like, I know there's a lot of brands that, you know, they look— it looks like a contraption when you go on and put on mascara. This is just very easy to apply.

And as I get older, right, I want to be able to do different things.

And who has the time, girl? Come on. Who has? We don't have the time.

You know, and the other part is like, I can't see my own eye anymore. So, you know, and I've always had glam squads. And I've, you know, being on TV, I've always had somebody show up. And one of the things that I've always loved about you is how you really pour into the people around you. And this is just another aspect of you doing that. Because I really love the post you put out recently about, like, we used to have to be really good at our craft. Yeah. And I thought that was a really important message. Did something happen that— like, what inspired that post? Because I thought it was a message that not a lot of—

So, um— I'm not going to give too much away because we are revealing, um, uh, this is part of our September issue, which is our fashion issue. I will say this, I was really taken aback by a news article that came out. It was actually a feature on Good Morning America about 3 or 4 weeks ago where, um, you had, um, Vogue as the first publication to print an entirely AI-generated fashion spread, which took me a second to wrap my head around because initially my first thought was they don't even look like real people and how many people are out of work because of something like this. And I think that in an era where, and listen, I am not against the use of AI. I have a huge problem when it comes to it, you know, emulating people and taking jobs away from people. I feel like AI is a powerful tool and it can assist us to a certain extent, but at what point do we allow for fashion to become a bot? And it's not just from the perspective of a stylist, but think about the photographer, the makeup artist, the hairstylist, the creative director, the people who, and I say this coming from the perspective that photo shoots are literally my favorite part of what we do because it is such a huge creative process. Like it doesn't just land on one person, it's literally a team of 12, 15, sometimes 20 people coming together to execute this incredible vision. And the thought of allowing robots to take over that process does not sit well with me. And, The— I will say, I'll share, and you're actually like the exclusive. Our September issue is focused on AI can't do this. It's literally because fashion has a pulse and it's human and it's something that no robot could ever take over. So I will share this. So that's what you saw behind the scenes. And listen, I've spoken to a lot of creatives behind the scenes who are going to be contributing to this issue, and everyone is at a loss because Like, we can't believe that we're here. And Vogue, which is meant to be the Bible of fashion, if they're allowing this, like, who's going to take a stand? So I prayed about it. I thought about it. And we landed on this. And I can't wait to share it with everybody because it's really exciting.

That's really exciting. And, you know, you're the one to take a stand because you've taken stands on so many other things before. And, you know, not only with your Wellness Wednesdays, but just with who you are. And one of the things I admire about you most, and I'd love to talk about a little bit, is your confidence in front of the camera. It's not like you— right, you were a teacher and you were a makeup artist. It was behind the scenes. But now you step up in front of the scenes, and so many people, including somebody like me who's been on TV and does all the things, sometimes it's hard to be in front of the camera. I know armed with Hello Gorgeous, it makes it a little bit easier. But I'd love to hear from your perspective on how we can help our viewers and our audiences really feel more confident about being in front of the camera and speaking in front of the camera, which you do more and more now.

So I'm doing it because I have to, not because I like to. And I, you know, I think people tend to misconstrue that in the sense where— I mean, I— here's what I've learned over the years. Once the camera goes on, I know that I light up. That's just something that I have learned about me and, you know, people have commented and complimented me on over the years. But I also think that, you know, for— because I am, I'm an, I'm an extra— I'm an introvert, introvert extrovert, if that makes sense. Like, I'm actually very shy. I know, shocker. However, I also have learned and understood the power of my voice, right? And it's not to sound obnoxious or— because I— and this is the part where we as women have to stop excusing like our, our, our gifts and our virtues, right? I mean, I know where my power lies. I have this gift of bringing people together, of sharing information where people can digest it, and, and it's— and it at least it feels relatable. I never wanted to step into this role being this far-fetched, out-of-reach person that no one could approach or talk to, because I remember what it felt like wanting to connect with people, you know, women who were at the top, and it felt like standoffish or that I didn't have access to those circles. So I'm happy in that happy medium where it's approachable. Anyone can reach out to me whether it's on Instagram or via email, and I will be the one responding. It's not a bot, it's not an assistant, it's like a real person behind the screen. And I want people to really understand like that's where your power is, right? No one can promote your business or what you're doing better than you can. And if you don't step up and do it, no one else is gonna do it for you. Like if you have to ask permission, then you might as well just go home and bake cookies because, not that there's anything wrong with that if that's what you choose, However, if you have a business and you're putting yourself out there, you have to get comfortable with being really uncomfortable. And, you know, it's taken me years to get to this place, but I also try to not get it, you know, get in too much in my head where it feels like I'm being, you know, I can't do it. It's either me or somebody else. So why not be me, right? So I just got in on that.

Why not you? That's my whole thing. But the confidence piece of it, yeah, we have to learn about it. But I say the same thing, Vanessa, when I'm in interviews. Like, if you can't be on camera, you can't do this business. Yeah, that's the end of it. But have the confidence to not only do a photo shoot and be in front of the camera, or be like, have a vision and be able to really explain it to people and get it made. But the other part of the confidence is like you're going against Vogue magazine with your next issue. Right? AI can't do this. You've decided to take up the big guns and be like, you do realize that there has to be some level of lunacy, like just crazy, right?

Like every entrepreneur who's really in it understands that you have to be some, some form of crazy to really just go out after a vision or a dream with the confidence. And the thing is, like, I have no shame in saying this. I get divine downloads. Like, I wake up one morning and it's there and it's my gut saying to me, this is the direction that you need to go or this is what you need to do. And I, I am doing this having second-guessed myself through the entire process. Like, I almost the day of the shoot, I got sick to my stomach. Like, I was like, oh my God. But that's the moment. And you know you're doing something different when it's literally scaring the shit out of— can I curse on this?

Yeah.

Oh yeah. I was literally shitting my pants. And but I did it anyway. And I did it knowing that it is meant to be of service. To the industry that I so love, right? And, and, and I can't ask women entrepreneurs, young girls to step up and use their voice if I'm not willing to do it myself, right? Like, I'd be a hypocrite. So I decided to do it. I'm still like, even talking to you, I'm like, oh my God, oh my God. But yeah, like, I was like, fuck it. Like, this is it. It's, it's do or die. It's go time. And I just took the leap and Honestly, what we created is something that I even amazed myself, uh, and it takes a lot because I've seen a lot and I've worked with like really incredible professionals over the years, but I have like a really kick-ass team and we did something really beautiful. So I can't wait to share that with everybody.

Oh, I cannot wait to get my copy. I will put it out there, link, so everybody watching can get their copy. And yes, that's That's something we need to talk about more. And you're so good at that. Like, whenever I see you, you are talking about the things that people don't talk about. It's like, I feel sick to my stomach all the time. You know, I was like a little nervous. I like had a little drink. I sat down for a second before I DM'd you this morning, right? Like, no matter— it doesn't matter what it is, but if you're not a little uncomfortable, right, then it's too safe. And then going back to what you said before, and if you can't get through that uncomfortableness, then this is not for you because this is hard. And you wrote that for me too. You're like, entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart.

It's not.

Be big on— to be on bigger stages. And oh, I just got the— I just got the chills because what I just want to say to you is like, I can't wait till you get to be back on the Today Show talking about this from seeing the article on the Today Show. Like, how full circle. Like, let's put in the universe, let's get a producer to pick this up to talk about how we do— AI can't do this. And Elle magazine is the first one to say, hell no, we're not going to do this.

No, we're not. Yeah.

How was the reaction from the people who you had, like the fashion professionals that wanted to be in the magazine? Anything surprise you?

I have to say, I think there's a split in the sense of— and again, I've had this conversation with other publishers that I know, people who are in the industry. And I understand their perspective. I understand how effective AI can be for, you know, number one, speed, right? It literally generates an article in less than 30 seconds like you have. However, when it comes to storytelling, you can't fabricate, you know, connection. You can't fabricate human emotion. It can attempt to do it, but I just, you know, To this day, I have yet to see where, you know, a fully AI-generated article can really tell the story of someone like without it being having to be corrected. There's publications where it is of service to them 'cause they really don't need for there to be like that interaction or the interview process. But those who are in it, you know, I've gotten a lot of messages from a lot of, like I said, photographers, stylists, makeup artists that are just, you know, in awe of like, this is— this where we are. And all that to say that, you know, I said this to a photographer that I work with. I said I would rather put myself out of business if we are AI reliant on creation, right? Like, and the thing is, as as fluffy as it could sound, where like literally when I like, you know, what are you doing? Like hair, do it, getting your hair and makeup done. There is a craft to that and there is an artistry to that and there is an artistry to combining fashion, makeup, hair, lighting. There is an art that all come and people obviously who are in this industry can relate and understand it because it's, it's, it's a beautiful thing when all of these creative minds, right? Create a project. And then when, once it goes, 'cause here's the kicker, once you get it in print form, like this is our current issue, once you feel it and you touch it, that's when you're like, we did that, right? And seeing that entire process from soup to nuts, which does not happen in 2 hours, it's just really magical. And the ones who are in the industry who understand it, I've gotten a lot of support from. They're ready for this issue to come out and they have been very vocal about this. I mean, I don't know, again, I don't know if you followed the story, but it went viral. It went and all of the comments were, we do not want to see AI-generated models that does not look like me. When this is what we've been screaming in the fashion industry, like we want real people, people that we can relate to. And it certainly doesn't look like an AI bot.

So yeah, I bought it. So it's so exciting. You know, it makes me think of— there's this new movie that's out that's K-pop Dragon Hunters. OK. And it's fully created by AI. But I learned this morning that the voiceover and the singing voice are real people because I thought all the— you know. Yeah, but it's the same thing as fashion industry that's happening in the TV industry in Hollywood. You know, it's all becoming— a lot of it's becoming AI. It's the studios are having a really hard time, and if we allow print media and allow fashion to become AI too, then nothing's real. And when I meet people in person and go to in-person events, all they want to do is be with each other. Yeah, right.

So it's like, well, the thing is, all I can think about is that very fine line of where have we crossed the line of, you know, AI and reality, right? Like, I— and the thing is, when you think about beauty and fashion in, in the context of, um, what you are, what you want to be inspired by. If a, if an AI-generated face is the aspiration, can you imagine what that is going to do to our self-worth, our self-confidence, our, the view that we have of ourselves? You already have women, and listen, I'm the first one who goes and gets out, goes out and gets Botox. I will not, you know, like I get Botox, I get all the treatments, I get dermaplaning, like I will be if, 'cause I feel it makes me feel better about myself, but I'm not trying to look like anyone. I'm trying to look as an enhanced version of myself. But you already can think about all of these things. Can you imagine what that is going to do to girls who are just learning, you know, who to look up to, what to look up for as far as, you know, guidelines, you know, of what they want to, you know, grow into. And if a bot is the model, I can't imagine what that is going to do to the future, right?

Yeah.

Of how we see ourselves as women in this space. And again, we've been screaming, literally campaigning, hollering about, you know, we finally accepted plus-size models who were never plus-size. They were just women. You know what I'm saying? Like, we just started really accepting this. And now we're going to go back. Like, it just feels like we're going backwards. And at least on our front, I can only control what I can control, and I can control who I put on my covers and who we feature in our publications, and it will, it will never be a robot.

So, and thank God for publishers like you. And also, you know, as moms of boys, right, that's also the images they're seeing. And in my house, there's been a lot of discussion about, you know, the future of how society is going to look and how AI is changing it and how when women get different messages, right? We're the ones that decide who we date, who we're with, who we have kids with, if we don't have kids at all, you know. And if there's a bigger disconnect between what's reality and what they're seeing online, then they aren't going to connect it either. And I worry for alphas.

Well, and their expectations are going to change of what, you know, a girl is— a normal girl is supposed to look like, or, or a normal boy, you know, whatever they decide to look after for, you know, in a relationship, et cetera. Like, they— it just creates this false concept and narrative that I think is harder to wrap your head around it than it is if we just start to see each other as like, you know, that's why to your point of like my Wellness Wednesdays, the one thing that I will— I'm on there without makeup. I'm literally on there in my workout gear because it usually happens before or after I do my workout because there needs to be a semblance of reality. And like, that's the bar, right? Like, real is the bar. Totally real is the bar.

So, you know, this is where I— like, in the big picture of it, what you're actually doing is saving the world because we, we need more people born into it. And if people have this unexpected, you know, unrealistic expectation, they're not going to date, they're not going to get married, they're not going to have kids. So you are actually saving the world for all of us. Yes. I appreciate it.

Well, I'll take you up on we're saving the world, but I don't know that we are. But at least I know that my team and I are doing our part a little. You know, if we could do one thing and it's our part, our little fair share, like that's what we will continue to do for sure.

I can't wait to read the article. I mean, the issue. You said AI can't do this. To get a little Hello Gorgeous, I'm assuming you're going to have some events.

Yes, we are soft launching it. Um, Annabelle is coming out. Annabelle lives in Iowa, so she comes out to Fashion Week every year, uh, to spend— to model and do her thing. Uh, and we're soft launching on September 16th, so I can't wait to share all of that, you know, with everyone for sure.

Yeah, everyone, make sure you go and subscribe and follow Vanessa. Go get your issue of the September fashion issue of Bella Magazine. I don't know if you've seen the comments, Vanessa, but we've had so many, hi ladies, thank you so much, the good that you're doing. Allison, thank you. A friend of mine, Allison, is the last comment there. Comments today. So I can't wait for the episode— the episode, see, a TV mind. I'm so idiot. I can't wait for the issue. I can't wait for makeup that I can feel good about wearing and not getting pimples. Vanessa, thank you so much for coming on Beyond the Spotlight. Everyone's watching. Again, go subscribe, go follow Vanessa. She's got some amazing— as you hear, amazing things coming up that you can be a part of, and you can witness and support Bella Magazine by getting your copy in September. Thank you, Vanessa, for coming on. I adore you.

Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it.

Oh, thank you. Thanks for the good work you're doing. Like I said, saving the world a little. Today's Show, Good Morning America energy out there so they come around and want to support what Bella Magazine is trying to do. AI can't do this.

AI can't do this. Thank you.

Thank you. I'll talk to you soon. Bye everybody. Thanks so much.

Bye.