About

Hi, I’m Calley. Let’s start this off with explaining the name. Silicon Calley is not a description of me and/or my body parts. Silicon Calley is a blog based on my immersion into the Silicon Valley culture. Let’s start from the beginning.

I am 22 years old. I am young. Get over it. I did not go to college after high school. If I had gone to college, I would have a) ended up being a waitress at T.G.I. Fridays, or b) still been in medical school. That is not what would have made me happy. I moved to NYC to model after high school. Not particularly the best idea I’ve ever had, but still, it brought me to where I am now. In New York, I realized I had a knack for marketing things. It started with a DJ in the city, and then progressed immediately to major cosmetics brands and clothing lines. Yeah, I don’t know how that happened either.

So, for the past three years, I’ve been a viral marketing expert, social media marketing consultant, and marketing strategist for several very successful online campaigns (I do not disclose the names of my previous corporate clients). This business recently moved me out to Los Angeles, CA (Feb. 2008). This is still my passion and expertise. But in recent months, I have begun to explore the options open to me in the tech startup world. Instead of marketing other people’s brands, why not market my own?

My first experience in Silicon Valley was a few weeks ago, at the Y-Combinator Startup School at Stanford. It was there that I had the privilege to see speakers like Marc Andreessen, Michael Arrington, Jeff Bezos, Paul Buchheit, David Heinemeier Hansson, and Paul Graham. Needless to say, I kind of got hooked. I had ideas for startups before, but I was always very nervous about starting one because of my lack of knowledge about that world.

If this blog does nothing else, I hope to use it to at least further MY understanding of this unknown realm. I am hoping that through these articles, I work out some ideas and methods in my head. I would also love to help you to do the same. This is not me standing on a soap box telling you to take what I say as gospel, this is me trying to start a conversation with YOU, and hopefully get some arguments going. Have you ever had a question for someone that you were too embarrassed to ask? I know I do – all the time! Ask me. I guarantee you I will not know the answer (unless it’s a marketing question hehe), but I can tell you that I have an opinion, and I will research it to the best of my ability, put it into an article and hope to start a conversation. I know you hackers have opinions, so come on…bring it on. I can say with 65% confidence, that I probably don’t know what I am talking about, but I will argue with you. That’s just how I roll.

Disclosure: I have acclimated to LA very well. This will be a blog about startups, Silicon Valley, and technology. BUT I am currently an Angeleno, and I will act as such. I like to go out, have a social life, get a tan, and hike the canyon. I am not ashamed of that. So, don’t be surprised if I act a bit Hollywood at times, it’s just who I am. I may throw in some LA surprises for you now and then. I also may want to talk about some LA startups here and there. I don’t know. Anything could happen.

xoxo,

Calley