BURLINGTON, June 14, 2022: Ecuadorian musician, entrepreneur and marketing strategist Priscila Aguilera will join the Big Heavy World staff in June as a 2022 Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellow.

Aguilera founded GC Networks, a brand that designs social media strategies for entrepreneurs. GC Networks started as a co-working brand where college students created projects like Exprésate, an online magazine; Hoy en Guayaquil, a directory of events, restaurants, museums, theaters and bars in Guayaquil, Ecuador; and artificial intelligence projects for houses. GC Networks evolved into a digital marketing consulting agency that offers community management, content creation and content marketing strategies.

Aguilera also co-founded Alama Music Biz, a brand that empowers musicians and helps them to achieve their goals with business plans and actions. As a musician, she was part of the Grec Festival in Spain as a singer and performed at the SESC Festival in Sao Paulo Brazil with a contemporary circus play called Guadual. She organized a music festival for women songwriters, Año de las Flores.

Apart from her own businesses, Aguilera works as a digital content media strategist for large brands like Almacenes Estuardo Sánchez and Alessa. Aguilera’s approaches with music and theater performance inform her marketing content strategies. She specializes in storytelling, content creation, and digital branding. Her main goal is to create content that connects with people.

The Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) is the U.S. Department of State’s flagship program for emerging entrepreneurs and business leaders from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada. Designed to promote mutual understanding and build a network of young business and social entrepreneurs, the program brings young leaders to the U.S. for entrepreneurial leadership training and fellowships with U.S. companies and social enterprises. The YLAI Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by IREX.

Aguilera said, “I think it’s a great opportunity to be part of the YLAI program, collaborate in a social organization and meet other entrepreneurs. I’m very happy to be part of Big Heavy World since I would like to use marketing and business tools to promote art and music. At the end of the program, I would like my mind refreshed and develop new ideas for my own brand.”

James Lockridge, Executive Director of Big Heavy World, said, “Priscila will help Vermont’s music community grow and be introduced to wider audiences through the many social media outlets of Big Heavy World, improving outreach strategies and design quality. It’s a tremendous pleasure to work with someone who will bring an alternate and fresh cultural vision to our work of grass roots community building.”

Aguilera will be available for interviews during her Fellowship in Vermont from June 14-30. Topics of potential media interest may include entrepreneurialism in Ecuador and the YLAI fellowship program. Big Heavy World is coordinating introductions to creatives, activists, and culture-bearers in Vermont and welcomes those who would like to meet Aguilera to connect via email with jim@bigheavyworld.com.

Big Heavy World is an independent, nonprofit volunteer-run music office serving the state of Vermont. Founded in 1996, it has leveraged a technology-heavy D.I.Y. ethic and inclusive philosophy to support musicians and advance the music sector, preserve Vermont’s music legacy, and empower young adults in an environment that focuses their passions and intellect. The organization was selected by an international jury to receive the 2020 Music Cities ‘Best Global Music Office Award.’

Contact:

Priscila Aguilera, priscila.aguileraj@hotmail.com

James Lockridge, (802) 373-2890, jim@bigheavyworld.com, bigheavyworld.com

Download a print-resolution image at https://bigheavyworld.com/press-images. Photo by Dany Barrientos.

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Marketing Strategist to Join Big Heavy World from Ecuador via YLAI Fellowship