In less than five years, by age 25, the transplant has made LA her own with a mix of celebrity, cultural and community events. Onasanya gives insight on expanding her brand via social media and the importance of having the proper support system to bring her visions to fruition.
By the extravagance of Dunnie Onasanya’s events with corporate sponsors that include Cadillac and Courvoisier with celebrities including Brandy, Tracee Ellis Ross, Meagan Good, Chrisette Michele and Hill Harper, one would think Onasanya was born in raised in Los Angeles. However, the daughter of Nigerian immigrants is a native of Gaithersburg, Maryland.
In less than five years before her twenty-sixth birthday, Onasanya has made a name for herself amongst the multitude of event planners and festivities constantly ongoing in Los Angeles. From fashion shows to toy drives and vision board parties, Onasanya never produces the same event twice as she and her team raise the bar each time.
When asked about her most intricate event thus far, Facet Fashion Week, she comments, “This event was so challenging because we produced three different runway shows in three different locations in three days. We were completely under staffed for the intensity of the production. While we managed to pull all three shows off by God’s grace and mercy, I learned how important it will be for future productions to develop a very strong team and to expand the staff I currently have to share the work load.”
Onasanya says the time required to plan an event can range from a few weeks to an entire year. In addition to herself, she may be managing a team of three people or several dozen. What makes a Miss Dunnie O. production a must attend event? Onasanya says, “My event experiences benefit as well as raise awareness for worthwhile causes. My productions also always cater to an audience of millennials – young professionals, which is the core demographic that a majority of brands and publications are looking to reach.”
As a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the historic Tuskegee University she obtained a dual degree in the areas of Business Administration and Sales/Marketing. She entered the marketplace equipped with outstanding skills and knowledge in her field. In attending events outside of her own, she shares this insight on recurring errors she’s seen with new event producers, “Location, location, location! It is absolutely the most important aspect. Oftentimes, new event planners do not select the correct venue or rearrange the space in a way that has the most opportune flow.”
In today’s work, social media is one of the most critical aspects of brand building. Your number of online followers is a sign of validity and credibility. In this area, Onasanya is unmatched as her @MissDunnieO account has over one hundred thousand followers between Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
When asked her advice for entrepreneurs looking to increase their following and social media influence as well as in what ways does she interact with her followers? Onasanya says, “You have to constantly release quality images of yourself and share what’s going on in your world. In order for people to follow you, they have to find you interesting.” She emphasizes the following, “You must follow people back, comment and ‘like’ their posts in the same way they do for you. I also find that posting questions or asking my followers their opinion on certain things keeps them engaged and coming back to my social media pages.”
For those interested in working with Onasanya she gives this insight finding the right partnerships, “Make sure you are somewhat equal with the person you’re considering working with. If you both aren’t bringing an equal amount of resources or relationships to the table there is a very high probability your partnership will not last long because resentment and tension will start to form due to the imbalance.” The next Miss Dunnie O. production is The 7th Annual Manifest Your Destiny Toy Drive & Fundraiser with Nate Parker and Hill Harper on Monday, December 1 in Hollywood. For more information visit: mydtoydrive2014.splashthat.com
*The Sentinel apologizes to Ms. Onasanya for the grammatical error in the print edition.*
