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Social media weapon Grace Kelly gives us behind the scenes look at Social Luxe.

For some people it can take years to find the job that fits right. Interning, working junior roles or ones that aren’t you is often where we find ourselves on our path to a happy work life. For Grace Kelly, owner of social media agency Social Luxe, the road was filled more with travel, 5-star accommodation, resorts, photoshoots (and plenty of hard work).

Prior to launching Social Luxe in 2017, Grace dedicated herself to travel blogging – a job that anyone who’s ever been online will tell you takes a precise understanding of algorithms, hashtags and photography. It’s those skills that, when the time was right, she was able to transfer into her new role as social media boss lady.

Once she had her baby Social Luxe up and running, she split her time between Australia and social media ground zero AKA Los Angeles where she synced up with the LA lifestyle. Attending basketball games, Kanye West’s Sunday Service, working with NFL star Deandre Hopkins and living in the Hollywood Hills was all part and parcel of running a burgeoning business. Perks, right?!

Fast forward to 2021 and she’s back home on the Gold Coast, busier than ever, helping promote a host of resorts and venues including our favourite music experience, For The Love. Check out our interview with Grace below and head here to follow Social Luxe on Instagram and stay up to date with all of their epic projects:

You started building social media skills as a travel blogger. What attracted you to that lifestyle?

I did! What attracted me most was the travel and freedom. I’ve always been a step out of your comfort zone kind of girl, and travelling the world gave me that, so I wrote about it and created a life where I could have the freedom to work from anywhere in the world.

What was your highlight from that time in your life? Any memorable stays/experiences?

Thinking back now, so many highlights from that time, but a favourite highlight would be living in Mexico, the people, the culture and the country itself gave me so much life experience. My most memorable stay I would have to say was definitely Greece, that place looks exactly like the postcards, the blues, the white for a girl that loves to take photos, it was heaven for me (and was the most-read post on my blog).

A memorable experience was India, six weeks a one-way ticket, traveling the country alone. Like I said above, I’ve always been a step out of your comfort zone kind of girl, and well… I was definitely out of my comfort zone in India. It changed my life.

Social Luxe was born in Bali, a few years ago. What were you doing over there when you kicked it off? How long had you been thinking about launching SL?

My move to Bali wasn’t planned. I was going through heartbreak, so I did the whole “Eat, Pray, Love” thing to find myself in Bali which I thought would be a couple of weeks, that turned into a couple of years. I fell in the love with the place, and that;s where the idea of Social Luxe came and my baby was born.

Social media can be a bit of a drain at times – what do you do to relax and get away from your screen?

Right?! I agree. So for me I appreciate that it’s my job, because when I’m not working and enjoying the small things in life, like being with friends, or going for an adventure, my phone is the last thing on my mind, I put it away and I enjoy the moment to the fullest. I take in conversations, and when I’m not working that’s my time away from my phone.

You spend a fair bit of time working in LA, tell us about some of your projects over there? Has covid negatively impacted your work there?

Yes, I’ve been based between Aus and LA for the last 4 years. One of my recent projects, which is by far one of my favourites, was an event I was asked to host at the Sixty Rooftop in Beverly hills, for Paquera Mezcal Cinco De Mayo “Friends with Benefits” Party and boy when I was asked, I was so nervous because I had never hosted an event before, and I was given two weeks to pull together an entire event… challenge accepted. And it was a huge success for all the brands involved.

Social Luxe had so many high-profile celebrities attend too, such as good friends of ours Deandre Hopkins and Robert Ri’chard who have both been big supporters of SL. Covid has definitely impacted my work there, as I cannot travel back. But without spilling too much just yet, we have a really exciting new California client that’s going to blow everyone’s minds away as soon as Covid settles down a bit.

What’s the biggest challenge you face running SL?

My biggest challenge at the moment is the growth that’s happening so quick and being the kind of person that wants to do everything. I have a great team of people I work with but so much more is happening, with so many more clients coming on board, it’s definitely been challenging taking on so much so quickly and wondering if you’ll ever get out of the fear of delegating that work that I’m such a perfectionist with.

You’re on board with For The Love, which we all know is one of Australia’s most loved music experiences. What has been your role with the FTL team? What are you looking forward to most at the upcoming events?

I love FTL. Social Luxe has worked with the team a couple years back in Bali. And it’s been an absolute pleasure to be working with FTL again this year. Ben (Director of FTL) inspires me! My role has been working with the socials. There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes that goes on with social media, it’s not just about posting a photo. Customer service plays a huge role in it, and at SL I take huge pride in giving my clients and customers the best and delivered with love and care, showing each and every person that contacts the brand they are seen and appreciated. We are also working on a Forgotten Moments concept but that one I won’t spill too much about. I also look forward to doing more with Music for Oceans by FTL too (which is a movement about inspiring and actioning positive change to dramatically reduce single-use plastic at their events and daily lives)

I’m most excited to see URBN SURF event come to life. I’ve seen how hard the team have worked on this, and with all the hiccups through covid and date changes, they held their heads high with so much positivity and have done so so well. I’m so proud of them.

We’re guessing there are a lot of perks from your job especially when it comes to festivals and resorts. Care to share some of the coolest?

Haha, yes I have to agree there are quite a few cool perks from my job. My most recent was with my hotel client in the Whitsundays – Coral Sea Resort. I fly out every three months to shoot new content, but the last one we go to take a private helicopter ride over the Whitsundays and land on Whitehaven beach to take photos for the brand, showcasing the surrounding islands of the hotel… so yeah I’d say that was pretty cool.

What advice would you give to someone trying to become a social media wizard?

My advice would be to establish first why you want to be a social media wizard. For me it’s because I absolutely love it, I LOVE creating content, I love writing, I love working with cool clients and I only work with clients that I truly believe in what they are doing. So if you love it, my advice is go for it! I truly believe the passion and love that goes into a brand’s socials is what makes it’s successful, along with everything else, of course.