influencer summer

He May Bare His Fit Bod on Instagram, But Douglas Landaeta Bares His Soul in Our Questionnaire

(photo from @douglaslandaeta_ on Instagram)

VENEZUELA-BORN, HOUSTON-based Douglas Landaeta has amassed more that 10,000 Instagram followers with just a few dozen posts. The page is about his "fitness journey," he says, which translates occasionally to revealing images of pecs and abs and oh my… (If it's about his cardio why are our hearts racing?) But Landaeta is much more than a social media hunk. He's a globetrotting client relationship manager for a big French corporation, a sometime writer, a devoted dog dad and a budding Houston-area real estate tycoon.

What accomplishment are you most proud of? As a kid from a third world country, I already dreamed of living in the big city, either New York or L.A. One of my proudest moments as an adult was to move to L.A. with a gig that allowed me to live comfortably and have a true L.A. life. I also became a writer for a local magazine, which gave me access to red carpet events and celebrities, as well.

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People + Places
influencer summer

Latina Entrepreneur Ellyse Espinoza Has No Apologies — but She Does Have Lots and Lots of Sneakers

(photo by VLJ Photography)

GRAPHIC DESIGNER AND prolific entrepreneur Ellyse Espinoza, who has tens of thousands of followers across multiple social media pages, has a sneaker addiction. And that's just one of the revelations the founder of State Line Designs (think tees and crop tops emblazoned with slogans such as "I am the prize" among many other gloriously giftable goods) — and of the HTX Boss Babes organization that seeks to empower women looking to excel in the business world — shared in answering our influencer questionnaire.

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Business+Innovation
influencer summer

Glam Socialite Kristi Schiller Is Hilarious. That’s It. That’s the Headline.

(photo from @kkschiller on Instagram)

NONPROFIT FOUNDER AND gorgeous raconteur Kristi Schiller — described by Wikipedia as a "Quarter Horse owner and breeder, businesswoman, socialite and philanthropist" — has had quite a life. And it got even wilder earlier this summer. She stunned her 165,000 or so social media followers when she shared details of her recovery from a recent stroke. Healing at home now, she describes herself this way: "Seasoned cliff jumper. Passionate storyteller. Dog lover. Survivor. Blessings broker. SEC therapist during Aggie football season. Historian of all things $140 oil." She dug deeply, and hilariously, into our questionnaire, and, as a legendary dinner-party hostess in her own right, her answers — especially to the fantasy guest-list question — are epic.

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People + Places