“I do it all.”
A line that’s been in the social media bio of media industry veteran Nicole Adamo since day one. A line that she also frequently uses as a response when people ask, ‘but what exactly do you do?’ “I do it all,” she laughs.
She seriously does.
For many people, family and upbringing can often play a significant role in an individual’s aspirations. Seeing the successes, failures, comebacks, defeats, and victories can propel one to follow in the footsteps or stray away from the journey of those they are brought up around. For Nicole Adamo, growing up watching her family create and enable a world where the entertainment, fashion, and dance industries collide, sparked a fire inside of that young, extroverted girl from New Jersey. This is what inspired her to follow suit and strive at excelling in multiple facets of multiple industries.
Nicole grew up as a 5th generation family member of 133 year old legacy brand, Capezio – a company that has spent decades providing some of the world’s most iconic artists with dance and custom performance wear. Seeing her mother extend the brand’s hospitality and character to names like Gregory Hines, Prince, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Cardi B, Mick Jagger, and other stars, fueled a strong desire to follow in those footsteps and imitate her mother’s work ethic. “For a while, it was just her and I. She was so strong, doing it all on her own.. And everyone loved her. They still do. I have always wanted to make people feel the way she does when you meet her. You can’t really explain it, she’s just so badass and creative. She’s really just.. A FORCE,” she says of her mother Dianne Giacoio, who has spent her career leading multiple business units at the company.
[Photo: Nicole Adamo’s mother, Dianne Giacoio and Gregory Hines in the early 90’s]
However, it’s no secret that it was a completely different time, as social media was not as substantial back then. People were doing things simply for the love of the game and were passionate about the industry first. Nicole saw that and set out to do the same through creating, impacting, and doing anything she could to make life easier and more fun for others.
While she loved seeing the success and impact that her family was making on the world, Nicole also held a strong affinity for sports and wanted to make a name of her own by herself. Coming from a long line of athletes, it was natural that she would end up in the sports, fitness, and entertainment world in some capacity.
Fast forward to Nicole’s college years, her professional career in journalism started while she was a junior going for her Bachelors Degree. Juggling night classes, bartending on the weekends, and having a full time career during the week was just the beginning of Nicole’s eagerness to take on multiple things at once.
She served as a writer/editor and assistant to the Editor and Chief of some of the world’s most prestigious sports & fitness magazines, including Men’s Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, Muscle & Fitness Hers, and Shape. As the years went on, she began to gain respect and notaritay in the industry. The landscape was evolving; Nicole quickly recognized print was on the decline and that she would be remiss not to use these new social media platforms to connect people to brands and brands to people. She decided to start with fitness and sports personalities in her new professional network. She began collaborating with influential personalities like Jay Cutler, Kai Greene, Phil Heath, and Flex Lewis, as well as rookie professional athletes in the NFL and MLB, offering to help them build their personal brands. This started her first “real little side hustle”, as she calls it. As Nicole became more experienced in the PR and branding side of the industry, she was given the nickname “The PR Muse”.
Nicole continued to branch out into different areas of media, covering many noteworthy events including the NFL and NBA Drafts, All Star Weekend, the Super Bowl, New York Fashion Week, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion, and more, both on camera and in print. She also became one of the youngest founders (at the time) of her own full service boutique creative agency, now known as PR Muse NYC, as well as founded a 501(c)3 Non-Profit anti-bullying organization.
Eventually, Nicole made her way into the music side of the entertainment industry, serving as a co-host to the legendary DJ Whoo Kid on his wildly popular weekend radio show (on Shade 45, Sirius XM). During that time, she interviewed celebrities like Snoop Dogg, Nicki Minaj, Seth Rogen, Meryl Streep, and Mike Tyson, among many others.
“It honestly just happened,” she recalls of her start as a supporting personality to DJ Whoo Kid. “One day, this guy named Emilio Sparks, Whoo Kid’s radio producer at the time, booked one of my clients to be a guest on the show. We get there and he told me to sit in front of a microphone. Next thing you know, we’re live, my mic is on, and Whoo Kid’s including me in the conversation,” she continues, “I was nervous for sure. The guy is a legend in the industry. I mean he knows everyone and everything there is to know when it comes to radio and music. I tried to just be funny and authentic – because what else could I do? He invited me back the next weekend to give a female’s perspective on his show and of course I had lost my voice the day before. It was so embarrassing.”
Thinking she was never going to be invited back, she was actually in for a different type of surprise. “I was sure I blew it and ruined the show that day, but he somehow thought it was hilarious and so did the listeners. We instantly became great friends and Whoo Kid put me on his show as a regular character. I owe everything I learned about radio to DJ Whoo Kid (and Emilio) and all of the crazy-talented people he (Whoo Kid) has brought me around,” she explains.
But it doesn’t stop here. There’s a whole other side of Nicole Adamo. Throughout her career, media had rapidly evolved and new industries continued to arise. She unexpectedly found herself kicking down those doors and entering them.
“I think it was when I met Dany Garcia, who holds multiple high-level titles across multiple industries, and is just like an absolutely brilliant master of her craft, that I realized I needed to do more and think bigger. She showed me that girls/women really can do it all. She was/is living proof of that. So highly respected, SO HUMBLE, and so down to earth. I wanted to be like that too,” Nicole said when asked about any transitional moments that she credits for her desires to break into different industries in the corporate world. “I guess at the time, I thought that meant to climb the corporate ladder. I was young, I didn’t know how she did it – and I always wished I would have asked her [Dany] to mentor me. I mean, she’s just such a powerhouse. But I was so young and didn’t even know how to ask. I was just figuring it all out as I went. I still am. Arent we all?”
Having now held multiple titles across multiple industries (media, marketing, technology, finance, fashion), Nicole Adamo has worked for several Fortune 100 companies like American Express and AXA, to name a few. During her years at each of these companies, she held full time roles while simultaneously running her own boutique agency, building out her non-profit, and co-hosting on the radio. Sounds exhausting.
She credits her ongoing journey to the females who have come before her, “I have been so inspired by women like Bozoma Saint John (who was mid climbing the ladder at that time when I started following her), Cari Champion, and many others who have thrived by simply putting in the work and being unapologetically themselves in what people used to consider ‘a man’s world’. These women are the reason that I’ve always gone above and beyond with my work. – no matter how many times I have felt unsure. They set the standard and I will always push to set that bar higher for those after me, the same way they did for girls like me coming up in the industry. They are the game changers that solidified that we can always be whatever we want and whoever we want, especially ourselves.”
While the versatility of Nicole Adamo may be impressive and despite having achieved so much already, she humbly considers herself to still be in just the beginning of her career. “I am always hungry for more. That is just who I am,” she says, “I am not glorifying burn out. I think it’s important to rest and recover and take a breath – but for me, I am always networking, no matter what. I love people, so it’s easy to do. I need to be able to feel like I have made a significant enough impact that will help pave the way and encourage the girls and women who will come after me. I don’t feel I have done that yet.”
So, what’s next for Nicole Adamo? MORE. “As long as I am being authentic, bringing my best self to my work, and positivity influencing others’ lives — I think the possibilities are endless,” she explains of what’s to come, “I can’t predict the future, but I’d bet it’s big.”
You can find more about Nicole Adamo by following her on Instagram.
