How Create & Cultivate Began

Jaclyn Johnson has created the most coveted conference for creative, entrepreneurial women: Create & Cultivate. It all started when her former employer transferred her from New York to LA and then laid her off only three months later. Jaclyn realized none of the marketing agencies in LA catered to the fashion, beauty niche, which was her specialty, so she began freelancing from home.  

A few years later, Jaclyn moved into an office in DTLA, which she shared with a filmmaker. She named the space (No Subject) and began hosting events in addition to her marketing work. Soon, people were asking to work with (No Subject). Technically, that was the name of the space—not Jaclyn’s company—but she ran with it. This year (No Subject) was acquired by Small Girls PR, and the (No Subject) team does marketing and events for clients like Nasty Gal and Class Pass.

In her second year of running (No Subject), the Ace Hotel approached Jaclyn for help. They weren’t booking rooms on Sundays, so they asked her to find a way to bring people in. She planned a 50-person event with speakers and cocktails: a much smaller version of the Create & Cultivate we know today. It sold out, and Ace asked if she’d do it again. “It wasn’t a business. It was just a fun side project that allowed me to meet cool women.” But other hotels and brands were interested too, so Jaclyn continued hosting them. The Create & Cultivate team has since hosted a total of 15 gatherings from LA to Atlanta. 

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Read the full interview with Jaclyn in Issue 02 of Bossladies!
Photography by Michelle Mishina.