ALAUNI IN NYC

There’s a humorous meme circulating online that states “gorgeous gorgeous” girls have arguably the most unpronounceable names. I don’t know about all of that, but I must admit, many of the beautiful women—inwardly and outwardly—I came across have at least one “A” in their first names.  Case in point, Alauni Greig. To avoid any mispronunciation, the 24-year-old beauty specifically wrote how to actually say it via her Instagram bio: “ah law knee.” 

Now, Alauni is not just a pretty face. The LSU alumni is also steadily rising in the business marketing food chain.  After graduating from college in 2019, Alauni moved to the Big Apple where she abruptly landed an internship at Live Nation, which is the leading American global entertainment company that promotes, operates and manages ticket sales for live entertainment in the US and internationally.  If that isn't impressive enough, Ms. Greig left her internship at Live Nation for a position at publishing company Galison & Madpup, worked there for almost two years, got promoted in the process, departed and then went back to Live Nation as a full-time associate manager in their solution development department.  Woah! It’s safe to say that this St. Thomas-born baddie is on a mission.

I sat down with Alauni to further discuss her flourishing career, growing up in the Virgin Islands, life in the concrete jungle, and everything else in between. Check out our insightful conversation below:

FRENDY: Alauni, what’s going on? We’ve been following each other for some time on Instagram so it’s such a pleasure to finally have this sitdown. Btw, I recently found out we were born 10 days apart—big Virgo energy going on right now!

ALAUNI: Hey! I know, it’s about time we had this time together. Love the Virgo energy—I knew you had good vibes!

FRENDY:  Thank you, thank you!  On the gram you made sure your followers knew how to properly say your name.  Is it that hard for strangers to say it in person? *Laughs*

ALAUNI: You wouldn’t believe how many people just flat out try to avoid saying my name out loud when they meet me for the first time. I’ve gotten so many different pronunciations I decided to take it into my own hands and make sure people knew how to say it so they would no longer have an excuse to not to. I love my name and feel like the least people could do is learn to say it right. *Laughs*

FRENDY: Damn! I feel you—I’ve heard everything from Friendly to Fendi.  So I know exactly what you’re talking about. We don’t play around when it comes to our names. Let’s take it back real quick, what’s your fondest memory of living in St. Thomas?

ALAUNI: Oh, we’re going way back! I have nothing but good memories of living there.  I think my fondest memories are just of being surrounded by family. I have a lot of family there still and I miss being so close to them. But I do get to go back pretty often and be with them—we pick back up right where we left off. It’s like nothing has changed.

FRENDY:  That’s awesome. How old were you when you left?

ALAUNI: I was six when we moved to the United States.

FRENDY: Wow, I moved to the US when I was seven from Haiti.  Was there a main motive behind the migration?  Was it for the wide range of opportunities that the states provided?

ALAUNI: Wow, I didn’t know you were from Haiti! It was definitely for the wide range of opportunities—specifically better education opportunities. I didn’t understand why we were moving at the time, but now I appreciate the sacrifice my parents made to give my sisters and I better opportunities every single day.

FRENDY: Yup! Port-au-Prince, to be exact.  Did you experience a major culture shock when you moved to the US from the Virgin Islands?

ALAUNI: I honestly didn’t as much as my sisters likely did. I think my younger sis and I had it easy while it was a bigger adjustment for my older siblings since they had time to develop their character and culture more.

FRENDY:  Totally understandable.  Even though I came here when I was seven, I definitely felt like a fish out of water *Laughs*.  My first language was French so you know I was getting picked on by some of the kids in elementary school. I had to take extra classes just to get my English up to par. Growing pains for sure—but it was all worth it.  Builds character.

ALAUNI: I’d like to kindly say, f**k those kids. *Laughs*

FRENDY: *Laughs* My younger self just gave you a huge hug.  Speaking of your sisters, how many do you have?

ALAUNI: Three sisters! Two older, one younger and the best part? We all have names that start with “A”. We’re all pretty close in age so I’m sure you can imagine the chaos in my house growing up.

FRENDY: Y’all are the “A-Team” for real. How’d your dad deal with all of the estrogen in the house?

ALAUNI: I have no idea how he did it but he deserves a prize for all of the stress we put him through *Laughs*.  My mom deserves one too, but she might have been contributing to his stress also.

FRENDY: *Laughs*  That’s hilarious.  How was your experience at LSU?  I know they have a huge sports culture.

ALAUNI: I had a great time at LSU! The culture and the community there was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. The school itself was great. I loved the communications school and all of the classes I took there. I also really loved game days in Death Valley. I’m not a sports girl but I turn into a whole different person when I see LSU playing.

FRENDY: When you’re around high octane energy, you have no choice but to get in on all of the excitement.  Why did you choose to go to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for school?  Was it your first choice?

ALAUNI: It was one of my top choices. LSU has a great mass communication program, which is what I was looking for, and I also really wanted a change in environment. Going to the South and living in Louisiana (where I had never been before) was the culture shock I needed to kind of open my eyes up. It also didn’t hurt that I got a great scholarship to go there. *Laughs*

FRENDY:  That’s a fact.  You majored in mass communication and double minored in sports studies and business administration.  Was there a slight chance of you becoming a sports agent? *Laughs*

ALAUNI: *Laughs* I thought about it for a second, and then I realized that sports is just not for me. So I have a bunch of sports knowledge just stored in my brain for no reason.

FRENDY: Why did you even think about it in the first place? What triggered the interest?

ALAUNI: It was being in such a sports-centric atmosphere. LSU (obviously) is known for their athletics programs, and I think I saw how much attention they got—I wanted a little slice of it *Laughs*. I quickly realized that it was not my scene when my sports studies minor required me to take a jogging class. Yes…a jogging class.

FRENDY: *Laughs* A jogging class? Wow, I think we broke a record in all of my years interviewing people. I’ve never had anyone mention anything about a college course that required them to jog.  I’m guessing you’re not much of a jogger?

ALAUNI: I really wish I was, but sadly, no. I am trying to get into running though—don’t ask me about how that’s going.

FRENDY:  I won’t—I’m a StairMaster guy myself.  What was your impression of NYC when you moved here right before the pandemic? 

ALAUNI: I moved here in May 2019 right after graduating college to be an intern at Live Nation. When I first got here I was so unbelievably nervous and intimidated by everything—the city, the people, even the train *Laughs*. But I’m glad I had a minute to adjust and figure sh*t out before the pandemic hit.

FRENDY: Not the train *Laughs*.  Which area of the city did you initially move to?

ALAUNI: I was in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

FRENDY:  Nice calm vibes there—depending on where you stayed.  Are you living in Manhattan now?

ALAUNI: Definitely didn’t have calm vibes where I was *Laughs*. Yes, I’m in Manhattan now living downtown and I’ve loved it so far.

FRENDY:  Was it hard getting accustomed to the fast paced lifestyle of the concrete jungle?

ALAUNI: No, actually. I think I picked it up pretty fast. By the time I was about to graduate, I was ready to get out of the slow moving south and into a quicker paced lifestyle—so I jumped right into it.

FRENDY:  Right after interning for Live Nation you worked for a company called Galison & Madpup, which is known for partnering with artist foundations to create puzzles, games, home decors, desk accessories, etc.  Since you worked there in the midst of the pandemic, how was business?  Booming, I bet because everyone was home.

ALAUNI: You’re absolutely right, business was insane during quarantine! It was a big test for my work abilities, that was my first “real” job and working throughout the pandemic was really tough.

FRENDY:  What was your most stressful moment there? And how’d you get through it?

ALAUNI: My most stressful moment was keeping up with the customer demand during quarantine. Our product demand was at an all time high and, obviously during that time, there were a bunch of supply chain issues so it was really stressful trying to communicate with customers that were already on edge with all that was going on in the world at that time. Thankfully, I was back home in Maryland and around my family at the time, they were such an amazing support system, and my team at Galison was unbelievable. They were feeling the same stress and we all came together to figure the best ways to get past it. 

FRENDY: I’m glad you guys thugged it out.  Did you leave Galison by choice?

ALAUNI: Yes, it was a really tough decision! A member of my current team at Live Nation reached out to me about an open position that she believed would be good for me, and once I did my research I was sold and applied. Thankfully, I got the position with an amazing company and team. I’m really happy to be back with Live Nation and love the work that I’m doing.

FRENDY:  I’m surprised you weren’t hired by Live Nation right after your internship with them.  What are your duties there now as an associate manager?

ALAUNI: That’s what I had hoped for, but life is crazy and everything happens—or doesn’t happen—for a reason. As an associate manager on the marketing team, I help come up with creative ways for brands to integrate themselves into live music culture. So for example, when you see your favorite brand at a music festival or venue, my team works to come up with “the way in” for the brand.

FRENDY: Sounds like a wavy gig for sure!  Congrats on getting the position—you deserved it.  I see that the company is already promoting upcoming festivals like, When We Were Young and The Smoker’s Club.  How excited are you to see that live events are making a comeback?

ALAUNI: Thank you! I can’t even put into words how excited I am. We got a little taste of it last year during the fall, but nothing will compare to this festival season. People are so eager to get back to live music experiences—myself included. I can’t wait to experience the vibe of listening to your favorite artist surrounded by fellow fans again.

FRENDY:  I peeped that you absolutely love checking out art galleries on your off days.  What’s your favorite exhibition thus far?

ALAUNI: One of my favorite activities! Hmm…I think my favorite so far was the Andy Warhol: Revelation exhibit that I went to at the Brooklyn Museum recently. I went with my roommate/best friend Kayla and we had an amazing time just enjoying Warhol’s work, and seeing new pieces that we hadn’t seen before.

FRENDY:  Yes, I was just about to mention Kayla. How’d you guys meet?

ALAUNI: Kayla and I have actually known each other forever. We went to middle and high school together, and just so happened to be moving to NYC around the same time and have lived with each other ever since.

FRENDY: Synchronicity at its finest.  Kayla is a great photographer—how dope is it to bounce off of her artistic vibe?

ALAUNI: She’s so talented—I’m her biggest fan! It’s amazing having her creativity so close by. She’s such an amazing asset to have around, not only for my career development but for my personal development too. 10/10 recommend getting yourself a Kayla.

FRENDY: Indeed!  We all need a ride or die in our squad.  What else do you do for fun in the city?

ALAUNI: Just overall explore! This summer I made it a mission to see parts of the city I hadn’t been able to before and get out of my comfort zone. I haven’t been that great about doing it recently since it’s so cold out, but I’m ready for spring time so I can start on my little adventures again.

FRENDY:  Since you’re not originally from New York, is it difficult for you to make new friends? Especially during the covid restrictions.

ALAUNI: I can’t lie, it was definitely hard in the beginning. I am so grateful to have had Kayla with me because she was also in the same boat of not really knowing anyone here. But, in 2021 when things opened up more I flourished socially and made so many new friends in the city. I can thank social media for that! I consider all of my internet friends my real friends at this point. *Laughs*

FRENDY: *Laughs* Sometimes internet friends are the ones that look out in real life. How are the fellas treating you in New York?

ALAUNI: No comment. *Laughs*

FRENDY: *Laughs* Fair enough.  Are you dating often?  Also, do you have a particular type?

ALAUNI: I wouldn’t say “often,” but I am dating here and there. I think the type is men who won’t traumatize me. And apparently that’s a big ask.

FRENDY: What do you mean by traumatize? *Laughs*

ALAUNI: Anything that I will potentially have to talk with a therapist about. *Laughs*

FRENDY:  What’s the best way a guy can capture your attention while walking down a crowded SoHo street?

ALAUNI: By saying something kind and not commenting on my outward appearance. It’s the little things—like when someone tells me to have a nice day, that’ll get my attention.

FRENDY:  What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2022?

ALAUNI: Tough question that I haven’t even asked myself! I hope to build my following on social media and be able to work with the brands that I admire. I would love to try out influencing and creating content that breaks through and doesn’t just clutter the feed.