Ezzah Azka Rafique shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Ezzah Azka, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Yes! This year, HAZZE MEDIA hit its 5 year anniversary and reflecting on my journey as a CEO made me realize how all of the hard work I put into the company truly is rewarding. When we hit our 5 year mark, we also hit 3.3 million impressions, distributed 44 globally selling magazine issues, published over 480 articles covering events and campaigns within entertainment/sports/fashion/business, branched into Sports as part of the industries that we service on top of entertainment, fashion, and business, & launched our creative agency for digital marketing and content production. All of these accomplishments made me proud not only in my own journey, but also proud of all of the contributors and team members within HAZZE who brought so many of our projects to life.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! My name is Ezzah Rafique, I’m the Founder & CEO of HAZZE MEDIA, Editor-in-Chief of HAZZE Magazine, and Co-Director of HAZZE Creative Agency.
HAZZE MEDIA s a global platform for diverse voices, creative storytelling, and organic marketing. We are dedicated to fulfilling the vision of creating impactful, storytelling-driven campaigns while bridging the gap between modern marketing & organic creativity in our platforms, including HAZZE Magazine, HAZZE SPORTS, and Creative Agency. We are a primarily Gen-Z, Women-led company that specialize in creating content, coverage, and campaigns curated individually for each client with the intention of connecting them with the Gen Z audience and growing their online presence through press, agency services, event coverage, digital marketing, social media management, & so much more.
I started HAZZE MEDIA in 2020 as a COVID passion project. In the beginning of the year, I was working on my photography skills and discovered how much I loved shooting fashion editorials. I began working on different projects to develop a portfolio with my cousin and started to look at outlets to submit my work to. One day, I tried submitting my pictures to Vogue Italia to see if I even had a shot at getting feedback, but the website continuously kept crashing. I kept searching for platforms that would allow me to submit photos for feedback or even get published in a magazine but got turned down constantly. The main reasoning I received from these platforms was that a lot of entry level positions required at least 1-3 years of professional experiecne, but not one company was able to even provide that experience to develop my skills. So, I texted my cousin that I wanted to start my own magazine. The idea of creating an editorial magazine was born and I made it it’s mission to allow creatives from all over the wor;d to submit their photos and participate in projects to help gain more real-world experience without having to sign to a 10 year contract or have any level of prior experience. As the years went by, I became interested in journalism work and marketing and began learning as much as I can in those two fields to find a way to apply it to HAZZE MEDIA. By 2021, I started interviewing Artists and Musicians after sending over 200 emails to PR agents I could find online. I began networking with individuals in the industry and grew our press and event coverage initiatives to over 480 assignments, started a podcast network, expanded into multiple industries, and recently launched our creative agency to be able to help brands and individuals who aligned with our mission and values.
HAZZE Magazine is available in both digital and print format and focuses on creating those photo and coverage opportunities while highlighting projects across the globe.
HAZZE MEDIA is the go-to platform for Gen Z seeking diverse, creative content across fashion, sports, business, and entertainment and our services can help brands and individuals reach audiences in an authentic, modern, and non-intrusive method. From photography to videography to social media content to press opportunities, our creative agency is the best team to help create and fulfill your needs for creative assets and marketing campaigns.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
I was 17 years old when I experienced true leadership – I wouldn’t call it power, but definetly a feeling close to imposter syndrome. I had about 70 contributing photographers who reached out to me to have their work featured on our magazine and so many of them were asking about ways to help grow HAZZE because our mission aligned with their goals.
When I began working with PR companies, and negotiating with VP executives, it was the most unreal feeling to have.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Trust your gut. It sounds cliche, but it’s something that I wish I believed in when I was younger that could have saved a lot of my time.
In my experience, there will be days where even the people closest to you will doubt you. They’ll give you advice that may not be in your best interest. They may tell you that what you are doing will not work out. But, only you know what your goals and intentions are. Trusting your gut can help you avoid a lot of hurdles and struggles compared to putting your trust in someone who has possibly never walked in your shoes or who doesn’t understand your goals. Struggle is inevitable, but knowing your potential and what feels right for you is an intuition to follow. And if you face a hurdle from that, you will always have a lesson to reflect back on.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
“If there’s a will, there’s a way”
I live by that saying, mainly because I truly believe that if a person wants something so bad, they will do anything to get it or achieve it. It could be something I want in my professional life or something in my personal life; If I am dedicated to wanting something, I will try anything to make that dream or goal acvhievable.
Within that I would say ambition, communication, and giving back are the pillars to that mindset. If you have the ambition it creates a drive. If you can communicate, it can help pave a path with no confusion. And, if you give back, I believe that giving back in any capacity (to the community, to faith, or in a relationship) then good karma comes your way. These three things matter the most to me.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
Born to do. At a young age, I knew I am the type of person to learn from my mistakes. To. choose my own actions and reap the benefits or consequences. I think doing what you are told to do is a ‘follower’ mentality and prohibits people from discovering their strengths and their own goals. You can’t think for yourself when you do as you are told. That’s also a big factor in running my own business. I enjoy doing the things I want to do. I would rather put 20 hours of hard work every day on a project I want to do, what I am ‘born’ to do. Rather than 10 hours of work based on someone else’s agenda.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hazzemedia.com/
- Instagram: @hazzemedia @ezzahazka
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ezzah-azka-rafique-055705206/
- Other: TikTok: @hazzemedia & @ezzahrafique
