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There aren’t many people who can describe themselves as a sponge scientist. But Rea Ann Silva, an in-demand celebrity makeup artist and the founder and inventor of Beautyblender (an iconic, expanding, egg-shaped makeup sponge for effortless blending, which has grown into a line of extraordinary makeup, foundations, and other tools), deserves the “sponge scientist” title. She has lived the “there must be a better way” path to creating a product to solve her own challenges, and now leads a fast growing company with a team of more than 100 people that is taking the world of makeup artistry by storm! Rea Ann joins Socialfly co-founder Courtney Spritzer for a conversation about growing her business and her career, and describing her journey to success, including: the airbrushing challenge while working on the set of the TV show Girlfriends that sparked the idea of Beautyblender; why the predominance of men as makeup artists in the past create a real challenge for women using the same tools; which male insecurity inspired the first “black Beautyblender”; Rea Ann’s revolutionary foundation “Bounce”; what staying focused and avoiding distractions has meant for Rea Ann; and, Rea Ann’s successful tactic for organic marketing. Plus, a surprise!
Guests
Rea Ann Silva
Hosts
Stephanie Cartin
Stephanie Cartin is a serial entrepreneur, investor, podcast host, community builder, and a champion for women founders. She created the Entreprenista League, a community for women founders, to provide resources and support necessary at all business stages. She’s also the Co-founder of Socialfly, one of the first social media marketing agencies, as well as Entreprenista Media and Pearl Influential Capital which was recently acquired by Cherub. Stephanie has shared her journey managing her health challenges with Multiple Sclerosis, Infertility, and a complicated pregnancy and is an advocate for women going through similar challenges. Her story and businesses have been featured on the Today Show, Bloomberg and Forbes. Consider Stephanie your biggest business cheerleader.
Courtney Spritzer
Courtney Spritzer is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, author, and community builder with a passion for creating brands and platforms that empower women to lead, grow, and thrive.
In 2012, she co-founded Socialfly, a leading social-first digital and influencer marketing agency. Over the course of a decade, she helped scale the business into an award-winning agency working with Fortune 500 brands and emerging startups, building a powerhouse team and culture along the way. In 2024, Socialfly was acquired.
In 2018, Courtney launched the Entreprenista Podcast to spotlight the stories of inspiring women founders. That passion evolved into Entreprenista Media in 2021, a media platform and community supporting women entrepreneurs at every stage of growth. She now co-leads the continued expansion of The Entreprenista League, a membership-driven community and ecosystem for founders.
As an angel investor, Courtney supports female-led and mission-driven startups aligned with her vision for a more inclusive and equitable business landscape.
She is the co-author of Like, Love, Follow: The Entreprenista’s Guide to Using Social Media to Grow Your Business (2015), a strategic guide for leveraging social platforms to drive business success.
Her work and ventures have been featured in Bloomberg, Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and The New York Times. She is committed to championing visionary founders and helping build the next generation of impactful, community-driven businesses.
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