Isabella Zisman (BA ’21) co-founded Zimo Media along with Megan O. Moran. As Venezuelan women entrepreneurs based in Miami, FL, they noticed a pressing need among brands and businesses for well-produced, authentic social media content. According to their website, “Seeing as though our generation grew up on social media, we thought: who better than us to understand its many mysteries? Our team of young professionals believes that your content tells your story, and we help you bring these stories to life.” ZIMO specializes in creating and managing bold, engaging content that encourages audiences to interact on social platforms.
Co-Founders, Managing Partners
Isabella was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and grew up in the sunny and vibrant city of Miami. Born into a family of entrepreneurs, she always hoped to start her own business one day. This momentum led her to graduate from Washington University with a B.A. in Psychological & Brain Sciences and a minor in Computer Science. Her background in both technology and human behavior drove her love for social media strategy. From the young age of 15, Isabella picked up her first professional camera and started capturing the world around her. For Isabella, the most fascinating part of content production is watching a vision come to life: growing an idea from your mind, developing it onto a mood board, and watching it come alive on social media.
Megan also comes from a family of Venezuelan entrepreneurs. For as long as she can remember, she has felt a strong passion for making videos. She experimented with iMovie from the young age of 10, and in the summer of 2019, she moved to London to work at a film production agency. Working with esteemed brands, Megan learned the ins and out of content production and Adobe suite. With this enriching experience under her belt, Megan graduated from the University of Florida with a B.S. in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in Data Science. During her time in college, she managed five different social media accounts and oversaw 12 assistants as the social media and film director for a national fashion magazine. Her academic background taught her the importance of data-driven results.
“Long before the creation of ZIMO, the realm of social media has been very familiar territory to us. Growing up alongside the modern world’s most popular social platforms merely planted the seed for what was to come. After graduating, we faced a long journey of uncertainty: entering a new phase of adulthood in the midst of a pandemic. As this global phenomenon progressed, we saw the world around us transform seemingly overnight to virtual-only interactions. We immediately noticed the increasing importance of social media as a marketing tool, no matter the industry. We thought to ourselves: who better to produce and manage social media content than the ones who grew up on it? The aesthetics, arbitrary rules, and trends behind social media come easily to us. We understand how important it is to stand out online, and we saw a big window of opportunity in helping businesses improve their social media profiles by creating and managing bold & authentic content that tells a story. And thus, ZIMO was born,” Zisman said.
When we asked Zisman about her entrepreneurial journey, she replied, “I’d love to give a shout out to the Skandalaris Center, and Cyril Loum especially, for all the help I received while embarking on my entrepreneurial journey. From coaching me through multiple Zoom calls to encouraging me to apply for the Draper Competition for Collegiate Women Entrepreneurs (which I ended up as a semi-finalist in!) I would not be where I am today without the endless support of WashU’s incredible entrepreneurship resources.”
“And to all WashU students considering entrepreneurship – now is the time to take risks, and you happen to be at the perfect place to do so. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, there are so many valuable resources right on campus that will guide you in the right direction. And enjoy the journey! It’s a long and bumpy road ahead, but there’s nothing more fulfilling. Best of luck and I’m only a phone call away if you ever have any questions about my experience!”
For mentorship and guidance while turning your startup idea into a business, contact the Skandalaris Center. As an interdisciplinary center, our initiatives serve students, faculty, staff, and alumni from all levels and disciplines. Contact us at sc@wustl.edu for more information.