Carmen Shiu is an influencer marketing expert with nearly a decade of experience in the industry. Her career began as an intern at the award-winning influencer marketing agency, CLEVER, while she was finishing her Bachelor of Science degree in public relations, with an academic focus in marketing, at San José State University in 2012. She managed 200+ successful programs for all types of brands, including Fortune 500 companies, and worked with thousands of influencers as a Senior Client Services & Membership Project Manager at CLEVER. She is now its Product Manager, helping shape the business, and the industry.

Food photography has become a passionate creative outlet for Carmen. It may have began when she started baking cupcakes and even almost launched a business for it with her sister. Or when she started sharing amazing local eats on Instagram. But when Carmen got her own kitchen for the first time — right when the first cookbook she ever bought, “The Seasoned Life” by Ayesha Curry, was released — she finally learned how to actually cook. And how a few simple ingredients — some she has never used or even heard of before — can become delicious meals that bring people together. She wanted to share what she has been proudly making in her own kitchen with the world, and that’s what really sparked her passion. Over time, she took up food photography and eventually food styling, picked up her first “real” camera, and was ready to take this passion to the next level.

Carmen also loves music, sports (die-hard Golden State Warriors and San Francisco Giants fan), traveling, and being crafty. She resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with her two dogs, Ellie and Kingston.