Every small business has a story behind how it developed from an entrepreneur with a dream, to a successful boutique agency for almost 6 years now.

We sat down with founder, Emily Chalk, to spill out all the secrets that happens behind the scenes at EOE:

Why the name “East of Ellie”?

I actually get asked this question all the time.  When I first started dreaming up EOE back in mid 2009 I had this notebook where I had started to write down things that were important to me and have molded my life. I always say that if the reason why you do something means something to you, the outcome isn’t as important.  The EAST is for ‘East Coast.’  I grew up in New Hampshire (as I like to call the Shire) and whenever someone asks me where I am from, I never say Stamford, I always say New Hampshire.  Growing up there significantly shaped my life and along with great parenting made me the person I am today. ELLIE is actually my name (Emily) and my oldest niece (Ella) names combined.  5 years later I still get called Ellie, but I secretly love it.  I always thought East of Ellie sounded like this magnificent place that everyone would want to visit.  EOE just came around on its own, obviously standing for East of Ellie.

Is there a reason for the color yellow, besides a favorite color?

The yellow is actually for my grandmother Idell who passed away many years ago. She was and still continues to be one of my favorite people of all time. Her favorite flower was yellow roses, and they have become mine too.  Full confession yellow is more than a favorite color; it’s a way of life in my world.

What’s EOE’s mission and how do you fulfill it?

If you look at EOE’s strategic plan, the mission statement reads: “To throw ridiculously awesome events that make our clients love us, and us love them. Oh and to be ridiculously happy everyday – and sh*t.”  We fulfill our mission everyday by doing exactly that.  If you spend a day in our office you will know that happiness and sarcasm reign supreme.  I have two boards dedicated in my office to the silly things we say everyday. You can often here me say “ put it on the board”.  We’ve been fortunate enough to have some of the most amazing clients an agency could ask for.  And plan some pretty legendary events.  So we just keep on, keeping on.

Why events?

It’s a special kind of crazy.  Being an event planner is one of the most stressful jobs in the country – and I live for it.  It’s probably the same thrill people get from skydiving.  I spent almost 7 years in marketing for a global hotel chain, and nothing compared to the happiness and joy I get from planning events.

What’s Next for EOE?

After an insane summer of planning and executing an event in San Francisco with my Event Manager out there on site, we’ve had about a month of digging into what had been placed on the back burner.  It has been great to take some well appreciated “downtime” (so to speak) to catch up and feel human again.  We are
now ramping up on venue hunts in NYC, strategically planning for a potential new contract, and putting a lot into our marketing efforts to ensure East of Ellie continues to grow as much as it has been in the past few years.  Oh, and I just got engaged so that should keep us busy for a bit 🙂

Want more behind the scenes fun?  Follow us on social media where you’ll see all that occurs on a daily basis at EOE! Twitter & Instagram: @EastofEllie, and like our Facebook Page.