Andrea P.

Strategic Brand Designer | Fashion Brand Owner + Creative Director | Podcaster

I spend my days as the brand designer at a startup where I conceptualize ideas and create designs that push the brand forward.

After hours:

🍏 I'm building Andrea Pascual (my fashion brand), where I focus on limited-quantity, superb quality accessories and leather goods

🍏 I'm creator and host of my podcast, Sushi Fridays, where I share stories about style, culture, biz, and design from the POV of creative entrepreneurs

🍏 I work with community-first brands to design their strategic visual identities

Send me a message to get in touch.

Founder & Strategic Brand Designer

Say “Cool Eye” out loud and it sounds like “Kulay” — the Filipino word for “colour.”  Our studio is named Cool Eye because we dream in colour, we design in colour, and we work with diverse entrepreneurs.

Notable clients:
☀️ Bank of Montreal for Elevate Festival
☀️ M&A Ventures Group
☀️ Untapped Investing
☀️ New Money Social Club
☀️ Resume By Nico

Tools:
📱 Illustrator
📱 Photoshop
📱 InDesign
📱 Lightroom
📱 Figma
📱 ConvertKit
📱 Notion
📱 Procreate
📱 Squarespace
📱 Instagram
📱 TikTok
📱 LinkedIn

I’m a designer who spent countless hours using MidJourney to generate imagery in 2025.

It was the way things were done where I was. I’m not proud of the process, but I did learn a lot.

My thoughts:

🚫 You’ll never be 100% happy with the outcome. That’s because you can’t fully control it. The results are always a compromise of what you really want.
 
🚫 MidJourney doesn’t necessarily make the creative process faster. You’ll keep prompting for the changes you want (i.e. darker hair, warmer sunlight, make the object on a 45-degree angle, etc.), and the constant prompting takes time. Not sure if all the time it takes to prompt to get a meh outcome is worth it. 

🚫 Don’t get me started on people imagery.

🚫 Make the creative process make sense! If the AI-generated creative is pushed through million-dollar performance and out-of-home budgets, but the work can be 100000% better/richer/deeper with a stacked and skilled creative team instead…what is the point of using AI???!!!

🚫 The ethical implications and environmental impact still exist. I'll save that for another convo.

Designers, does AI exist in your visual/creative process? Hit me up with your thoughts below. 👇

---
Postscript, hours after I wrote this post:
I thought about it a lot more, and I understand and can get behind AI as a tool for concept and ideation. I can't, however, be happy and content with its direct outputs as final creative, especially when I know the generated imagery is just "good enough" and not what I intended the finished creative to be. I guess it also depends on what the creative is for, how "big" the project is, what the budget and team looks like, and how the creative will be used...still a lot for me to think about...

Andrea Pascual

Brand Designer, Cool Eye ⭐️ Owner & Creative Director, Andrea Pascual Fashion Brand ⭐️ Creator & Host, Sushi Fridays The Podcast

It's 2026 and I'm re-aligning my network and community.

This year, I want to especially connect with:

🌟 Women creative entrepreneurs ages 35+ who are specifically transitioning out of their 9-5s to build their own empires

🌟 Canadian fashion designers and business owners who can speak to community, marketing, money, and supply chain

🌟 Creative entrepreneurs/storytellers building their own communities and indie media brands

🌟 Women investors working towards their FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) goals

🌟 Luxury hospitality brands whose focus is sustainability, community, and guest experience

🙂 Connect with me if this is you.

By the end of 2026, I will have:

✅  Re-launched Sushi Fridays The Podcast
✅  Secured a retail partner for ANDREA PASCUAL
✅  Hosted a creative salon (or better yet, a retreat) led by Cool Eye Creative
✅ Launched the projects I cannot yet talk about 

😜 Just leaving this here so I can screenshot it now and share it in 365 days. 

Happy new year, LinkedIn friends. Let's get it!

I joined a panel convo with Shivani Persad 👩🏽‍💻 and Dominic Ayre RGD (he/him) a couple months back in Daniel Francavilla’s Future Brand Perspectives class at GBC.

Daniel does a great job of introducing various industry friends (and their perspectives) to his students. It makes me happy to know I've shared knowledge with those students who were me many years ago. 😊

I learned a lot from both Shivani and Dominic, and it furthers my stance that there's a need for industry discussions with creative friends of all niches (fashion, design, art, etc.) in Toronto. It would help fill gaps and strengthen our community.

I appreciate being a part of these group discussions, wherever they're held. (Thanks for the invite, Daniel!)

I can't wait to be more present for myself and my creative community in this way in the new year.

My biggest achievement in 2025 was dodging burnout.

YAY, me.

It was hard for me to recognize it at first, because corporate job or not, I've forever been building in alpha overdrive.

But not like this. 

My own projects, brands, and lifestyle slipped away in place of corp work that took over my outside time, mind, and health.

Not worth it. Especially when I've already poured years into my after-work goals, and health and clarity are my non-negotiables.

The burnout cord has been cut, and I'm already more present and aligned as I dance into 2026. 🌟😁

Underground Administration

CRD(Chief Recruiter Dude)

Underground Admins is a boutique agency providing HR and Staffing Solutions as well as Career Guidance for jobseekers.

-Contingent Recruiting for Tech, Operations, and Talent Acquisition 
-Retained Search for Niche and Executive Level 
-HR Transformation 
-HR Set-up for Startups 
-Resume Review 
-LinkedIn Review 
-Career Guidance

Skills: Human Resources (HR) · Full-life Cycle Recruiting · Start-ups · Applicant Tracking Systems · Recruiting · Niche Talent Acquisition · Operations Management · Business Development · Marketing · Administration

Director of Recruiting and Sales/Co-Founder of Recruiting Division 

Confidential Company

Recruiter and Director

Kforce Inc

Sales Director

Addison Group

Networking and cold calling in order to develop relationship with IT professionals to place in premier roles at various companies
Placed individuals with specialties including; Programmer Analyst, Network Engineer, Business Analyst, 
Software developer, SharePoint, Mobile App, Support, Network Engineer, Systems Admin, Etc. 
Negotiating fees and salaries for all clients and recruits 
Full Cycle Recruiting both contract and permanent placement

Recruiting Manager

Robert Half Technology

Utilized Cold Calling, Networking, lead generation and guerilla marketing tactics to build client base 
Negotiating fees and salaries for all clients and recruits 
Full Cycle Recruiting both contract and permanent placement  
Consistent top performer in my peer group ranking in the top quartile of sales

Business Development Manager/Executive Recruiter for Development

The Gilmore Collection

Purchasing of talent for all of the various Gilmore Collection concepts for various nights of the week and various other special entertainment needs. This consisted of sourcing exceptional talent for individual venues ranging in capacity from 50-400. Organization of several large scale events per year that had attendance in excess of 20,000 people.

Director of Entertainment/Talent Marketing

Rocket Entertainment Group L.L.C.

In charge of all aspects of the company including but not limited to; management of current acts, media relations, sponsorships, band scouting and recruitment, booking of shows in major cities across the United States, negotiation of payment for artists, and collaboration with major companies in execution of promotional events. Thoughout the course of my role as CEO of Rocket, we were able to sign several national level contracts for management and booking. We helped organize several large scale events with attendance of more than 20,000 people and we contracted regularly by the City of Grand Rapids to organize and manage the entertainment aspect of very popular events such as Celebration on the Grand and ArtPrize.

Director of Marketing/Managing Partner

The Intersection

During my tenure as the Director of Marketing at the Intersection, I was responsible for the promotion, marketing, and execution of all shows. We utilized social media and guerilla marketing tactics to boost attendance at shows ensuring that the Intersection would maintain the status as the best place to see a band between Chicago and Detroit. We were consistantly ranked in the top 50 best venues in the world by Pollstar and brought cutting edge music to Grand Rapids. I was also responsible for the maintenance and design of the website, www.sectionlive.com, and creation of the majority of show posters. As the Assistant talent buyer, I worked to purchase talent that gave Grand Rapids a taste of what people were listening to in cities that were blazing a new path in popular music.

Director of Marketing/Assistant Talent Buyer

We solve the talent shortage for high-growth tech companies. Our focus is simple: top-tier tech and sales professionals for businesses that are scaling fast and can't afford to waste time.

We don't spam you with resumes you could get from a job board. Instead, we run targeted searches and actively headhunt the talent you need. Our approach is direct and efficient, designed for companies that understand the value of the right hire.

Whether you're a SaaS unicorn or a fintech startup, we speak your language. We understand the tech scene and the specific challenges you face in finding and securing top talent.

Our process is straightforward:
1. We learn your needs and culture
2. We target and approach the right candidates
3. We present only those who fit and are interested

No fluff, no wasted time. Just results.

If you're ready to cut through the recruitment noise and get the talent you actually need, let's talk.
DM me here or hit me at richie@undergroundadmins.com

Richie Lampani

I got recognized at Costco yesterday.


Guy walks up, points at me, and goes "You're that recruiter."

I said "Depends. Are you hiring or mad at me for ghosting you or something?"

He said "Neither. I just see you everywhere and wanted to make sure you were real."

Then he bought a 48-pack of paper towels and left.

No follow. No handshake. No "love your content." Just a man confirming my corporeal existence between the rotisserie chickens and the tire center.

I've never felt more seen and more invisible at the same time.

This is what 50,000 LinkedIn connections gets you.

A stranger in bulk goods aisle 7 performing a wellness check.

Anyway I'm still taking clients.

Also, who would tune in for the below podcast? I'm trying to talk Shaun Hervey into starting it back up. 

Richie

Fractional Head of Talent | Series A-C Startups & Defense | Author & Talent Strategist | Former TGI Fridays Flair Champ

When the hiring manager says ‘we need someone hungry’ and the team looks like they’ve been surviving on vibes and stale granola since 2023.

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I get why people hate recruiting agencies. I’m Richie. I’ll go first.
I apologize for my part in it and for once being one of the idiot recruiters you all deal with. Candidates AND Decision Makers. 

Because the real problem with recruiting isn’t mysterious. It isn’t candidates. It isn’t even “bad actors.”

The real problem with recruiting is that there is zero barrier to entry.

Anyone can open a “firm” tomorrow.

No credentials. No licensing. No skill checks. Nothing.

Even if you get hired into an agency, the interview process isn’t about expertise for recruiters with 2 or less years experience. It’s about personality and enthusiasm.

Can you smile through rejection, handle being micromanaged, and agree to do more for less? Congratulations, you’re a recruiter now.

No wonder the industry looks the way it does.

What new recruiters actually get taught
It’s not recruiting. It’s volume mechanics.
Here’s the training plan at most shops:
-Here’s the template job description. Don’t think. Just post it.
-Here's the basics of the ATS. Not even how to search the database that exists within it.
-Here’s how to search for keywords. Don’t understand them. Just match them.
-Here’s the call quota. Hit it.
-Here’s the email quota. Hit it.
-Here’s the “submit” quota. Hit it.
AND INVARIABLY and INEVITABLY at EVERY shop I've worked at, there is a minimum of 1 meeting a month about candidate ownership that 100% will devolve into a battle of how to decide who talked to Joe that has a very basic skillset but always answers every outreach.

If I’m finding .NET developers but I don’t know what .NET is, that’s not recruiting.

That’s scavenger hunting.
Volume is the skill.
Quality is the accident.


When you hand anyone a LinkedIn seat and tell them “go find talent,” this is what happens:
-Bad outreach floods good candidates
-Bad screening wastes hiring managers’ time
-Bad job descriptions repel the people you actually want
-Bad incentives encourage speed over accuracy

Candidates think we’re clowns(and a LARGE % of the time, they're right)

Hiring managers think we’re a tax.

And agencies keep doubling down on “more activity” instead of “more skill.”

If this industry took its job seriously, recruiter would mean something:
-Understanding the tech you’re sourcing for, not just the keywords
-Writing job descriptions that attract, not repel
-Market mapping, calibration, and diagnostics with hiring teams
-Measuring retention and quality of hire, not CV volume
-Training rooted in assessment, psychology, and labor market knowledge

It’s not complicated.
It’s just not how the industry is built.

If you run a recruiting team or an agency, ask yourself:
Are you training recruiters to understand the work or just search for words?
Would you trust your own career with the people your shop places?

If the answer makes you uncomfortable, that’s the point.

Zero barrier to entry is not changing.
The bar you set inside your own shop can.

This is Chuck. Chuck charges 25% to send you ‘top-tier talent your internal team can’t find.’ 

Because apparently his LinkedIn recruiter seat works differently than yours 

Or his job posts are better because he changed your company name out for “our client” so candidates wouldn’t just apply direct. 


Stop renting Chucks. Hit me up about a better way.

Once you see it as a demonstration and not an audition, everything changes.

You’re not begging for approval.  

You’re showing how you actually work.

Candidates: You’re not “on stage.” You’re giving a preview. And finding alignment. 

Companies: You’re not “judging talent.”  Or “selling an opportunity”. You’re showing what it feels like to be on the inside. And finding fit.

The "trust your gut?" poll results are all in here. How people treat red flags in interviews.

When you've taken a job you already had doubts about, when did the gut feeling hit that it wasn't going to work out? I ran a poll. 442 people answered

Open article: The gut knew. You overruled it. by Richie Lampani • 3 min read

REMOTE - Production Engineer/SWE/SRE opening through Underground Administration Staffing and Recruiting! Share this please

6 month contract to hire - 160-200k+ DOE plus bene's and extras

Global SaaS platform. Zero bureaucracy. Actual engineering work, not ticket triage.

I am looking for someone who can write real backend code and also own reliability end to end.

 If you are a script-only SRE, this is not the role.

 If you are a heads-down SWE who avoids production, also not the role.
I need the rare breed who lives in the middle.

The Work:
 • Write production-grade backend code in Python, Go, or Java(plus C# chops)
 • Support modernization and migration of legacy .NET services into AWS
 • Build internal tools, APIs, and automation
 • Tune Postgres and improve service performance
 • Deploy, monitor, troubleshoot, improve
 • Own services independently with minimal supervision

Bonus Points:
 • Kubernetes experience
 • Rust exposure or willingness to learn
 • Strong observability stack experience with Datadog, Dynatrace, or New Relic

Requirements:
 • Must be a US Citizen
 • Must be physically located in the US
 • No visas or sponsorship
 • Contract to hire
 • Fully remote

Interview Process (fast and simple):
Engineering Manager
Peer interview
Engineering Manager again for final talk and offer

No marathon interview loops. No whiteboard theater. No pointless homework.

If you can build, ship, deploy, break, fix, and improve a service, you will get through this quickly.

If this sounds like you, or you know the complete STUD who can do both SWE and SRE at a high level, let's talk. 

Also have some fun stuff coming up at EDF and Rebel. 

Feels like motion. Let's get people hired.

taplio

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