Elissa O'Dell
Q What do you do?
“I run Huxly, an award-winning, female-founded creative tech studio with my co-founder, Mia Pokriefka.”
We specialize in crafting innovative chatbots, called OneOnOne Conversations™, designed to build 1:1 relationships. OneOnOnes™ increase engagement, generate leads, gather actionable data, and drive conversions—all through personalized interactions in IG DMs and Messenger.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
As a 90s kid, I loved chatting with people on AOL Instant Messenger, having intimate one-on-one conversations, swapping stories and building relationships.
Still doing that today. Taking over where AIM left off, I’ve been creating relationship-building chatbots since 2017 with my co-founder and partner in crime. We met on the viral Kony 2012 campaign, which reached 120 million views and raised $14 million and have been working together ever since. We launched our first company while living together in a loft in Downtown Los Angeles, and over more than a decade of collaboration, have become pioneers in digital communication.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
There are a few things you’ll never find at Huxly: formulaic customer service bots or awkward, robotic chatbot interactions.
What you will find is a team obsessed with creating exceptional experiences for both brands *and* their audiences. Our OneOnOnes™ are creative conversational chatbots that blend cutting-edge technology with a nostalgia-driven human touch, making interactions feel personal and engaging.
This approach drives better conversions: - 75% Engagement Rate - 35% CTA CTR - 91% Response Rate to Questions - 5-minute Average Time Spent in Deep OneOnOne Conversations™
Q What are you working on right now?
Recently launched an Instagram Chat Marketing Course on Adworld, and just finished creating a OneOnOne that took the form of a conversational survey on climate change. In between all that, we’re also working on writing a book about conversational design.
Q What’s your style?
I can’t say I love how the industry uses technology to spam people. A lot of campaigns have very *pick-me* energy.
I believe in using technology to give people genuinely compelling reasons to engage and keep engaging with you. Conversationally, our style blends cutting-edge technology with a nostalgic, human touch that makes interactions feel personal and meaningful.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I’d love to focus more on expanding my expertise into health and wellness. These industries often struggle with brand education and keeping attention in a crowded space. Huxly’s OneOnOne chatbots can really support health and wellness brands tell their brand stories that keep audiences engaged.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
I’ve witnessed the rise, fall, and resurgence of chatbots. As pioneers in this space, Huxly is shaping how brands build relationships through chat technology. However, we are seeing many chat tools being misused for spammy tactics, which we believe will lead to audience burnout.
When we show brands and creators what’s truly possible—beyond simply asking audiences to DM for a link—their perspective shifts. We can integrate CRM systems directly into DMs, drive conversions, and collect valuable zero and first-party data. It’s about moving beyond superficial interactions to create meaningful, lasting relationships.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
As the saying goes, the cobbler’s children has no shoes. And as someone who works on social all day, I rarely have time for our own channels. I would love to hire someone who can put the proverbial shoes on our socials.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I’d tell myself to trust my intuition, embrace simplicity, and avoid forcing myself into the typical startup mold. I’d also stress the importance of collaboration—progress isn’t made in isolation, and collective effort is far more powerful than the individualistic dream.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
I’d love to sit down with Taylor Swift’s marketing team. Their ability to execute year-long, highly-coordinated projects with remarkable foresight fascinates me.
Gaining insight into how they anticipate audience reactions, adapt to trends, and create a cohesive vision that spans months would be invaluable.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
Calling all brands and creators who know they are leaving money on the table by not fully utilizing their DMs.
We got you, we know it’s hard out there with attention spans getting shorter by the day, the friction in conversions, not to mention the algorithm frustrations.
At Huxly, we specialize in bringing your voice to life in the DMs. Our relationship-building chatbots allow you to engage in personalized, 1:1 conversations with millions of people simultaneously—without feeling artificial or spammy. OneOnOnes™ are designed to capture and hold attention, increase conversions, and bypass the algorithm (because there’s no algorithm in DMs!).
We handle the conversational strategy, design, and technical integration so you can focus on what you do best.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
Love working with both brands and creators (we’ve worked with everyone from New York Times bestselling authors to mainstream nonprofits).
You’d probably be a good fit if:
- You are social media-centric.
- You are ready to increase your leads, conversions, and access to data.
- You desire to stay top of mind with your audience, building strong relationships to remain resilient against changes in social media advancements.
- You use Instagram to sell, but algorithm changes and reduced ad effectiveness are impacting your conversions.
- Extra bonus: You have a large learning curve and require extensive product education. Chat is perfect for personalization of information.
Q: What is your rate?
All of our OneOnOne Conversations™ are customized to your needs, goals, and of course, your voice. OneOnOne rates are reflective of the amount of conversations we'll work on and the length of the engagement. OneOnOnes include custom conversational strategy, design (no templates here!), and technical integration (with options for CRM connections and data collection). This allows you to focus on what you do best. We also offer flexible packages to suit different needs and budgets.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
You can email me directly at elissa@huxly.co and we can get the conversation started.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Melissa Lee is a powerhouse event planner and experimental marketer who gets things done with remarkable efficiency and kindness. If you need a creative and organized event planner, she's your go-to person.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Don’t send a message. Start a conversation.
This member profile was originally published in September 2024.