Zoe (Berkovic) Zela
Founder / Creative Director / Photographer
New York, NY / Maplewood, NJ
Q What do you do?
“I am the founder and creative director at Poppy & Sesame, a Social Media strategy, content creation, and management agency built on my 18+ years of experience as an art director and photographer in the fashion and advertising industries.”
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
In 2008, I picked up a camera with the intention of starting a business. I went deep into the photography forums online, perused every blog about photography I could, read every how-to book in the library, and photographed over 350 willing humans over the course of three months. After that, I was in business.
I very quickly realized I wanted to art direct and shoot campaigns for brands and editorials. I got an agent and went in the direction of directing and shooting for fashion and advertising. Through the many campaigns I was lucky to be a part of I did production, creative direction, art direction, casting, location scouting, video directing, retouching, video editing, photography, and more.
I learned the ropes of social media, design, programming, and all the bells and whistles needed to run a successful business.
Fast forward to 2024. I was feeling tired of making huge corporations richer. I was feeling out of sorts and needed a pivot.
One day, while I was meditating about what I want to do next, the thought, “You should open a social media agency for small businesses!" popped into my head. I kid you not.
I listened.
I knew that I had all these skill sets from working with big brands to bring to small businesses in ways that fit their budget and help them thrive.
Poppy & Sesame was born.
One year in, and I’m so grateful to have been able to use my years of experience, skill sets, and vast network of creatives to help almost two dozen businesses move towards their goals.
I am excited about continuing to use my ability to see the big picture and help small businesses get to where they want to go via social media.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
A. I care. A lot. It shows in all the work that my agency does.
B. I have years of experience seeing the big picture. I know how to map it out into incremental and powerful steps to help bring a project, long-term or short, to fruition with style, vision, and heart.
Q What are you working on right now?
Next week, I’m on set shooting a content campaign in Philly that I can’t share information about yet. For now, it’s Friday, 5:28 on a hot summer day. I am working on getting off my computer and heading to a pool float party.
Q What’s your style?
I love beautiful things, well composed, well designed, well lit. I love elevating reality just a notch to something sublime, with a story that evokes something in a viewer. I put humanity in the front and center of everything I do. If something I create makes you laugh, cry, or swipe ( a credit card!), I did my job.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I love photographing people, food, beautiful things, and everything that goes into it. The energy on set, the putting the pieces together to make it happen, and the final images that can move viewers can all be magic!
Much in the same way, I love creating social media strategy for small businesses. It's a canvas of raw potential and opportunity to do it right. It is all about plugging in the right pieces to make it happen, and being fearless in using our creativity along the way. The magic is in watching it work.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
It is so hard watching so many people struggle with being out of work. I want to help more people build their own businesses so that they can move towards self autonomy and learn to thrive outside of the corporate world they know.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
I would love to have someone cook, clean, and run errands for me.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
Here are things I wish I could tell 20-year-old me:
1. There is no magic button. Everything you want to accomplish takes time, effort, and lots of hard work.
2. Keep going. Your life will be amazing in ways you could NEVER have anticipated.
3. Do the next right thing. It is the only thing you ever have to do. It is a mantra you will learn to live by, and it will keep you going to amazing places.
4. Find a good therapist. It will change your life.
5. Suffering and death are inevitable. No human can skip those parts. Remember to live out loud and have fun in between the hard parts.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
Working in social media is like working on constantly changing tides. The landscape is in constant motion, and our ability to adapt is dependent on being up to speed and in the know. I would love to talk to an expert who can tell me the future of social media and how we can prepare small businesses to adapt and thrive in the shifting sands.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I want to photograph campaigns or social media content, websites, and marketing for businesses of all sizes.
I want to offer my Re:Vision, a social media strategy and audit deep dive intensive to as many small businesses as I can.
I want to take over the strategy and social media management for small businesses in ways that are done for them and in line with their vibe, vision, and goals.
I want to guide and teach small business owners to do their own social media when they can’t yet hire outside (or inside) help.
In short, photography, social media strategy, social media management, content creation, and social media coaching.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
I want to work with business owners who are passionate about what they are doing, open to success, and not afraid to push the line on creativity.
I want to help them understand their current social media and build strategies for them to ace it going forward. I want to manage their social media so we can be hands-on together in continuing to put out amazing work that helps their bottom line. I want to create stunning photoshoots, videos, illustrations, and designs for them to stand out and demand attention.
We have a running wishlist of clients: (Not a full list!)
A candy store. A bakery. A bookstore, library, publishing house, or literary agency. A politician, specifically one who is a woman, queer, and/or BIPOC doing good things for their community. A cool shoe brand. A creative agency. A nonprofit working for human rights, our planet, and anything that is in line with our values.
Q: What is your rate?
Re:Vision- a social media audit and strategy comprehensive: $5000
Content Creation: $1500 and up, depending on the scope of the project
Social Media Management- $1500-$6000 a Month
Coaching Cohort- $250/Month
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Email me zoe@poppyandsesame.com or visit my contact form on my website.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Katherine Danesi — Website / Linkedin / @katherinedanesi
She is the business coach and strategist you want on your side.
Krista Ruane — Website / Linkedin / @ruanekrista
Food producer, creative, and stylist who oozes talent with anything she does.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Rest! I can’t create in the same way when I am worn out and tired. I need to make sure I am giving myself time to rest, play, move my body, and have some fun.
This member profile was originally published in July 2025.