Montecito Moms: Alice Ryan

When it comes to motherhood, there are moms who go full throttle in their careers while also managing family life. How to find that balance – how to handle life (career, kids, spouse, and self-time) is the million dollar question. Fortunately, in Montecito we have moms who do it all! There is one Montecito mom who is a force to be reckoned with. She’s a juggernaut in the marketing world – she’s got connections upon connections – she travels between New York and California like I travel between upper and lower village. She’s Alice Ryan and if you want your business to be seen, you want her.

Ryan and her family (husband Kirk, who is a mogul in his own right, runs his own men’s apparel company called Miller’s Oath, but this column is about Montecito moms, not dads, so we’ll have to talk more about him another time), moved to Santa Barbara a few years ago from New York City.

“We weren’t exactly looking for a change of lifestyle, but due to family circumstances, we started making trips to L.A., and that brought us up the coast one weekend to Santa Barbara. Of course, we fell in love with Montecito and decided we wanted to stay put.”

While balancing three kids (Grey, Elliott, and Barnes), Ryan runs her own firm called A Company. She started it 20 years ago as a way to offer public relations to luxury companies and clients. Growing up in London, she got her start with companies like Celine and La Perla and eventually climbed the corporate ladder and relocated to New York. From there, she became the director of public relations for Oscar de la Renta and soon was making a name for herself among celebrities and high profile companies.

Now, with a long list of clients including companies like Michael Aiduss, Rose Tarlow, and Ladurée, her focus continues to be on brand consultation for special projects and events.

Whether it’s a trunk show highlighting the latest fashions, a photo shoot for Pottery Barn, or a red-carpet event (she just finished executing a week of dinners and gatherings for the Academy Awards), Ryan and her team put together an over-the-top experience that both client and customer will appreciate.

She flies to New York on a bi-monthly basis, and in between will jet to Paris or trek to Los Angeles for client meetings. Of course, now that we have her in the 93108, it also means that she is setting up shop and sinking her heels into our community. With an office in town, she serves as a consultant for various start-ups in our community and does marketing, public relations, and events for special local projects including the annual “Lotusland Celebrates” gala.

So what’s on Ryan’s “to do list” when she does have a moment in our ‘hood?: “An early morning coffee from Merci in Montecito Country Mart before heading on my way to the office at Meridian Studios. A workout if I can get it in at F45 and then meetings throughout the day in the courtyard. Ideally seeing the sunset with the children after school activities and homework is done; sometimes a family dinner at Bettina and home for bath time and their school book reading before bedtime.”

For this mom on the go, it sounds like the perfect day in our glorious town.