“There are tons of resources available at MassArt and within the creative community, and I feel fortunate to be building my dream business.”

Graduating fourth-year student Julie Nguyen, BFA ‘25 Film/Video, didn’t set out to go to art school, or create a business from scratch for that matter. In fact, her high school didn’t offer any art classes. In high school while working at a bakery, she found herself making short food-related videos. It wasn’t until she decided culinary school and the restaurant business weren’t in her future that she found Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt), where she thought she would get a film degree and go into food media. However, life however had other plans.  

During her time at the bakery, she was drawn to the “fake cakes” that were on display to market the business. Julie started making these “fake cakes” with spackling, paint, foam and other materials for fun, but what she found was there was a real demand for her creations online. Little did she know, what started as a way to get rid of the “clutter” in her mom’s house would become a booming business, practically overnight.

“I put my “fake cakes” on Depop (a clothing selling website) under the home decor section and the items sold out,” said Julie. “Then I put them on Instagram and started taking pictures and making reels that were garnering millions of views. I was selling out of “fake cakes” faster than I could make them. That’s when I started doing themed collections and product drops.”