Wooder Ice:
Two Temple Alumni Bring Philly Flavor to the Blogosphere

The idea for Wooder Ice goes all the way back to 2005, when Hector Nunez graduated from Temple University. He’d thought about starting a blog with his roommates, but it never came to fruition. Over the next nine years, Nunez knew he wanted to do something that fused his passion for writing with highlighting Philadelphia’s culture. There were a couple of publications focusing on happenings around the city, but few encompassed what he envisioned. As he puts it, the goal was a space for everyone, “whether they want to go to a rap concert, the ballet or a van Gogh art exhibit.” In 2014, he decided he’d waited long enough and dived headfirst into the idea. Wooder Ice was officially born.

Aside from the clear Phillyism, how exactly did Nunez settle on the name? He says it dates to his time interning at a record company, where he met someone with their own company, titled Cheesesteak Media. He loved the idea that you didn’t need to say it was a Philly-based company; it was already implied. Not only that, but the title didn’t have anything to do with what he and the brand were focusing on in a literal sense, which was a conversation starter. “Good ole Temple marketing background came in handy,” he jokes.

As Nunez launched Wooder Ice, he was attuned to the trends online. Blogs had become increasingly popular, but video content was starting to emerge as a key addition. He started creating some videos on his own, and by 2015, he was able to add Ja-mel “Jay” Vereen, KLN ’09, to the team to help in that area. They’d known each other from their days at Temple; the two were fraternity brothers when Vereen was a freshman and Nunez was a senior. Now, Vereen was moving back to Philly after years away and was looking to get back into the video production realm. A fellow fraternity brother suggested he contact Nunez when he got back to the city to see if he could work on Wooder Ice. Vereen reached out to see if there was an opportunity, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Over the last decade, Wooder Ice has cultivated a strong following online, with a full-fledged website and nearly 150,000 followers across all social media platforms. They now have a team of four — Hector, Jay, Lauren and Farah — and have expanded their repertoire to not just blogging and articles, but merchandise, events, podcasting, giveaways and more. When asked about their success, Nunez and Vereen are humble, feeling they haven’t yet scratched the surface. “We always say it’s 10 years to be an overnight success; we’re just getting to that point now. The real work starts now.”

They continue to look forward and are excited about the momentum the brand currently enjoys. “We’re just happy because it’s finally all happening for all of us,” Vereen says. While they add they have a lot of great potential big partnerships in the works, they stress the brand will always stay true to its roots in the community. “Our bread and butter throughout these years has been honing in on things happening in the neighborhoods. That’s our core.” They’re excited to get a new office space, where they can conduct workshops and engage local businesses. “We want to do more event-oriented situations where we can engage and partner with other brands, but also be philanthropic in nature.”

What would their advice be, not just to their younger selves, but students today? “Save money and learn about financial literacy,” Vereen says first and foremost. Investing in a network and in fellow students is also key. He credits being in six different organizations while at Temple for helping him meet new people and create new connections. “Get outside of yourself, your comfort zone, meet people and go to different events.” Nunez agrees, adding that back when he was a student, it was a bit harder to network without smartphones, but it was beneficial in the long run, as it forced you to meet people outside of your own circle. “Building more of a network and culture is key, because the biggest and best commodity Temple and Philly have is its people.”

The Temple alumni network has been particularly important for the Wooder Ice team. Nunez says, “It’s a first quick connection; the presence is so strong. It’s a welcoming feeling, you’re familiar with each other’s circumstances and that helps open doors and create more relationships.” Vereen agrees, adding it’s also great for resources; a mutual friend and fellow Owl designed their original logo.

As for their favorite places to eat when they were students on campus, Nunez jokes that campus looked quite different back when he was undergrad, but Peking Garden “kept me alive.” They both agree that the food trucks were a constant, with Vereen reminiscing over Temple Star, still a campus favorite with students.