Emre Kara

How do you know Phambassador Emre Kara is a go-getter?

In 2023, when he attended Philadelphia Magazine’s Influencer Awards with a friend, he was so inspired by the experience, “I said to myself: next year I’ll be on that stage,” says Emre.

He spent the year hustling work, including a fun video project with Gov. Josh Shapiro, and creating other innovative content that he posted everywhere it would grab eyeballs and get shares. 

And twelve months later? 

He nabbed Philly Mag’s Emerging Influencer of the Year. 

“It’s crazy how far I’ve come,” says Kara, 34. “I tell newcomers all the time, ‘If I can do it, you can do it!’ You just have to hustle – and there’s no better place than Philly to do it.”

Kara never set out to be an influencer. He was just looking for a way to connect with the city he’d fallen hard for when he visited Philly from his native Turkey in 2022.

He knew instantly he wanted to stay. 

“Philly is amazing – the community, the culture, the architecture, the history – everything was looking very original to me, totally different from my own culture, my history, my lifestyle,” Emre says. “I wanted to keep exploring it. The Academy of Music alone – when I saw that interior, it was a moment of ‘okay, I’m falling in love with this city because I am now obsessed with this building!’ 

Back in Istanbul, he’d been a computer engineer and professional photographer whose vibrant shots of street life, nightlife, and everything in between caught the eye of PR agencies looking for energetic shots to animate their clients’ work. By the time he left Turkey for his visit to the United States, he’d become well-known in Istanbul’s events world.

He was determined to build that same success here – and to do it on his own terms. 

“I wanted a break from computer engineering, because photography and videography was what really made me happy,” he says. But when he applied for communication jobs at big firms, “They felt very corporate – I didn’t want that. I decided to do freelance photography and videography instead.”

He connected with PR agencies willing to invite him to splashy publicity events, where he could photograph restaurants, hotels, and the like. If the PR folks liked his work, they’d buy it. If they didn’t, well, at least he was building a portfolio of local work to present to others.

“It was a great opportunity, and people started noticing me, which was great,” says Emre. “But then I thought – instead of waiting for others to hire me, why don’t I create my own content and post it on my channels, so I’m creating work, not just looking for it?”

His Instagram and TikTok posts began gathering a following, but the real turning point came when Gov. Josh Shapiro’s digital team invited him to cover the governor’s appearance at the 2024 solar-eclipse event in Erie, Pa.

He created a funny, “Mission Impossible”-themed video short of him, Shapiro, and NASA SpaceX astronaut Warren “Woody” Hoburg, the event’s special guest, donning protective eyewear to observe the vanishing sun.

“The team told me, ‘Do it in your authentic style.’ They trusted my creativity,” says Emre. 

He’s had steady work ever since.  

In the influencer world, Emre is known as a joyful, smart, and innovative talent with a gift for capturing the personality and vibe of the events he covers, especially those right here in Philadelphia. His affection and enthusiasm for the City of Brotherly Love is palpable in every post.

“Philly has a community spirit that is so friendly and warm,” he says adamantly. “And it’s 100% authentic.”

He shares that love with friends who visit from out of town, taking them for burgers at Oh, Brother, drinks at the Four Seasons’ sky-high bar, hikes in the Wissahickon, and always – if the schedule allows – Phillies and Eagles games.

“When friends visited me this summer, I took them to a Phillies game on Friday night. They loved it so much – the people, the food, the fun – they made me take them back on Saturday!” laughs Emre.

“It’s funny,” he says. “I came to Philly just for a visit. Now I can say, from the bottom of my heart, this city is my home.”