We are all having our own reaction to the current crisis. David shares his way of getting through the myriad of challenges facing not only himself, but all of us.
David Beahm, world-class wedding designer and planner, known for his inventive work and trademark lavish flower creations, has designed countless weddings for society, high profile and discerning clients, including the wedding of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas, as well as a host of celebrity and Fortune 500 corporate events.
Today’s episode is a special one about dealing with the impact of the Coronavirus though it’s timeless in that it can apply to any major challenge or crisis. Brett had a very successful career as a videographer in the lux wedding market, for ten years, until the recession of 2008 forced him to pivot. Now a filmmaker and keynote speaker, Brett Culp films is based out of Tampa FL. He is also an author and produces short films such as “How to stay positive when the world feels negative.”
We urge you to share this with your friends, family, and colleagues in the hope that it gives you inspiration and a sense of peace as we all deal with one of the greatest challenges of the past century.
Do you know how digital photos typically look different from pictures taken using film? Listen as Andy and Lynn discuss Jose’s new preset that allows him to use digital but still get the film look plus much more. Lynn Easton of Easton Events is a wonderful planner and designer based out of Charleston and Charlottesville who works worldwide.
Jose Villa is a film photographer known for shooting wedding photos for celebrities and high profile clients. Jose was named one of the top Wedding Photographers in the world by Vogue, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Harper’s Bazaar. Jose has also been recognized as one of the most influential photographers of the decade by PDN.
Listen as Lynn shares what she admires about Jose and his work, and his ability to shoot Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra’s wedding with only a week and a half’s notice. Andy and Lynn discuss Jose’s ability to shoot photos with a lot of emotion and how amazing and organized his team is. They also chat about Jose’s use of social media and how he answers each email, DM, and text himself.
Jose is one of those unique individuals that go above and beyond. So much so that Lynn says when he shoots events with her, he always has images to her by the end of the night or the next morning at the latest. Andy and Lynn can’t say enough great things about Jose, so hit play and enjoy!
Andy and Jose hopped on the line, Friday March 13th, to discuss the impact of the Coronavirus on the event industry and their businesses as a prelude to the regular interview.
Listen as Andy and Jose discuss many topics, including the celebrity weddings he photographed in 2019. There is so much to learn from Jose, regardless of whether or not you are a photographer.
If you are not familiar with his work, Jose Villa is primarily a film photographer, named one of the top Wedding Photographers in the world by Vogue, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Harper’s Bazaar. Jose has also been recognized as one of the most influential photographers of the decade by PDN.
Listen as Jose shares how the level of the weddings he does has changed and what he feels when shooting celebrity weddings. In 2019, Jose did the photography for Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra’s and Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin’s weddings, two of the most high profile weddings he last last year. Jose also speaks about the cameras and lenses he uses and the presets that are now available that makes digital photos look like film.
Have you ever grabbed one camera, one lens, and just started composing images? Jose speaks about how much he likes to change things up, even after being in the business for the last eighteen years. He shares about those moments he waits a whole wedding to shoot, clients that require a lot of attention and how that pays off, and his strategy with social media.
Jose is very humble and grateful for what he has achieved, and has more he wants to accomplish. Jose shoots about twenty weddings a year now and the intricacies of each event keeps him plenty busy. Listening to Jose is always a pleasure and you don’t want to miss this conversation!
Christie Osborne is FEMA-certified in Social Media Crisis Communication and I was fortunate to get some time with her while attending Catersource/The Special Event conference in Las Vegas. She talks about what to consider when communicating policies regarding response to a crisis, including the Coronavirus.
She also tells us about the most frequently asked questions she’s getting while at the conference. This includes, when events get cancelled, how to communicate online regarding the issue of how we decide to handle deposits. Christie also discusses how to respond when clients ask if they should get tested when they’ve attended a venue or event where it’s later discovered that one or more people were infected. She also talks about how to respond when people have yet to attend an event that has not been cancelled and are asking if it’s safe. This includes how to handle the recovery period once we are past the crisis.
If you want your weddings to have theatrical productions, listen as Andy and Andre discuss Sonal Shah and her ability to plan and produce events and the challenges she faces when planning celebrity weddings, interracial weddings, and more, all over the world. Andre Maier is a fantastic photographer based in both New York City and Los Angeles, who works worldwide, and appeared on The Wedding Biz.
Sonal is a premier South Asian event planner based in New York City, working all over the world. Sonal is known for planning the most elaborate over-the-top weddings. She also works with both Hollywood and Bollywood stars, and has a book out called “The Complete Guide to Planning the Perfect South Asian Wedding.”
Andy and Andre share Sonal’s ability to mediate between bridal couples and parents, why she decided to plan South Asian weddings, and the need to trust the creative partners with whom she builds her teams. Additionally, Andre says that Sonal brings purpose and passion together, which is why she is so successful. They chat about how each event she plans has to be different from anything she has done before.
Listen as Andy and Andre dive into some of the more interesting nuggets of Sonal’s interview. The enthusiasm she has for what she does is contagious, and you can feel it, and they discuss this amazing woman.
“I don’t design; I plan events and manage the timelines.” Listen in as Andy and his guest Sonal Shah discuss how she began her career, and why she chose to niche down to South Asian weddings. They also talk about her position with Marriott and how it helped her become the planner she is today and much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz.
Sonal is a premier South Asian event planner based in New York City, working all over the world. Sonal is known for planning the most elaborate over-the-top weddings. If her medium-sized wedding has four to five hundred guests, can you imagine what her large weddings are like? She works with both Hollywood and Bollywood stars, and has a book out called “The Complete Guide to Planning the Perfect South Asian Wedding.”
Sonal shares the process she has for putting together a team, how she handles the different personalities of each family, and how she keeps the focus on the bride when opinions make things difficult. Sonal speaks about the need to trust the creative partners she uses who also do something different so that nothing ever looks cookie-cutter. Sonal describes the challenges she faces when planning celebrity weddings, as well as interracial ones.
Sonal is young to have accomplished everything she has, and she has much more she is hoping to achieve. She speaks about what she would like to do in the future, how she finds a balance between work and family, and she gives some details about one of her favorite weddings. You will be on the edge of your seat because everything that she says has an energy to it that you don’t want to miss.
When does it make sense to change the dynamics of a company? Listen, as Andy and Robert Sherman discuss how changing the leadership of Evoke Design led Jeannette Tavares and Jodi Moraru to greater personal and business success. Robert is the President of Washington Talent and Andy’s business partner with Kushner Entertainment. Andy interviewed him on The Wedding Biz in November of last year as they announced their partnership.
Evoke Design is based in Washington, D.C, and serving clients worldwide. Jeannette is the Chief Creative Director, and Jodi is a producer; however, it wasn’t always like that. Jodi founded the company, hired Jeannette, who eventually became a producer, and later Jeannette bought out the company. Although their roles have reversed, they are now individually more successful as well as the company as a whole.
Listen as Robert and Andy discuss the similarities between their partnership with Kushner Entertainment and the connection Jeannette and Jodi have with Evoke Design. Jodi and Andy both tired of working the operations sides of their businesses and needed to get their creative juices flowing again, and Jeannette and Robert both excel at the business side. They also speak about the way the Evoke Design team treats their creative partners, the fact that they have both worked with them, and can say from experience they know how to nurture people.
A partnership can be great when it is done the right way, with the right people. Listen in to hear how Jeannette and Jodi did it right and are now thriving in a way that makes them both happy and allows them to both live their best lives.
Have you ever looked at an event from a thirty thousand foot view, so you could see the big picture? Listen as Andy and his guests Jodi Moraru and Jeannette Tavares discuss this and how event planning has evolved in the last thirty years. Both of these amazing women are individuals who work with Evoke Design & Creative, an Event Planning and Design company that was initially founded by Jodi but was bought by Jeannette years later. Listen as they discuss what that was all about in this episode of The Wedding Biz.
Jeannette is the President, and Jodi is the Founder and Senior Event Planner based out of Washington, D.C. Although their roles have reversed, they are now individually more successful as well as the company as a whole. Jodi and Jeannette share where they each got their passion for planning events as children, how they met, and why Jodi chose to teach Jeannette the business. Starting as Jodi’s assistant, Jeannette worked her way up to an event planner in a short time, which proved to Jodi that she had the right person for the next step in her exit plan.
Listen as they speak about the process of changing ownership, the anxiety they had about the changes but the strong unity that came out of it. Jodi didn’t sell and leave the company. She stayed to do what she loves which is producing events, while Jeannette has excelled at the operations side of the business while planning as well.
These two women show us what happens when you trust your instincts and know when to make changes. They took a successful business and made it even more prominent by making changes that needed to be made but still keeping the integrity it has always had.
Do you prefer to take photographs digitally or with film? Listen as Andy and Rachel discuss Jose Villa and why he uses film almost exclusively. Rachel is the Owner and CEO of The Lake Como Wedding Planner based in Como, Italy. She works with clients directly but also has the pleasure of morphing into the local team for many foreign agencies such as planners in the states like Lisa Vorce on Chrissy Tegan and John Legend’s wedding, Colin Cowie, and many more.
Jose Villa is a celebrity photographer known for crafting vibrant, fine art images that are as unique as the people in the photographs. Jose has been published in many magazines around the world and was listed in the Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the World by the American Photo Magazine. This interview from two years ago is being re-released to get you ready for Part 2 coming out in a few weeks.
Rachel has worked with Jose many times and shares how focused he is on-site, his underlying intuition and empathy when shooting weddings. They chat about how important it is to connect with the client, whether you are the photographer, the planner, the entertainment, or any other creative partner in the industry. The more you feel connected and know the client, the more you want to do a better job because you have a personal bond with them.
Listen, as Andy and Rachel discuss how guests taking pictures with their phones can get in the way during the ceremony and why they should just sit back and let the professional photographers do their jobs. Plug into this episode and keep a lookout for Part 2 in the next few weeks.