All I want for my Bday is my Booth
Donation protected
Greetings and Salutations!
My name is Leon Andrew Hensley and I’m the founder and general operating manager of A/S/L_Media . For those of you who have not heard of A/S/L, it’s a super small (but feisty) grassroots Chicago photo biz that has specialized in nightlife and event photo documentation since 2009 with long term clients like TimeOut Magazine, Chicago Reader and the Redeye.
As with many small businesses, there comes a time when the dream of sustainability and growth must become a reality. For A/S/L, that time is now!
So I'm here to introduce a new brand geared toward the somewhat more formal side of events (i.e. weddings, corporate events, mitzvahs, etc.). But never fear, it will also still be deployed in Chicago nightlife as much as it possibly can. This new idea comes fully equipped with some new & innovative photo booth concepts guaranteed to blow off a sock or two—and that something is what I like to call Chicago Event Pics!
Any contribution that you could make, big or small, will make a world of difference!
What We Need!
So $4,600 is the goal. It seems like a lot, but it's actually a lot less than the $50,000 suggested for most small business startups. That's because I'm still working to fund this as much as possible myself.
Here are a few goals that will be made possible with your contributions:
- Create a completely new photo booth concept by taking what you like from the different types of photo booths and bringing it all together in one package and making it super stylish and fun! This is the big item on the menu (a huge chunk of your donations is going toward making this booth.)* I'm also building this booth with my own little hands and making it so sexy and tech savvy you'll want to put it in your pocket. Like the iPhone of photo booths or something.
*Basically, I need some wood, some metal, some fabric and a heavy duty photo printer.
-Expand to cover more types of events including wedding receptions, galas, corporate events, conferences and more! Getting your name out there takes some time and sometimes some cash too, so what's left over will be spread out over different avenues of marketing and ad space which brings us to the next goal....
-Chicago Event Pics will begin new marketing campaigns and strategies to increase bookings to become more sustainable, grow and even provide jobs for others in Chicago. With more bookings, we’ll be able to continue to offer incredible services at affordable prices.
-If there's any extra I'd LOVE to invest in some new technologies including upgrading the ancient photo equipment to make your photos look better plus introduce some exciting new interactive applications to give you immediate access to photos online and the ability to tag you and your friends on social media on the spot.
The Impact
So why should you contribute? There are tons of photo booth options to choose from, right? Here's the deal. We offer something these booths don't. They usually drop off a box with an automated camera and printer system, maybe someone to "man" the booth and restock paper and ink. But we offer a skilled photographer and photo editor to you for as long as you want. We put the human experience back into the craft of taking photographs. We also don't present them to you until after taking the care to make any detailed adjustments our trained eye sees necessary.
We’re also very proud of our product and want you to have the best you can get at every detailed step. From making sure our booth fits your style to customizing our prints to capture your essence with graphics and style. We’re not interested in getting things done instantly for a product that looks cheap (although, we still only take a few seconds to make your prints). We took the time selecting the best photo equipment and materials for our booth because that is our product. We are our product.
So if you’ve experienced our photo booth, just imagine it all rolled into an amazingly beautiful package deal. Or if you’ve ever used an A/S/L_Media photo as a profile pic. You know I do great work that you enjoy at no cost to you because that’s what it’s all about. YOU! So to help me do the best and look the best to keep doing that, I just need a little financial budge. That’s where you come in.
Check out the new website while you're at it (chicagoeventpics.com)! It's still a work in progress, but go ahead, take a peek.
Other Ways You Can Help
And honestly, we know some of you want to contribute and toss us a couple bones for our work but can't. Trust me when I say, seeing you sharing and using the photos is almost amazing enough...almost. If you aren’t in a position to chip in fiscally, you can help get the word out about the campaign. There are some pretty sweet perks just for participating and a chance to win the biggest perk available!! (Check the top perk in the sidebar for details!)
So get the word out there. It’s not hard. Just share the link or click through the social media buttons! It helps immensely.
My name is Leon Andrew Hensley and I’m the founder and general operating manager of A/S/L_Media . For those of you who have not heard of A/S/L, it’s a super small (but feisty) grassroots Chicago photo biz that has specialized in nightlife and event photo documentation since 2009 with long term clients like TimeOut Magazine, Chicago Reader and the Redeye.
As with many small businesses, there comes a time when the dream of sustainability and growth must become a reality. For A/S/L, that time is now!
So I'm here to introduce a new brand geared toward the somewhat more formal side of events (i.e. weddings, corporate events, mitzvahs, etc.). But never fear, it will also still be deployed in Chicago nightlife as much as it possibly can. This new idea comes fully equipped with some new & innovative photo booth concepts guaranteed to blow off a sock or two—and that something is what I like to call Chicago Event Pics!
Any contribution that you could make, big or small, will make a world of difference!
What We Need!
So $4,600 is the goal. It seems like a lot, but it's actually a lot less than the $50,000 suggested for most small business startups. That's because I'm still working to fund this as much as possible myself.
Here are a few goals that will be made possible with your contributions:
- Create a completely new photo booth concept by taking what you like from the different types of photo booths and bringing it all together in one package and making it super stylish and fun! This is the big item on the menu (a huge chunk of your donations is going toward making this booth.)* I'm also building this booth with my own little hands and making it so sexy and tech savvy you'll want to put it in your pocket. Like the iPhone of photo booths or something.
*Basically, I need some wood, some metal, some fabric and a heavy duty photo printer.
-Expand to cover more types of events including wedding receptions, galas, corporate events, conferences and more! Getting your name out there takes some time and sometimes some cash too, so what's left over will be spread out over different avenues of marketing and ad space which brings us to the next goal....
-Chicago Event Pics will begin new marketing campaigns and strategies to increase bookings to become more sustainable, grow and even provide jobs for others in Chicago. With more bookings, we’ll be able to continue to offer incredible services at affordable prices.
-If there's any extra I'd LOVE to invest in some new technologies including upgrading the ancient photo equipment to make your photos look better plus introduce some exciting new interactive applications to give you immediate access to photos online and the ability to tag you and your friends on social media on the spot.
The Impact
So why should you contribute? There are tons of photo booth options to choose from, right? Here's the deal. We offer something these booths don't. They usually drop off a box with an automated camera and printer system, maybe someone to "man" the booth and restock paper and ink. But we offer a skilled photographer and photo editor to you for as long as you want. We put the human experience back into the craft of taking photographs. We also don't present them to you until after taking the care to make any detailed adjustments our trained eye sees necessary.
We’re also very proud of our product and want you to have the best you can get at every detailed step. From making sure our booth fits your style to customizing our prints to capture your essence with graphics and style. We’re not interested in getting things done instantly for a product that looks cheap (although, we still only take a few seconds to make your prints). We took the time selecting the best photo equipment and materials for our booth because that is our product. We are our product.
So if you’ve experienced our photo booth, just imagine it all rolled into an amazingly beautiful package deal. Or if you’ve ever used an A/S/L_Media photo as a profile pic. You know I do great work that you enjoy at no cost to you because that’s what it’s all about. YOU! So to help me do the best and look the best to keep doing that, I just need a little financial budge. That’s where you come in.
Check out the new website while you're at it (chicagoeventpics.com)! It's still a work in progress, but go ahead, take a peek.
Other Ways You Can Help
And honestly, we know some of you want to contribute and toss us a couple bones for our work but can't. Trust me when I say, seeing you sharing and using the photos is almost amazing enough...almost. If you aren’t in a position to chip in fiscally, you can help get the word out about the campaign. There are some pretty sweet perks just for participating and a chance to win the biggest perk available!! (Check the top perk in the sidebar for details!)
So get the word out there. It’s not hard. Just share the link or click through the social media buttons! It helps immensely.
Organizer
Leon Andrew Hensley
Organizer
Chicago, IL
