A few years ago I knew I wanted to do something a little extra with my high school seniors. I had a vision of community and relationships that lasted longer than just a two hour photoshoot.

I have this dream for all of my seniors, but I knew I also needed a small group of girls that were my go-to people for everything –– asking them questions, using them for creative shoots, and having girls who were so invested in my business that they couldn’t stop talking about it.

So the senior spokesmodel team was born!!!

This year will be my third spokesmodel team –– CRAZY. I know some of you have been following along and can probably tell me more about the benefits of being a spokesmodel than I can! But for those of you who are new and may still be interested (or are looking for a way to explain it to your parents!!), I’ll walk through the basics.

What are Dakota Hersey senior spokesmodels?

My spokesmodels are a team of high school seniors in Eastern NC (or at least willing to travel to Wilmington, NC throughout the year) who work with me for the entirety of their senior year.

They are the face of my senior brand. We do multiple shoots throughout the year, we hang out with past teams, and we have a group message where we talk about #allthethings. They post about their experience working with me and tell all of their friends about me with the goal of growing my business –– because they LOVE it and also because they can earn referral bonuses.

Basically, these are my girls. I come to them first for everything and vice versa.

What do senior spokesmodels do?

We have multiple photoshoots throughout the year to make sure that you constantly have photos to share and are getting the most out of your senior year. We also have other smaller events to get together because making friends is a huge part of the program.

There are also referral rewards –– a chance to earn back your session fee, but honestly most of the time the girls use this as a credit to have more photos done either with their friends, with their dance costumes/sports uniforms, or something else.

Who doesn’t want as many photos as possible, right?!

Every senior gets their own individual session (and usually they get first pick of dates) along with the group sessions. I love this because it gives us a chance to focus just on you and the things that you love!

What are group sessions and what happens at them?

The group sessions are my favorite part! We have one during the summer that is our kick-off event where I bring in professional hair and make up and even boutique styling.

Here was our summer session from 2018 –– a summer party theme!

Other group sessions throughout the year are usually planned as a team. We talk about what everyone really wants and thinks is cute and then plan them accordingly. Of course it depends on mine and everyone else’s schedules! Most sessions are in Wilmington, NC (like our fall downtown Wilmington group photoshoot) but we do travel other places, like when we had our Christmas and New Year’s group photoshoot at the Firehouse in Goldsboro, NC.

It makes me really sad when my girls graduate and I like for this to be more like a giant family, so we also have alumni events each year where all current and past spokesmodels are invited! This lets you continue to make friends beyond just your class and also ask questions from the previous seniors about what they learned and what they recommend!

I’m SO in!!!! How do I become a part of the team?

YAY! To be selected for the team you just have to fill out the application –– this is how I get to know you, what your personality is like, and why you want to be on the team!

I review these applications to find a variety of girls who match my brand, are genuine lovers of my business and the team, and are looking to be active participants. The team is only as fun as you make it so I want to fill it with girls who want to do as much with each other as they can!

Oh and you need to LOVE taking photos too, but that’s kind of a given 🙂

This team is probably a good fit for you if:

• You love taking photos
• You already feel really comfortable in front of the camera
• You’re a natural influencer who wants to tell everyone about the things you love
• You’re always trying to make new friends
• You’re looking for a group of girls to be your hype team and supporters in everything you do

Spokesmodels only pay the price of a senior experience session ($350) –– no additional costs other than your time, love, and effort!!! 🙂

I truly wish everyone could be a part of this experience but I also know I will only be able to give a great experience if the team is smaller and intimate.

I will choose between 10-15 girls (in the past I’ve had teams of 9 and 13) who I feel truly are going to be the best fit for the team.

If you aren’t selected, this absolutely does NOT mean I don’t want to work with you for your senior year! Spokesmodels are a very specific type of person –– one who is really outgoing and wants to put in a little extra work during their senior year. It feels like the photos are free but they definitely work for them!

When I’ve selected the team, I will notify everyone either way and we will start the process of making everyone officially part of the team.

Here are the 2020 Spokesmodel Team Details:

1. Fill out the application by 12:00pm on May 31st, 2019.
2. Be yourself and be detailed on the application! The more I know about you the better 🙂
3. Let your parents know that you will be applying to be part of the program –– they should be aware that there is a fee to join! It is $350 total (this will be the regular price of an individual senior session, not including travel if you choose to have your session outside of Wilmington, NC).
4. Block off July 21, 2019 on your calendar because that will be our summer group shoot that is mandatory for you to attend (though who wouldn’t want to?!).
5. Set your alarm for June 7th –– that’s when I’ll be sending out the notification emails!

All selected spokesmodels will need to have their contracts and payments completed by June 30th, so we want your parents to be aware and ready!

If you have any other questions about the program, please email me and I will get them answered for you.

I am SO EXCITED to meet all of the new seniors and welcome the 2020 team to the #dakotaherseyseniors fam!!!!

APPLY TO BE PART OF THE 2020 SENIOR SPOKESMODEL TEAM HERE!