Food Media Day: A Visual Content Event for 27 Small Food Businesses

This Blog was contributed by our Food Innovation Lab Graduate Student, Martina DiFolco.

“ Thank you for all your efforts to make this event a success! These opportunities mean so much to small businesses like ours” (Kimberly Haugh, Kimberly Ashlee Catering)

Many similar appreciative messages were received by the Center for Regional Agriculture, Food and Transformation (CRAFT) & Center for Women Entrepreneurship (CWE) after the Food Media Day, a media event held at Fulton Commons on January 13th and February 1st, 2022.

Developed as part of the grant “Back to Business - Relaunching and Restoring the Food Industry After a Crisis programming”, the Food Media event was organized by CRAFT and CWE, in collaboration with SkySight Photography and Stacey Louise Photography, to support small food businesses impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

A total of 27 small Food Businesses in the Pittsburgh area had the opportunity to receive food photography, videography and headshots to increase their visibility on their online and social platforms. The event was specifically planned to provide these food businesses with the best images and visual content to allow them to showcase their products/services attractively in order to thrive in an increasingly digital world.

Photo kindly provided by Christy Pletcher - Modern Charcuterie | Pittsburgh

Since the very beginning, the promotion of the event was well received and a high number of businesses applied to participate. The event had a great turn out. Indeed, CRAFT and CWE were impressed by the diligence of the food business attendees. All of them showed up to the event with plenty of time before their appointment, conveying how grateful they were to have access to such services. The gratefulness showed by the businesses was also pointed out by our photographer Stacey:

“I had a moment during the day where it just kind of hit me that what we were doing was so important for these people. Everyone was so grateful for what they were getting and so pleasant to work with. They were all so positive and passionate about their work, it was such a pleasure to be able to provide them with photos that can help them along in that journey. I remember being a “baby business“ it’s not easy getting something started, and I love that we were able to give them a leg up in starting or continuing to do what they love and are so gifted at.” (Stacey Nedrow-Ross - StaceyLouisePhotography).

After the event, CRAFT carried on some follow-up questions with the attendees to gather feedback about their experience. The following are some comments from our photographer Autumn and some of the food photography attendees, Krystal Gruber, owner of “Swaggalicious Restaurant”, and Eric White, owner of “PghDumplingz”.

“Working with the food businesses was truly an honor. It was wonderful to hear about every one of these businesses' backgrounds and goals for the future. As a business person myself, I was inspired by everyone's unique ideas, strong drive and positivity. Thus, I was so excited to try to get the best photography we could for each one of them by trying to tell their stories visually to the best of my abilities. I tried matching lighting, background and overall style to their existing branding and logo. I couldn't be more excited for everyone to get their photos back this week and hear about their feedback!” (Autumn Stankay, SkySight Photography)

A special note to Swaggalicious Restaurant. Being the first business in line to receive food photos, this restaurant told us they had been up since 2AM to cook all the food they wanted to get photographed. Such efforts exemplify the willingness and commitment that small food businesses infuse into their activities to succeed. Indeed, having access to these images represented for them an opportunity to increase their online presence and to update their menu design.

“The Food Media event provided small businesses the opportunity to add a level of credibility with professional quality photos, gain media exposure, and network with other small business owners. The experience was exciting and I enjoyed watching the pictures come to life. The event was well organized, we arrived early which allowed us plenty of setup time. The staff exceeded my expectations. They provided amazing ideas, suggestions, and even did touch ups on plating in between photos!” (Krystal Gruber, Swaggalicious Restaurant)

Photos kindly provided by Krystal Gruber

On this line, other attendees like Eric have highlighted how taking professional photos requires some skills and having someone showing how to do it is important to succeed in today’s digital marketing.

“It was a learning experience for me. This is the area where I struggle with the most. And seeing how it is done really helped me. But those pictures are amazing! Speechless how they turned out. “ (Eric White, PghDumplingz)

We also exchanged some post-event comments with our videographer William, and videography attendees Louis Mennel, owner of “Carbon Compost” and Erika Bruce, owner of “Le Beau Gâteau”, who emphasized the smooth experience in registering video content as well as the opportunity they were given to work with professionals to fill in a need in their business.

“I had a great time working with all of the entrepreneurs during the filming and recording sessions at Fulton Commons. It was exciting to meet everyone and learn about each person's unique approach to their work. Having the opportunity to help them with the presentation of their business goals, personal stories and career visions is always a really rewarding experience. I was impressed by the innovative ideas everyone had, and I was especially excited by the various ways that different business owners were able to apply their culinary skills to solving problems in the community and helping people in need. I can't wait to complete each video and use my creative skills to help each person bring their vision to life through media so that more people can learn about what they do and share in their amazing individual journeys and passions.” (William Stankay - Videographer)

“The organizers did a great job of setting expectations. One of the smoothest operations I have been a part of! Everything was set up and ready to go when I arrived. The whole experience was executed flawlessly! I have not been in front of the camera much and was nervous about being filmed. The crew did a fantastic job of helping me relax and asked helpful questions to guide me through the process and capture valuable content. We filmed a lot (much more than a minute) so I'm not sure what will be cut from the final video. I hope to use it on my website and on social media. As a small business owner I have to wear many hats and learn many skills. Videography is not a strength of mine. In the world we live, video content is king. Businesses that don't have a strong digital presence are falling behind. I'm grateful to CRAFT and CWE for putting this event together to help my business grow in a space that we are not currently taking advantage of. There is no way I could afford to hire a videographer at this time so this media content is filling a big need for my business”. (Louis Mennel, Carbon Compost)

“It was an amazing opportunity to build media for my business. The event was very well organized. They had scheduled an hour for me, but we were done in a little over a half an hour, which allowed a nice cushion for chatting and putting me at ease. The staff was incredibly helpful, and helped me to relax and feel at ease. They talked me through the entire video, and really seemed to know what they were doing. True professionals. I plan to use the video on my website and on social media”. (Erika Bruce. Le Beau Gâteau)

We have also heard from headshots attendees Kimberly Haugh, owner of “Kimberley Ashlee Catering” and Morgan Livingston owner of “ Mahoning Creek Farm”, who pointed out how the event was a “value added and easy experience” for them.

“I thought the location was great; it provided excellent shooting locations and also might make folks aware of another resource in Pittsburgh they may not have been familiar with. The photographer was also excellent and extremely professional. I felt that I got a "value added" experience above and beyond what I expected; for example, the photographer offered to take a few product shots in addition to my head shots, and she had some effective and creative ideas for making that happen in a short time window. I felt the event was organized and that I had all the information I needed. I look forward to using the headshots and product photos for our business, including on our website and likely some print tri-folds, social media, and also in my own personal career oriented social media”. (Morgan Livingston owner of Mahoning Creek Farm).

“I liked that the event was free but with that said, it was VERY well organized leading up to the event and even the day of. It was a quick and easy experience. The photographer was very easy to work with. On a scale from 1 to 10, the organization of the event was 11. The staff was super helpful. I look forward to crossing paths in the future. I will use my visual content for social media, digital marketing assets and company website ”.(Kimberly Haugh, Kimberly Ashlee Catering)