2019 Speakers

Katelyn started her professional photography journey as a Junior in college and was shooting 25+ weddings annually within her second year. After growing her business and gaining recognition in national publications such as Professional Photographers Magazine, The Knot, Southern Living Weddings, Southern Weddings and multiple other online publications such a Style Me Pretty, BRIDES, Inspired by This, Real Simple, etc. She then began teaching and coaching photographers from all over the country and internationally.

Devin is the owner of Anchor & Veil photography, a studio based in Charlotte, Nc with 9 photographers, 2 cinematographers, and editor, an admin and a content creator. He also owns a marketing form where he helps businesses in the Charlotte area build their business and grow!

Amy and Jordan Demos are professional photographers and educators who help people take better photos, build a business they’re proud of and change their life. They started as elementary school teachers who didn’t know anything about photography, but turned their passion into one of the most successful photography businesses in America’s fifth largest city. They’ve photographed a million dollar wedding, had their work featured in People and were recognized by Rangefinder as a “Top 10” educator.

Natalie Franke Hayes is an entrepreneur, mobilization marketer, community builder, and neuroscience nerd. As one of the Founders of the Rising Tide Society and the Head of Community at HoneyBook, she leads tens of thousands of creatives and small business owners while fostering a spirit of community over competition around the world.

Chip is an serial entrepreneur and Facebook and Instgram Ads expert with a passion for all things technology and media. He is the founder / photographer of Chip Dizard Studios a wedding photography/videography firm that captures couple’s love stories internationally.

Jasmine Star dropped out of law school to pursue her dreams of being a photographer. In a few less than three years, she built an international award-winning business, later founding Social Curator, a social media marketing membership for business owners. Harnessing her chutzpah and hustle, Jasmine empowers entrepreneurs to build a brand, market it on social media, and create a life they love.

Davey Jones is a brand and content strategist, and one half of the Davey & Krista team. After several years of teaching high school English, photographing over 100 weddings and launching the Rising Tide Society, Davey decided to make helping creatives run better businesses his full time gig. Davey and his wife Krista specialize in helping people create brands that book through custom branding and website design, consulting, and search engine optimization. Since building their first business they have found purposeful and fulfilling work—and a life that includes palm trees, blue skies, time with our pups, and—of course—wine and pizza.

Vanessa Hicks is a wedding and portrait photographer currently documenting love in Hawaii! She is a military spouse and Navy Veteran a well! She truly believes in empowering others, and the importance of documenting her clients legacy! She has been published worldwide, and has been voted Hawaii’s #1 Wedding Photographer back to back in 2018 and 2019! When she’s doesn’t have a camera in her hand , you can find her with a Starbucks cup in her hand, watching Harry Potter or The Office on reruns, or just lounging on the beach with an umbrella drink in hand!

Montana is a successful photographer who currently resides in Santa Barbara, California. He collects fun socks and cat pictures, and could eat pancakes every day, even though his wife and daughter are sick of them.He creates incredible images for his couples to remember their love for one another, in spite of hard and challenging times. He loves life and that is reflected in his photography.

Hi friends! We are James & Jess! Husband & wife photographers, adventures, educators, cocktail enthusiasts, and best friends. We travel the globe photographing couples who are madly in love, educating amazing creatives like you, and making friends wherever we go!

Jeff Kaylor hads been on a tour of the world performing and speaking in over 350 cities in 22 countries. For the past 10 years, he has created award winning magic illusions and devices used by the top magicians in the world. He is the co-founder of The Magic Estate in Orlando, FL. A collaborative community that was home to many creatives including a Magicians, Speakers, Inventors, A Lawyer/Hypnotist, and even a Dolphin Trainer. He has been a speaker for Disney, Nike, Cox, Leadercast and regularly performs at the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood.

Makayla Jade, co-founder of The Harris Company, developed a brand distinguished by providing an elevated photo and cinema client experience, propelling the company by appealing to a niche clientele that places a high value on printed products & photographic art. Makayla Jade has been featured in major industry magazines & conferences, sharing techniques involving business systems, brand marketing, and unique approach to educating clients about the importance of print and investing in heirlooms through her newest endeavor, Printographers Society.

Jen Olmstead and Jeff Shipley are longtime custom brand + website designers and the creative team behind TONIC SITE SHOP : a collection of cocktail-inspired, completely customizable websites for the modern, stylish creative. They’re design soulmates and best friends who run a bi-coastal business (Virginia and Seattle, respectively) and share a love of hospitality, industrial design, good branding, witty banter, and, of course, a great cocktail.

Ben Hartley is a dynamic photographer inspiring educator, and modern influencer. Ben has three core beliefs: 1. people are always more important 2. success starts with self-worth. 3. You must never stop thrashing. Ben is founder of Style and Story Creative, his wedding photography studio based in Columbus, OH where he photographs weddings with his two other full-time photographers. Ben is the host of the weekly Six Figure Photography Podcast to help inspire, empower & challenge photographers towards creating a life of abundance in joy, meaning & profits.

Kat Schmoyer is one part of a husband-and-wife team, the founder of Creative at Heart and the wedding planner behind Dear Sweetheart Events. She knows what it’s like to build a business through late nights & side-hustle struggles; and because of that she has made it her mission to equip & encourage creative entrepreneurs with practical yet heartfelt education! She’s a full-time mamaprenuer & can’t imagine running a business or living life without Matt and Micah by her side!!

Michelle Harris is an international wedding photographer based in the DC area. She is owner and lead photographer at M Harris Studios; in conjunction with subsidiary, Laila Chanel Studios where she manages 10 freelance photographers. Michelle’s work has been featured in mass press such as USA Today, MunaLuchi Bride, Martha Stewart Weddings, People Magazine, and more!

For 10 years Julie has been traveling the world shooting weddings and teaching workshops. Known for her use of light and storytelling, Julie’s work has been seen in People, The Today Show, Martha Stewart, Brides and many more. Julie hugs everyone she sees, never meets a stranger and loves Paris more than peanut butter.

Laylee Emadi is a photographer and educator with a heart for serving others. She believes in people over profit—always. Since she started her business, Laylee has served the creative industry with authentic encouragement, tell-it-like-it-is honesty, and a wide open heart. She’s a connector, a cat mom, and a bloody mary enthusiast who can’t wait to get better acquainted over coffee or cocktails with you!

Bernel is the owner and lead designer of Branded by Bernel, a design boutique based in North Carolina. With a background deeply rooted in fine art and a degree in web development, she lives by her motto “to obsess over the details so you don’t have to.” Her passion is inspiring others and working with creative entrepreneurs to build brands that set them apart.

Kylee Ann leads a successful associate team in Northern Utah and helps other photographers create thriving businesses. When she’s not shooting, scheduling, editing, blogging, being the boss etc, you can find her on adventures with her three young kids or catching up on last nights tv in yesterday’s clothes.

Catherine Guidry is a New Orleans based wedding photographer, podcaster and educator. She has photographed hundreds of weddings, been featured on Style Me Pretty, The Knot, Wedding Sparrow, and Southern Brides..and is now helping others remove the veil of perfection in order to better pursue their passions through the podcast “”Mistakes Make Magic.”” Her greatest achievements lie in creating memorable experiences for her clients and teaching other creative entrepreneurs and photographers how to successfully run their businesses!

Shaun Gordon, owner of Kiss Books and photographer of over 500 weddings, helps creative entrepreneurs answer questions like this. He is dedicated to empowering his community with simple tools that change lives, resources that make it easy, and education that teaches you how to let your best self shine.
Shaun is happily married to his lovely wife and a father to their three children. You can find him on Kiss Book’s IG Live twice a week, hosting events throughout the world, & dedicating time to his family.

Charity is a local to Arizona and built her luxury level photography business in the corner of a one-bedroom apartment as a 20-year-old newlywed. With a vision for balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship, she saw the luxury market as her opportunity for creating a sustainable business while raising a family. She’s a big believer in doing “”less, but better”” and wants to debunk the myths around crafting a luxury brand and empower others to make the best use of their time, both professionally and personally. She’s mom to two boys, Achilles (5) and Cyrus (2) and wife to Andy.

Andy is a licensed therapist and works with high performance leaders, including CEO’s, founders, and entrepreneurs, educating and equipping them on the issue of trauma and its impact on their work and relationships. Andy helps leaders build awareness, develop meaningful relationships, and create purposeful and successful lives. He earned both a Masters of Divinity in Professional Counseling from Phoenix Seminary and a Masters in Marital Family Therapy from Fuller Theological Seminary. Andy is married to Charity, a luxury wedding photographer

Petronella Lugemwa is an international wedding and marriage proposal photographer, speaker and storyteller based out of the New York area who specializes in helping multicultural couples celebrate their love in a modern way and believes that what makes you different makes your beautiful. She photographed the November 2018 cover of Rangefinder Magazine and was named 1 of 30 Rising Stars in wedding photography worldwide in 2018. Petronella Photography has been featured in Essence, Martha Stewart Weddings, The Knot, New York Magazine Weddingsa

Meghan Stolar Brown, Manager of Two Bright Lights, is passionate about helping event professionals grow their brand and leads by connecting with publishers and other vendors. She has extensive marketing and event management experience and understands the challenges and opportunities creative entrepreneurs face. Growing up with a booking agent and a wedding band leader for parents, there is no doubt that marketing and events are in Meghan’s DNA. Her love for music and events grew from singing and playing piano as a toddler, to performing in recording studios and at weddings and events in years since. Meghan holds a degree in Music Business from New York University and lives in New York with her husband and (if everything goes her way) their future dog, “Chet”.

Showit’s 2018 Designer of the Year, With Grace and Gold provides purposeful brand and web design for creative business owners. Since 2014, Kelly and Andra of With Grace and Gold have been honored to serve more than 300 creative business owners from all over the world. Whether pursuing a custom design experience or purchasing a Showit template, With Grace and Gold’s clients and customers can expect their online home to help them connect with their Ideal Client in a meaningful way.

Jide Alakija is an internationally renowned photographer with over 10 years’ experience in shooting multicultural weddings, documentaries and editorial campaigns. Alakija’s assignments have taken him across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the U.S.

Jaime Davis is a Orange County based wedding photographer. Not only does she love shooting weddings but she loves to help other photographers grow their businesses into what they dreamed. Jaime is a new mama to a beautiful daughter, loves Disneyland and Taylor Swift and has two spastic wiener dogs, oh did she mention her husband looks like Ryan Gosling, no seriously ask to see a photo it is crazy!

Sarah Kay Love is a Creative Consultant, specializing in content strategy, production and digital marketing, devoted to helping companies build brands that differentiate themselves and increase business.

After working for InStyle magazine and “America’s Next Top Model” photographer Nigel Barker, she became a lover of all things weddings and spent five years at The Knot magazine producing and curating visuals on a variety of media platforms from print to digital editorials, covers, advertising campaigns, and social media channels. She also spearheaded the real wedding and styled shoot submission process for the national and regional magazines.

Sarah is now combining her unique skill set and sharing her knowledge with wedding photographers and professionals to help them develop skills to grow their digital presence, get published, drive revenue and stand out in a saturated market.

Vanessa is a Pinterest Marketing Strategist for creative small businesses. As a YouTuber, blogger, and consultant, she helps creative small businesses grow by teaching traffic-generating Pinterest strategies to increase their brand visibility, book more clients, and ultimately, generate more sales. When she’s not pinning on Pinterest, Vanessa, along with her husband, cares for her three sweet daughters.

Paige holds a J.D. from the University of Montana School of Law, and a BA in Economics and Political Science. During law school, she started a photography business which quickly became successful across western Montana. Instead of taking a traditional legal job, she combined her passions to help other creatives build successful and legitimate businesses. The Legal Paige was founded in 2018 and is an online legal consulting firm and contract shop for photographers.

Erica + Jon are a husband and wife commercial brand photography team that partners with commercial and personal brands to plan, style and intentionally create compelling imagery for marketing. Their work has appeared on billboards, store front signs and magazine spreads across the country.

Pete + Jordan are full-time RVers, digital marketing nerds, and believers. They love all things marketing, but they really geek out over Facebook ads + funnels. They’re passionate about educating and empowering creative entrepreneurs and wedding professionals to grow their businesses online with smart marketing strategies (aka the ones that actually work!).

Katy, a wedding photographer, is fiercely loyal to the city she lives in. She laughs, a lot; and loudly. She believes in family, friends and friends that are family. Katy enjoys tacos, sleeping in hotels, and dancing at receptions.

Meet Abbey! Mom (to everyone). Entrepreneur. Chauffer. Photographer. Picker-upper of Legos. Master of Minutes. Sideline Cheerleader. Dance Party Enthusiast. Creator of theblueprintTM. Email Ninja. Automation Genius. Marketing Guru. And ultimately, just a girl who is passionate about showing others how to build a business that is a benefit to your family, not a burden! Let’s do this!

Chris and Micaela Sosa are international wedding photographers, newlyweds, and ice cream lovers serving Miami, Florida and beyond. They met at Showit United 2017 and having been living a #UnitedLoveStory ever since! Together they love to encourage strong marriages, inspire photographers around the world, and find new ways to show people how awesome they are!

Chad DiBlasio is a central-Ohio based photographer and Entrepreneur. He has spent more than a decade in the photography industry learning how to clarify and voice the value that photography brings to peoples lives while living that out with his family of 7. He and his wife Melissa are passionate about helping people design and believe in the life they have always dreamed about and building the mindset and systems to make that a reality!

Miguel Garcia is a husband and father. He has been filming weddings for 7 years and has been featured in Martha Stewart, Crate & Barrel, and Fox 11. He has also been teaching for Rising Tide Society Pasadena chapter for over 3 years and this is his 2nd year teaching at United Conference.

After graduating with a degree in mathematics and spending several years working in the technology sector, Laura found meaning in photography. Inspired by her own wedding photographer, she jumped head first into this new career and has never looked back. She has spent the past decade photographing couples all across the world and recently launched a new brand, Spark & Bound, which provides tools to creatives to achieve their wild dreams and extraordinary goals. Laura resides in Colorado with her husband and three sons.

Breanna is a wedding photographer that started her business 7 years ago in Utah, moved to Texas, but now in San Fransisco, CA. (She gets that hustle if you have ever found yourself neeing to open a new market for your business, esp as an introvert who has learned where to spend her marketing energy.) She shoots both film and digital, and believes both are the right tool for job. She is a surface level royal family armchair expert and would escape to Vienna, Austria if she had the chance to live abroad with her husband.

Named one of the 100 Most Inspiring + Influential People in the Wedding Industry by the Knot in 2017 and one of the 75 Best Photographers in the World by BRIDES Magazine in 2018, Lauren + Tim Fair specialize in whimsical, romantic, elegant weddings both in the Northeast and destinations around the world. With a relaxed, organic approach to their “”happy fine art”” style, they adore capturing luxury weddings for joyful couples in love.

Phillip & Eileen Blume are award-winning photographers just crazy enough to believe art can change the world. As owners of three studios specializing in weddings and portraits, the Blumes seek to celebrate life and heal brokenness through humanitarian projects. They’ve appeared on CreativeLIVE, shared their vision for impactful photography on TEDx, and are founders of ComeUnity Photographer Education. They live with their children in rural Georgia, where they enjoy homeschooling and spontaneous dance parties.

Teshorn Jackson is an Antiguan born and raised retired Architect with lots of personality and charisma. He documents weddings around the US and the world. He’s a dad to a charming 15 month old son and husband to a beautiful wife. Teshorn enjoys teaching and has a way with people.

Jennifer Larsen is a southern-at-heart wedding and anniversary photographer based in New Jersey, serving couples worldwide. Making the transition from shooting weddings as a side hustle, to going full time in her business in 2016, has fueled her passion to help other photographers grow in their businesses, as well! Jen is a firm believer in hugging over handshakes, that a house is not a home without a pineapple (or twenty), and that you can never have too many throw pillows.

You can find Suzy at a local coffee shop drooling over travel blogs and dreaming about her next adventure. She’s a big fan of community over competition, mentoring photographers, and leads one of her local Tuesdays Together chapters. Suzy focuses her creative energy on photographing weddings and boudoir for the free spirit, while also pursuing a few passion projects.

Benjamin Clifford is the founder of husband and wife photography team, Benjamin Clifford Photography, based in Phoenix, Arizona. Their company was founded on their own beautiful love story of over 19 years. Ben and his wife Joy specialize in engagement and wedding photography, both in the United States and around the world, providing a luxurious once-in-a-lifetime experience for happy couples in a light, fun, and romantic style. Putting clients at ease with a soft, caring, and light-hearted tone, Ben has the unique ability to draw out raw emotions.

Jen is a midwest-born suburban girl living among the cacti in the arizona desert pursuing a creative, intentional + inspired life. Jen has been photographing + blogging + creating (formerly kreatid) since june of 2008 focusing primarily on senior + wedding portraiture. Jen has been featured on: senior style guide, hot 100, modern senior, the knot, engaged + inspired, buzzfeed + a few other publications as well as has had the pleasure of leading senior portraiture styled sessions at the showit united conference the past two years.

Tina is a midwestern girl from Kansas City who traded BBQ for tacos when her husband, Cody’s, job brought them to Tucson, Arizona. She’s a mom to two kiddos, Kinsley and Cason, and her hobbies are cooking and baking. Tina’s primary love language is quality time, but ice cream comes in at a close 2nd.

Elizabeth is a northern girl with a southern heart. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, she began her career in high school taking graduation photos of her classmates. While in Alabama pursuing her undergraduate degree in business, she continued to follow her passion of photography, and in 2013 was able to successfully launch her photography business with 30 weddings in her first year. Since then, she has photographed weddings internationally, and her work has been featured in Brides, The Knot Magazine, Martha Stewart, HGTV, Black Bride Magazine, and many more.

Tori is a fun-loving, matcha latte drinking, hugger who loves cultivating authentic relationships with other hugging humans. She is a child of entrepreneurs, so when she went into business for herself 8 years ago it was a natural fit for her. In this time she has captured over 150 weddings, traveled all over the country and is making her way around the world, capturing love and adventure with her couples. She loves weddings but engagement sessions are her absolute favorite. In addition to client care, over the past 2 years she has devoted herself to giving back to the photography community as an encourager, a photography mentor, and most recently by creating her workshop (The Mountain Collective) to help teach, encourage and equip other photographers.

Wedding photographer and Copywriter, Amber crafts brand stories with her pen and love stories with her camera. Married to Jon and mother to 4, she spends her free time crafting witty clapbacks she never has the guts actually to use.

Christianne Taylor is a fashion and wedding photographer. Her work has been featured in both fashion and bridal magazines, including Vogue, Darling, The Knot & Brides. She is a Creative Genius, Texan, and credits her success to the bowl of coffee ice cream she has every morning. She’s prefers people who come bearing Chick-fil-A or snacks; and she also definitely didn’t write this bio.

Ashley Rae is a fine art portrait and wedding photographer based in Phoenix, Arizona. Ashley Rae loves to create organic moments in medium format film and digital that are dreamy, luminous, and romantic. Her work has been viral via buzzfeed and shared on top wedding publications.

If you ask my parents, I’ve been a storyteller since I was a little girl. I’ve never been afraid to talk to anyone and I love meeting new people. So when I get asked how I got into photography, I confidently say: scrapbooking! You might be wondering how the heck scrapbooking led me to photography, but let me explain! You see, I was the girl at every middle school dance with four disposable cameras. I would walk into the dance with a list in my head of the shots I needed with friends and I knew the backdrops I wanted specifically for my scrapbook. I wanted a way to look back on my life and I’m so happy that I have thousands of pictures to tell my story and remember the little details even when I’ve long forgotten about them.

As co-owner of Showit, Elisa is happy to stay behind the scenes, unless she is teaching the crew how to be the best version of themselves through knowing themselves and their personality types. Recently she has been able to share her knowledge through her podcast, Sines of Life, as well as on the stage at Showit United, and at the Reset Conference. But Elisa is not just a speaker and teacher and podcaster, she is also a blogger with a beautiful knack for telling stories that draw people in wholeheartedly. It is nearly impossible to read her work without either laughing or crying, and sometimes both. And she has plenty to write about, as the most frequent characters of her stories are her 4 strapping sons, and her husband Todd.

When a photographer friend needed help building a website in 2005, Todd immediately jumped to action. Always wanting to help, and excited to crack his knuckles writing some code, he never imagined it would turn into a business. Anyone around him might have guessed otherwise. Before Todd had even set his 18-year-old foot in a Computer Science class at ASU, he had already sharpened his entrepreneurial skills by creating two successful businesses. With his pioneering spirit, not to mention a supportive and trusting wife, Todd co-founded Showit with the intention of helping photographers bridge the gap between tech and creativity. Over a decade later, and 4 stunning sons, 28 employees, and countless Showiteers later, that gap is closing more and more.