Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Rae

Hi Jessica, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

I am the founder and CEO of Rae Model & Talent Agency LLC and Rae Studios, a talent agency and dance studio located in downtown San Francisco, California, established in 2011. My mission was to create jobs that directly support dance professionals in the Bay Area. Both of my businesses work hand in hand, providing talents with the option to work multiple jobs and positions. I currently represents over 50 dance and fitness instructors and over 150 models and dancers for film/print/event jobs, with some talents having dual representation.

I am a graduate from San Francisco State University with a BA in Speech and Communications and an emphasis on public speaking, which led me to on-camera work. I have been featured in various print, billboards and commercials, such as Muscle Milk, Fitbit, Acura, Facebook, and 24hr Fitness and have danced along side various celebrity artists.

In 2022, I was asked to represent dance and women’s entrepreneurship as a selected judge for Miss America, interviewing 50 candidates for the position.

Currently, I work as a talent agent with a diverse network that has allowed my team to work with clients such as Netflix, Fever, HBO, Comcast, and NBC.

My work as a community leader was recently recognized by the City of San Francisco, contracting Rae Studios with a 1-year contract to host free outdoor dance classes for people of all economic backgrounds. This has provided additional job opportunities for local instructors and staff employment.

Today, I am an active talent agent, instructor at Rae Studios and Equinox, and speaker for educational workshops around entrepreneurship and leadership traveling across the country for various speaking engagements.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

I don’t think my road has ever been smooth. Bumps, patches and u-turns are a signature discussion at the round table. And I’m not afraid of making errors or pivoting my business plans. My management team and I have daily check-ins addressing subjects like, the need of increase wages, operational mapping, the hunt to expedite gorilla marketing, improving racial diversity awareness, being leaders of gender equality, amongst other subjects with our small team of managers.

Pre-covid looked like pressure in the event space, some weekends my talent agency would feature over 100+ dancers booked in a single weekend while the studio had jam packed classes. As COVID-19 cases continued to rise, and dance class reservations started to decrease, I decided to put together an online dance operation plan for the “just in case” situation. We started hosting online classes Day 1 of Shelter-in-Place. Like many studios, that quickly became our source of income allowing instructors, students and clients to engage in dance, yoga and fitness classes online. Unfortunately, the agency closed during the pandemic and I solely focused on the studio. Once businesses were allowed to host hybrid classes, we were faced new technical challenges, providing two sets of operation and employment necessities for in-person class and for online classes.

My team and I continued to push heavy on corporate sales offering online dance and fitness contracts to companies like Kaiser, Databricks, Twitter, Salesforce just to name a few. Thankfully, those relationships saved the studio allowing us to keep pushing into further months ahead.

Today, my small business continues to struggle maintaining memberships and new clients. Rae Studios is located in SF Union Square, a very transit city and district. Most businesses in Union Square have closed or moved away from the district. My studio is just over 3,000 sq ft on the 7th floor overlooking downtown San Francisco. We have never been a visible commercial store-front which keeps us on our toes with our online presence and client testimonials. We at Rae Studios currently have 70 members, allow for drop-in, class cards and featuring over 50+ classes, two locations, open 7 days a week!

Luckily, we are a crowd favorite, we have a supportive community and strong corporate clientele. At the end of the day, our teachers, students and clients leave sweaty and happy. That’s enough for us to keep moving forward!

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

I own two companies. Rae Model & Talent Agency focuses on film, print and events while Rae Studios is designed to offer dance and fitness classes for group lessons, corporate packages, studio rentals and private lessons. I started my company in 2011, making this year my thirteenth year in business. I started with the talent agency. At the time, I was still performing and realized if I wanted this company to work, I needed to take a serious back-seat and work as an operator. I then hired employees and categorized their focused attention between the studio and the agency.

In the beginning stages of the agency, I quickly moved up the ladder. I had a wide diverse roster of models and an even more extraordinary roster of professional dancers. This intrigued casting directors who were looking for models and actors who could make their brand/product/service a “WOW” factor! If I look back at all our work in the agency, I strongly remember being excited when we got requested to perform for Hugh Hufner at his Playboy mansion. The event felt like I was living out of a movie scene with a troupe of 16 dancers wearing matching Stars and Stripes costumes as we performed to Usher.

This year, Rae Agency was asked to prepare a choreographed number for Gap’s HQ new campaign “Linen Moves”. Watching our dancers on stage with GAP INC. CEO, Richard Dickson was an emotional celebration. The booking was set and performed within just 12-hours with one of our lead dancers expecting. The show had a standing ovation! As the owner, I stayed in the back the room recording with silent and proud tears of joy.

For Rae Studios, I feel proud daily watching studio classes in session. You can hear the studio hype outside and around the corner from the street. Dancers are just a vibe. Students and teachers walk into Union Square with so much swag, outfits that match their class and teacher energy, entering the room with confidence or shyness (shout out to our first time students who slowly come out their shell) and show off their artistic skills in dance. It’s all so magnetic. But my proudest CEO moment was finalizing a contract in Q4-23 for the City of San Francisco providing free dance classes at the remodeled park in Civic Center’s UN Plaza. This contract promotes more employment, supports local business and local dance teachers, and promotes movement classes for people of all economic backgrounds.

Services that we offer:
– RAEAGENCY.COM | Professional Models & Dancers for Print, Film and Events
– RAE STUDIOS-SF.COM | Group Classes, Studio Rentals, Corporate Packages, Privates Lessons

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?

Yes, I consider myself a risk taker. I’m that business owner/friend that has an idea and puts it on a big superstar arena, lol. Then, I usually have to trim down the idea to fit a realistic budget. After all, I am a small business. However, there are always ways to expand outside of the norm. An example of recent risks have been our Performance Dance Showcase. Showcases at Rae Studios are a 5-8 week dance intensive where students can sign up in advance to learn a routine followed by a live showcase to perform in front guests. Showcases are typically held inside the dance studio to save on rent, show off the facility and other reasons. For me, I like thinking outside the box and took the showcase to a mid-size theater. This gave our students a real sense of performing on a professional stage, with sound & lighting, proper tech rehearsals, and a chance to perform feels like a pro. Although expenses build up much faster, the risk of elevating an experience like this has evolved for us with more performers, teachers, higher ticketed attendees, and sponsorship. Last showcase brought in 150 performers and 300 attending guests. This event has become a highlight experience for all dancers, choreographers and supporters in our community.

My next big risk has been delayed since the pandemic. Building a second dance studio. Finding the right dance space has be tricky when searching in San Francisco market, but it’s time for us to grow and expand. Stay tuned as continue our search for our next big risk!

Pricing:

• Unlimited Dance Memberships: $165/month (with a 6 month contract)
• New Student Intro Deal: $55 – 7 Day unlimited
• $25 Drop In Rate
• Model & Dancer rates available upon request

Contact Info:

• Website: raestudios-sf.com | raeagency.com
• Instagram: @raestudiossf.com | @raeagency
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/raestudiossf | https://www.youtube.com/raeagency
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rae-studios-san-francisco-3

Image Credits

Photo of me and my dog Kika is by Robbie Gomez
Photo of Rae Agency banner is by various Bay Area photographers
Photo of Showcase in Theater is by Backstage Jackson inside the Great Star Theater