We were lucky to catch up with Heather Harpole recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Heather, thanks for joining us today. What was one of the most important lessons you learned in school? Why did that lesson stick with you?

As I enter the fall quarter of my senior year of college at The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, I have had time to reflect on the lessons I have learned throughout my studies.

Growing up in private schools in Little Rock, Arkansas was a blessing and a curse. I am incredibly privileged to have had such dedicated teachers and mentors at the schools I attended. My diligence in school work has been my identity as I have rarely taken time to relax. Between balancing school projects and internships, I spend any free time working on personal projects or the next assignment due.

While in high school, my motivation to create stemmed from knowing I would not look back after graduating since none of my peers had the same career interests as me. My passion for social media content creation was deemed unrealistic and superficial by their standards of what a career was supposed to look like.

Most of the students followed the prescribed path set for them by their parents or friends. As an only child, I did not have many people to influence me aside from those I followed online. I saw how appealing these creators’ experiences were on social media because of the opportunities they had in large cities. This widened my perspective to know there is so much more outside of the expectations of one’s community. The lesson that sticks with me transitioning into my professional career is that knowing my value will always push me to continue following my own path.

Heather, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a social media content creator and photographer based in West Hollywood. Ever since Instagram came out, I have always had a passion for shooting, editing, and posting content online. During the pandemic, I started producing photo and video shoots with creatives across Los Angeles to build my portfolio. Specializing in lifestyle, fashion, and product content creation, I am proficient in Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, CapCut, InShot, and Canva. During my three and a half years living in the city, I have worked with several companies capturing the essence of their brand message.

While completing my Bachelor of Arts degree in Digital Marketing at FIDM, I interned at multiple companies. At Girls Crew, I assisted in developing marketing assets for TikTok and Instagram. Additionally, I had the opportunity to plan activations at the company’s first brick-and-mortar store at Westfield Century City Mall. Some of the collections I pitched content ideas for include collaborations with Disney, Marvel, Squishmallows, and Star Wars. Presently, I intern at Walker Drawas, a fashion PR firm and showroom whose clients are Revolve, FRWD, Banana Republic, Puma, Luxottica, Ray-Bans, Oakley, Garage, Reiss, Meshki, Christopher Kane, and Knesko. I assist in stylist pulls, event production, developing target lists, and VIP giftings for talent.

Between networking with clients, professors at FIDM, and internships, I have established my presence in the city without having any connections to Los Angeles prior to moving here. Each of my clients comes to me with a different project. One may need a complete rebrand on their social media accounts, meaning I would assist in developing a new aesthetic through the content I shoot. On the other hand, others may need help posting on a consistent schedule but they might not have the time to manage their business and their social media. I step in to help plan monthly content calendars, write captions with hashtags, and upload the content directly to their page. Finally, a third client could ask for assistance in producing a shoot which includes creative direction, sourcing talent, developing a shots list, shooting, and editing the final products.

With my diverse amount of experience being a consumer and content creator, I am beneficial to my clients because I know how their target segments of customers will resonate with the content I produce. Today’s generation expects more than a traditional advertising campaign. They want content that is fast-paced and inspires action with real results.

I am proud of myself for always striving to want more from my career even when I manage school responsibilities, internships, and freelance work. In the future, I would love to curate a diverse group of clients in the fashion, wellness, food, lifestyle, and beauty industries to freelance full-time. Until then, I see myself expanding my skill set at the companies I work at in my early 20s following my college graduation this June.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele is going to well-known spots in the city where prospective clients frequent. I have met the majority of my clients through the connections I have made while at events and in social environments.

This has a domino effect because a client that hires me to capture photos at their event provides me with the opportunity to interact with their guests. Many attendees may also have brands they need content for. Shooting events offer both in-person connections with clients and online interactions when they tag my photos on their social media.

Additionally, I find it valuable to be connected with fellow creatives in the industry as they can pass on projects to me if they have too many clients on their plate. I meet fellow creatives through Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn. Usually, they will have me assist them on shoots, and from there the production team will send me future work opportunities. I believe word-of-mouth marketing is the most powerful tool in this industry because it is free advertising that results in naturally expanding one’s presence

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

As mentioned, I attended collegiate preparatory schools before art school, and many of my peers, teachers, and family members still do not see the potential in social media content creation as a career. I fully understand that some people would prefer to follow a more traditional trajectory for their line of work but creatives in this industry recognize the importance of brand exposure outside of traditional advertising.

No matter how many followers a person has, they have the potential to influence those who engage with their content. Likewise, celebrities wear an item and the product is usually sold out within a short period of time. Although small creators have less of an impact on the masses, their voices can still be just as convincing due to niche audiences respecting their choices and beliefs.

User-Generated Content creation is incredibly powerful because it is real people of the brand’s target segments of consumers trying the products. This content has just as much potential to go viral as a public figure’s would.

I adore bringing brand messages to life through the visuals I create for big and small companies because I know someone will consider supporting a brand if they feel captivated by the content. I hope that by connecting the dots to the importance of social media marketing, individuals of non-creative industries recognize that traditional advertisements cannot be the only driver in a world of consumers with diminishing attention spans compared to previous generations.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://heatherharpole.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heatherharpolephotography/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-harpole/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@heather_harpole

Image Credits
Heather Harpole Photography