We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mary Bateman-Mercado a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Mary, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One deeply underappreciated facet of being an entrepreneur or creative is the kind of crazy stuff that happens from time to time. It could be anything from a disgruntled client attacking an employee or waking up to find out a celebrity gave you a shoutout on TikTok – the sudden, unexpected hits (both positive and negative) make the profession both exhilarating and exhausting. Can you share one of your craziest stories?
Ask any TV producer and they’ll have a handful of crazy stories to tell you. There’s something about working with crowds of people, crazy anchors, kids, live animals, cooking with open flames, and breaking news on live TV – stuff just happens. Working as a television producer for more than two decades, I’ve definitely got my share of war stories.
One of my most epic tales includes the time my stagehand placed an HMI light too close to the fire sprinkler sensor in the most exclusive suite on the top floor of the brand-new Westin Hotel at Detroit International Airport.
We were shooting a segment with a newly engaged couple, their wedding planner, and the hotel event planner for a wedding planning special. I remember hearing a slight “pop”. Seconds later all the fire sprinklers in the ceiling erupted in waterfalls across the 2000 square foot suite. Fire alarms blared throughout the hotel. Massive metal fire doors scrolled down along the interior atrium walkways on all ten floors of the hotel. I learned later this hotel had major fire prevention features because it was smack dab in the middle of an international airport.
The hotel event manager made a weak attempt to protect the brand-spanking new plasma TV from getting saturated by covering it with his suit jacket. The shocked couple and wedding planner stood there dumbfounded, getting drenched from head to toe. Meanwhile, my stagehand and photographer were trying everything to stop the water while also trying to protect their equipment. Just then three fire trucks screamed across the airport tarmac toward the hotel. ‘This is bad,’ I thought.
Once the alarms stopped blaring, the firewalls receded, the hook and ladder trucks trailed away and the sprinklers slowed to a drip, drip, drip, I made the dreaded call to my TV station’s operations manager to explain the horrible situation. The production manager was concerned but calm. He told me the station had insurance for things like this. I breathed a sigh of relief. We left the hotel with profuse apologies and our tails behind our legs.
Many lessons were learned that day. First, always expect the unexpected. Next, make sure you have insurance, especially if you’re working in a public space. Safety is paramount. Be aware of your surroundings. Most importantly, make sure you hire the right people. Needless to say, that stagehand never worked for us again.
Despite the crazy circumstances, systems were in place for handling situations like this. We handled ourselves in a professional manner and ended up working with this hotel on other occasions. For me personally, I was reminded to pay attention to the details. That pop I heard, was the cover popping off the heat sensor in the ceiling sprinklers. Had I paid attention to that subtle clue we could have moved the light and avoided the whole scenario.
Mary, 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?
For more than two decades I have worked as a television producer primarily for ABC stations. My big break came in the mid-2000s at WXYZ-TV in Detroit when our station’s programming director gave me a shot at helping to produce the nationally syndicated show, Rebecca’s Garden. The show was picked up by HGTV. I was asked to work as the line producer for that show.
Since then I have created dozens of different shows and specials. I currently work part-time as a field producer for Good Morning America and run my own production company which allows me to produce segments for other networks including HBO, Viacom/CBS, CBC, and Comcast.
Then, in February of 2022, my husband surprised me with a couple of ballroom dance lessons. It reignited a passion for dance and also led to an exciting new business venture.
Long before my TV career, dance was my first love. I trained in ballet from age 9 through 18. I was a member of my high school dance team where I performed modern, jazz, and contemporary routines.
Once I started working in television there was little time for dance. Add to that, a husband, five children, and a blossoming career — most of my dancing was done in the kitchen while cooking dinner or at an occasional wedding or company party.
Within a few months of starting ballroom dance lessons my husband and I entered our first ballroom competition. It was magic. Let me paint a picture for you. The larger ballroom competitions usually last for three days. They are held at large hotels and include multiple events.
The first night usually involves showcase performances or choreographed dances like you would see on Dancing With the Stars.
The next day includes hundreds of ballroom heats for every level. One day is specified for smooth/ballroom dances. Think waltz, tango, and foxtrot.
On Friday night there is an event called “nightclub” which is a more fun, relaxed, party-like event where you can compete with dances like salsa, bachata, West Coast swing, and country dances.
On the third day of the competition, there are multiple Rhythm and Latin rounds for dances like Cha Cha, Rumba, Swing, Bolero, and Mambo. Each day is capped off with a world-class professional dance competition where the instructors compete at the highest level.
The weekend culminates with a grand formal banquet. For this, the ballroom is transformed into a fairyland. Everyone is dressed to the nines. Competition awards are presented followed by a glittering Broadway-level professional show. For each event, there are different elaborate costumes studded with rhinestones, sequins, or feathers. It’s absolutely spectacular and seriously, the most fun with the most beautiful people expressing their creativity in so many ways.
You can see why I was instantly hooked. One thing, I learned early on, is that all those wonderful costumes come with a high price tag. Not only that, it’s hard to even find practice wear in average U.S. sizes. Most dancewear is made overseas for tiny dancers. Yet, when it comes to ballroom competitions most of the amateur women competitors are average-sized. So, that’s why I decided to create my own dancewear company called Drest Couture.
With the help of mentors and talented designers, we’ve been able to launch a stunning line of size-inclusive practice wear in sizes extra small through 4X. We believe everyone deserves to look good dancing. Our sizes are based on U.S. size charts and fit true to size. Our skirts are made from the highest quality fabrics and are designed to flow and look fabulous when you’re dancing. So far, the response has been amazing. Our customers are loving the skirts and can’t wait for new designs to come out.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Social media has been integral in building our brand. It is the most cost-effective way to reach targeted, new customers. Coming from the broadcasting business I already knew a bit about how to reach people. In fact, on any breaking news story, there are producers who spend their entire shift searching social media to find related individuals and relevant hashtags for video and photo resources as well as for leads on who to interview.
When we launched Drest Couture we knew we needed help with social media and so we hired a professional. I actually found her through searching the hashtag: #socialmediamarketing. I followed a few other professionals who were posting social media tips and ended up finding a great partner for our business.
I have learned so much from our social media expert on what to post, when to post, and why it’s important to post in a variety of ways including stories, static posts, reels, and live posts on a variety of social media platforms. I learned how to use the right hashtags and find other folks in the ballroom dance world who would be willing to collaborate with us. Ultimately, I learned how important it is to remain consistent in posting and also how to interact with people on your feed to gain traction in social media algorithms.
The last bit of advice I have comes from my news/TV experience. USE A MICROPHONE. and also a light. You can purchase a simple Lavalier microphone and a ring light with adjustable color temperatures on Amazon for about $80 each. Using those two things will greatly improve the quality of your posts. Sure, you can get by just talking to your iPhone but if you want to look and sound professional make sure you have quality sound and lighting.
One success story I can share is how we used social media to connect with another dancewear company that has now become our wholesale partner. Within just a couple weeks of launching our business, Jeravae Ballroom Dancewear in Kansas City saw a video post my husband, Anthony and I made to introduce our company. Jerave Christensen who owns the company reached out to us right away and told us she liked what we were doing with size-inclusive dance wear. She told us she was launching a body-positive section both in her brick-and-mortar store as well as in her online catalog. After just a couple of meetings, she told us, “Send me one of everything in every size!” It was amazing, especially being so new. We were thrilled to begin this partnership which all happened because of social media.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
We’re still fairly new but one of the greatest assets we have in building our reputation in the ballroom dance community is the support of our wonderful dance family. Our instructors and studio owners have been behind us since day one. They talk up our products with other students. We have collaborated with some instructors and are looking for more instructors who want to collaborate with us both through social media posts and sales incentives.
Other dancers at our studio have been incredibly supportive as well. They buy our skirts and have also allowed us to photograph them and use their images in our social media. They have also been willing to write Google reviews for us which is extremely helpful. They also tell their friends about our skirts. One of my favorite moments was at a recent mini-match (small three-studio competition) when I saw my friend and another student from a different studio pointing and looking at my skirt. I knew my friend was spreading the good word about Drest Couture and it absolutely meant the world to me.
We’re building our reputation by wearing our practice wear at all types of competitions. Our skirts are perfect for mini-matches, team matches, or even as part of a costume for showcase performances. I pair one of my skirts with a flashy top and wear it during nightclub events. It’s fun to dress like a dancer whether you are competing or just practicing in the studio.
Recently we also sponsored another big ballroom competition, the Houston Dancesport Classic. We had a vendor booth at the competition. We held a skirt giveaway contest. Gathering the entries introduced us to a whole new group of dancers who had not yet seen our products. At the end of the competition, we awarded prize money to the showcase winners. We were able to share photos and videos of the whole event on social media. Each of these things brings us closer to our customers and helps establish a foothold in the ballroom dancewear industry.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.drestcouture.com
- Instagram: @drestcouture
- Facebook: @drestcouture
Image Credits
Edina Kobor LaHari Photography and Anthony Mercado