Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melodie Bobbitt. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Melodie, appreciate you joining us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

As Executive Director of Autumn Eve Productions, I am given opportunities to serve the incredibly talented, accomplished and intelligent young women who come through the organization. I hope my legacy is one that will be remembered as a positive encourager who celebrated the individuality, unique abilities and successes of young women with which I have had the honor to play a role in their journey through life, while also being remembered as one who continued to learn and grow with them. My goal in mentoring, advising and training these young women is to help them realize their own potential and significance in this world, finding their place and making a positive impact on society. I am able to meet with each one on one to provide guidance, training, and a listening ear. Additional sponsors selected from trusted resources throughout the nation offer their support in partnering with Autumn Eve Productions.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Autumn Eve Productions crowns Miss, Teen and Pre-Teen division winners in our annual pageant to represent the Triangle Area and City of Oaks with the option to compete on a state level with Autumn Eve Productions as a sponsor. Winners receive individually tailored mentoring and coaching sessions designed to dramatically improve their potential successes in pageants and beyond. Triumph and achievement in the pageant system can help prepare young women at the crucial transition in their journey into adulthood. Style, grace, determination and poise are characteristics that can be cultivated for a lifetime of benefits. Many girls gain the knowledge and confidence needed to achieve their finest dreams. Autumn Eve Productions celebrates the greatness found in us all through beauty, poise, intelligence, and communication. Be the very best you can be in everything that you do. Our pageants are designed to increase a young woman’s poise, confidence and internal strength.

During my most impressionable years of young adulthood, I was able to participate in pageants that provided me mentorship, personal growth, motivation to find my voice, communication skills, and personal relation development that positively influenced my career. I have my bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees in piano performance. Each level of education required me to be disciplined in my studies and exude my musical personality during the numerous required performances, while also relaying my knowledge to my students. Now that private piano teaching is my main profession, I am continually pushed to use these skills and grow and develop on a daily basis. The positive experiences and personal development I had as a pageant contestant lead me to want to provide a path for other young women to grow similarly.

The focus with Autumn Eve Productions has been on pageants as a goal and vessel to provide an environment where young women can find their voice and develop necessary skills to fulfill their ambitions. We have expanded with the addition of the Pre-Teen category and a Community Service Scholarship in 2023. Future plans involve more fundraisers benefiting the sponsorship of the winners and other local charities serving the community.

The young women who are a part of our organization are some of the most impressive and successful individuals I know. They are lawyers, accountants, engineers, speech language pathologist, educators, IT specialists, college scholars (including two Morehead-Cain Scholars), high school achievers, professional ballerinas, accomplished artists, activists in their communities and impactful voices. Education in a formal and informal capacity is of extreme importance to each. Appalachian State University, Belmont Abbey College, Birmingham Southern College, Duke University, Georgetown University, NC State University, Northwestern University, University of Alabama, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington, University of South Carolina-Aiken and Western Carolina University are all well-represented with the accomplished students and graduates from their institutions. It is inspiring to see each young woman continually set and achieve their goals.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Our second annual pageant was scheduled for May of 2020. Then, the pandemic hit. There were already young women registered for our pageant, and we wanted to create some kind of opportunity for them to still have an experience to compete while also following health guidelines. It is pretty amazing what can be created when you are in a bind with very few options. Rather than cancel the pageant, we organized a virtual pageant with live competition and audience members. Contestants competed in their personal space, sharing their cameras when it was time for them to compete. Interviews were individual in a virtual format, and the judges represented North Carolina, Tennessee and Florida. There was an emcee who kept everything moving extraordinarily well. We even had ad pages and videos to highlight our sponsors while contestants changed for the next phase of competition. I played the role of the background director making sure all went as planned. It was a welcomed joyful reprieve for all of us from what was happening in the world.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

My clients are the young women I have the honor to support and the amazing sponsors who partner with me to help them. Building a relationship of encouragement that celebrates every milestone, big and small, is the best way to have brand loyalty. Honestly, relationships are my favorite part of what I do. Each experience I have getting to know the winners and partnering business owners motivates me to want to do better in my own life and stretches me to amplify my knowledge of the world around me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.autumneveproductions.com
• Instagram: Autumn Eve Productions (instagram.com/autumneveproductions.com/)
• Facebook: Autumn Eve Productions (facebook.com/autumneveproductions.com)

Image Credits
Pemberly Photographics