We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rebecca Halpin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rebecca below.

Rebecca, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Like many Los Angeles transplants, I originally moved to Los Angeles in 2008 to pursue an acting career. I had studied acting my whole life, going to performing arts middle and high schools, and earning a BFA from the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. After a few years of doing small stage and screen performances in New York, I moved to LA (during the Writers Strike!) with the hopes of transitioning from stage to film/TV, and it was a tough transition. I had always been told that if there was anything else I wanted to do besides acting, I should pursue that instead. After about seven years of giving it the old college try, I finally realized that there WAS something else I was both good at and passionate about, and that was planning fun, creative, and fabulous events for my very deserving clients. It was difficult to go from being in the spotlight (literally) to behind the scenes, but the satisfaction I get from watching my clients celebrate their happy occasions makes it all worth it.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I joined the events industry with experience from a few different angles: I had supplemented my previous acting career with “day jobs” in the Jewish nonprofit world, planning events and programs from wine tours to small young adult gatherings to large galas. This included teaching 7th grade religious school for 14 years at a local synagogue, which introduced me to my future clientele. Additionally, I worked for a caterer for 8 years planning in-house events at several synagogues, and even worked for two years as a Dancer/Party Motivator with a DJ company. All of these experiences combined to make me somewhat of an expert in the field of Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, and that’s how my planning career took off!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I am somewhat known by my colleagues and clients for posting Instagram stories the night of my events showing a behind-the-scenes glimpse into my day. I’ll often start the story by showing my car filled to the brim with supplies for the next day’s event (coined “Lexus Tetris”), then document as we set-up the room, often transforming spaces into personalized (and often themed) parties for my clients. During the event, I take photos and videos of decor, dancing, and fun moments, and my signature shot is a Boomerang of the Bar or Bat Mitzvah celebrant being lifted in a chair during the Hora (a circle dance). At the end of the night, I post my step count for the day, and then save the story into a Story Bubble in my profile for future reference. I almost never post during the event – I’m usually far too busy for that – but I always make an effort to do the post later once I’m home, even if it’s after midnight. My clients and vendor-colleagues always appreciate it, as it gives upcoming clients ideas about what they can do at their own events, and highlights the creative efforts of our vendor teams. It’s one way that I’ve worked to amass over 1,000 followers, despite my event planning niche.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Everyone knows that moms talk to one another, and the best representatives for my brand are my past clients. I’m very lucky that I’ve been able to grow my business almost entirely by word of mouth. And it’s especially rewarding when clients book my services for their second and even third children. Just this year, I helped celebrate the youngest child of a family I worked with in 2016 and 2018, AND worked with a third set of cousins as well!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rahevents.com
• Instagram: @rahevents
• Facebook: @RAH Events

Image Credits
1 – Grettel Cortes
2 – Tracey Landworth
3 & 4 – Next Exit Photography
5 – Jan Birch
6 – Shani Barel
7 & 8 – Stacey Adams