Barbie Hull is a seasoned photographer with a knack for forming genuine connections and capturing unforgettable moments. In this hilarious episode, she shares event scandals from behind the lens, her thoughts on the evolution of photography trends (and getting tips from everyone and their uncle at events), and how her passion and personality have driven her success in the event biz for decades.
Key Takeaways:
- Personal Touch in Events: The importance of bringing your authentic self to enhance event energy and vendor collaboration.
- Event Twists: Her go-to strategy is to “laugh” in the face of unexpected challenges, and she’s had to use it plenty of times!
- Authentic Moment Capture: Known for putting subjects at ease, Barbie excels at capturing authentic moments that reflect true personal essence.
Resources Mentioned:
- Barbie Hull: LinkedIn and Website
- eShakti dresses
- Alysse & Libby: Bios & LinkedIn
Quotes:
- “I have a big energy…I’m a lot. And I will become your friend…So that’s why I wanted to…only hire and let people hire me who are Green Flag clients.” – Barbie Hull
- ” I love being a Girl Scout. I’m always prepared.” – Barbie Hull
Listener Challenge:
Reflect on how you can integrate more personality and fun into your work environment or projects this week. Share your creative ideas with us on social media using #BEATSWORKINGEVENTS.
Connect with Us:
- Website: www.beatsworkingpodcast.com
- LinkedIn: @BEATS WORKING Show
- Instagram: @beatsworkingshow
- Facebook: @Beats Working Show
- YouTube: @BEATSWORKINGPODCAST
Support the Show:
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your feedback helps us improve and reach more listeners.
BEATS WORKING is a platform on a mission to redeem work—the word, the place, and the way. We believe that work is the most honorable act in the universe, and through inspiring stories and practical insights, we want to transform the way people think about work and help them discover greater fulfillment in their lives. We invite you to join us as we build community through sharing and actively demonstrating what we learn.
If you have a show idea, feedback, or just want to connect, email producer Tamar Medford at tamar@workp2p.com.
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Transcript
The following transcript is not certified. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors. The information contained within this document is for general information purposes only.
Libby Sundgren [00:00:00]:
What are your go to strategies for handling unexpected twists and turns when you’re at an event?
Barbie Hull [00:00:08]:
As an event person, I do know that things as you know, as we all know, event things go wrong. They always go wrong. It’s not if they always win.
Libby Sundgren [00:00:18]:
It’s one of my favorite things to talk about because everyone has a war story. Or like a hundred.
Elise [00:00:24]:
Yeah, like a hundred.
Barbie Hull [00:00:25]:
I feel like I built my business off of war stories of like people saying, let me tell you what mine did wrong. And I’m like, no, don’t do that. You know, one time it was. Oh, my photographer ate out of their hand, just like grabbed from the buffet a handful of shrimp and shoved it into their mouth like on the dance floor. I’m like, wow, that’s. That’s just gross in general.
Libby Sundgren [00:00:51]:
No.
Elise [00:00:51]:
Was that any pre Covid or post Covid?
Libby Sundgren [00:00:54]:
Gross.
Barbie Hull [00:00:54]:
That was pre Covid. Post Covid. It’s double worse. Double.
Elise [00:00:58]:
Double gross. Double growth.
Barbie Hull [00:01:00]:
Yeah.
Elise [00:01:01]:
Welcome to Beats Working Winning the game of Events. Where we share stories and strategies to turn any event or life moment into something unforgettable.
Libby Sundgren [00:01:11]:
Events are wild and the people who work in them are some of the most resilient humans on earth. If you know, you know.
Elise [00:01:18]:
So come with us behind the curtain for a look at their most memorable experiences.
Libby Sundgren [00:01:24]:
As they say, the show must go on. So let’s get on with the show. Hello. Welcome to Beats Working Winning the Game of Events. Today we have truly one of my favorite people on the planet.
Elise [00:01:45]:
No, wait. My favorite people.
Libby Sundgren [00:01:47]:
See, she’s our favorite people.
Elise [00:01:49]:
Okay, okay, that’s fair.
Libby Sundgren [00:01:51]:
I mean, to be honest, she’s probably the favorite people of so money. Because this person is a frigging rock star at her job. She always makes everybody look good. She always makes you feel good. She’s the best cheerleader. And if you are looking for a photographer or just a friend, I would employ her immediately.
Elise [00:02:16]:
Well, and if you do employ her, then she will become your friend. I don’t know how she could not. I know. Should we. Should we announce who. Who’s here? Libby, do you think we should make.
Libby Sundgren [00:02:27]:
I’ve really built this up.
Elise [00:02:28]:
You’ve built this out.
Libby Sundgren [00:02:29]:
Drum roll please. Barbie Hull with Barbie Ho Photography.
Elise [00:02:37]:
The one, the only.
Libby Sundgren [00:02:39]:
She’s been at this since 2001. So, folks, this isn’t a.
Elise [00:02:42]:
When she was five. No, she started when she was.
Libby Sundgren [00:02:44]:
She’s a pro fessional. So many mems. So many mems with Barbie over the years.
Barbie Hull [00:02:50]:
So many good mems. And that was an awesome intro. My face turned Purple. And there’s not even people around. Like, I’m so excited. You two are my favorite. I love this podcast. I love partying.
Libby Sundgren [00:03:01]:
How much we love each other. Yeah, for, like, 30 minutes.
Elise [00:03:04]:
Oh, my gosh, Just much we love each other. All my favorite pictures of us have been taken by Barbie. I feel like Same and. And there’s been a lot, to be clear.
Libby Sundgren [00:03:14]:
Same. Truly the only person I have, I mean, ever trusted to capture those most important moments in my professional and personal life. So, yeah, pretty much every portrait in here. It looks like a gallery for Barbie. So if you want to see her work, maybe just email the show.
Elise [00:03:40]:
Barbie, when did you know that you had the gift behind the lens and that you loved capturing moments? When did you know that?
Barbie Hull [00:03:49]:
I mean, when did I start being a photographer or when did I know and feel that in my bones? I think are two totally different things. Like, I grew up wanting to be a photographer and bossing people around with my little disposable cameras and, like, on the playground, bossing all my friends around doing photo shoots. And we were really nerdy. So if those photos ever made it to, like, I could never be. I could never be a politician because our teenage year photos would emerge, and that would not be great. Or maybe it is.
Libby Sundgren [00:04:20]:
Nerds are cool. Nerds are cool. I think you would get voted in. You would get voted.
Barbie Hull [00:04:25]:
I was the nerdiest of nerds. So I went to art school right out of high school and loved it and thought that the world of photography was going to be one thing, and turns out it’s a lot harder. It’s more moving furniture and just, like, pumping people up than it is actually taking pictures and creating images. Like, there’s so much more that what goes into it than I had initially realized. So I think I took a step back for a few years, and I’d say It’s probably like, 10 years ago that I finally started listening to people who say nice things to me, like, you guys, you two lovely ladies, like, pumping me up. Did I realize, like, oh, I am in the right field. I am doing the right thing. So, like, when the pandemic hit, I was like, I should find something else to do.
Barbie Hull [00:05:07]:
I’ve been doing this for 20 over, like, 25 years almost. And that feels like so long. Who has a job that long? And so I kind of racked my brain and went through it and was like, what else should I do? And I don’t ever want to do anything else. I love this job so much. And that was kind of like, reaffirming that I do want to stay in this events world. And I. I mean, even though I’ve shifted from mostly strictly weddings to mostly corporate events, I still do take the wedding of all the green flags girls. So anybody that gives all green flags, that’s the client that I want.
Barbie Hull [00:05:41]:
And so this kind of the question that you asked me and what I’ve answered are two totally different. So I will definitely be a great politician.
Libby Sundgren [00:05:49]:
But that was a great answer. That was exactly what she asked. And you know, it’s really true. You have this incredible knack for forming emotional connections with people in such a short amount of time. And they’re very genuine. They’re not fake. They don’t feel forced. And people are just going to be more comfortable with somebody that they feel like they connect with.
Libby Sundgren [00:06:14]:
And you are just. You’re very good at that, at putting people at ease and just getting them to, like, feel, you know, most people feel so weird in front of a camera. But it’s scary, you know, when you’re like, fake laugh and you’re like, oh, gosh, this is gonna look insane. And then you. We look at the pictures and you’re like, oh, we were the funniest, just happiest people we’ve ever seen.
Barbie Hull [00:06:38]:
So funny.
Elise [00:06:39]:
Well, and that’s how that translates, though. It’s yes, Barbie absolutely has that gift of making people feel comfortable and feel seen. But how that translates is really her art, because then she’s. She captures that authentic moment of the person’s, like, real core essence, their real personality, their real soul. And that’s what I see when I look at her pictures.
Libby Sundgren [00:07:05]:
Without that, like, photo anxiety that you can get in front of a camera.
Barbie Hull [00:07:09]:
You know, it’s real anxiety. I do not love to be in front of the camera myself. Like, I definitely have one or two glasses of champagne before I get in front of the camera. And I’m still a little awkward. Weird dinosaur that reverts back to my teenage nerdiness. But hearing you guys say those things, like, just gives me more encourage and incentive to meet with clients. Like, I love to meet with my clients before they hire me. Because I do know I’m a lot.
Barbie Hull [00:07:35]:
I have a big energy. I’m a lot. And I will become your friend. And what if it’s not a great fit? Like, I will still do it and I will power through. So that’s why I wanted to, like, only hire and let people hire me who are green flag clients. They don’t give any of the red flags. You know, so then we meet. They can see the big energy.
Barbie Hull [00:07:53]:
They can decide if that’s somebody they want in their lives for the rest of their lives. They hope that, you know, forever. You’re not going anywhere forever. When I take your pictures at your wedding, I’ll be there forever.
Libby Sundgren [00:08:05]:
But that’s such a good philosophy and something that we talked to a couple of other people about. Brian Hurley was. Is one of them. And it’s this philosophy that we use too, at work, P2P that we only also work with Green flag clients. We only hire. We only let people hire us that we want to hire us because, you know, life is too short. And the way to love what you’re doing and help everybody else love what they’re doing is for it to be a really good fit.
Barbie Hull [00:08:36]:
So, yeah, 100%. And we’re doing those people a service by meeting with them. And if it’s not a good fit and we say no, then they’re going to hire somebody who fits more within their realm of what they’re looking for. So just kind to be a better fit and a better experience for everybody all around.
Elise [00:08:51]:
You talked Barbie about, you know, kind of like cutting your teeth in the wedding industry, but now over the last handful of years, you’ve gone more on the corporate side, but there you still are able to do both. What skills did you take from. From the wedding side over to corporate, the corporate side? Because one of the things I’ve always loved about working with you is not just that you take great pictures of me or of Libby, but it’s your attention to the details of the. And as an event planner who puts all the time and creativity into planning out all those details, whether they’re centerpieces, whether they’re. It’s a unique experience that, like, is a surprise and delight for guests around the corner, you do such a great job of capturing the story of an event from all kinds of angles.
Barbie Hull [00:09:43]:
So I love that you say that, and I love that we’re on the same page with that, because that is what I bring to corporate is the personal feel. So with weddings, everything was personal. All the guests are personal, all the decisions, all the ribbon color. Like, every specific detail is so personal to the people planning and being involved in it. And I think going over to corporate and bringing that personal and the personality is I think is a maybe, hopefully a breath of fresh air for the corporate people who hire me, because I’m over there texting all the vendors. Look at this killer centerpiece. Like, look at this great shot That I got, you know, sending people the images real time to their marketing department and just trying to, I guess, boost up the energy of the event to everybody who’s involved. Because a lot of times the other vendors don’t get to stay at the event and see how it goes through, see how people are interacting with their items.
Barbie Hull [00:10:34]:
And so I like to take pictures of the details, tell the story of the day, not only for the people who are going to view the images later, but for all the people who helped to create it because that’s their baby. And they worked potentially for months on something that will get used up in hours and then be gone and done. So I like to do that. And I also like to bring the hypeness that I would bring to my brides and grooms, to my couples. I try to bring that where encouraging bad behavior of the guests at the corporate events, which I don’t think other people necessarily do. When I see people like on the fence of like, should I interact? I’m like, you should do that and stand on your head.
Elise [00:11:12]:
Yes.
Barbie Hull [00:11:12]:
Like jump. Like encouraging adults to get into those bounce houses and things like that. And maybe they wouldn’t do if somebody wasn’t over there, like shouting their names. Right.
Libby Sundgren [00:11:21]:
What are your go to strategies for handling unexpected twists and turns when you’re at an event?
Barbie Hull [00:11:30]:
Oh, yeah. As an event person, I do know that things, as you know, as we all know, event things go wrong. They always go wrong. It’s not if they’re always right.
Libby Sundgren [00:11:40]:
And it’s one of my favorite things to talk about because everyone has a war story or like a hundred. Everybody does.
Elise [00:11:46]:
Yeah, like a hundred.
Barbie Hull [00:11:47]:
I feel like I built my business off of war stories of like people saying, oh, you’re a photographer. Let me tell you what mine did wrong. And I’m like, no, don’t do that. You know, one time it was, oh, my photographer ate out of their hand, just like grabbed from the buffet a handful of shrimp and shoved it into their mouth. Like on the dance floor. I’m like, wow, that’s. But that’s just gross in general.
Libby Sundgren [00:12:13]:
No. Was that any pre Covid or person? That’s gross.
Barbie Hull [00:12:17]:
That was pre Covid. Post Covid. It’s double worse.
Elise [00:12:20]:
Double gross. Double gross.
Barbie Hull [00:12:22]:
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So when things go wrong in an event, I really like to laugh. And I think that was a fake laugh that I just did, which is a chuckle because I’m nervous. And that’s what I do when I’m nervous is I laugh. But when things go wrong, if Something happens if something falls. Like, if you laugh and show people this is funny.
Barbie Hull [00:12:41]:
It’s not life ending. Nobody’s gonna die. I mean, unless somebody does die. Don’t laugh, but, like, don’t actually laugh.
Libby Sundgren [00:12:49]:
Not even if they chuckle. Don’t.
Barbie Hull [00:12:52]:
Don’t do it. Yeah. Okay, so one time I had a groom who stomped on the glass at the end of the Jewish ceremony, and the glass went right through his foot, right through his shoe, through his butt.
Libby Sundgren [00:13:03]:
Oh, my gosh. What kind of shoes was he wearing? What kind of glass was this?
Barbie Hull [00:13:07]:
Yeah, so he is. He was not Jewish and his groomsman was not Jewish. They were doing this for the bride and they. He thought, oh, a louder pop means I should get like a goblet, right? And no, that’s not right. Oh, not going to. So he stomped on, like a big fat, like, goblet. And it was not great. And so we had to call the ambulance.
Barbie Hull [00:13:29]:
And we were at a park. Nobody had. I was the only one with the car because the wedding was going to be like a little park wedding. And then we were going to go to a restaurant downtown. And so everybody was like, horrified. Obviously he’s in pain. Was there a lot of blood? There was a lot of blood. I saw blood.
Barbie Hull [00:13:45]:
But instead I just, like, tore off some cardboard from, like, instead of freaking out, I should say I tore off some cardboard and I wrote with lipstick. Just married. And then we hopped into the ambulance for a quick little photo shoot. And then.
Libby Sundgren [00:13:58]:
That’s so cute.
Barbie Hull [00:14:01]:
Yeah, right. I went to the hospital with him and got some stitches photos and made some pain pill jokes. And then the guests all waited for us. And then we just had a quick five hour pause while he got fixed up. And then we started again after everybody got back.
Libby Sundgren [00:14:18]:
Okay, that’s so cute.
Elise [00:14:20]:
I kind of would have liked it if you had written it in blood instead of lipstick, but, you know, oh.
Barbie Hull [00:14:24]:
My God, why didn’t I get some.
Libby Sundgren [00:14:26]:
Of your blood, Sir?
Elise [00:14:27]:
Sorry.
Barbie Hull [00:14:28]:
This was definitely. It was way pre pandemic. So I wouldn’t even have been afraid to dip my finger in that blood and write it.
Libby Sundgren [00:14:34]:
No, not at all.
Elise [00:14:36]:
So, corporate events. Do you have a favorite corporate event memory, whether a good thing happened or a crazy thing happened? And I mean, bonus points if it’s an event that you worked on with us, but you don’t have to answer with one of ours.
Barbie Hull [00:14:51]:
So an interesting corporate event. I would say there’s always good and bad. We’ve had so many funny things have happen where we’ve caught affairs happening. And they, like, want us to take pictures, but to start a new Dropbox account where we just put their affair photos in this separate one and then delete them from the cameras. And I’m like, this is so risky.
Elise [00:15:14]:
At a corporate event.
Barbie Hull [00:15:16]:
At a corporate event. Their partner was also there. Like, both partners. Other partner was there. What is wrong with people?
Libby Sundgren [00:15:25]:
Oh, my gosh.
Barbie Hull [00:15:28]:
So shocking. I know. It’s wild.
Libby Sundgren [00:15:30]:
God, the guts.
Barbie Hull [00:15:32]:
You could not be shocked that at the end of the year, those people did get divorced. And it turns out there was many affairs going on from that one little.
Elise [00:15:42]:
So did you get any wedding business out of this or no?
Barbie Hull [00:15:45]:
Yes, I did. I did photograph one of the weddings, and I loved it. I love drama, I love stories. I love storytelling. I love knowing all these details. You know, it’s good stuff.
Elise [00:15:58]:
It’s good stuff.
Barbie Hull [00:15:59]:
It is good stuff. There was another good one where towards the end of the event, they’re like, hey, we have the penthouse. Let’s go up there and, like, do some cool Penthouse party photos to show everybody. Like, oh, this is how cool it could be when you get up to executive leadership. This is all within, like, a startup company. And they were like, let’s all get into the bathtub. And they took, like, a bathtub photo shoot. And it was, at the time, so much fun.
Barbie Hull [00:16:22]:
But then on Monday, I got a call from HR that was like, you need to delete these photos from the Internet immediately. And I’m like, but we were wearing clothes. Like, nobody was. Nobody was inappropriate. But they were like, we were trying to go public. You can’t be in the bathtub with your.
Libby Sundgren [00:16:37]:
Can’t have all of our. Our leadership team in a bathtub together. This doesn’t work.
Elise [00:16:41]:
Yeah, Yeah.
Barbie Hull [00:16:42]:
I mean, yeah. Things we didn’t think about.
Libby Sundgren [00:16:45]:
Gosh, it was like, things that you learn about people. I mean, that could be its own podcast. Just scandalous stories from behind the lens.
Elise [00:16:57]:
How do you prep when you know you’re going in for a long day? Barbie, like, what is your. What does that look like for you?
Barbie Hull [00:17:03]:
So usually these corporate conferences, like, the ones I just talked about, are, like, three to five days, and I’m with them 24 hours a day. They usually utilize me anywhere from, like, 12 to 20 hours. So I know that I’m gonna prepare, like, a marathon. Like, I pack my gear and extra batteries and all that jazz that I would normally do, but then I also pack, you know, snacks and drinks and, like, have everything on hand nearby, because you’re kind of like, I don’t even Know how to describe it? Going in, did you used to do, like, sleepaway camp at. In high school? Like, dare? Did you guys graduate from DARE and you got to sleep at the school overnight?
Elise [00:17:37]:
I don’t think we got to do.
Libby Sundgren [00:17:38]:
That, but I did graduate from dare.
Barbie Hull [00:17:40]:
Good job. Congratulations.
Elise [00:17:41]:
I did not, but I did end up becoming an alcoholic and an addict, so that’s probably why I’m sober now. For those of you listening now, you’re in recovery.
Libby Sundgren [00:17:50]:
So you. You also have graduated, but from a more intensive DARE program.
Elise [00:17:55]:
Yeah, mine was much more hands on.
Barbie Hull [00:17:58]:
In order to be the awesome, famous person that you are. Like, what if you didn’t go through that? You’re like a deer Officer curator. Right?
Elise [00:18:06]:
Barbie, since you have been doing this since 2001, which is a long time, you have seen a lot of trends come and a lot of trends go. Do you. I don’t care how you want to answer this. Like, do you have favorite trends? Do you have a trend that you hope dies and you never see it again? Like, what has this journey through trends? Because, I mean, obviously 2001, that is pre social media, right? So, like, you have seen it all. You’ve been on the front line with your. With your camera. So what has that been like?
Barbie Hull [00:18:42]:
Yes, I love that question. I love how you phrase that question, because that made me think about this in a different way. When I initially read it, I was like, oh, burlap. Like, no, never again burlap. But, like.
Libby Sundgren [00:18:55]:
No burlap.
Elise [00:18:57]:
Just say no to burlap, folks.
Barbie Hull [00:18:59]:
I did learn later on that burlap was here because we were in a recession and it was really cheap fabric that we could reuse and, like, barn weddings. Like, there’s a reason behind everything. Martha will teach us all about that. She. She knows there’s a reason behind everything. Anyway, so since 2001, it’s gone from like, hey, here’s a wedding trend. This is a tradition. You have to do it.
Barbie Hull [00:19:18]:
And the new tradition is to make up your own. Like, you no longer have to tell all your single friends to get on the dance floor and catch the bouquet. You know that you get to bring in your own tradition of, like, telling jokes or putting on wedding court or whatever it might be that you want to do at your wedding. Like, you get to make the whole day your very own. It doesn’t have to be, like, the color of the year. It’s, like, encouraged to be your own personality brought into the wedding. Like, that’s the best trend that could have ever come.
Elise [00:19:51]:
That’s so true.
Libby Sundgren [00:19:52]:
Do what you want. But since you mentioned bouquets, I feel like I need to share a bouquet story.
Barbie Hull [00:19:58]:
Okay.
Libby Sundgren [00:20:00]:
Elise is bracing herself.
Elise [00:20:02]:
I am.
Libby Sundgren [00:20:03]:
I’ve got very. So many bouquets. Probably, like, I don’t know, three or four as an adult. Also, I was a flower girl in at least three weddings, maybe four. I was professional. I know. I was also mary in the St. Mary’s Catholic Church Nativity Mass four years in a row.
Elise [00:20:24]:
Ding.
Libby Sundgren [00:20:25]:
No one else has ever beat that record. Anyway, I caught him. I caught a bouquet at one of the weddings.
Elise [00:20:33]:
Not as Mary, to be clear.
Libby Sundgren [00:20:35]:
Not as Mary and not as an adult. I was a flower girl.
Elise [00:20:39]:
Okay.
Libby Sundgren [00:20:40]:
And you know what they said, all the single girls. I was, you know, nine or ten, so definitely single. So I get out there and I think at this point, this was my first one. I had a pretty good track record. But she threw it, and there is a photo of me leaping for to catch this bouquet. I didn’t push anyone down, but nobody else was going to catch that. I caught it. I leaped.
Libby Sundgren [00:21:08]:
I caught it. The photo’s amazing. They made me give it back to the bride so she could rethrow it.
Barbie Hull [00:21:14]:
No way. That is what I was.
Libby Sundgren [00:21:18]:
Because I was a flower girl.
Barbie Hull [00:21:19]:
You see why these traditions need to be gone.
Libby Sundgren [00:21:23]:
I know. Because I carry this trauma.
Barbie Hull [00:21:27]:
Yeah. And it’s traumatic. I understand. That was embarrassing, too, I’m sure.
Libby Sundgren [00:21:33]:
Yeah.
Barbie Hull [00:21:34]:
I would never. I would never do that. At my wedding, I gave my bouquet to my mom and dad and made them do their own dance because they’ve been married for, like, 45 years.
Elise [00:21:43]:
And that sounds adorable.
Libby Sundgren [00:21:46]:
I love that.
Barbie Hull [00:21:47]:
That wasn’t a trend or anything. I just something I like.
Elise [00:21:50]:
What is life like, though, really, as a photographer before and after social media? Because now that everybody has a camera on their phone and everybody thinks they’re a photographer, like, they’re not. Newsflash. So what has that journey been like? Because you have been doing this for a hot minute despite your youthful age and face.
Barbie Hull [00:22:11]:
So I would say before social media, I was curious to find out what everybody was doing. So anybody who had a camera wanted to talk about cameras wanted to nerd out about things. I was like, yes, bring it to me. I want to hear every experience you’ve ever had. I want to see your photos. Come over to your house. Let’s. Let’s compare notes.
Barbie Hull [00:22:29]:
I was so excited to just, like, learn what other people were doing and how they were living their lives and how different or the same it was from my life. And then after social Media started. I mean, us being there for the beginning of all of this and us documenting everything that we did and just freely sharing it everywhere, it got a little overwhelming. So now, for like, several years, it was just daunting when somebody would see me with a camera and want to come up and talk because their uncle was a photographer or whatever. So now I just politely sit and listen because it happens all the time, every day. It’s just not. I mean, I don’t want to discourage people from doing it because I’ve seen photographers be rude to the public, and that’s not cool. And one time I did meet a famous photographer and he came up and chatted me up at a wedding, and I was like, you’re a real one.
Barbie Hull [00:23:16]:
You’re somebody I admire. This is so cool. I’m so glad I wasn’t rude. So, I mean, it’s kind of a lame answer. There’s not a fun story behind it. But I think social media just kind of burned you out from gathering knowledge about what people were doing.
Elise [00:23:33]:
And I feel like it diluted the fact that there is an art to photography in so many ways. Right.
Barbie Hull [00:23:40]:
It also highlights it, too. Now people can look at pictures and distinguish a style. You can look at somebody’s photos and say, I could tell what your style is by looking at your pictures. And I think that before social media, that wasn’t a thing that people even knew to look for.
Elise [00:23:55]:
Well, unless I brought out my scrapbooks. Because if I brought out my scrapbooks, then you really knew what my vibe was.
Barbie Hull [00:24:01]:
You know, the Irma Gerd girl that’s got the ponytails and the braces and, like, the nerdy. That was. That was me, like, all the time. I’d wear, like, my underwear on the outside of my clothes. Just be like, I could be like, I’m super girl. And I’m like, I don’t know why. I used to make up TV shows and talk shows. I used to have a show called the Barbizon Show.
Barbie Hull [00:24:23]:
This is before Barbizon Modeling Agency. And I would introduce myself like this. Welcome to the Barbizon Show. And it would be just my lips and mouth on there. And then I would talk show, too.
Libby Sundgren [00:24:32]:
When I was a kid. It was called Libaldo.
Barbie Hull [00:24:35]:
Oh, yes. Because that was in Geraldo. What about you? What was your show about, Elise?
Elise [00:24:42]:
I didn’t have a show. Which I know seems, like not on brand. Like, I feel like I should have. You both had shows? Why did I not have a show? I did not have a show. But what I did have was. I had a art museum that was an ice sculpture art museum. I took all of my mom’s Tupperware and filled it with water and then weird objects. And then I put it all in the freezer in the garage, the big freezer, you know.
Elise [00:25:09]:
And then while it was freezing, I went around the neighborhood to sell tickets to my show and tell everybody why my show was going to be the best show and if you weren’t there, you were going to miss it. And so then I set up my ice museum and people bought tickets and came to my show. Art museum. I do think this is actually a really good. This is a really good turn of a subject. I actually think every event person that I know, photographer, planner, catering dj, whatever your part is in an event, I think that you have had that in you since you were a kid, that you are uniquely cut out and put on this earth because you have this gift of creating these moments, whatever your part of it is. Because I look back and I’m like, it’s always been there. It’s all these weird things that make me.
Elise [00:26:02]:
Me have always been there. These superpowers, if you will.
Barbie Hull [00:26:06]:
Can I just tell a quick story right there on that? Because. Yes. When I was like nine years old, I made a dance troupe and decided, how are we going to be like a dance group? What we need first is outfits. So what we need before outfits is money to buy the outfits. So I went to the bank and my friend Morgan and I, we went to the bank in our little town and we said, we want to have a fundraiser. Can we do a car wash? Can you tell all of your clients that they need to come have their car washed here by us on Saturday and pay us the money? And we’re going to do that. So we went and got the car wash materials. We made signs.
Barbie Hull [00:26:43]:
We were down on the road, like, promoting it. We raised like 500. And this is like in 1989.
Elise [00:26:50]:
That’s a lot of money back then.
Barbie Hull [00:26:52]:
I know. And then my parents and they were like, what? What are you doing to a fundraiser for nothing? And they made us give the money back. But the bank was like, no, they’re not giving back. So that we donated because we weren’t a 501C3. We are not. We don’t have the paperwork in order for this. They were like, you don’t even have dance skills, let alone a dance group or people joining the dance group. So they made us donate the money to the local youth center and we went to dances there so they hosted a couple dances on our car wash.
Barbie Hull [00:27:27]:
So your.
Libby Sundgren [00:27:27]:
So your fundraiser was adjacent to the final cause that it benefited. Oh my gosh, Marv, that’s so funny.
Barbie Hull [00:27:35]:
That sometimes gets brought up when we have reunions. I thought there was real money involved.
Elise [00:27:42]:
$500. That’s a lot. In 1989 especially.
Libby Sundgren [00:27:46]:
That’s a lot of money.
Barbie Hull [00:27:48]:
You know where I kept the money? And you shoe your mattress in my fanny pack.
Libby Sundgren [00:27:55]:
Oh, green and orange.
Elise [00:27:58]:
I love the fanny pack. I still love a fanny pack. I will always love a fanny pack.
Libby Sundgren [00:28:04]:
I used to have one that was like all different colors. And when I’d go on like it was. Well, it was like kind of like bright. Bright but muted. Is that a thing? Bright but muted. Like pink, teal blue, purple, you know that kind of like 80s but not like neon, just bright. And I would stuff it full of Jesus. I develop when she shock her shocker.
Libby Sundgren [00:28:29]:
And before my bike rides I’d also put them in the pockets of my windbreaker. Just stuff them with cheesets. And when the cheeses were gone, I.
Elise [00:28:38]:
Was like, time to go home.
Libby Sundgren [00:28:40]:
It’s over.
Elise [00:28:41]:
When should I come home, Mom? At dark? No, just come out home. When you run out of cheez, its.
Barbie Hull [00:28:46]:
Come to stock back. You’re like the original.
Elise [00:28:48]:
What’s your favorite snack? Barbie, when you’re working, what’s your favorite?
Barbie Hull [00:28:52]:
My favorite snack? Oh man, that’s hard because I’ve been dieting so I think I love all snacks so much. But gushers would be my favorite. Gushers are.
Libby Sundgren [00:29:03]:
Yes, I get those in the summertime for the boat. They’re so good. But I usually don’t share them with anybody. I just eat them myself.
Elise [00:29:11]:
Yeah.
Barbie Hull [00:29:12]:
Secret ones. Yeah.
Elise [00:29:13]:
You know what I think of that? I have burned your name with Barbie. Like when I think of you, I also think of this because I didn’t actually know this existed before I met you.
Barbie Hull [00:29:25]:
What is it?
Elise [00:29:27]:
A glitter gun.
Barbie Hull [00:29:29]:
Oh, I almost cussed. I love glitter guns so much.
Elise [00:29:32]:
I know you do. You love a glitter gun. I mean I can imagine what it.
Libby Sundgren [00:29:36]:
Is, but I don’t know that I’ve ever seen one.
Elise [00:29:38]:
What?
Barbie Hull [00:29:39]:
Girl, it is a revolver.
Libby Sundgren [00:29:41]:
Little confetti poppers.
Barbie Hull [00:29:43]:
Yeah, no, it’s a revolver and it has six loaded casings that shoots out glitter. I can’t believe I have not shot you.
Libby Sundgren [00:29:48]:
Oh no, you’ve. Okay, no, you have gifted me one or two and I have used them. Yes, my kids love those too. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know what you mean.
Barbie Hull [00:29:56]:
Because you can like refill them and you keep it going. You keep those cartridges filled, and you could just go. Go to it. One time I used it for evil and not fun partiness. And that’s burned in my memory. And I’ll never not do. I’ll never do that again. Although.
Libby Sundgren [00:30:09]:
What? Tell us what happened.
Barbie Hull [00:30:12]:
Oh, we were at a casino in Vegas, or outside of Vegas in Laughlin. I was with my mom. We were having a great time. And this lady just decided to be mean to my mom, which is insane, because my mom’s the funnest person on the planet. And so I pulled out my confetti popper. I popped it at her, and it scared her. She thought it was a real gun. I’m like, it’s yellow confetti.
Libby Sundgren [00:30:35]:
It’s confetti.
Barbie Hull [00:30:36]:
It’s kind of whatever.
Libby Sundgren [00:30:37]:
I use it for evil. I will never do that again.
Barbie Hull [00:30:40]:
I’m like, don’t be mean to my mom, you guys.
Elise [00:30:43]:
People are like, not everybody loves glitter, right? A lot of people think of it as, like, the. Her crafts, right?
Libby Sundgren [00:30:48]:
It’s usually a big deal on, like, venues. They don’t want you. Glitter.
Elise [00:30:53]:
I’ve always loved glitter. No shocker. But I do remember one year when my son was, like, turning 10 or something, and I sent out his birthday invitations and handed them out at school to the kids and thought, oh, this would be so cute. I’m going to put glitter confetti in all of them. I didn’t think about the fact that these kids wouldn’t open it until their parents picked them up from school and they would open it in their car, and then there was, like, glitter all over the cars. I did not have a lot of glitter.
Barbie Hull [00:31:17]:
And then every time they see you, they see the glitter, they’ll think of you. And that’s so wonderful. That’s why glitter is the gift that keeps.
Elise [00:31:25]:
They didn’t think of me in a fond way, I don’t think.
Barbie Hull [00:31:28]:
Yeah, my dad’s open mail from me.
Libby Sundgren [00:31:32]:
He refuses to open glitter in there.
Barbie Hull [00:31:35]:
Anywhere but outside over a garbage can. Do you guys remember the last few years of Get Hitch, Give Hope? We were banned from bringing in glitter or confetti Cannons from the Four Seasons because we broke 4 of their vacuum cleaners.
Elise [00:31:50]:
Yeah, that’s true.
Barbie Hull [00:31:52]:
That’s.
Elise [00:31:53]:
That’s factual.
Libby Sundgren [00:31:54]:
Glitter breaks vacuum cleaners. Wow.
Barbie Hull [00:31:56]:
We used the big ones so that they were easier to clean up, but turns out that just clogs the clogs. The vacuum cleaner clogs it right up.
Libby Sundgren [00:32:04]:
Vacuuming is a little bit of a mundane task, which leads me to one of my favorite questions. What is a mundane task that you secretly or not so secretly love to do when you’re at an event?
Barbie Hull [00:32:21]:
I love how you phrase that. You’re so good at this. You two should be on a. You should host a podcast because you’re so good at asking questions. It just inspires me to tell stories. Okay, so at weddings, I’m gonna go back to my wedding world. I saw a TikTok about this just the other day, and there was this planner who was like, grooms, if or anybody who wants to wear a bow tie. If you’re going to wear a bow tie at your wedding, don’t come talk to me.
Barbie Hull [00:32:45]:
You have to watch the video and learn it yourself. Don’t come ask me how to tie it on the last minute. And I was like, floored. And that’s when I like realized, like, that’s something I love. I love being a girl Scout. I’m always prepared. Yeah, just like simple little getting ready tasks. Because getting ready is like such a personal thing.
Barbie Hull [00:33:01]:
And if somebody’s like, we don’t know how to tie a bow tie, I’m like, I sure do. I learned it because I knew this moment would come up when I could help you and, like, let me come in and whip it into shape. And it’s like my time to shine, you know, like, people don’t know how to bustle a bustle. I’m like, I need. You need a knife? I have one in my dress pocket. Look at it.
Libby Sundgren [00:33:18]:
That’s very girl Scouty.
Barbie Hull [00:33:21]:
Thank you. It’s like a different level of preparation.
Elise [00:33:24]:
You talked about the superhero underwear on your outside of your clothes as a kid. Like your superhero ness has continued on in your career just in different. All these different ways, little hacks, all.
Libby Sundgren [00:33:37]:
The ways that you can save the day.
Elise [00:33:41]:
Dress pockets. What is your go to day of event uniform? What are you wearing and why are you wearing it?
Barbie Hull [00:33:49]:
Yes. This is very specific and I’m glad you said it. I should get a link to be a salesperson for this company. This company called E. Shakti. I didn’t think I’m saying it right, but I order my dresses on there because you can order sleeve length neckline, you can have any fabric changed into like an A line or a slim fit, whatever, a wraparound dress. You could add or delete pockets. And so I always order in different fabrics, usually black or an easily.
Barbie Hull [00:34:17]:
Like if you were to spill something on yourself, it wouldn’t show up on your dress, on the fabric. So it’s usually A black or a dark one, because I’m generally quite. Crawling around on the ground doing. Trying to get all the good angles.
Elise [00:34:28]:
Army crawling.
Libby Sundgren [00:34:29]:
Trying to get the bow ties tied. Exactly.
Barbie Hull [00:34:33]:
I got. It’s like going to war, but not what was champagne and macarons. Yeah.
Libby Sundgren [00:34:42]:
And glitter and confetti poppers. Yeah.
Barbie Hull [00:34:44]:
Wrong with glitter.
Elise [00:34:46]:
So you also. You also have been known to shoot with your husband. So what that. What’s. What’s that like? And I. I mean, shoot with a camera, not, like, guns at each other. So, like, what’s that like to work with your significant other?
Barbie Hull [00:35:00]:
Well, you know, Chris. You both know Chris, and, you know, he’s a gem of a human being. He is so great if he’s around. He wants to be involved. He wants to help. So when we first started dating, he’s like, I want to be a photographer. And I was like, no, there’s too many in this group. You should do something else.
Barbie Hull [00:35:15]:
And so I refused to help him. So mean. And I also know if you.
Elise [00:35:20]:
No room at this table now.
Barbie Hull [00:35:23]:
Do your own thing, you nerd.
Libby Sundgren [00:35:24]:
Seats taken. Seats taken, thankfully.
Barbie Hull [00:35:29]:
Oh, yeah, we know. We get all your movie references. They’re good.
Elise [00:35:33]:
Okay. Okay.
Barbie Hull [00:35:36]:
So he is a nerd. An IT nerd. And he was like, I’m just gonna go on the school of YouTube and I’m gonna learn. And he learned about all my lighting equipment. He can take it apart, put it back together. He fixes everything. And he’s so good at the lighting. Like, I’m so impressed.
Barbie Hull [00:35:50]:
And so he got his own system. I’m Nikon. He got Fuji, which I’m like, why wouldn’t you just do the same? But that’s fine. It’s another world. It’s all right. That’s another conversation, I should say. So he taught himself, and then he started coming along to shoots and, like, kind of seeing how it goes. And he loves it.
Barbie Hull [00:36:07]:
And the crowd seems to love him, too. And it makes me jealous when he gets to be the favorite, but he’s a lot stronger than me, so he can carry heavy things and, like, redo the dance floor and, like, rewire some stuff, you know, he’s been the bartender because he got his bartender license because he, too, wants to be like, a boy Scout, always prepared.
Libby Sundgren [00:36:27]:
Look at you, this little jack of all trades, both of you.
Barbie Hull [00:36:31]:
We both got our food handlers permit.
Elise [00:36:33]:
We actually put together an events university. Like, the university, if you really want to be in events. These are what. These are the actual lessons you need to learn. Yeah.
Libby Sundgren [00:36:43]:
Wait, he has his Food handler’s permit.
Barbie Hull [00:36:46]:
And his bartending license and a drone license, just in case.
Libby Sundgren [00:36:50]:
I feel like I need to have him at every event just to. In case I need a MacGyver to do any of those things.
Elise [00:36:59]:
CPR.
Barbie Hull [00:36:59]:
He also has a ham radio. Oh, wait, what was that?
Elise [00:37:03]:
Cpr. Can I do cpr?
Barbie Hull [00:37:05]:
Yep. We’re both licensed into cpr. Not licensed, but certified. Yeah. We like Nick and Brigitte.
Libby Sundgren [00:37:12]:
Ham radio. And so we can, like, call truckers and stuff.
Barbie Hull [00:37:16]:
Or aliens also. Ordained. Ordained, yes.
Libby Sundgren [00:37:21]:
Oh, my gosh.
Barbie Hull [00:37:24]:
I’ve never talked to one, but I.
Elise [00:37:25]:
This is a real trend. We interviewed someone on a different episode who is also in the wedding business and got ordained because she mentioned that the officiant would come and do the ceremony, but in the. In the. And people would get busy and they would leave without signing all the official paperwork. And you still need to have that done. So she’s like, I’m just going to get ordained so I can do that. I can do that for people. These are things I would have never thought about.
Elise [00:37:53]:
I would have never.
Barbie Hull [00:37:54]:
I learned how to fill out those forms in every county and in several states. We actually got ordained that Chris could be the guy. When we did an elopement, we had a couple who we love so much, and we made them be best friends. We’ve gone on vacation with them now. They were having a hard time with their families wanting to be involved with the wedding planning, so much so that their families took over all of the details of their event, and it wasn’t feeling like them anymore. So we just flew off to Greece, Santorini, and they got married on a hillside. Chris married them on, like, a cliffside in Santorini, and it was so beautiful. And I photographed it.
Barbie Hull [00:38:29]:
And then.
Libby Sundgren [00:38:30]:
Oh, my gosh, we were like. I feel like I’ve seen photos of that. I’m gonna go back and look on Instagram later so I can relive that.
Barbie Hull [00:38:39]:
Yes.
Libby Sundgren [00:38:39]:
Memory.
Barbie Hull [00:38:40]:
That was a great, great time. It’s good to be prepared.
Elise [00:38:43]:
Well, it’s. It’s clear you have the bug. It’s clear that you love people, you love events, you love capturing moments. Like, it’s just. It’s just who you are. It’s just. It’s just part of you.
Barbie Hull [00:38:55]:
And I love you two. And this podcast, this is so fun, you guys. Your job is so fun, and we love you.
Libby Sundgren [00:39:01]:
We all love each other.
Elise [00:39:02]:
It’s a love fest.
Barbie Hull [00:39:04]:
Yeah.
Elise [00:39:05]:
Well, you know, and that’s why I think the show is called Beats Working, Right? Because when you’re Winning the game of events or whatever it is that you’re winning the game of. Whatever your job is, work, whatever. It doesn’t actually feel like you’re working. It is. You’re just. It’s just, you’re just getting paid to be you. And that to me is. That is.
Elise [00:39:26]:
That is. That beats working.
Barbie Hull [00:39:28]:
That works. Everything.
Elise [00:39:30]:
Yeah, it’s everything that’s slow. It’s everything. Well, do you have any final, final words you’d like to share with our very big audience?
Barbie Hull [00:39:38]:
Yes.
Elise [00:39:39]:
So many thousands and millions like where they can find you.
Barbie Hull [00:39:43]:
Oh yeah.
Elise [00:39:44]:
What your astrological sign is. Whatever.
Libby Sundgren [00:39:46]:
Anywhere you’d like to travel, if there’s any. Anyone going on a little trip somewhere where they can take you to take pictures with them.
Barbie Hull [00:39:53]:
Yes. I would really love to photograph an event in like Puerto Rico. I think that would be a really fun one. Or Cuba, you know, some little island somewhere where it’s warm and beautiful and I haven’t been. Wait, before, before I go and say my goodbyes and tell people where to find me, can I just tell you about my favorite end of night after an event, what Chris and I like to do on our week?
Libby Sundgren [00:40:17]:
Yes, yes. What’s your favorite way to decompress?
Barbie Hull [00:40:21]:
Okay, so after an event, like usually a long day of talking non stop and being on, we like to go to one of those foot massage places and soak our feet and get like a peppermint foot scrub and just sit in silence for like an hour, which I can’t even believe that I would ever. For an hour. But they’re so awesome.
Libby Sundgren [00:40:42]:
Do they also like rub your head and like do and kind of like your arms a little bit and stuff? We used to go to one in Kirkland called the Beijing Foot Parlor. I think it’s closed now, but was the best.
Barbie Hull [00:40:52]:
There’s one in Finney that’s like Happy Feet or something like that that we love so much.
Libby Sundgren [00:40:57]:
Yeah, they do your shoulders shout out to Happy Feet.
Elise [00:40:59]:
Well, they’re usually open pretty late, right?
Barbie Hull [00:41:02]:
They are usually like 11.
Elise [00:41:04]:
They keep late hours. Yeah.
Barbie Hull [00:41:06]:
Which is great for us events people. But I would like to just send it out to all of your listeners that the next person who wants to open one of those bars for events people where we can go and like talk about, commiserate maybe a little bit where there’s no clients anywhere near, but just other event people. We can soak our feet, download our photos, decompress, have a cheese bar. Like we can all throw out our tips of our favorite things we like to do. After events, and somebody’s got to create that space for us.
Elise [00:41:36]:
Well, I think the Beats Working Winning the Game of Events podcast should be leading the charge in making that happen.
Barbie Hull [00:41:44]:
Yes.
Libby Sundgren [00:41:47]:
I’m gonna find us a space. It will not be my basement, but.
Elise [00:41:52]:
Some places find a space. I’ll find a sponsor. Barbie will show up and capture it all.
Barbie Hull [00:41:58]:
That’s right.
Libby Sundgren [00:41:59]:
And so grief.
Barbie Hull [00:41:59]:
We’ll all soak our feet while we talk about it.
Elise [00:42:02]:
Love it.
Barbie Hull [00:42:03]:
It’s gonna be so fun.
Elise [00:42:04]:
So where. Where can our mini mini Listers find you?
Barbie Hull [00:42:08]:
All right, I am on the Internet. You can find me@barbiehull.com h u l l and I’m on Instagram, Facebook, everywhere as Barbie Hull. I don’t have TikTok because I don’t know if it’s going to be around, but you can find me at all the other cool places.
Elise [00:42:25]:
Well, Barbie, thank you so much for coming on today. We’re definitely going to have you back and you know we’ll be hiring you for all the events we have going on in the future. Thanks again for listening to Beats Working Winning the Game of Events. We’ll catch you next time. Thanks for listening to Beats Winning the Game of Events, where we explore what it takes to make moments unforgettable.
Libby Sundgren [00:42:49]:
If you’re leaving with a little more inspiration, a little more perspective, and a big sideache from all of the laughing at our funny jokes, then we’ve done our job.
Elise [00:42:58]:
Beats working is a work. P2P production if you’ve enjoyed this episode, please don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review us on your favorite podcast platforms.
Libby Sundgren [00:43:08]:
Your support helps us keep the magic going.
