Today we’d like to introduce you to Logan Wilkes.
Hi Logan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am a self-made entrepreneur and the owner of Envy Lifestyle Group, a modeling and influencer agency with offices in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver and Miami. I grew up in a small town in Georgia and attended the University of Georgia where I studied Mass Communications and Fashion Merchandising. I always knew I had bigger dreams than a small town had to offer, so as soon as I graduated college I moved to Miami, Florida. I had the time of my life and the most amazing experiences living in Miami but never found my true passion there. I worked in nightlife, hospitality. Modeling and marketing while living in Miami, but always knew that my real dream was to own my own company and work for myself. I tried several times while I was living in Miami and had several failed ventures. The highlight of my time in South Florida was being named Miss South Beach USA 2019 and competing for Miss Florida USA.
When the Covid-19 Pandemic began to shut down the city in March of 2020, I was stuck in my high-rise apartment building working from home for months when I got an offer that I couldn’t resist. I was working for a startup skincare company, MadeMan, when the CEO and founder, Jeremy Gardner, asked me to move to LA to be the VP of Marketing for the brand. Working with MadeMan is an experience that I am eternally grateful for that lead me to find my true passion. While working with the brand, I shared a decadent Beverly Hills mansion with Jeremy and other staff members. While I had been working in marketing for a while, MadeMan introduced me to many of the challenges of building a brand from scratch – it definitely was not as easy as it looked. We were aiming to completely change the way that men viewed skincare and influence them to take better care of their skin, which was not an easy task. Naturally, we decided that one of the best ways to influence men on their looks was the advice of women. As the head of marketing for the brand, I created and managed MadeMan’s brand ambassador program and signed up over 2,000 models and influencers before the brand even officially launched. I created branded bikinis and other merchandise, set up brand photoshoots at our home that we called the “MadeMansion” and booked models for brand events. This part of my job I absolutely loved – and it led me to find what I really wanted to do with my life.
In October 2020, I created Envy Lifestyle Models, a modeling agency specifically focused on events. I didn’t want to compete with big name modeling agencies for brand campaigns and magazine editorials, so I found an area of the market that was much less saturated. Envy started off as mostly an atmosphere modeling agency. If you have never heard of atmosphere models, you have probably seen them without even realizing it. Atmosphere models are hired to attend events to add beauty and energy to the ambiance. When I first started the agency, I could hardly believe it was real life – my job was literally to hang out with models and go to parties. But with any business comes its challenges, and I soon realized it wasn’t all fun and games when I had a client not pay me and was forced to pay models out of my own pocket.
Almost a year has passed since then and the agency has grown exponentially. Now, in addition to atmosphere models, we also hire trade show models, brand ambassadors and influencers. We also added over 200 new models to our roster and began operating in several additional cities. As the owner of the company, I had to switch my focus from being one of the models to focusing on growth; and once I did, the agency blew up! It is surreal to look back at a year ago when I was just starting out and seeing where the agency is now. The craziest part to me is that I was able to create this all during a pandemic – an event-centric modeling agency – created while most events were being canceled. I don’t say this to brag, but to inspire others to see that anything is possible if you want it badly enough. I am living my dream of working for myself and being my own boss, all while doing what I love. To me, however, I am just getting started – I plan to continue to grow Envy into being the go-to event staffing agency nationwide.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I suffer from anxiety and depression and have most of my life. When I made the move from Miami to LA, my life looked perfect from the outside, especially on social media – but in reality, I was fighting battles no one saw. In May, two months after the Covid lockdowns began and just weeks before I had planned to move to LA, I lost my grandfather who was like a father to me. It was the hardest thing I have ever experienced. To deal with the pain, I buried myself in my work and took little time to do things that I enjoyed or to go out and meet new people when I moved to LA. That, coupled with moving across the country to a place where I barely knew anyone took my anxiety and depression to new heights, at some times making the most basic daily functions seem impossible. This led me to eventually quit the job I had moved across the county for and re-evaluate everything in my life; I almost even moved back to Miami. Eventually, with the help of friends and a life coach, I pulled myself together and got my life back on track. I was mostly working modeling gigs until I contracted COVID. I found out I had COVID the day before I had a photoshoot and had to scramble to find a model to replace me. I quickly found a fantastic model to replace me and I began to wonder if I could also find clients – so I gave it a try and to my surprise found my first client within a week and Envy Lifestyle Models was born.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Envy Lifestyle Group?
Envy is a modeling agency owned and operated by models. My unique background of being in both the marketing world and the modeling industry perfectly situated me to start a modeling agency. Because of my marketing background, I understand the goals that companies have when they hire models to represent them and am able to help them craft creative marketing strategies that utilize the agencies talent in the best ways possible. Likewise, my experiences as a model have taught me a lot over the years and I understand what is important to models, how to attract and retain the best talent and what mistakes to avoid in my own bookings.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The biggest lesson that I have learned is always just keep going, you never know what is around the next corner. There were many times that I felt hopeless and that I had no idea what I was doing with my life. Growing up and though-out college, I never dreamed of opening a modeling agency, my plan was always to be a lawyer – but plans changed. Now, I couldn’t be happier with the way things turned out, but every step along the way taught me important lessons.
Pricing:
- Trade Show Models: $65/hr+
- Atmosphere Models: $100/hr+
- Brand Ambassadors: $75/hr+
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.envylifestylegroup.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lowilkes/ | https://instagram.com/envylifestylemodels
Image Credits
Nicholas Stephenson (Main Photo, Group) Keith Selle (White Dress Photo) Julz Media (Blazer Photo) Louis Grasse (Other 3 Photos, fur coat, black dress, gold top)
