Behind the scenes: DreamHaus with The Heauxpreneur
- Alexis Reynolds
- Feb 18
- 6 min read
Welcome back to the madness that is my behind the scenes series!
If you follow my socials, you probably saw the preview commercial for what DreamHaus was. If you missed it, here's a general recap. DreamHaus is a series of pop up events in a dedicated venue space that features artists with their interactive art installations. It is a ticketed event day where anyone with their own equipment can shoot the installations, the official models, bring their own models, pose for the photographers including their own. The venue is completely decked out with rooms that have been professionally pre lit by cinema crews and there are film camera setups available for you to experiment with several types of film that is processed for you to receive the digital copies of.
I am really into photography and motion picture of course and already spend a lot of time on sets for work on either side of the cameras. Seeing the last DreamHaus had come and gone, I was pretty excited to get into the ring for this one so I sprang for the VIP package as soon as they released the date.
I recently booked a 6 shoot package with The Heauxpreneur so I called up Coco to ask if we could include this as one of my shoots as I am the one responsible for selecting my locations and reserving them. She was thrilled & agreed & I thought hey hey the $700 I paid for our 2 vip passes, the potential of maybe what looked like 5 or more locations under one enormous roof was a bargain in this city!
The VIP package stood out to me because it included access to film, the opportunity to use the cameras with assistance and mainly the opportunity to go inside an hour before general admission. I was limited to a few hours and day time only so I thought this would be ideal to get a jump on things ahead of the crowds and possibly long wait times to use each set. Wrong. Very wrong.
We packed up my Subaru with a lunch cooler, wardrobe & equipment and took off around noon. What we arrived to was quickly found out to be just chaos and dismissive people who were still busy trying to get the installations and sign in area up, nobody could tell us where to park or how anything was supposed to work.
Being in film, I know well enough that arrival time says 1 but generally doesn't mean anything is ready. This, however, was a ticketed event that I sort of expected to run smoother and more on time. Coco saw that I was instantly irritated and questioning this operation, but she was calm and professional and assured me we would get some amazing shots after we walked through to see what sets were going to be offered. (The ones in the marketing were the previous sets so none were included in this installation, which was disappointing but fair).
Eventually, more than an hour after we had arrived and wandered around, someone eventually had a check in set up for us to mention and ask what VIP early entry was supposed to give us if nothing was finished or available to use even an hour after officially opening to general admission goers. We got a shrug and were told to speak with someone we have never seen or heard of and never did find. Also big shrugs on reserving film or time with cameras so we never did. Cool cool cool..
We finally made a game plan of outfit looks and where to shoot in what order and despite fussy artists letting us know their area wasn't finished yet or available and lots of people moving things around us, we found a way to make magic in the chaos anyway. The entire environment had no order or feeling of structure so it was pretty overstimulating in many ways but we trusted the process.
Will I do another big shoot out day or workshop for modeling or motion film? Very likely, since it's sort of my thing. Will I choose DreamHaus again? Maybe. Will I choose their highest tier package for my shoot day again? Absolutely not. Customer service and professional staffing are pretty important to me because I thrive under structured timing & knowing what arrangements are made and where to go for things and the things being ready for use like parking, for example, are huge for me. Vague emails, dismissive coordinators and rushed, frustrated artists are pretty much red flags for me.
That said, the art installs were pretty damn cool & the artists who dedicated themselves to the pieces were phenomenal, rightfully proud of their work & really cool to talk to. The other models and photographers I got to connect with or already know from the scene being there was awesome & fun. Getting to have a photographer I trust who doubles as a great wing woman on my team certainly made all the difference.
So where does Coco Williams aka The Heauxpreneur come into play on this shenanigan shit show? Haha well..
After coming home from my weekend with my client and having done my self shot sets in Puerto Rico, I was pretty tired but really feeling motivated creatively. Coco had been living the corporate girlie life & was really missing the sex work community and getting to be creative with marketing and photography again. She has shot some of my stuff in the past & she's local to Atlanta so I wanted to know what she was cooking and what she had in mind.
Y'all already know beyond self shooting I only have a select few photographers that I call for content, she is one of them. When it comes to these people on my team, we are real and we are friends so I never feel shy about asking them to pitch their marketing plan or their newsletter etc. to me. What she showed me was actually so brilliant, I'm wondering why other boudoir and escort photographers haven't pitched it to me yet so of course I was all in!
You'll see her newsletter below, but automatically I knew I wanted her 6 shoot package. The plan is great because you prepay for the shoots & that includes each raw gallery & edits too. After that, you arrange your own locations, work out a shoot date and she will help you with some concepts, help with look ideas & posing. DreamHaus is one of 6 so I have already selected 2 more locations in Atlanta and one in Las Vegas during my wedding week. You can do month to month or skip a month or 2 which is nice. With this, I'll be able to shoot a lot of new content in several styles, different lighting, different locations & unlimited outfits and poses. I know that as an escort, having fresh photos of all kinds is unfortunately very tiring but necessary in ads, my own site and on social media. I'm very into selfies and self shooting of course, but this allows me to have a rotation for a year of high quality images.
This first shoot was for me alone. I wanted whimsy, drama, unusual themes and wild fashion! My next will be more traditional, airy and the classic upscale courtesan looks that are familiar, after that is my spring collection & then with she and Taryn Carter on each side I'll do my edgy romantic Viva Las Vegas sets..from there? Perhaps some holidays, a sensual summer shoot abroad maybe..with this package I know I'll have nearly endless opportunities to create & show many sides of my lifestyle and personality..stay tuned!
Her latest newsletter:
Colleagues, if you are considering and enjoy pre planning frequent shoots 6 months to a year up or have a reason for bulk content creation or new marketing, I highly recommend this. I'm also available to help those who need location ideas since I'm regularly involved in scouting for my shoots and others. I have some good insider info on location rentals, being in Atlanta film and modeling circles that maybe aren't on the usual rental sites.
I'm happy to share and showcase both an easy, fun photographer option, affordable things you can do to constantly have hassle free pro grade content & my resources on stylists, makeup and hair people or rentals for any small or large production.
I'm a huge lover of arts, fashion and beauty so I want others to have the opportunities to create that I do.
Check The Heauxpreneur out here:
Thanks for reading!
Xoxo
Your kinky redhead art nerd in Atlanta ❤️🔥
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