{"id":16689,"date":"2019-09-26T16:51:49","date_gmt":"2019-09-26T20:51:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=16689"},"modified":"2020-05-07T10:34:30","modified_gmt":"2020-05-07T14:34:30","slug":"almost-famous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/almost-famous\/","title":{"rendered":"Almost Famous"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none; width: 100%; height: 450px;\" src=\"\/\/e.issuu.com\/embed.html?backgroundColor=%23fefefe&amp;d=oct19_flipbook&amp;hideIssuuLogo=true&amp;pageNumber=40&amp;showOtherPublicationsAsSuggestions=true&amp;u=portlandmagazine\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">From craft beers to campsites, clothing lines, and canoe rides\u2026<br \/>\n<\/span><strong><span class=\"s1\">who\u2019s influencing Maine?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\">October 2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><em><span class=\"s1\">By Molly Sposato<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-16735\" src=\"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/oct19-influencers-300x217.jpg\" alt=\"OCT19 38-41 Influencers.indd\" width=\"300\" height=\"217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/oct19-influencers-300x217.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/oct19-influencers-768x554.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/oct19-influencers-1024x739.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/oct19-influencers-200x144.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/oct19-influencers-485x350.jpg 485w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>It\u2019s 6:30 a.m. A woman in her twenties, let\u2019s call her \u201cMikela,\u201d starts her day with a cup of delicious, earthy Veranda Coffee\u2014$6.95 finely ground from, let\u2019s call it \u201cDowneast Coffee Blenders\u201d\u2013and a lie. Okay, that\u2019s harsh. It\u2019s more of a gentle deception that her followers have come to expect. In fact they are her co-conspirators. In \u201cMikela\u2019s\u201d case, she does not share that she is being compensated for her endorsements. \u201cI think being an influencer is validating unconscious choices that my followers have already made.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">Here are some of the best-known Influencers among us:<\/span><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"p4\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Cait Bourgault Fitzerald<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">What\u2019s your Instagram handle?<br \/>\n<\/span><span class=\"s2\">@photocait <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">How many followers?<br \/>\n<\/span><span class=\"s2\">17,600 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><strong><span class=\"s3\">Who do you endorse?<br \/>\n<\/span><span class=\"s1\">Oxbow Brewing Co., The Maine Pack, <\/span><\/strong><span class=\"s1\">and<\/span><strong><span class=\"s1\"> L.L Bean.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">What is your age and education?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"s1\">I\u2019m 29 and attended the Salt Institute of Documentary Studies for photography. Salt is now a class at MECA, I believe, but when I attended it was a certificate program that taught documentary photography, radio, and writing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">How do you get paid?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"s1\">Each influencer can set her own rates. For myself, some campaigns have a flat fee per story, $75-$200, or per post, $100-$500. Others will pay a larger fee, $1,500 and up, for a set of stories or posts and then license the photos afterward. While I don\u2019t make a living this way, it still brings income and helps get my own brand out there.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Do you tell your followers when you\u2019re paid to praise products?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"s1\">I make sure the company is one that aligns with my values. I want to support local business owners through powerful imagery. Some companies, L.L. Bean, Eureka!, and Backcountry to name a few, include in their contract that within the first three lines of the post the influencer must write \u201c#ad\u201d or \u201csponsored by\u2014.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">How many of your Instagram posts are sponsored?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"s1\">I would say about 1 out of every 15-20 are sponsored posts. Some months I don\u2019t have any, but others I may have more.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">What do you do when you\u2019re not sharing your love for Maine brands?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"s1\">I\u2019m a co-founder of the women\u2019s hiking company <strong>Alpine Women Collective,<\/strong> and I work as a commercial photographer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Please describe where you live (as though you were endorsing it!).<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"s1\">I grew up in Brewer before moving to Portland, where I lived for 6 years. Now I live in Norway, Maine. Growing up, I thought I wanted to leave, but now I can\u2019t picture myself anywhere else. This state is pure magic.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Abigail Johnson-Ruscansky<\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">What\u2019s your Instagram handle?<br \/>\n<\/span><span class=\"s2\">@aabbyylou<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">How many followers?<br \/>\n<\/span><span class=\"s2\">27,200<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Who are some companies you endorse?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><strong><span class=\"s1\">Brook There<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"s1\"> and<\/span><strong><span class=\"s1\"> Sandy Pines<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">How did you get your start as an influencer?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"s1\">I always wanted to be a photographer. Around 2013 I gained thousands of followers for my photos on Tumblr. I was suggested to go on Instagram the following year. In 2016, I was nominated as Maine\u2019s Top Instagrammer by <i>Time Magazine<\/i>\u2019s <strong>\u201c50 Instagrammers to Follow in Every State.\u201d<\/strong> It was really big for my social media, and that\u2019s when I started to realize I might be able to make this into a career.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Where did you grow up? What\u2019s your education?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"s1\">I was raised in Wells. I went to college for photography at the Maine College of Art (MECA) and then the University of Southern Maine.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong>What does a typical day of work look like for you?<br \/>\n<\/strong><span class=\"s1\">I fill a part-time art director role three days a week for a local yarn and accessories company. When I work freelance, it\u2019s wake up, then coffee. I work in virtually every coffee shop in Portland\u2014it\u2019s a tie between <strong>Bard Coffee<\/strong> and <strong>Little Woodfords.<\/strong> Sometimes I work out of the library or someone else\u2019s house unless it\u2019s a day that I have a photo-shoot. I spend a lot of time prepping the shoot and making the schedule.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">How do you think living in Maine affects what you do as an influencer?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"s1\">Growing up, I always thought I\u2019d have to move away in order to make it as a successful photographer, but that was incredibly wrong. I think it\u2019s important for Maine marketing companies to hire Maine creators, influencers, and writers who live and work here to support the local economy. A lot of people have moved to bigger cities to be more successful in this field, but if you do that, you may lose sight of why the work you\u2019re doing is so important.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Ashlee McLaughlin<\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">What\u2019s your Instagram handle?<br \/>\n<\/span><span class=\"s2\">@thebeermama<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">How many followers?<br \/>\n<\/span><span class=\"s2\">20,400<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Who are some companies you endorse?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><strong><span class=\"s1\">Baxter Brewing Co., Mason\u2019s Brewing Co., <\/span><\/strong><span class=\"s1\">and<\/span><strong><span class=\"s1\"> Orono Brewing Co.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">When did you realize your Instagram popularity could turn into a career?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"s1\">I started posting because my family and friends got so annoyed with me talking about craft beer all the time. I decided to just start telling the internet. When I hit 10,000 followers, my account started to take off. I thought, \u201cWow, I could really make some money off this.\u201d What I currently pull in would probably amount to a part-time job. I also work for a cannabis lab in Brunswick. The end goal is to make the Beer Mama into a full-time income.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Where did you grow up?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"s1\">I\u2019m not a native Mainer. I spent the first eight years of my life on a reservation in Washington State, Suquamish. I thought regular powwows were a typical thing everywhere until we left when my father was stationed in La Maddalena, Italy\u2014he was in the Navy. My father was later stationed in Brunswick around 2000. I went to school for fine arts at the University of Maine in Orono and the Art Institute of Boston. After I had my daughter in 2010, I moved back to Brunswick permanently. I\u2019m 32 now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Do you tell your followers when you\u2019re being paid to praise products?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"s1\">I try to be really clear about sponsorships, but it\u2019s up to each influencer to decide what they post. While I don\u2019t care to be called \u2018influencer,\u2019 I do think it\u2019s accurate. We\u2019re influencing what people are drinking, eating. It isn\u2019t that different from celebrities being paid to wear clothes from high-end brands. It\u2019s the same practice applied to a different platform and scale.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">What is the worst part of working as an influencer?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong>Probably dealing with sexism in the industry. I knew craft beer was a male-dominated industry going in. When I worked for the Maine brew bus, men on the bus would be shocked to get a female tour guide and ask questions I had previously answered to male brewery employees. I also heard a lot of comments about how rarely men saw \u201cgirls\u201d working with, and consuming, beer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From craft beers to campsites, who\u2019s influencing Maine?<br \/>\nBy Molly Sposato<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[451,452,127,453,450],"class_list":["post-16689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-almost-famous","tag-influencer","tag-maine","tag-marketing","tag-people"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16689"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16689\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18655,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16689\/revisions\/18655"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}