Meet Jessie Whitfield of MISGIF in Arizona

Jessie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I founded MISGIF in 2017 after being let go from my previous job.  While it broke my heart, losing that job was one of the best things that has happened to me because it motivated me to become an entrepreneur. Prior to MISGIF, I was responsible for assisting with event planning and fundraising, which included coming up with unique and memorable ways to recognize corporate sponsors of events, and I remember thinking there weren’t many ways to creatively and effectively acknowledge them that went beyond signage or print logo placement. Influencer marketing was on the rise, and I thought how cool would it be if there was a photo booth company that harnessed the power of organic social media marketing to help brands elevate their online engagement, brand awareness, and consumer loyalty. It seemed kind of crazy that no one was converting all these guests at events into micro-influencers for their brands by allowing them the opportunity to instantly share their branded images with all of their friends and followers online. So I decided since no one else was focusing on this in Arizona at the time that that’s what MISGIF’s niche should be.

GIFs became another one of our focuses because animated content was on the rise and on average receives more views and engagement, plus they are just plain fun.  What started as a photo booth company has now evolved into an experiential marketing agency of sorts that creates shareable, social, fully-customizable photo, GIF, and video experiences for brands nationwide. Everything we do is customized to fit the client’s unique vision and is results-driven (aka heavily focused on ROI.) We offer a variety of services including, but not limited to, Stationary and Roaming GIF & Boomerang Experiences, Classic Photo Booth Experiences, Video Booth Experiences, Video Testimonial Experiences, Video Projection Experiences, Green Screen Experiences, and Glow in the Dark Experiences.  Guests are able to share their images instantly to their email, phone, and social media as well as receive high-quality prints should they want a branded, physical takeaway.  Email and phone number collection, social media sweepstakes, QR codes and incentive campaigns, viral hashtag campaigns, survey integration, and event reports with social media sharing stats are some other unique features we offer as well. Since 2017 we’ve done over 450 events, worked with Fortune 500 companies, expanded nationwide, launched long-term leases in venues, made an appearance at New York Fashion Week with The Sparkle Bar, and been named the 2019 “Best of Our Valley Best Photo Booth.” It’s been a wild and crazy ride that I am so very grateful for.  It wouldn’t be possible without the support of my fiance, family, friends, MISGIF team, clients, and fellow entrepreneur and event industry professionals who have provided endless support and encouragement.

Fun Fact:  A common misconception is that MISGIF should be pronounced MISS-GIF because GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format BUT according to the creator of the GIF, Steve Wilhite, GIF is pronounced “JIF” like the peanut butter.  I don’t always correct people because ultimately it’s not a big deal, but when I do it does sometimes lead to a fun debate!  I chose the name MISGIF (pronounced MIS-JIF, similar to “mischief”) because I love a good pun and wanted to communicate three important things:  1) We make MISGIF in that we are disrupting the way people think about photo booths and how they are used 2) We make MISGIF at events in that our guests are able to get down with their bad selves in our booths (in the best way) and 3) We are THE company for GIF Experiences.

Great, 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?
No, it has not been an easy path.  Anyone who says entrepreneurship is easy is lying.  I do think it comes more naturally for some than others.  I’ll admit I think it came naturally to me, though that doesn’t mean it’s been a breeze.  Learning how to be a successful entrepreneur without any formal education on the subject has been tough.  There are a lot of books and online resources out there, but with that comes misinformation and information overload. Oftentimes I think I learn something useful or effective than later realize, nope, that needs to change.  It’s awesome, frustrating, and terrifying to learn new things constantly, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.  What made my path easier is that my cousin who runs a successful photo booth company in Florida played a huge role in helping guide me to make smart decisions from the get-go.  Without his mentorship, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Also, there are so many incredible people from the #yesphx startup community and event industry in Arizona that have been an amazing support system and helped me grow in a number of ways.  I hope one day I have the opportunity to provide new entrepreneurs with the same support and guidance that was offered to me because it truly makes all the difference.

Speaking of obstacles, learning how to effectively manage growth has been difficult. We scaled very quickly and by the start of 2018, I had hired a team of amazing women to work events so I could stay home and focus on client relations, creative, and business development.  Then in 2019, we introduced long-term leases for companies, venues, and retail spaces as well as started expanding nationwide to service multi-day conferences and events across the US.  As an entrepreneur, your business is your baby and you want to do it all but that’s just not sustainable so learning how to delegate is key.  Also, learning how to set boundaries and make time for things other than your business is tough. Entrepreneurs often live and breathe their business, especially in those first few years when it’s just starting up, so I’ve struggled with finding balance.  I have to give a shoutout to my fiance who has been a huge support system for me through this all.  Without his patience, advice, and encouragement I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Please tell us about MISGIF.
As I mentioned previously, we create shareable, social, fully-customizable photo, GIF, and video experiences for brands. While our niche is brand activations (corporate and nonprofit) and our focus is to elevate the way that brands and consumers (or their employees) interact by creating memorable photo, GIF, and video experiences as well as targeted social media marketing strategies that increase brand awareness, online engagement, and consumer/employee loyalty, we also service social events, community events, bar and bat mitzvahs, birthday parties, anniversary parties, weddings, and everything in between. We’re known for our high-quality, interactive GIF Experiences that allow guests to instantly share branded photos, GIFs, and Boomerangs to their email, phone, and social media. We’re also known for our love of customization and thinking “beyond the booth” which means coming up with wild and crazy ideas for frame designs, backdrops, props, animations, and more. We are not your average, cookie-cutter photo booth company. We have strategy calls with our clients, match frame designs, backdrops, and props packages to mood boards and marketing material, and develop experiences that ultimately standout among the crowd and assist with marketing ROI. I love following trends on both the east and west coast and overseas and infusing them in our services in order to elevate events, so I am always striving to introduce my clients to new and exciting things you won’t find at your average event. I think what sets us apart is our customer service, quality, and creativity. We are really passionate about helping brands elevate their events and we put the time and effort into making sure that happens when they choose to partner us.

What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
That’s tough, but I think what I’m most proud of is all of the growth we’ve experienced over the past 2.5 years and the long-lasting partnerships we’ve formed. I’m so grateful to everyone who has supported us and the clients who continue to come back to us and trust us to create something really unique and high-quality.