Party Like There’s A Photobooth Involved (Win!)

Among the many virtual events we’ve attended in the last year-and-a-half, one that stood out included a custom social filter that it was created right here in Canada. The effect was activated by MDRN Photobooth Co., which was founded by Catalina Bloch. We chatted with Catalina about her offerings, plus what makes AR and 3D technology the must-have experience for your next (online) event. —Noa Nichol

Hi Catalina! When and why did you launch MDRN Photobooth Co? What niche/need were you aiming to fill?

I have always been a creative person and I was definitely trying to find my way. I was doing wedding photography and wedding styling (before that was even a thing) but I could never figure out how to make real money doing it. I went to WPPI in 2014 in Las Vegas to learn from the world’s best and instead stumbled upon an amazing piece of machinery. It was a photobooth but it was more than that—it was a portable professional studio. I hated photobooths because they were tacky and looked terrible, the photo quality was always horrible. But THIS photobooth was different; this was the kind of photobooth that I could actually see myself wanting to have at events. It all just clicked for me, I was going to offer highly styled and very professional photobooths for people who appreciated quality and cohesive style.

What products/services do you offer, and what makes you different/stand apart from similar technologies out there?

We offer a lot of products from your basic print photobooth to 360-degree video booths. What has always helped us be different is the attention to details and style as well as out of this world customer service. We are fast, efficient and are here to help make your experience as successful and easy as possible. Currently our most popular products are Glam booth (the black-and-white photos you see the Kardashians and Biebers have), the 360 video booth, Virtual booths (these are online versions of our booths) and Instagram filters.

Who and what is MDRN Photobooth Co. for?

MDRN is for clients that appreciate style, quality outputs (photo and video) and getting ROI on their event, whether that’s a great time and take-home memory at a wedding or social media-worthy content that gets shared for a PR agency working with brands.

What can we do, as customers, to truly customize our MDRN Photobooth experience?

Oh boy, how long is this article?? We have SO MANY customizations from the print template to the booth itself and everything in-between. You want a booth that looks like a painter’s easel and prints out pictures that look like oil paintings? Sure we can do that. You want a set up that is fully branded to your company in every way possible? We can do that, too. Almost everything can be customized but instead of leaving this to the customer we take care of this for them. Our strategy with clients is to give them the best product possible for their event and it’s our job to tell them what that is. We will meet with clients to understand what their goals and objectives are for the event, then present them with what we think is the best package and customizations for them in order to meet the goals of their event.

In terms of your latest AR-related offerings, how can MDRN photobooth transport us into a 3D world?

Want to go to the moon? Have you always needed a pet dinosaur in your living room? Imagination is really the limit when it comes to AR. We have the ability to make entire worlds from scratch and bring them to life inside our AR filters.

Why are AR and 3D technology “must-have” experiences for events going forward?

Events have always been about connecting with people and the pandemic has taught us, as event professionals, that this is still needed even when the world stops meeting in person. In order for events to be successful in the future they need to interact with guests, before, during and after. Meeting people where they are and where they share is important and this is on social media. Take a product launch for a makeup company, for example. You could do a game filter that tells you what lipstick you should wear and it could have a countdown to your product release. At the event you could have a 3D lenticular booth at the event that is sure to also get shared and kept. These are all fully brandable but we are good at making it tastefully branded. It’s just different.

Is there a past photobooth event activation you’ve done that sticks out as a favourite or particularly memorable?

I have a few. I got to photograph William Shatner for a celebrity photo op. I grew up watching him on Star Trek so that was a special moment. Growing up I always loved National Geographic and used to tell myself that one day I would have one of my pictures on the cover … well, one day National Geographic called and asked if we could do a photobooth where people were on the cover of the magazine. Ha! Now I can say I have shot hundreds of magazine covers for National Geographic and Alex Trebek was there, too! Finally, I feel like every time I go to an event though I say, “This event is so cool,” because we get to work with some of the country’s greatest planners and creative groups.

mdrnphotoboothcompany.com

Win! A $250 MDRN Photobooth Co. Gift Card!

Congrats Xu L. of Nepean, ON, who will receive a $250 MDRN Photobooth Co. gift card to use toward a social filter or AR portal! Please note: if you are the winner, you will receive a DM (direct message) in Instagram directly from @vitadaily.ca. Please be wary of fake accounts, which often use similar handles with an extra or missing letter, number or symbol. We will never ask for a payment or for your credit card number, and we will never ask you to click through a link. If you are unsure whether you have been contacted, via Instagram, by us or a fake account, email us before responding.