E317: How a Photo Booth Can Transform Any Event into a Memorable Experience

Are you curious about how to elevate your next event and create unforgettable memories? In this episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast, we chat with Tony Phillips, the owner of Photo Up Booth, about the magic behind photo booths and why they are becoming a must-have for all sorts of celebrations. Tony shares his journey from discovering the joy of photo booths to turning his passion into a thriving business. 

We dive deep into the various options available, including traditional printing booths, fun selfie stations, and even cutting-edge 360 booths, all designed to enhance the experience at events of any size. Discover how affordable and flexible these services can be, dispelling the common myths that they are out of reach for budget-conscious hosts. 

You'll also hear about the challenges Tony faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, how he adjusted his business model, and learned to innovate in tough times. Through warm and engaging storytelling, this episode showcases the power of photo booths in not only capturing moments but creating shared experiences that people cherish for a lifetime. 

Join us on this insightful journey and learn why you should consider a photo booth for your next event! Don’t forget to check out Photo Up Booth on social media and visit their website to find out more about how they can make your event memorable. Subscribe to our podcast for more inspiring stories and local business insights!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Benjamin John.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Welcome back to the Good Neighbor Podcast once again
, and if you're in need of aphoto booth rental, someone
who's professional and reliable,there might be a company that's
closer than you think.
Today I got the pleasure ofintroducing Tony Phillips with
PhotoUp Booth.
Tony, how you doing.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
All right, benjamin, doing good, doing good.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Good, good.
Well, I'm good to hear that andI'm interested to hear a little
bit more about the company andalso kind of let the community
know what you're all about.
So let's just start with thatquestion right there.
Can you tell me a little bitmore about PhotoUp Booth?

Speaker 3 (00:43):
So let's just start with that question right there.
Can you tell me a little bitmore about PhotoUp Booth?
Yeah, definitely so.
Photoup Booth is a top threeaward winning photo booth
company.
We have over 75 plus five starrated reviews.
We have over 40, 100 percentrecommended reviews on Facebook

(01:03):
and we've been running for abouteight years now.
So we have a different type ofphoto booths from regular DSLR
photo booths that when you takea photo we print them out photo
strips in the four by six.
We have the selfie boothrentals that you take the photos
and then we send them to youdigitally.
And then we have the 360 photobooths where you take these

(01:27):
really cool videos.
You can send them on your phoneas well.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
Very nice.
Yeah, I've seen the 360 photobooth thing.
That it's kind of trendy and sovery cool.
It sounds like you guys offer alot of different options.
I like that.

Speaker 3 (01:40):
Yeah, definitely.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
So why don't you tell me how you got into this
business?

Speaker 3 (01:46):
I like that?
Yeah, definitely.
So why don't you tell me howyou got into this business?
Ah, yeah, so back in 2017, Istarted off in Columbus, ohio.
I went to a New Year's partyand you know we're having a good
time and they had a photo booththere and I see everybody
having a good time.
I tried it out myself.
I really enjoyed it, and a fewmonths later, I ended up

(02:07):
investing in my own photo boothmyself and it was slow at first,
but then it started to pick upand then eventually I started
doing big events for likeChannel 10, tv news, home Depot,
chase Bank, a whole bunch ofComcast a whole bunch of
different events.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
Nice, that sounds like you got some momentum, even
though it sounds like you had aslow start.
But once you got the momentumit just kept going steamrolling.
Yeah, definitely, yep, so whatare?
I'm curious to know.
I don't know much aboutphotography, so maybe you can
enlighten me.
What are some myths ormisconceptions within the
photography industry?

Speaker 3 (02:52):
I would say one like as far as the customers looking
for a photo booth, I think a lotof times they think that is
really expensive to get a photobooth expensive to get a photo
booth.
Photo booths are good for anyevent, from bar mitzvahs, bat
mitzvahs, kente's baby showers,weddings and all of that and

(03:14):
photo booths.
We offer affordable pricingDepending on your budget.
We have different photo booths,like I mentioned earlier, to
match your needs.
So we work with our customersdepending on, uh, your budget
and we have different uh booths,kind of like Isle of cart to
where, um, yeah, we could workwith our customers with that.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
Okay, nice, all right .
So who are your targetcustomers and how do you attract
them?

Speaker 3 (03:44):
Gotcha, so usually our customers, anyone that has
an event, that's looking to maketheir event memorable.
You know, you always have, youknow, a DJ where you rent them
out and they're supposed to be,you know, the main thing that
you have at a party.
But I would definitely say thenew thing is having photo booths

(04:05):
, just because you make yourevent memorable, right?
That's what I think of.
When you're taking photos andvideos on all of these things,
you can always go back to lookat those moments to remember,
hey, that was such a good time.
Look at these pictures, look atthese videos.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
Yeah, I see the value in that, absolutely, being able
to capture a moment with aphotograph and one as
professional as your guys'service, it's a great way to
kind of reflect on that moment.
I see the value in that.
That's really cool.
Yeah, definitely All right.
Well, outside of work, what doyou like to do for fun?
Outside of work, I like totravel.

(05:10):
I love to take cruisesespecially.
I like to do active things LikeI like to do top golf.
I like to bowl, go bowling,spend time with family,
especially with my son.
So, yeah, usually Nice.
Well, I've never taken a cruisemyself, so if I ever take the
opportunity to go, I'll reachout to you and get some tips.
Definitely All right.
I'm going to switch gears onyou here a little bit.
Can you describe a hardship ora life lesson that you've gone
through and how it made youstronger?

Speaker 3 (05:32):
I would say definitely me moving down here,
because I did start thisbusiness in Ohio.
When I came down it was rightbefore COVID, and when COVID hit
it kind of changed everythingin our industry.
All of the events that I hadwere being canceled and the

(05:54):
venues were canceled.
So I took a pretty big hit.
But over time, you know, nowit's starting to pick up again,
thank goodness.
And then I had to expand to adddifferent things to the
business, just in case somethinglike that happens again.

Speaker 2 (06:12):
Yeah, well, I'm glad to hear that you are one of the
businesses that made it throughthat.
You know that adversity Because, yeah, you're right, business
owners took quite a bit of a hitand there was a lot of
uncertainty and doubt going onand not a lot of them made it.
So I'm glad that you're one ofthe ones that powered through it
.

Speaker 3 (06:31):
Yeah, definitely.

Speaker 2 (06:32):
Thank you, all right, um, all right.
So, uh, yeah, tony, tell ourlisteners one thing they should
remember about photo up booth.

Speaker 3 (06:44):
Yeah.
So one thing, uh, with photoboost is that we are here to
make the best of your event.
So any event that you may have,we will come out and show out.
We will make your eventmemorable.
So we have a wide variety ofdifferent things that we have

(07:06):
like add-ons, scrapbooks anddifferent things.
Different things that we havelike add-ons, scrapbooks and
different things.
So if you are in South Florida,in Port St Lucie area, and if
you have an event, definitelycheck out PhotoUp Booths.

Speaker 2 (07:20):
Okay, yeah, that was going to be my last question too
.
I think you touched base onthat, but how can they learn
more about PhotoUp Booth as well?

Speaker 3 (07:27):
Yeah, yeah, so we have different uh social media
platforms.
Uh, feel free to follow us onuh, twitter, facebook, instagram
.
Tick tock at photo up booths.
Uh, you can give us a call at561-906-7452 and our website is
wwwphotoupboothcom very good.

Speaker 2 (07:47):
Well, look, tony.
It's been a great time chattingwith you and thanks for making
the time and spreading awarenessand letting the community of
Port St Lucie know how to get ahold of you if they want to
utilize your services.
I wish you and PhotoUp booththe best going forward.

Speaker 3 (08:01):
All right, it definitely, and thank you for
having me, benjamin.
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (08:06):
Thank you.