I am writing to announce that I am no longer the Managing Director of UltiPhotos.

In the summer of 2012, feeling adrift and directionless following my college graduation, I emailed Kevin Leclaire, the founder of UltiPhotos, for some tips on my ultimate photography. I had casually covered my college team over three years, and it was one of the few things I knew I felt passionate about. “I am not nearly on par with the UltiPhotos photographers”, I wrote, simply hoping for some advice. Kevin was very encouraging and kind, asking me to put together a portfolio and offering some guidance. The conversation ended, and I hoped that someday, with this advice and maybe some new gear, I could become a photographer with the team. When UltiPhotos announced a job opening for a Manager of Operations later that year, I jumped at the opportunity. Kevin brought me on as a photographer at the same time, a move I still question to this day. :)

Over the years, I abandoned my other part-time jobs and expanded my role to a full-time one, a necessity to keep up with the exponential growth of Kevin’s small business. I learned about licensing, accounting, schedule creation, partnership agreements, conducting interviews and managing other team members, social media management, and more. I met so many wonderful people, champions and supporters of UltiPhotos who made me feel so fortunate to work in this community. I met others who challenged my resolve and frustrated me to the point of exhaustion. I fervently defended the rights of our photographers and our small business, and I grew much more confident in my role as a leader. (Although, I do still get nervous before phone calls!) And I worked with such talented, passionate, and thoughtful people. Our photographers, our interns, our social media managers and graphic designers, and of course, Kevin. I owe so much to him, and I’m forever grateful for the opportunities he gave me and his kindness and understanding as my “boss”.

After seven years, the time has come for me to leave as UltiPhotos’ Managing Director. It’s bittersweet, because while the job and the company have become a part of me, I know that I’m leaving it in great hands. Katie Greener is UltiPhotos’ new Manager of Operations, and she’s the real deal. She’s excited about the work, picks everything up easily, and fits perfectly into the company. I’m so grateful UltiPhotos has her to run the ship, and Kevin and everyone else are really lucky to have her.

If you’re still with me, I’d like to encourage you to please support UltiPhotos however you can during these tough times. Our revenues have been slashed to nearly nothing in a time that is usually our busiest. We’ve all been hard at work putting together new projects to generate sales and support the community while we’re all separated. You can check out Kevin’s blog for some ideas on how to help, or our latest newsletter for some of the latest projects we’ve come up with. If you can’t support us financially (which we of course understand!), please share with your friends and family how they can support us.

Oh, one more thing – I still hope to shoot ultimate for UltiPhotos in the future, schedule permitting. So, I’ll see y’all on the fields.

Jolie