Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Eberlein.
Hi Jordan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Paperboys – originally Simon Cook Films – was founded in 2014 by Simon Cook. With a passion for filmmaking and a heart for giving couples the best possible client experience, he took a big swing – creating a fake wedding film and investing in some Wedding Wire Ads. He prayed that the leads would come in. They did!
He said yes to just about everything – and from a spare bedroom in his home he single-handedly served over 60 clients in his first year. His long-term vision was never to go at it alone – working by yourself in a spare bedroom before long can become a rather depressing thing for an extroverted creative. As his reputation for excellent client care and beautiful work spread throughout the DMV, he was able to bring on a partner, Jordan Eberlein, who, with the gumption of a few other early teammates – Matt (Sales) and Josh (Lead Videographer) – would scale Paperboys into a formidable team of full-time creatives.
One iteration of Paperboys’ slogan is “breathtaking work for the world’s most amazing couples.” True to form, amazing couples kept coming. Amazing planners and venue coordinators kept coming too. What proceeded was 11 years of saying “yes” and doing everything in our power to ensure an excellent client and vendor experience. We formally opened our Photography division some five years ago, with John Martin at the helm. We’re now a studio of 24 full-time team members, each person shooting and editing, each person living and breathing weddings.
Simon got his wish and the result has been more fun and friendly competition to outdo one another with increasingly excellent work. Far from diminishing results as our team has grown, Paperboys continues to put out its best work with each new wedding season. Over a decade later, we’re still pinching ourselves that we get to work with such wonderful people every single weekend.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We’ve experienced plenty of growing pains along the way. Finding the right people to let in and to trust with our name and hard-won reputation. Early on, we made the classic mistake of hiring for competence. We quickly learned that having a fully equipped team member right out of the gate made serving more weddings easier to a degree. However, if the character wasn’t there, if the love of weddings wasn’t there, it created far more trouble in the long run. We can teach almost anyone how to film or photograph a wedding with excellence, but we can’t teach integrity and we can’t teach a love for capturing weddings. It’s required a ton of effort over the last decade, but we have our most formidable and experienced roster to date. We also have an apprenticeship program, which allows us to thoroughly vet and battle-test any new team member over an extended period of time. This has been a game changer for our business.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Paperboys?
11 years ago we believed the caliber of our work was the most unique feature of our brand. It was emotionally captivating, it was polished. With the rapid evolution and accessibility of technology, a lot more players are on the scene and you can’t count on aesthetic alone for differentiation. As this evolution has happened, we’re constantly asking ourselves the questions – what makes Paperboys different (and, hopefully, better)? Why would someone pay our prices instead of those of a competitor with lower prices? For us, it comes down to care. Care is paramount. Our clients feel cared for through every step of our client journey process. We’re proactive, available and thorough in our communication. We deliver everything with exceptional kindness. It’s not enough to just make awesome work anymore. Lots of folks do that, but where we stand out is in our genuine kindness towards our couples and fellow vendors. Inside of care is decade-long track record of reliability and genuine care.
What matters most to you? Why?
Far and away, it’s our clients’ experience with us that matters most. Polished and compelling work is great – a given, really – but lots of folks can do that.
Here’s an analogy: I’ve been blessed to stay at the Four Seasons Baltimore a couple of times. From the moment you arrive there is something markedly different about this hotel experience. “Hello, Mr. Eberlein,” the associate says as I approach the front desk. I haven’t presented any ID – “how do they know who I am??” They have a small stuffed dolphin that they promptly hand over the counter to my wife who’s holding our 8-month old. We walk into our room and there’s a handwritten note from the head of catering, with whom I regularly work weddings, along with a few delicious artisanal chocolates over coffee grounds. These small touches transform an otherwise run of the mill transactional experience into something wonderful and memorable. This is our aim at Paperboys. The work must be excellent, but our foremost priority is that our couples feel honored and appreciated with every touch point they have with us.
Pricing:
- 4495
- 6495
- 7995
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.paperboys.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paperboysweddings
