BEHIND-THE-SCENES AT PECADO: CONTENT CREATION

In recent months, you may have noticed that here at PEcado, we’ve upped our social media game, posting daily on our different social media accounts. We have an Instagram account, a Facebook page, and even a TikTok, where we regularly share photos and videos with entertaining, enjoyable, and educational content. But where does this content come from, and who creates it? Thus our focus today – Behind-the-Scenes at PEcado: Content Creation!

Well, buckle up because we’re doing a deep dive behind-the-scenes of PEcado’s content creation!

Similar to it taking a village to raise a child, it takes a team to create content for social media – this is no one-person show. For our personal PEcado recipe, we have an owner and two staff members who are just about game for any setting, scenario, or outfit; a social media expert (Dustin) and his assistant (Jasmine) from Helix Creations who help direct and bring inspiration to the set; and a local community that has, in the past several weeks, been open to collaborating with us. 

Sure, we film and shoot a lot of our content in-store, utilizing dressing rooms, window displays, and group discussions to knab some great shots and video clips, but it’s a lot of fun going on adventures about town and showcasing other great establishments.

Here’s how a typical content creation day goes down.

Phase One

Via text or word-of-mouth, staff finds out Dustin of East Jordan’s Helix Creations is coming somewhere between 12 and 24 hours before his impending arrival to film and shoot. This heads-up gives us time to contemplate what lipsticks to bring, shave our legs, and mentally prepare to do something that may feel awkward but actually looks really cool as a finished product.

Phase Two

The morning of, outfits are selected after a laughter-inducing fashion show where we usually discover that some pieces just don’t flatter our body shapes, whether we add a belt to finagle a waistline or not. Of course, sometimes we roast one another, and Dustin deftly catches the moments on film for our Sunday Funday posts.

Phase Three

After selecting outfits and accessories, we decide where to go within the downtown vicinity. So far, we’ve created content at McLean & Eakin Booksellers, the Waterfront, Duffy’s Garage & Grille, Somebody’s Gallery, The Back Lot and Happy’s Tacos, The Quiet Moose, North Perk Coffee, Monarch Garden & Floral Design, Flora Bae Home, High Five Spirits, Petoskey Kitchens – Designs By Dawn, C…Pilates, The Inn at Bay Harbor, and Mammoth Distilling.

Sometimes we get a ride to our shooting locations, but usually, we walk and put on a bit of a fashion show and catch a clap or a whistle from those driving and walking downtown. Those of us who model are anxiously awaiting the arrival of warmer weather and less biting wind!

Phase Four

When it comes to posing, sometimes the positions have a sense of ease and feel natural, like sitting in chairs or standing at a bookshelf; other times, they feel silly and, as mentioned above, awkward, like when you lay in a dry bathtub in a long dress and heels with two purses. However, Dustin always assures us that the photos and videos don’t look unnatural. Blessedly, he can trim video clips and uses a discerning eye to weed out the unflattering shots.

Of course, we bring outfit accessories, but on-site props have included warm drinks, novels, menus, cats, art, juicy tacos, flowers, cocktails, and furniture.

Phase Five

And finally, the finished products get shared on our social media accounts – as they say, a post a day keeps the algorithm at bay! Dustin makes sure to post a variety of images and videos each week, never posting all the photos from the same shoot in a row – we like to showcase our diverse outfits and locations to keep followers and viewers engaged, interested, and wondering: what will they wear next, and where?? 

So, as you can see, it takes our team of five, plus a handful of eager community businesses, to keep our social media accounts fun and active! It takes a community to make content creation happen! We want you to see the fashion we have in-store and how much fun you can have while wearing the clothes wherever you want, regardless of whether there’s an occasion!

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok to keep up with our social media adventures!

Written by Alex Dailey
Edited by Alona Kelly