The #ProjectScouted launch takes over Windermere Road

There is no way that the #ProjectScouted launch could have set the bar higher for what is to come in Cycle 2. Windermere Road was a flurry of activity this past Saturday as the #ProjectScouted ladies and team descended upon #Hashtag Social Restaurant and Bar for Phase One. #Hashtag was also the venue for Phase One of the Project in Cycle 1 last year and it being the venue for Phase One again this year made it evident that there are much bigger things to come!

Phase One was organized so as not to be daunting or nerve-racking for the scouted girls as all they had to do was show up and shoot a strip of images – three in total – in the photobooth, provided by Photo Booth PAL, which was specially set up in #Hashtag for the event. The girls were encouraged to let their personalities roar. As there was no editing of the images or direction from scouts or photographers involved, the photobooth images managed to capture the girls as they are. But of course, it wasn’t just the scouted ladies who had their time in the booth. The #ProjectScouted team managed to sneak in their (many) shots too.

This being the launch of the Project, there could not have been more excitement or anticipation surrounding the event and there was no way that it was not going to turn into a party. Just Green, the Durban deep house and official #ProjectScouted DJ, and his accomplice, Ryan Rockwell, kept the atmosphere buzzing with their skills on the deck in the upstairs VIP area where the photobooth was situated. Girls also had the chance to win one of the prizes being chosen for the best images shot on the day by getting a selfie with the DJ, which Just Green – aka Deon Francis – couldn’t be happier about! With the music paired, the drinks and meals generously provided by #Hashtag’s owners Brendon Kader and Trushin James, as well as the amazing vibe; the #ProjectScouted ladies and their supporters – friends, family, parents, and scouts – did not need any more motivation to stay long after they had shot their images.

With the variety of the girls scouted this year, the judges are definitely going to be having to make difficult decisions. The judges for this first phase – consisting of Clodagh Francis, partner with Ryan Francis of Shoelaced Clothing; Iman Sheik, model at Ice Model Management; Robbie Muller, one of the videographers capturing the Project; and Sholene Ramdass, Lee Folkard Photography’s blogger and former Miss Teen K.Z.N. – could almost not bring themselves to let the 15 girls, of the over 70 girls who were scouted, go. From the success and popularity of the Project last year; the stakes and the competition have definitely been raised.

The scouts did a fantastic job in their task of finding the gems of Durban, not forgetting the Open Casting panel who also contributed to making this group of #ProjectScouted talent so diverse. The girls’ photobooth strips, along with the other crazy images from the team, have already been uploaded onto the Lee Folkard Photography page. Also keep an eye on the page as the behind the scenes images are released from the brilliant photographers who were at the launch – namely Dalton Green, Jessica VanGoeverden, Jerome Stoffels, Nilufer Yucel, Skye Cripps, and Yuveer Karunchand – as well as the videos shot by videographers Robbie Muller, Tayla-Rae Coetzer,and Stefan Rust.

Without skipping a beat; Phase Two happens this weekend, the details of which can soon be found on the Facebook page and on the #ProjectScouted Instagram profile where you can also track all the images with the #ProjectScouted hashtag. We will see you this weekend!

Images used in blog post by: Dalton Green Photography. 

The awesome #ProjectScouted sponsors – Brendon Kader, co-owner of #Hashtag Social Restaurant and Bar and Dental Fix

Durban entrepreneur, Brendon Kader, is not just innovative when it comes to his business ventures, but also generous. #Hashtag Social Restaurant and Bar was one of the main venues used in last year’s Project and will be again this year. Having held the Open Casting here on 21 February, the first phase and the launch of the Project will take place on 28 February here as well. As Brendon put it, combining #Hashtag and #ProjectScouted is really a “no-brainer”. And also to keep up the girls winning smiles, Brendon has also brought his new enterprise Dental Fix into the mix.

1.    Having hosted #ProjectScouted at #Hashtag last year, what made you want to come back this year and bring another of your companies on board as a sponsor?

The founder of #ProjectScouted, Lee Folkard, and I have always had a good relationship when it comes to his crazy ideas surrounding photography and events. #Hashtag is a venue for all things social, put those two together and it’s a no-brainer really. We couldn’t not be a part of the Project again this year!

2.    How did you get involved in the Project last year?

#Hashtag was a venue for one of the first shoots, where we provided the girls and crew with food and drinks as well as a DJ to set the mood on the Saturday morning. At the end of the Project, we also had all the guys back for a prize-giving and party.

3.    What do you think is the best aspect of the Project?

This platform allows for aspiring young ladies to get a taste of the modelling industry working with some of Durban’s most talented photographers.

4.    What was the inspiration behind opening #Hashtag?

Times are changing; people don’t want the same thing anymore. Clubbers are no longer, they have evolved into Socialites, who do things differently. Food, fun and “dance if you want to” are the ways of the world now. So we’ve tried to combine online with offline and give Durban a fresh approach to a night out.

5.    And the inspiration behind Dental Fix?

We saw a gap in the market with regards to dental practice in the city and decided to open our own dental franchise called Dental Fix. Our first practise opens on 1^st March 2015 at Shop 47e Almill Centre, 47 Ashley Avenue, Glenashley. We plan on opening 5 additional practices in 2015.

6.    The girls and scouts are going to be ecstatic to hear of the prizes you will be sponsoring at each phase of the Project. Would you like to reveal anything about those prizes?

Dental Fix is giving away a cleaning to each phase winner and their scout. Once the Project is concluded, we will give a teeth whitening procedure to the overall winner and their scout.

7.    What is a typical day like for you? How do you balance everything?

I don’t. It balances me. I guess the only way to explain it, is prioritizing. Do what needs doing now, NOW. There is no other way.

8.    Do you have any surprises coming up for Durban? Any new ventures on the horizon?

All I will say is; watch this space, there is a lot in the pipe line.

You definitely don’t want to miss out on Phase One and the launch of the Project happening at #Hashtag on 28 February starting at 14:00 with Just Green on the decks providing the music!

#ProjectScouted – The First Phase

18 Windermere Road was abuzz with a bevy of beauties this Saturday, the 10^th of May, as the first photoshoot for Lee Folkard Photography’s 2014 project, Project Scouted, took place at the uber trendy hotspot, Hashtag. The restaurant’s cool and casual setting provided the perfect atmosphere for the kick-off of Phase One in the project and although the morning was a chilly one, the energy and excitement was tangible. Hashtag also treated the girls and their parents to coffee while they waited for their spot in front of the cameras, with The-Wiz, Dj Alleyne Morton, on the decks keeping the awesome vibe.

The girls who fit the criteria that the scouts were on the lookout for were instructed to dress in a way that portrayed who they are. Some girls went for a more natural and subtle look, to suit their personalities, but some also went all out for dramatic and striking looks. There was an array of different styles and tastes on show for the morning with every girl working it in their own unique way.

The girls scouted ranged from high school pupils to university students and some even employed. Previous years’ projects seemed to serve as a reliable reference point for those parents who wanted to check out the brand. Parents, mostly mums, who arrived with their daughters weren’t at all sceptical about the shoot as the Lee Folkard Photography name has become an established one in Durban with a strong social, as well as print, media presence.

There were a few surprises on the day too. The Clown, who has become a regular feature in the Project photoshoots, made an appearance and was also roped in for countless pics. Durban-based photographer who will be a part of the Project at a later stage, Jerome Stoffels, also stopped by to take some of his famous behind-the-scenes iPhone pics along with Nilufer Yucel, who is also one of the scouts. Ryan Francis of Shoelaced by Pow, a loyal and much-loved sponsor involved in a Project for the second time, also came by.

The first two photographers who had the talent to be scouted in their own way to be a part of this first phase were Simphiwe Simz Makhwanazi and Jessica “Van.Go” Goeverden. Simphiwe took the “selfie” to a whole other level, with the first shot of each girl being taken in the “Selfie Zone” at Hashtag, capturing the reflection of each girl in a full-length mirror, while Jessica photographed the girls in classic head-and-shoulders shots with whatever pose – or facial expression – that displayed their personalities.

This first phase of judging is going to prove to be extremely difficult. Be on the lookout for the images from this awesome morning at Hashtag soon to be uploaded onto the Lee Folkard Photography Facebook page. Also check out Twitter and Instagram as Project Scouted is taking over social media in a big way. The project has officially now begun.