GreekYearbook Blog

It has been exciting times here at GreekYearbook over the past couple months. We recently moved our headquarters from Owings Mills, MD to Hunt Valley, MD. While the distance of the move may not have been great, the changes have been.

GreekYearbook has grown so much over the years.  Since entering the market over a decade ago GreekYearbook has become the largest Bid Day photography company in the nation. Over the past decade GreekYearbook has become a leader in nationwide Composite photography, having served thousands of Fraternity and Sorority members at hundreds of Universities.

The new facilities have given GreekYearbook even more room to grow. This allows us to better serve the needs of the Fraternities and Sororities who rely on us to create the best Bid Day and Composite photos for their chapter.

The process of moving is never an easy one, but we have enjoyed every minute of it. We continue to grow and add members of the Greek community to our staff. It is our hope to be able to use this new facility to continue to not only meet the needs of the Fraternities and Sororities that we serve, but to exceed them.

- Jon Stiles, Marketing Associate

I have had many opportunities to reflect on exactly how going Greek has truly impacted my life. While in college, I never dreamed of being a “Frat Guy”. They had such an “Animal House” reputation, and I wanted to focus on my school work. Something I hadn’t done in high school.

I was just wrapping up my first year of school and I was doing great. Then, I met someone from Lambda Chi Alpha. He hyped up his Fraternity, but I just tuned him out. “Whatever, I don’t need to buy my friends” I thought. Later that week, he approached me again and this time invited me to a barbeque. I decided to take him up on is offer; and, well, as they say “the rest is history”.

Going Greek has taught me several life lessons: how to manage time, how to guide someone, how to be a leader, responsibility for my and others actions, and most importantly, family and friends are the most treasured thing anyone can have. The memories I have with my brothers will always make me smile.

My fraternity brothers are just that, my brothers. They have been there for me every step of the way. From some of the darkest periods of life when I was a senior, to family health issues, until now, my current battle with cancer. My support system has never been stronger.

I went from never wanting to be a “Frat Guy”, to someone who would never think of not being a “Frat Guy”. Joining a fraternity was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! Be part of something larger, do something for others, and extend your family!

- Brandon Croft, Production Manager & Quality Control

I have been working for GreekYearbook for several years now and have been fortunate enough to attend hundreds of bid days shoots, composite shoots, and Greek National Conventions.  As the head photographer, I get to interact with not only thousands of Greek students, but also many of the national officers.  I came to GreekYearbook having gone to a small art college with no Greek life whatsoever. The only thing I knew about being Greek was from what friends that were affiliated told me, as well as the parties and formals I had attended.  I never knew about all the philanthropic efforts the organizations are involved in.

Getting to see how the goals and values of each organization, on a national level, trickle down to the individual chapters has been really eye opening for me.  All of the organizations promote leadership, scholarship, friendship, and philanthropy.  After attending conventions from various organizations, I have witnessed all the great things these chapters have done across the country as well as how they have made a positive impact, not only on their communities, but also on national level.  I have photographed countless keynotes, educational sessions, banquettes, and business meetings. By doing so, I have become very familiar with the standards each fraternity and sorority has asked their individual chapters to live up to.  And from what I have seen they are! Photographing for bid days or composites I get to see the students with their guard down and they still represent their organizations proudly. The level of involvement among Greek students is impeccable and they make their campuses better for everyone.

- Nic Kennedy, Head Photographer

As a recent college graduate, I was very nervous to start my first job at GreekYearbook.  I was not part of a sorority during college, so I was unfamiliar with Bid Days and composites.  I had a lot of friends in Greek Life, both at my college and at other universities.  Before I started working at GreekYearbook, I asked my friends all about Greek organizations, Bid Days, Composites, and anything else I would need to know!

As an Accounts Manager in the Scheduling Department, I work closely with members of sororities and fraternities to get their composite photo shoot scheduled.  There is a lot that goes into scheduling composite shoots for the different Greek organizations on different University campuses.  Working closely with the other employees at GreekYearbook helped me learn how to schedule the composite shoots.  As hard as it is to coordinate dates and times to schedule composite shoots for both sororities and fraternities, scheduling hundreds of Bid Day shoots for sororities at universities across the country, is much more involved.

There is a lot of work that the sorority has to do before GreekYearbook schedules their Bid Day shoot.  Each sorority must appoint one person who is in charge of Bid Day photography.  The girls needs to coordinate with the university the date of the Bid Day, and also coordinate the best time for each member of her chapter for the photographer to come out!  Once the Bid Day date is determined, there is a lot that needs to be done prior to that date.  Each chapter needs to decide on a t-shirt design, get the sizes of each girl, order the t-shirts, and then distribute the t-shirts to the girls.  The member who is in charge of Bid Day for their sorority has a lot on her plate to make everyone happy in the chapter.

We recently started our scheduling process for this upcoming Bid Day season.  We need to contact the previous years contact person to get the new Bid Day photography coordinator.  Once we get the new contact person, we begin to get important information that is needed.  We get as much information as we can before we schedule the chapters Bid Day shoot in order to make Bid Day the best day ever for the sorority.  Since Bid Day is a stressful event for the chapter contact, I try to make it as fun as possible.  I take care of the photographers, the time the photographer will arrive and shoot the girls, and the location where the shoot will take place.  All the members need to do is show up at the location at the time and smile for the camera!

One of my favorite aspects of being an Accounts Manager at GreekYearbook is being able to work with all of our clients.  I really enjoy helping each individual client to schedule their Bid Day or Composite photography.  It is a pleasure to work with our clients, and to ensure that they are completely satisfied with GreekYearbook!

- Nicole Ichart, Accounts Manager

I remember when I was first interviewing for the job at GreekYearbook, I was not really sure what to expect for the work environment because so many places have differentcorporate cultures. When I came in everyone was friendly and it seemed like a cool place to work.

I have been here for a few months now and I have been able to see what it is like to work in the office as well as work functions outside the office. I can definitely say that it is a fun place to work and I understand why so many fraternities and sororities like to use us for their bid day and composites. We work hard, and play hard too. The first week I was here we had the annual winter office party and went downtown to a bar. It was literally my second day on the job but everyone was nice and accommodating and made me feel like part of the family. I’m sure it also helped because everyone is young (many of which were in fraternities and sororities themselves) and still remember what it is like to be in college, they even “iced” the President of the company.

A few weeks later I got to go to my first Bid Day as part of GreekYearbook.  After a long drive, we checked into our hotel and went to eat as a group. After we got to go to a fun bar where we continued the tradition and “iced” the Vice President. The next day we did the photography for Syracuse University’s Bid Day and watched the Super Bowl together and did our own pool for the game.

I have now been to two conventions which are definitely a lot of work. They are also fun, and a great opportunity to learn about Greek life, as well as meet different members of fraternities and sororities in the process. We still get to go out as a group to eat and check out different places.

After having worked at GreekYearbook for a little while and having met our customers, I understand why fraternities and sororities choose GreekYearbook for their bid day and composites. It’s because they like to work with people that understand them and still have fun, like they do. I wish I knew more companies like GreekYearbook when I was in college; it makes the whole process of working with a company more enjoyable when you can associate yourself with the people you are dealing with.

- Jon Stiles, Marketing Associate

As a recent college graduate, I was excited to join the working world. When offered the position of marketing associate at GreekYearbook, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Although never personally going Greek during college, I was somewhat familiar with fraternity and sorority life from friends who were involved. I was nervous about my new job; how was I supposed to market composites and bid day photography to people when I knew very little about Greek life?

Now that I’ve worked for GreekYearbook for a few months, I have a totally new understanding of Greek Life and the responsibility and commitment that goes into it. It has been so exciting communicating with sorority and fraternity representatives from all over the country via phone and email.  More recently I have had the opportunity to travel to various conventions across the nation to represent GreekYearbook, which has been extremely rewarding.

Traveling to these conventions and meeting members of the Greek community has really helped my understanding and appreciation of all that goes into being in a sorority or fraternity. After interacting with Greek representatives, I am so excited to be working in this industry! Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. I can easily relate to the sorority girls I have met and have actually been inspired to join the Greek community myself! Being able to attend these conventions has opened my eyes to a side of Greek life I never expected.

- Michelle Herndon, Marketing Associate

When I began with GreekYearbook in 2006 I was not Greek. I’d just graduated from MICA and I was looking to establish myself professionally. I didn’t know when I started, but I was in for an unexpected ride.

GreekYearbook is the most exuberant and personable team I’ve ever worked with. Every member of this organization provides our clients with the experience we would want as Greeks. With the majority of our company having sat for a composite or having been photographed during bid day, we know what it’s like as clients.  Our knowledge and experience allows us the ability to provide the Greek community with the experience they want.

After a few years at GreekYearbook my brother came to me and said it would be great if I joined his fraternity as an alumni.  A short while later after lobbying for the opportunity, my brother stood witness to my initiation into Pi Kappa Phi. That evening, a double entendre of sibling relationship emerged, making each of us both Big’s and Little’s to one another. That semester, I helped our chapter get a nearly free composite through GreekYearbook, one which I had the pleasure to both be pictured within and create myself.

Though I never had the chance to be an active collegiate member and contribute, working among so many former leaders at GreekYearbook – I’ve had the chance to live vicariously through their memories and experiences.

- Tom Maffett, Manager of Production & Design/Head Graphic Designer

I have been working at GreekYearbook for about a year and a half now. I started fresh out of college, a recent alumnus of Greek Life at Towson University. I began working in the Marketing Department, but it wasn’t long before I realized what it was I really wanted to do at GreekYearbook.

After watching our Scheduling Manager, Ashley Zupan, at work, I became very interested in the Scheduling Department. Planning shoots and working one–on–one with both students and photographers seemed like something that was right up my alley.

Ashley’s dedication to her clients at GreekYearbook inspired me to want to work in the Scheduling Department and make sure all of our clients had the best experience possible. When I learned that Ashley would be ending her 5-year tenure at GreekYearbook, I was eager to fill the position. I have been training under her for the past year, and I have big shoes to fill!

Being a former member of Greek Life myself, I know how important a quality composite is. I also understand how busy the schedule of a college student is, and that it is incredibly hard to get an entire chapter together on the same day. That is why at GreekYearbook we believe in Preferred Scheduling. We want to make sure that your chapter shoots on a day that works best for you! All you have to do is get together three days that your chapter can agree on. I then coordinate with the photographer to get you the best date possible.

It is my goal to make the entire process as easy as possible for you. College is hard enough, getting a great composite shouldn’t have to be.

- Andrea Del Frate, Scheduling Manager

Hi, my name is Austin Simmons, Sales Manager at GreekYearbook. This is my story of how I went from freshman to president of my fraternity to Sales Manager at GreekYearbook.

It all started in 2000, Greek Life! Something that is widely unknown and many times misunderstood by most of the world as it was for myself as well. As a freshman at Towson University in Baltimore, MD I was forced with a tough decision. Pay for friends, or find free friends. At least that was the common thought by outsiders. I decided to join the Kappa Sigma fraternity and meet some of my closest and best friends that I could ever imagine. I remember my first day as a pledge my PE (pledge educator) told everyone to look around the room. He then said someone in this room will be in your wedding and someone will be at your funeral. That’s a pretty bold statement to hear as a stupid, uneducated freshman. Well, he was half right, so far. I just got married two weeks ago and two members of my fraternity were in my wedding. Also getting married to an AOPi, my wife had 3 of her sorority sisters in our wedding also.

In 2002 was time to grow up. I was now president of my fraternity (Kappa Sigma). Being president of Kappa Sigma at Towson University was no easy task. Some would compare it to being the quarterback of the Detroit Lions, very difficult. Taking a failing, unmotivated chapter and turning them around was no easy task. In 2 years we went from weeks away from losing our charter to winning Greek week, having the largest pledge class and having 89% of our chapter pay dues which at the time was much higher than the national average.

Being the president of my fraternity and now the sales manager at GreekYearbook go hand in hand. While holding the title as president I was forced to learn creative ways to motivate and demand respect from people. Organizational skills were most important. There are many moving parts in the life as student/fraternity leader. Learning how to balance life was critical. I would not know where I would be today if it weren’t for my decision to, so called “buy friends”.

As the leader of my organization I personally remember hiring GreekYearbook to photograph all of our events on and off campus. GreekYearbook ran things very differently than any other vendor I dealt with. They treated every customer like it was their only customer. When I was given the opportunity to join such a great motivated staff I jumped at the opportunity.

Being the leader of my fraternity is nothing new when talking about the staff at GreekYearbook. The majority of the staff at GreekYearbook are former leaders of the Greek community. This allows us to understand you, our customers. Being able to understand what our customers want in photography company has allowed us to become one of the most respected, talked about composite companies in the industry.

- Austin Simmons, Vice President of Operations

Wow! I can’t believe I am two months into my first internship in marketing at GreekYearbook sorority and fraternity photography company. When an alumni sorority sister approached me with this opportunity, I jumped on the chance to learn more about marketing in a real workplace. There is only so much you can learn in a classroom. GreekYearbook is composed of almost all former Greek life leaders from various universities. I felt comfortable knowing that we all shared something in common at GreekYearbook.

Double majoring in public relations and theatre, I wasn’t sure how I would put my skills to use. However, it was my position as vice president of public relations in my sorority that has helped me the most at GreekYearbook. I used my skills at designing t-shirts to help generate ideas for GreekYearbook’s newest venture: sorority and fraternity apparel. I used my experience with incompetent composite companies to create a website on how to choose a superior sorority or fraternity composite company.

I also had the preconceived notion that an internship would be a lot of busy work. On the contrary, I am having a lot of fun making video collages, websites, Facebook advertisements, and more for GreekYearbook. It is like one big family here and everyone seems happy to be at work. Perhaps we don’t look at it as work at GreekYearbook.

The open environment and positive attitudes at GreekYearbook are reflected in the professionalism of their staff and quality of their products. Since we were all in Greek life, we truly care about the satisfaction of our fellow sorority and fraternity members across the nation. Over the next two months I hope to learn as much as I can from this great crew. Tune in for updates on my interning experience at GreekYearbook!

- Liz Cassedy, Intern