Announcing: The Blogcademy World Tour!

19 March 2013, 06:57

This year, The Blogcademy goes truly international. What started out as an experiment exploded into three sold-out classes in New York and London… And now, we’re expanding across the world!

We’re hittin’ the road, Jack! We’ve planned our dates for 2013, and we’ll be kicking up a turquoise tornado in…

YEAH BABY! I am so excited about all of the dates but I am particularly psyched to bring Shauna and Kat to my home, New Zealand! AHHHH!

As always, we’re offering an earlybird special for the first three days, so be sure to snap up your ticket! (Remember, our first class in London sold out in 24 hours!)

We’re also pleased to announce one scholarship prize for each city. All you need to do is post your entry on our Facebook page up to one month before the date of your chosen event. There is more information about the scholarship at the end of our FAQ!

Don’t know what I’m talking about? The Blogcademy is a two-day bootcamp for blogger babes. You can read all about our curriculum, get answers to your frequently asked questions, read some testimonials and watch a video all about it!

Man, we are SO EXCITED to see you… I can’t wait to give you a huge hug!

It’s going to be a big year of travel for your intrepid headmistresses… I’m already mentally packing my hot pink suitcase! I am loving the thought of touching down in all these fantastic cities!

A lot of you have asked if we’ll ever make The Blogcademy available online, & the answer is no, simply because what makes The Blogcademy so special is the physical bringing together of people. But we appreciate that there are a lot of you who would love to come along and can’t.

For this reason, in Portland, the three of us will be doing a live online Q&A session, in which we’ll answer all your burning blogging questions! It’s the best way we could think of to bring ourselves right into your living room, and address the questions you really want answered.

Tickets are $7, and if you can’t watch it live, don’t worry: your ticket gives you access to the recording forever!

While you will have the opportunity to ask questions during the livestream, it’s first come, first served… So please tweet or email us your questions!

Even better than that, we’re giving away a Blogcademy goodie bag to one lucky viewer! Inside, you’ll find some sparkly bunny ears courtesy of Crown And Glory, some treats from IF Ladies, awesome shoe clips from Head Full Of Feathers, jewellery from Moorea Seal and so much more… You’ll even get your very own copy of the exclusive workshop magazine, which is packed full of inspirational articles and activities to get you and your blog in tip-top shape! Everyone who buys a ticket will be in to win the goodie bag, so… You know. Get on that!

Ah, so much exciting news. Love it! I can’t wait to see you (both in person and digitally!), and of course, if you have any questions, please do tweet us!

Yours giddily!

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The Blogcademy: Ch-Ch-Changes!

11 February 2013, 14:19

Hey, West Coast: we’ve secured two killer locations! Last month, we did a soft launch of our upcoming dates, & now we have more details to share!

We’re super-excited to let you know that our event in Portland will be held at The Cleaners at The Ace, & our Los Angeles class will be happening at Beachwood Studios in Hollywood.

These are both such extremely cool spaces & we’re completely over-the-moon to have locked them down. We love The Ace Hotel, & their special event space, The Cleaners, has a major scholastic vibe. It makes me want a big wooden ruler that I can bang on desks… It’s all a bit John Willie’s Bizarre, you know?!

We’ll be joined in Portland by three of our favourite Californian babes: the girls from Made U Look Photography! They’ll be shooting the workshop, & allowing us to bask in their glorious energy for two days. They are total sweethearts as well as some of our favourite photographers, & the amount of cameras each wears around her neck at one time will boggle your mind!

On the opposite end of the scale, Beachwood Studios is smack-bang in the middle of Hollywood, & it’s a truly beautiful & airy space. We’re going to decorate it with our enormous B balloons & have a whole lot of fun. Fingers crossed for a little sunshine too, eh?! (Don’t tell anyone, but the 7th of April is also Kat’s birthday! It’s going to be a pretty special day!)

By the way, a little bird (read: Shauna!) told me that there is a fantastic black & white photobooth right next to The Cleaners… So for goodness sake, #BYOE! (Bring your own ears!)

We still have a few spaces left, so don’t leave it too late! Snap up your seat!

Good things take time, or so they say, and The Blogcademy is no exception!  After three rollicking sold-out classes, we’ve decided to make some changes to the curriculum… & we can’t wait to roll them out for our next class!

Our weekend attendees in London may have noticed the dapper & talented Richard Wakefield of FX Films creeping around Curtain Road Studios.  In addition to making a video showcasing the atmosphere (& fabulous headgear!) of The Blogcademy, he also filmed the entirety of Lisa Devlin’s photography lecture.

The reason for this?  As much as we love (& secretly worship!) Lisa, packing her into our turquoise suitcase & toting her all over the world with us isn’t totally practical!

We’re thrilled to announce that all Blogcademy students will receive a link to this video with their ticket purchase, which is perfect for any graduates who desire a little “extra credit”! Think of it as a little way we’re giving you even more bang for your buck!

By shifting this segment to the online space, we have an extra two hours to learn & play together!  This will vary slightly from class to class, & will be tailored for our individual mix of students & their needs, but we’re going to pump up the volume in a segment on non-sleazy networking, info on savvy image use, as well as some excellent & immersive activities (to remain secret until the day!).

If you’re dying to come to The Blogcademy but you’re a little low on funds, don’t despair! As always, we’re giving away a scholarship to each class, & it’s easy to enter!

Simply let us know why you want to come along, & share it with us on Facebook! If you’re stumped for ideas, take a look at what our past scholarship winners Penny & Julia did to win our hearts!

We’re closing the scholarship off this Friday the 15th of February, so put on those thinking caps!

All the info you could possibly need about the scholarship is at the bottom of our FAQ, but you can always tweet us if you have any further questions!

By the way, we’re looking for sponsors for Portland & L.A. What does this mean? Basically, if you run a business that creates anything cool, cute or awesome, we’d love to get it in front of our 60 enthusiastic students! You’ll also be featured on all three of the headmistresses blogs, reaching well over a million people… Pretty awesome! If this sounds like something you’re interested in, get in touch!

Can’t wait to do it all over again!

Photo of The Blogcademy: London by Shell De Mar.
Illustration by Veronica Dearly!

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The Blogcademy: London... In All Its Glory!

6 February 2013, 12:01

This might be a #humblebrag, or it might just be a straight-up brag, but either way: with every Blogcademy, we just get better & better.

It helps to be in a beautiful venue, of course. We were overjoyed to be teaching in such a gorgeous space — Curtain Road Studios — & on the two days between classes, Tim Walker was in the very same room, shooting a campaign! (The temptation to “accidentally” leave something behind & walk in on him was extremely strong, I tell you! Such a fangirl!)

Oh, the weather outside was frightful, but our students were so delightful! It was snowing like mad, flights & trains were delayed all over the place, & yet — somehow! — everyone arrived on time. Now that’s dedication.

Our students thrilled & delighted us. One woman burst into joyous operatic song at lunchtime, & another found out she was pregnant during the break! (We tried to persuade her that the baby’s middle name should be Blogcademy… I’ll keep you posted!)

We had cupcakes (& a unicorn cake!) from Restoration Cake, disco dance breaks, & drinks & giggles at the end of day two. There were hugs & smiles, new friendships were formed, & many, many photographs were taken!

Oh, & you may have noticed the proliferation of EARS on our attendees! It’s pretty righteous, & it certainly makes taking a class photo way more fun! Yep, when it comes to Blogcademy, it’s strictly BYOE: bring yo’ own ears!

Our fabulous goodie bags were supplied by the aptly-named Awesome Merchandise, & they contained rings from Finest Imaginary, Thimble & Fred & Pugly Pixel; an “I have to Instagram this!” custom iPhone case also from Awesome Merchandise; a special Blogcademy Moleskine notebook from Finest Imaginary; a sparkly hair bow from Crown & Glory; our workbook/magazine; a glittery collar from Alexandra King; loose eyeshadow dust from Sugarpill; a CD of Photoshop actions from Lisa Devlin; & shoe clips from Headful of Feathers! As you can imagine, they were a huge hit!

We were able to “bamboozle ‘em with branding!” (our new motto) with the help of INCREDIBLE cupcakes from Restoration Cake, as well as decor by The Tea Set & Peach Blossom, flowers from Hayford & Rhodes, & coffee cozies from Twinkie Chan! Babes, one & all!

I think I’ve decided that teaching is the ultimate high. Candidly sharing what you know, & seeing that flicker of recognition when one of your students just gets it, is one of the best feelings in the world.

It’s incredible how much we’re learning as headmistresses, too!

I’m absolutely loving having something completely new to sink my teeth into, to challenge myself with, to keep pushing, improving & refining until it’s the best it can be.

But, well, I can only bleat on about how jolly wonderful it was for so long. Maybe it’s better to hear it in our students’ own words!

“Being a bit of a natural cynic, I was a little worried about spending a not-insubstantial chunk of money on a two day course. I need not have feared. This was, and I’m not exaggerating, the best money I have ever spent – an investment in my blog, yes, but much more importantly, in myself.”
Lucy Loves

“Thanks so, so much for the most fabulous kick-starter and stimulating week-end. My brain is completely buzzing and despite the joyful exhaustion, I think it will be difficult to sleep for all the ideas and ‘notes to self list’ that you have all given me.”
Liselle Chisenhale-Marsh

“Words like fabulous, inspirational, glittery, engaging and epic are all accurate descriptions of The Blogcademy but they do not come close to describing the life changing experience that came in the turquoise packaging.”
Georgina Webb

“Just being in the same room as Gala, Kat and Shauna makes you feel like you can do anything.”
Emily Fisher

“Something inside has clicked. I’ve done B-School, I’ve read numerous books & listened to countless voices, but the bringing together of like minded souls is something really special. So for now I just wanted to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you for all the time, energy & love you put into Blogcademy. It truly feels like a gift that will keep on giving and one that will enable me to grow and pass on the gifts I have for the benefit of others.”
Jayne Rusby

“The Blogcademy truly was everything I thought it would be and more. The combination of your other-wordly, amazingly-over-the-top, Technicolor fabulousness and your savvy, straight-talking business nous was both inspiring and incredibly informative. Who says you can’t wear sparkly bunny ears and run a seriously kick-ass empire?!”
Caroline Gellatly

“Would love to tell all the bloggers out there who are writing in any other language than English that The Blogcademy’s awesomeness totally translates and that there is so much to learn, regardless of one’s language.”
Julia Safronova

“Well I have to say that it was officially the greatest weekend I’ve ever experienced! I have never in all my days, felt so inspired or excited in my life. My head is jam packed with ideas, my notebook is full and my head is now covered in sparkly bows and bunny-ears.”
Emma Rose Black

“Don’t be fooled by the pink sparkles and bunny ears, there’s nothing frivolous about The Blogcademy. Real business advice from three successful professional women who are doing it their way… in fabulous shoes.”
Scarlett Nymph

Read some reviews! You can wear fluffy cat ears when you grow up Glitter bows and bunny ears galore! Blogcademy chit chat The Blogcademy London Blogcademy graduate review The Biggest, Bestest Bits of The Blogcademy Sparkles & Crumbs The Blogcademy London: Where Dreams Become Reality Confessions of a Blogcadet: Four Blogcademy Secrets Words from a sparkly Blogcademy graduate The Blogcademy Things I learnt at The Blogcademy (that weren’t technically on the curriculum) Dreaming Big – The Blogcademy in Photos What I learnt @ The Blogcademy The Blogcademy, the best dream I ever had The Blogcademy Tips for international bloggers Who needs university? What I learnt The Blogcademy The A-Z of The Blogcademy! ...& watch some videos!

So, what’s next for The Blogcademy? We’ve packed up our poms & our enormous B balloons & we’re getting ready to TAKE OVER Portland & Los Angeles in two months time! We just secured a badass venue in each city, which we’ll be announcing on Monday… Stay tuned!

Kisses from your headmistress,

Gorgeous photographs by Shell De Mar (who I adore!)
Second class photo taken by Emily Quinton!
Illustrations doodled during class by Veronica Dearly!
(You should hire all of these beautiful, talented women!)

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Snow Flurries & Sparkly Ears At The Blogcademy: London!

1 February 2013, 10:02

London, you really turned it out. Kat, Shauna & I had the best time ever getting frisky with 60 fabulous graduates, or as they like to call themselves, “blogcadettes”! (Bless!)

We were so lucky to have our exceptionally talented friend Richard Wakefield of FX Films came along to our weekend class, especially since he shot & edited this little video!

It definitely profiles the mad style & incredible cuteness of all our students, that’s for sure! (Come join our cult. BYO ears!)

I’m slowly piecing together a full photo-laden recap, which will come next week… We can’t believe we’ll be doing it all over again in Portland & Los Angeles in just two months! HOORAH!

Alright: now it’s time to tackle my massive to-do list. I miss Shauna & Kat like mad, but it’s so good to be home!

With love from your headmistress,

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Blogcademy London: It's All Happening!

18 January 2013, 19:15

London! Today is the day! Well, one of them, anyway!

Yesterday morning we hopped in a cab & made our way through snowy London to the gorgeous Curtain Road Studios. We got crazy with ladders, staple guns & streamers, setting everything up & making it look beautiful. It is such an incredible space, with enormous windows, heaps of light & — most importantly, when it’s so chilly — a huge, super-powered heater!

I took a quick little video of some of the setup… It’s just a little tease! (You better believe that when you arrive the space will be full of balloons!)

The excitement of it all!

We can’t wait to see you tomorrow… Or next week!

If you can’t make it, be sure to follow along on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook & our hashtag!

Love from London,

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