MEET: THE DOLL FACTORY:

‘Sky is the limit’ for this business model

Mackenzie Marshall Parker runs the Doll Factory, a modeling and promotions agency.

The Doll Factory Ltd.

Address: 3340 Wynn Road, Suite A, Las Vegas, NV 89102

Phone: 702-778-4141

Hours and days of operation: Office hours are 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 10 a.m.-noon Friday; out at promotions on nights and weekends

Owned/operated by: Mackenzie Marshall Parker

In business since: 2012

Describe your business.

We are a full-service modeling, talent and promotional staffing agency.

We pride ourselves on providing businesses with an upscale selection of the most experienced and professional spokesmodels. All of our talent have extensive experience in the industry and have been personally interviewed, handpicked and trained by me.

Who are your customers?

Our customers are some of the world’s most recognizable corporations such as Brown-Forman, Crown Imports (Corona) and Infinium Spirits, Southern Wines and Spirits, Voli Vodka and Wirtz Beverage to name just a few.

What is your background in modeling and talent?

When I turned 21, I started working for PEM here in Las Vegas as a promo model. In fact, my office sits a block away from my old office. After a year as a promo model, I decided I wanted to be a little more behind the scenes and was brought in the office as an administrative assistant. I quickly moved up to director of operations and eventually vice president. I helped PEM grow from a small agency to having 95 percent of the wines and spirits business in Las Vegas.

Sadly, in 2007, my husband wanted us to move to Philadelphia and I needed to make a decision: be a stay-at-home mom to our twins or start my own business.

The original Doll Factory started in my home in Philadelphia and my first and only client was Capital Wines and Spirits (part of the much larger Charmer-Sunbelt Group). After executing promotions with them for about nine months, they asked me for my resume. I had no idea why but I sent one in. I was then called in to meet the management team and interview for a position with their internal promotions company, One on One Promotions. Wow, talk about college for the corporate world. I brought to them my knowledge of models and how promos should be done and they opened up a world of corporate America I had never known. Meetings and Power Points and recaps, you name it and I learned it.

After working for them just short of five years, my husband and I wanted to be back in Vegas. We heard the economy was on the rise, and I was certain I could open up the Doll Factory in Vegas. I combined my knowledge in the corporate world with my knowledge of what a promo girl really does — and most importantly, what they should be doing.

How much does a model/talent typically earn?

I start my models at $25 or $30 per hour. It just depends on what the client’s budget is. Bikini and go-go dancing jobs pay a higher rate.

Where do you find your models and what qualities do you look for?

I have been in this business for over 10 years, so I rely on some contacts I have in the industry and word of mouth. But these days, I also rely on social media. And we also try to do quarterly model castings.

What is your business philosophy?

I want to provide the best promo models in Las Vegas. It’s not just about pretty girls and hot guys. If they don’t know what they are promoting, then why should they even be in a bar or restaurant? Anyone can be cute and wear a branded T-shirt and hand you a free sample of alcohol, but why are we there? What is our purpose?

What’s the most important part of your job?

I not only like to make my clients happy but also make the models happy. You are only as good as your best model on her worst day. It’s very true. I can’t be at every event, and I certainly can’t work the promos myself. I rely on these girls and guys to always do a great job. Nobody at a bar cares if they just broke up with their boyfriend of three years, but I do and I want to be there for these models, let them know they are not just a dime a dozen.

What is the best part about doing business in Las Vegas?

The sky is the limit. My models can get more hours because we have no last call or no dry days.

What obstacles has your business overcome?

My name! People thought the Doll Factory was an escort agency. I don’t have a problem with escorts, but that isn’t what I chose to do. I make sure everyone knows, when you work for me there are to be no shenanigans.

Tags: The Sunday
Business

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