Behind the Scenes with ROOLEE in Cancun

Do you ever wonder what it's like behind the scenes at ROOLEE? In this blog post, we're following a few lucky members of our team to Cancun as they search for sand, sun, and the perfect locations to shoot our new swimsuit collection! Get to know a few faces behind our brand and their favorite parts of their trip to Mexico below!

"I grew up in New Mexico, so after moving to Logan, Utah (where winter seems to last six months of the year), I look forward to any trip where I can get out of the cold and snow...

Kennedy, Reggie and Karlee make their jobs look easy when you see just how good the final results are, but believe me when I say it's harder than it looks! The same is to be said for our models Aubrie and Kelsi. You can't just point a camera and expect the image to look good. These girls know what they are doing, and exactly how to do it to make the product look great and sell well!" - Sydnee, marketing director

"Modeling swimwear has never been my favorite thing, but man, it helps a lot to be in a pretty place with such a fun group...

We did work a ton and were all pretty burnt-out toward the end, but it never feels like that much work when you’re with this group of girls! Thank you to ROOLEE for giving me these opportunities! I feel so lucky to be a part of this family." - Aubrie, model

"Cancun is a beautiful destination with gorgeous resorts, so we had plenty of options to choose from for our photo shoot. We wanted a nice mix of pool, beach and cenote pictures, so we opted to stay in Puerto Morelos, which is about half way between the Cancun Hotel Zone and Playa del Carmen...

Now Resorts, part of the AM Resorts group, played host to our trip and could not have been more gracious and accommodating. Our first stop was the Now Jade Resort, which had an amazing pool and beach layout. The challenge in shooting at a resort was doing it with good lighting and small/no crowds of people. This meant our photo shoots usually started early in the mornings or in the twilight hours." - Chad, VP of marketing

"From shooting on the beach at sunrise, zip lining through the jungle, sipping piña coladas by the pool between shoots and stuffing our faces with guacamole all week, my time with ROOLEE was a party...

We definitely had our crazy moments of running around the resort with changing tents and clothing carts, sweating to death, and dealing with thunder storms, but even in those crazy moments we laughed through it and had the best time. The greatest part of it all was being surrounded by such a talented and creative team. I love ROOLEE and I'm so grateful for these memories I get to share with the team!" - Reggie, videographer

"Early one morning we made the drive down to one of the popular cenotes to photograph swim wear. We left very early to beat the crowd and get as many pictures as we could without other people. We even called ahead of time to ensure we could arrive early and bring cameras. Everything went just fine for the first hour...

But then one of the workers told us we couldn't take photos with outfit changes. I tried my best negotiating, but they held firm. Fortunately for us, these cenotes are all over. We drove south about only 50 yards (not an exaggeration) and found even more beautiful and picturesque cenotes in which to take photos. Sometimes things work out!" - Chad, VP of marketing

"While we were on the trip, we talked about how funny it is that when the photos are released and everyone sees how cool and pretty they are, no one will ever know all the things that go on behind the scenes...

Funny things like how sweaty we felt from the humidity (I did not feel cute lol), how many times we changed in a day, or how we had to re-do our hair and makeup three times a day due to the humidity. It’s always so incredible to me how much work goes into these shoots and trips that no one else realizes! Another highlight was dinner each night with the whole team. We would all laugh and tell stories and get to know each other. We all had so much fun spending time together, relaxing and laughing after some long work days! - Kelsi, model

"We selected the Now Sapphire Resort as the location for bridesmaid dress photos because of the wedding facilities and number of such events they cater each year (this specific hotel plays host to over 400 weddings annually)...

We wanted to photograph our dresses on a group to show the different looks, styling and patterns we offer. This meant including our very own marketing manager, Sydnee George! She is always a good sport to pitch in anywhere needed and you'd never know this was her first time modeling. We also found two models in Mexico, Shauntae and Melissa, to be part of both the swim and bridesmaid photo shoots. It was fun to interact with local models and include them in the ROOLEE shoot! We thought they did an amazing job showing off the ROOLEE style." - Chad, VP of marketing

"During one of our shoots, Reggie brought everyone a mound of guacamole with another plate for chips to share, and after that we had a huge plate of guacamole with us for the rest of the shoots! The food was for sure the best part about shooting at a resort." - Aubrie, model

"The purpose of this trip was to get some killer content of the 2020 swim collection, bridesmaid dresses, and some of the women’s clothes. Our main goal was to showcase the clothing in a new and interesting place, and WOW it did not disappoint...

We couldn’t have been more blessed weather-wise, but there was one afternoon where there was a complete downpour. We had to cut our shoot short, and the sidewalks were absolutely flooded. It was crazy! Everyone involved in the photography team puts so much time and effort into everything that our customers see on social media and the website. Nothing makes us happier than seeing a vision we had in our heads come to life for everyone to see. We do it all for you guys, and we wouldn’t have it any other way!" - Kennedy, photographer

"After several days of early morning shoots and dozens of outfit changes, we decided it was time to have a little fun...

We decided to spend an evening at Xplor Fuego, the zip line and adventure park near Playa del Carmen. We got to zip line over the jungle, drive ATVs through the jungle and swim in underground rivers underneath the jungle. My highlight was watching Karlee Martino, our usually mellow and reserved photo director, drive the ATVs like a rally car driver chasing a world record. She leaned into every turn and bounced Aubrie and me all over that jungle. It was so fun to watch her get so into it!" - Chad, VP of marketing

"Don’t get me wrong, I loved soaking up the warm weather and the scenery in Mexico, but the highlight of the trip for me really was working with our amazing team and seeing all our hard work come together in the end...

There is so much work that goes into destination photoshoots. When you get the images back and they are even better than you hoped for, that’s a hard feeling to beat." - Karlee, photography manager and stylist

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Want to peek behind the scenes of ROOLEE's trip to Europe? Check out our blog post here! 

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