SAM Magazine—Whistler, B.C., Jan. 20, 2022—Outsiders Network is a new online marketplace designed to connect brands with a diverse pool of outdoor talent and support, including athletes, models, actors, photographers, cinematographers, hair/makeup, and wardrobe crew who all specialize in shooting for media outside. The vetted talent is comprised of individuals of diverse ethnicity, gender, identity, sexual orientation, size, and adaptive abilities.

The new company was founded by Holly Fraser, owner of virtual agency and production company Execution Media MGMT, and Danielle Kristmanson and MJ Legault, co-founders of creative agency Origin. The three launched the idea with the goal of helping to make the outdoors feel more welcoming to all by cultivating a more diverse network of talent and support.

“It's particularly relevant for resorts who are trying to diversify the image of skiing in their marketing and advertising, but don't have those relationships or can't get their agencies to cast them,” said Legault.

Outsiders Network has been actively recruiting and vetting talent and support people in a few key areas across North America where outdoor shoots are most common and demand for talent is highest. These areas include Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia in Canada, and Vermont, New York, Colorado, Utah, California, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, and Montana in the United States. But that will expand as demand dictates. 

“Our goal was to launch with 400 people in the database—we reached that goal and numbers are growing daily,” said Fraser, who serves as managing director of Outsiders Network. “We re-focus areas to target and groups to target as we learn of our clients’ specific objectives.”

The response from those in the talent pool has been overwhelmingly positive. “This has been one of the most rewarding and reassuring outcomes to date,” said Fraser. “Diverse folks who specialize in the outdoor space are everywhere, but have been lacking an avenue to be found and hired in this niche.

“Of course, we all have more work to do to keep fostering more accessibility and opportunity for marginalized people in the outdoor space,” she continued, “but it’s been really encouraging to get feedback from those folks as they sign up and we can start to align on our common objectives.”

Resorts and other brands can search the network by specific criteria—sport, lifestyle activity, ethnicity, adaptive ability, gender identity—to find talent and support crew that matches their outdoor production needs. 

Learn more at www.outsidersnetwork.com.