Sponsor FolioMojo & Judge Joe Ayala

After moving into a new market and realizing our previous wedding bookings were mainly a result of word-of-mouth referrals, we decided to tap into our combined marketing knowledge, web development skills and wedding industry savvy to bring attention to our photography business. With no more than a shoe string budget, our Mac tower, endless cups of liquid caffeine, countless late nights (seriously) and a passion to succeed, we created an online marketing plan that got our website in front of lots of interested brides. In fact 45-50% of the weddings we book are from brides who find us online. We were fully booked and profitable our first year in our new location!
Then an interesting thing happened. Our wedding photographer friends started calling, asking how we were getting our site to the top of the listings in the search engine results pages. Online Mojo we said and winked. that's when we decided that although we loved our own success, we wanted to help other photographers be successful just as much. The idea for FolioMojo was born.

Joe Ayala was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico but has resided in Lorain & Cleveland, Ohio most of his life. A primarily self-taught artist, he studies and practices through the influences of Renaissance Art through 19th Century European Art. His expansion of inspiration, experimentation and ideas came when he became a noted curator and participating artist in many solo and group shows in the Cleveland area from 2004 to 2007. His influence as a painter, illustrator and promoter has encouraged many other emerging Cleveland artists and collectors to do the same to bring a new generation of creativity and energy to the city and to help put Cleveland on the map as a premiere arts destination.
As well as creating an ample collection of paintings, drawings and ideas for new exhibitions, he gained national notoriety in 2007 when he was one of five artists selected to draft, paint and assist what would become the last mural designed by the late international artist Sol LeWitt and is now a permanent piece in the main lobby at the new Akron Art Museum.
His latest projects include headlining a major group exhibition this September as well as collaborating and producing the top rated online radio show in Cleveland called “Life Death Reset” which can be heard on morningshowcentral.com. He is also currently writing & directing their first commercial for the show.

Thanks to our very generous sponsors and judges and good luck to all of our participants!