My Journey to Entourage: Part 1

As Entourage Yearbooks marks 20 fantastic years of creating yearbooks, we're excited to celebrate not just our company, but the amazing team behind it all. From our long-time members who have witnessed the journey from the beginning to the newer faces who have recently joined our Entourage family, we thought you might love to hear how we each found our way here. This blog kicks off a three-part series where some of our team members share their unique stories of joining Entourage!

Larry Johnson, Director of Account Management

I was a business/marketing major in college and tried my hand at some sales jobs while I was getting my degree. By the time I finished, I was working for a t-shirt screen printing company in door-to-door sales, but I also enjoyed design, so I learned their software and did that as well.

I realized that I liked the design part the best, so I decided to go back to school to get an Associate's in Fine Arts in Graphic Design. That took 1.5 years, but after one year, I left that job to get something more design-focused, which is when I found an unpaid Graphic Design job at Entourage Yearbooks back in 2008.

My job was to copy 50 templates per day, one day per week, to help build their library. After about four weeks, I was offered a part-time paid position as an assistant to Ellen, and three months after that, I was offered a full-time Account Manager job at Entourage. The rest is history.

Seventeen years later, I am still here and as happy as I have ever been in my career choice. I love my customers and our fellow employees I work with every day.

CJ White, Senior Account Manager

Before this job, I was a Valet at Parx Casino. It was a 5-minute drive from my apartment, and it was a pretty cool gig. Lots of people to meet, eating pizza, and driving cars. The valet life isn't all glamorous cars and high rollers. It's usually the opposite. Post-COVID made tips and pay pretty tight, and I had been there for about 4-5 years at that point, so I decided to find something else more stable. I have a background in game design, which (occasionally) translates well into designing yearbooks. After countless ghosts, rejections, and an occasional scam, I finally found Entourage, and they interviewed me twice. In less than a week after the interviews, I was offered a position as an assistant account manager, which I took. 4 years later. I'm in a senior position and partnered with other designers in this line of work to create book templates, video guides, and more, on top of having two lovely assistants to keep our school feeling supported while they work with Entourage Yearbooks.

Susan Gamez, Senior Account Manager

For over twenty years, I was a teacher, working in sports broadcasting, video production, and photography. I loved giving students the tools to tell their own stories and build creative skills. Along the way, I was also handed the yearbook program. What started as just another assignment quickly became one of the most rewarding parts of my teaching career.

Yearbook was more than a collection of photos—it was a way to preserve memories and capture the spirit of a school year. But after a few years with the same provider, I began to feel frustrated. The pricing was high, the quality inconsistent, and the support lacking. I knew our students deserved better.

That search for something better led me to Entourage. After one conversation with Shaun, I knew I had found the right partner. He listened to my challenges, offered real solutions, and gave me confidence that things could be different. I signed with Entourage and soon after attended their 4th annual conference. I was blown away by the people behind the company—their passion, energy, and commitment to schools stood out immediately.

For the next seven years, I worked with Entourage as a teacher. Their support allowed me and my students to create yearbooks that we were proud of—high-quality books at fair prices, backed by a team that was always there when we needed help.

After two decades in the classroom, though, I realized teaching wasn't the right fit for me anymore. I wanted to take on a new challenge but still stay connected to schools and educators. Applying to work at Entourage was a natural next step. I originally sought a sales role, but instead was offered an account manager position—a role that perfectly combined my teaching background with my passion for helping schools.

Now, three years later, I can say with certainty that I'm exactly where I'm meant to be here at Entourage. I know the challenges teachers face when they're handed the yearbook project, and I understand the stress that comes with deadlines and expectations. Because I've been there, I can connect with schools in a way that feels authentic.

Working at Entourage allows me to give back the same support I once received. It's more than a job—it's a continuation of my mission as a teacher: to support, encourage, and make an impact.