Founder’s Story

Feb 25

Written By Amanda Douglas

Hi, I’m Amanda! I’m SO excited you’re here!

So here we are, Camp Rover Events AND launching the Flagship Conference!

(imagine me; doing a rainbow arch billboard-style gesture with my hands as I say the name).

To say that I am excited is a peeing-my-pants understatement.

Sorry, I got ahead of myself for a second there…

Firstly, I love my job, I love being an Event Planner. Our team, our clients, our vendor friends, and what I have the privilege of doing every day. I am so thankful that I could channel my “too much” to create from the extra.

I created Amanda Douglas Events 12+ years ago and it’s been a wild ride seeing it grow, and walking the journey of change as we found our niche and our people (clients and vendors friends, I’m talking to you - xo). I still pinch myself that I did that. And I’m ever-grateful that I keep getting to do it. Every. Single. Day.

But, secondly, for the last 5-6 years I felt like I still had “too much”. I had more I needed - wanted - to give and another side to my Creative Career.

So, I started that journey. I started down this road…nope. Then that road…nope. Another road? Nope, not that one either. Hum. But progressively, through a lot of thought, course-taking, podcast-listening, book-reading, journaling, and through work with my therapist and Life Coach (thanks Renee!) I found The Thing. Refined The Thing and then *poof* - I had it!

I LOVE cheering people on. I’m a Cheerleader! (B-A-N-A-N-A-N-YA)

I often catch myself being way over the top (than socially acceptable) about someone’s win or idea. A Cheerleader, that’s what I am! (can’t stop, won’t stop)

But –almost as equally as I am a Cheerleader –

I’m a Realist.

The first thing that happens when someone tells me about an idea or dream they have is I (internally) start processing a checklist and roadmap on how to make it happen, and find all the bumps and gaps in the idea (Marshall - my husband - can attest to this well).

I want everyone to reach their dreams, excel, and utterly nail it with their creative passions. But let’s be real, some people are dreamers and the rest is a real struggle for them.

“Ok…but how did you get an event brand for creatives - and a conference - out of that Amanda?” - Well that's creativity; you create something from an idea. Maybe two ideas. A spark. A dream.

And I just kept dreaming. Dreaming until it felt right. The ideas merged at the perfect intersection. And now we’re here.

I want Camp Rover Conference (and any events in the future) to be a space and time where you feel your dreams. Feed your knowledge. Get a dose of actionable reality on building your creative business. Grow your money-making skills AND come to see you’re not alone, we’re all here - with our weird - creating, too.

But (there’s a third-ly) here’s the thing; big events like this are hard to get me to go to. To get me to leave the house, in general, is a task.

“Girl, you’re an Event Planner! Going out is what you do”.

Yeah, but that’s work (aka I’m wearing My Work Mask). And I like a controlled setting; I like knowing what I’m getting myself into. And I DO want to go out, I really do…but I also want to make sure I’m going to be in a safe space, and that I have an out if I need it.

That’s what I wanted first for Camp Rover. I wanted all of you babes to feel like you could come - just where you’re at - and actually enjoy a day like this AND not need a week (or more) to recover from it.

I know I can’t create when I’m battling the feelings of fitting in, being overwhelmed, or just generally not knowing where I fit in all of it - literally, where do I go? I wanted a Winnipeg Conference that I saw myself in, too. The weird, wild, anxious money-making creative that I am.

A creative educational day that welcomed the idea that weird, wild, anxious people like me DO thrive and DO make money doing what they’re amazing at; being wild, being weird, and channeling it all for their success.

So I’m here, 1000% ready to cheer you on. ‘Cause you know what? You can, and you should.