Roam Media Core | Roam Fest
Photography is rooted in the art of mentorship. As in all common ground, learning can be vulnerable, psychologically safe, and reciprocal. @roamfest and @the.roam.collective celebrated femme & women mountain bikers for everybody. The event was dusty, glittery, and full of unconditional support. Special shout-out to founder Patty Valencia for launching this mentorship program in 2024 and Roam Fest for creating this space. I was honored to participate in @the.roam.collective’s ’25 mentorship program alongside these talented female photographers. If you’re privileged to be a gatekeeper in the outdoor industry, welcome all women in front of and behind the lens, and follow these creatives. If you’re a fellow creative, consider community and the power of disparate voices and visuals. Who gets photographed shapes who gets seen. Inclusivity isn’t a one-off initiative; it’s forever work.
I asked both the mentors and the mentees two questions:
What was your biggest personal or creative takeaway from the Roam Fest and Media Core program?
What’s one change you hope for in the outdoor industry?
Anne Keller
My biggest personal takeaway was that we are most in tune and connected when we are working to elevate each other. I came into the program with the experience of having participated as a mentor the year before, so I already knew how impactful it was to be in a space where female creatives were actively supporting one another. Still, this year with a new group of mentees and several new mentors, I was reminded how true that remains. The idea that we should guard our secrets to success and not share what we know is a limiting misconception. Women seem to understand this. I left buoyed by the belief that every person in the program cared about helping guide others toward success, and the world needs more of that.


Katie Lozancich (mentor)
My biggest takeaway was the importance of community in nurturing creativity. I came into the Media Core program as a mentor, but I often found myself in the role of the student, and I learned immensely from both my fellow mentors and the mentees. We’re all pursuing unique paths in the creative process and can share those insights. Having a space like Media Core underscored the importance of community, especially in a career like photography, which can be isolating at times.
We need more women in all facets of creativity in the outdoor industry as directors, producers, photo editors, filmmakers, and photographers. I hope that with this influx, we can broaden narratives and perspectives in outdoor media.
As a commercial photographer, my shoots are usually highly structured and charted out, often involving weeks or months of planning and strict guidelines from the Creative Director. During Roam, most of my focus was on supporting and guiding my mentee. But in the pockets of time when she was working, I had rare moments to step back.
I used that time to follow my curiosity—without the looming thought of a client reviewing the images or waiting on deliverables. I asked myself questions like, “What if I combined panning with ICM (intentional camera movement)? Would it be too much distortion, or could it work in some odd but interesting way?” Looking at the bikers against the landscape, I wondered if there was a new way to pair the two. I pulled out in-camera double exposures from my bag of tricks—a technique I hadn’t touched in years.
I took the opportunity to be an artist without a client at the end of it, to let ideas succeed or fail with no pressure to show the work to anyone. My biggest creative takeaway is the importance of carving out space to explore with no job on the line, no expectations, and not even the thought that anyone will see the images—just letting my imagination run loose to see what it creates.
Michelle VanTine (mentor)
I once read something to the effect of ‘representation isn’t charity—it’s the map that lets dreamers know a route exists.’
For years, as a sports photographer, I stood in front of billboards at places like Dick’s Sporting Goods or the Nike outlet, wondering ‘But how?’ and having absolutely no idea what the route was. That uncertainty isn’t unique to me—women make up only 5–15% of sports photographers in the U.S., and because we so often work alone, it’s easy to feel like no one else like us exists and we have no road map to where we want to arrive. Since we are always the minority, there’s often a pressure to be tough or prove that we belong in our workspace. Roam Media Core is the only program I’m aware of that women can let their tough exterior down and ask, “I don’t know how to do that—can you show me?” without the fear of being discredited which we already have to battle simply by walking on the job site. Here, women can strategize, share struggles, overcome obstacles, and gain hope. It’s the kind of community that makes the impossible and lonely road feel possible and that others are walking alongside us. Now, if someone asks me, “How do I get a billboard?” I can actually tell them how as a mentor who has walked through the journey.
I would love to see more programs that support spaces like this for women to grow in an environment that doesn’t feel threatening. The change we need is enormous, and at times the gap feels too wide to bridge. I believe though, that the only way to close it is one person, one program, one opportunity at a time. I hope to see more programs that help raise the next generation of women in sports and outdoor industries.
Linette Messina (mentee)
My biggest personal take away is the overwhelming feeling of acceptance. Working and learning alongside such incredibly talented women in the photography/ film industry, sharing stories through their lens was an experience I have never had before in my 20+yrs of working as a photographer. I felt accepted from my Media core peers and everyone I met at the Roam fest. But most importantly, I accepted myself for where I am in my life, my age, my body, my mindset on giving myself grace, and the work I must continue to put in to help create the change I hope to see in all parts of media and advertising, which is inclusivity and authenticity.
Emily Sierra (Mentor)
I’m walking away from the Roam Media Core program this year with an even greater community of creatives. Working a job that often feels isolating, having other folks—especially women—to lean on for advice or to bounce creative ideas is so helpful.
From a media standpoint, I’d like to see better representation in the outdoor industry. To me this goes beyond getting more women in outdoor spaces (and outdoor media), but showing folks of all backgrounds enjoying the outdoors—whatever that means to them specifically. Stories of the best climbers on the biggest mountains certainly are impressive, but I want to see more stories of ordinary people conquering their own battles.
Miya Tsudome (mentor)
The world becomes a better place when we build connections and community and have opportunities to learn from one another. The Roam Media Core program is a unique experience that doesn’t really exist elsewhere, and an invaluable tool for women in the outdoor industry.
Sabrina Claros (mentee)
My biggest takeaway is the sense of community among other creatives. We all have experienced similar phases of self-doubt, creative ruts, and uncertainty in finding work. But we all believe in telling stories that matter – and documenting them in our own way. I left Roam with a renewed commitment to the work I want to do and creating opportunities for myself and others.
I want the outdoor industry to see where there is a lack of representative storytelling, and act on it. Open doors to support, fund, and elevate voices that are drowning in a fast-paced, social-media-scrolling driven landscape. Authentic and intentional storytelling is slow – and fundamentally at odds with the current model. But real storytelling takes time to develop, creativity needs to marinate, and the story needs depth for viewers/audiences to feel it, rather than see it and forget it. There is always a push to do things faster, but many people love the outdoors because we appreciate a bit of slow-ness and the grounding of just being outside and engaging in the activities we love. The best recipe for good storytelling is the same.
Brynne Mower (mentee)
Biggest personal or creative take away from the Roam Fest and Media Core program: I realized that shooting bikes is where I light up, and being surrounded by women only amplified that feeling.
One change I hope for the outdoor industry: Less staged images and more storytelling.
Agota Frink (mentee)
It felt absolutely magical meeting so many badass women in person, women who are out there shaping the outdoor industry with so much courage and creativity. Everyone put a little piece of their heart into it and together it became something so vibrant and alive. Spending four days surrounded by that kind of energy lifted me up in ways I’ve never experienced.I left feeling deeply encouraged and reminded of the power of community. I hope the outdoor industry starts giving women creatives more room to lead, tell their stories and bring their vision to life.
I’d love to see more collaboration between women in the outdoor industry, more of us working together, supporting each other and creating space for shared growth instead of competition. I also hope brands start telling stories that people can connect to on an emotional level, not just through products or performance. When a photo makes you feel something, that’s what truly inspires people to get outside.
Ashley Rosemeyer (mentee)
To continue to shoot outside of my comfort zone and push myself creatively.


Beatrice Trang (mentee)
The Roam Media Core program was everything I hoped for and more, I feel like I left with even more tools in my tool box. We all came into this program at a decently establish level with an awareness that not only did we have room to grow but more importantly, a desire to grow too. From chatting about rates, to types of deliverables, to how to talk to clients, to shooting at different angles, getting introduced to strobes and even seeing what our mentors were making financially, we had so much valuable information thrown at us, it’s really hard to narrow down a specific personal or creative takeaway from the experience, all I can say is the ceiling has risen for me and I feel like I’ve walked away a confidence photo and videographer.
In terms of change to the outdoor industry, there’s nothing specific I can think of since I’m just getting my toes in the door but I’m aware the industry isn’t where it used to be across the board, but when it’s at a good level again, I do hope that more women are given the chance to work in it and on a biased level, I hope to see more outdoor brands get involved with core cultures like BMX and Skate, coming from where I’m coming from, there’s a real opportunity to tap in that market