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Imagine being paid to simply be a good looking guest at a party – well, that’s the job of one influencer in America.
Erica North was a broke and unemployed student when she got scouted to work as an atmosphere model, which means it is her job to make a group of people look more attractive and ensure everyone is having fun.
In this line of work, you can be hired by corporate events, private parties or a venue to help project a certain image for clients.
The 24-year-old told Daily Star: “My job is to make sure everyone is enjoying themselves, that they're having a blast partying away from their daily lives.
“Atmosphere modelling is really a fun way to do the things I already want to do just on someone else's dime.”
For the past three years, she has worked as what they call a “fly-in party girl”, which she does part-time.
“I live in Oregon, instead of a major city like LA, Vegas, or New York, which means I am a fly-in. This means my flight, hotel, any transportation, food, liquor, and the cost of going to tables is all covered for me,” she explained.
“I do not have any expenses unless I decide to go do something like shopping when I am working for an event.”
This job has allowed Erica to live a life of luxury and have wild experiences, which she might not have had otherwise.
One of her favourite stories is when she helped a client create their own strip club in a hotel.
She told us that she went to a high-end strip club in Vegas called Spearmint Rhino with a wealthy group she'd been hired by.
“At that club, we had a table and the drinks had arrived but I was dancing on my friends and the client and the hosts were throwing money on me,” she said.
“The manager came around and said we had to stop because everyone was looking and the girls weren't getting any money and we hadn't called over any of the dancers.
“I had been chugging some Don Julio 1942 and I said to the client, ‘This is lame, why don't we just buy outfits and make our own strip club in the suite?’”
The client agreed, so he rounded everybody up and they went to the strip club shop to buy outfits.
“He told all the girls to pick out anything we wanted, I think the bill was more than $5,000 (£3,717) for all the stuff we got,” Erica shared.
“We went back to the room [to party]…then we went gambling at like 4am and the client won big and gave the three of us that went $1,000 (£743) each just for being there and supporting him, that was kind of when I realised that this is something I could get used to.”
While Erica loves her job and all of the benefits it brings, she still can’t shake the misconception that she sleeps with clients, or that it’s expected.
She is adamant that she has never done anything physical with a client, nor has she been offered money to do so.
Erica explained: “I’ve never been pressured, and I have never done anything physical with a client, and I've been doing this for three years! There are always hosts around to ensure everyone's safety and to handle any issues that arise, they’re there because they're the ones with the connections.
“Some girls I know have but they were not paid for it, if you connect with someone you connect. The only people that are paid to do anything physical are strippers or escorts that are specifically hired because they are requested and they only show up to the after-party really late, they're not on the event with us.
“Another misconception is that it's unsafe. No one I know has been put in a position that's unsafe and if someone is ever uncomfortable we tell a host. I've only seen that happen maybe once.
“The final [misconception] is people think this is something seedy. It's really not, it's no different than being invited by a friend to hang out with a new group for the night.”
Erica said she keeps in contact with a lot of the clients she has worked with, with many of them having given her amazing personal and professional advice. She sees her job as a form of networking.
The model said people also often assume that everything she does is on someone else’s dime, when this isn’t the case.
She said: “Most of my trips this summer to Vegas I paid for! My friends and I bought tables for my birthday, we have the ability to do that.”
The influencer says the job is harder than it looks too.
You're always expected to look glamorous, show up on time and be willing to attend every aspect of itineraries that are laid out for you.
She revealed: “Your core responsibility is to attend everything, to be on time and to enjoy yourself. Depending on the client we also can't have our phones out and if we can, we can't have the clients in any photos or videos, especially to post on social media.”
While Erica loves the work that she does, she's aware that other women in the industry haven't been as fortunate as she has been.
"I don't want anyone to think this is for everyone or that it's all glamorous. Some weekends I've gone three days without sleep," she shared.
"It's taxing to be 'on' and to be fun for a whole weekend non-stop. It's a really exhausting job to do but I have fun with it and I'd rather be exhausted with a glass of Dom in my hand than exhausted laying in bed back in Portland.
"My mum told me to enjoy life in my 20s and I definitely understood the assignment."
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