When a major brand hosts a photo shoot, there’s a lot to coordinate to get it right—models, photographers, producers. But behind the scenes, there’s an even bigger logistical puzzle to manage, a puzzle that Jennifer Lasko and her husband, Tim Cummings, decided to solve.
Jennifer, a former chemical engineer turned beauty industry executive, spent a decade climbing the corporate ladder. Her success came at a cost: toxic work environments took a toll on her health, leading her to step away to build a business rooted in kindness, integrity, and balance. Tim, a lawyer with deep experience in finance and coding, brought his complementary skills to the table, and together they co-founded The Lasko Company (TLC).
“We wanted to build a company reflective of our values—a relationship-based business that prioritizes our clients’ long-term success,” says Jennifer.
TLC provides payments, invoicing and workers’ comp insurance for producers and brands that manage photo shoots. The business began, like many startups, in spreadsheets. But as they grew, they decided to build a technology platform to automate their processes, and embedding payroll was a critical component.
Enter Everee: a payroll partner that integrated seamlessly into TLC’s platform.
Solving high-volume photo shoot payroll
TLC’s clients include some of the largest apparel and beauty brands in the world. A single photo shoot can involve dozens of people, each with unique roles, payment terms, and compliance requirements.
They needed a payroll partner that could handle both 1099 contractors and W-2 workers, support their project-based business model, and had the developer tools that would make integration seamless. They looked at other solutions but found limitations.
“They were only operating with 1099s… we needed flexibility to expand to W-2 in the future. Plus, we couldn’t get anyone on the phone when we had questions,” Jennifer says.
That’s when they discovered Everee. After evaluating multiple payroll providers, TLC chose Everee for its flexible platform and standout customer support.
“After our first conversation, we knew immediately we were going to go with Everee. Other providers we talked to, they would say they could do something, and then, when they followed up with us, they would just give us their boilerplate…there was no flexibility there. And that’s why we were floored to find Everee and have been incredibly happy since.”
Everee’s embedded payroll solution offered everything TLC was looking for:
- Ability to pay both 1099 contractors and W-2 employees
- Seamless API integration for faster onboarding and payments
- Flexibility to support their project-based business
- Same-day ACH payments to ensure workers get paid quickly
Scaling fast with same-day pay and dev tools
With Everee, TLC has transformed how they manage photo shoot payroll. Their workflow now looks like this:
- Onboarding made simple: Workers receive an invitation to join TLC’s platform. Everee’s embedded components means onboarding is seamless and mobile-friendly.
- Fast and accurate payments: After a shoot, workers submit invoices or hours through the platform. Payments are consolidated, reviewed, and sent via same-day ACH using Everee.
- Compliance at every step: Everee handles tax filings, forms and reporting, taking the burden off TLC and ensuring compliance across multiple states.
“With Everee, we’ve reduced payment timing to same-day or next-day. It’s important that when you have somebody’s money, you can remit it to them as quickly as possible…because we know with competitors, in many instances, you feel like you’re jumping through hoops just to get paid. And so this has been hugely beneficial,” Jennifer says.
Everee’s robust developer tools helped TLC launch their platform quickly.
“The user onboarding flow was seamless. We got it up and running in a week. Your components were already out-of-the-box, mobile-friendly, and we know most of the people that we work with are on their phones,” Tim says.
The value of a true partner
Beyond the technology, what sets Everee apart is the level of support. In an industry where manual processes and delayed payments are common, having a reliable partner makes all the difference.
“If a question comes up, everyone is so knowledgeable. It’s really hard to find good partners because everybody’s really transactional now. We’re really happy with Everee.,” Jennifer says.
For a growing company like TLC, having a payroll partner that can scale alongside them has been critical. Everee’s flexibility has enabled them to deliver the white-glove service their clients expect—and then some.
“If Everee disappeared tomorrow, it would be a massive disruption to our business operations,” Tim says. “Everee is one of the three key pillars that have made this business happen.”
Looking ahead: growth and expansion
With business becoming increasingly transactional, TLC is focused on its relationship-based approach to photoshoot workers’ comp and financial compliance. Looking ahead, TLC plans to focus on awareness, education and expansion of their unique photoshoot services within the fashion and beauty industry in 2025 and beyond.
By streamlining payments, ensuring tax compliance, and providing same-day ACH, Everee has helped TLC deliver exceptional service to their clients.
“Everee has been a 10/10 experience. The flexibility, the support, the technology… it’s all been game-changing for us,” says Jennifer.
For businesses managing complex payroll needs, TLC’s story is proof that the right partner makes all the difference.
But even more important than business success, to Jennifer and Tim, winning is about staying true to themselves and building the company they’ve always wanted to work for but couldn’t find.
“We’re feeling happy, healthy, and balanced,” says Jennifer. “I think that’s the most success we could have.”
Want to integrate payroll into your product like TLC? Learn more about Everee’s flexible, same-day payroll solutions today.
