Sioux Falls sisters turn New Kids on the Block fandom into business, social media success

’80s and ’90s girls, you remember these days.

Your first boy band.

You had the Hangin’ Tough tape.

You had your favorite. Donnie Wahlberg?

Maybe Joey McInyre?

Or, OK, it was probably Jordan Knight.

If you were like Ashley Bartholomaus, you had this New Kids on the Block sleeping bag.

If you were like her and her twin sister, Allana Rogge, your childhood bedroom also was covered in New Kids on the Block posters.

But unlike you, the sisters haven’t exactly outgrown their NKOTB fandom.

OK, not even close.

When the band broke up in 1994, “we were committed that we were the two to bring them back together,” Rogge said.

They would ride their bikes to the library in Luverne, Minn., and find magazine stories about the band, collecting them in a binder.

“We were all about it,” Rogge said. “But we didn’t get to a concert until 2013.”

The band reunited and released a new single in 2008, beginning to tour.

By that time, the days of library trips and magazine scrapbooks had given way to social media – where Bartholomaus and Rogge found their fandom had plenty of company.

“We were obviously not the only ones wishing for this because they sold out all these concerts and a cruise, which we’ve been on,” Bartholomaus said.

And speaking of the cruise, it led the sisters to create a YouTube channel – The Gacke Girls – with tips for fellow NKOTB cruisers. Things like “how to smuggle booze on the boat” and what to pick up at Target before you travel. It gained a following.

Based on that, they began joining Facebook groups with fellow fans – the types who would go “on a cruise with their crushes from when they were 7 years old.”

But here’s where it gets really crazy. The sisters met band member Danny Wood’s publicist through social media, who began working with Bartholomaus on strategies for promoting her real estate practice.

She then asked Rogge, who owns Wild and Wonder Photography and specializes in personal and branding photography, if she had examples of her work.

“She said Danny likes to work with fans, can you submit a portfolio because we’re looking for someone to do photos,” Rogge said.

“Can you do video,” the publicist asked.

“I can figure it out,” Rogge said.

And she has. She now travels monthly to Miami, helping produce a YouTube channel for Wood along with all his personal video content.

“We create content for the YouTube channel, and Danny also runs a charity called Remember Betty for breast cancer patients, and we do a ton of fundraising,” Rogge said. “Any videos or photos he needs, I do.”

Bartholomaus, who calls Wood her favorite childhood member of NKOTB, has gone with her sister, and “it didn’t seem real,” she said.

“I’m way the fan girl. I couldn’t do what she does.”

The sisters have met all the band members, although the pandemic has limited a lot of in-person opportunities and events.

With Rogge, the favorite “was not him,” she said of Wood. “It was Jordan Knight. So that was awkward.”

Wood’s YouTube channel includes slice-of-life moments cooking, working out and interacting with family.

“Because of COVID, we take all the precautions we possibly could and shoot in his kitchen at his home. That was the first real moment was driving up to his and like, no big deal, I’m at Danny Wood’s house,” Rogge said.

“As they start planning (future events), now I’m on his team and assist (his PR firm) with all his stuff, so we’re waiting on things to happen.”

That includes a concert in Boston in July and likely future touring.

“As a fan, it’s so great to meet somebody you admire and have them be who you hoped they would be,” Rogge said of Wood.

“He’s a lot of fun, very sarcastic. We have a good time ribbing each other, but he’s just a very dedicated family person, and he truly is so dedicated to making sure the fans get the best experience possible.”

The sisters also have hosted a fan Zoom call through the PR firm that included an appearance by Wood.

“I didn’t even know he was going to show up,” Bartholomaus said. “They screenshot’ed my face.”

For Rogge, the chance to grow her business with one of her childhood idols is one she hopes is a long-term opportunity.

“I hope it goes a long time,” she said. “It’s just a thrill. My business has been successful for years, and I love my clients, and this is just a really cool experience to splice in there. I’m lucky everything I’ve done in business has culminated in this.”