fbpx

Mass FX Media

Mass FX Media is a small business that delivers big creativity in the area of video production. Shawna Schultz and her husband, Matt, met in high school, drawn together by their interest in producing videos. After they both completed their Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in film production at the University of Colorado, they got jobs making documentaries for Group Publishing for almost three years. When faced with the opportunity to go on a four-month documentary project around the world called Unreasonable at Sea, they decided to take the leap into business ownership and started Mass FX Media. After they returned home, they found themselves without much in the bank and only a few projects in the pipeline.

The Schultzes were ready to find full-time jobs to give them some stability with their careers when they decided to consult the Small Business Development Center to learn more about running their company. They had their craft down, but had no idea what a P&L statement was, let alone how to run a business. The one-on-one SBDC counseling started at the beginning with tracking mileage and bookkeeping to the details of taxes and finances. Once in, Shawna was hooked, and she started taking classes on the basics of Quickbooks, opening an office, and hiring. Schultz felt as though learning the ropes from a business professional created a helpful experience with a human touch. She now feels confident about conducting business within all the legal constraints. She said, “The experience of working with the SBDC saved us. We were ready to throw in the towel on our business.”

The Schultzes have now been running Mass FX Media for 12 years, and they focus on creating motion design and visual effects projects for large brands like Keysight, Meta, Deloitte and Lyft. And, the other half of their work is focused on title design and animation packages for feature documentaries and non-fiction series for Netflix, Apple TV+, Disney+ and Hulu. Their work has premiered at Sundance and Toronto Film Festivals.

Today they run a full-service video production company with 12 employees and look forward to their new office buildout that will feature a screening room complete with a full sound finishing and color suite to add to their offerings.

Shawna Schultz said, “The best feature of this business is the variety of projects we complete, the people we interview, and the causes we get to be a part of. The biggest challenge comes down to the fact that we’re in a very subjective business, and getting it ‘right’ for a client can be a hard thing to pin down.” She loves her work as an artist and admits, “I can’t imagine doing anything else, and having our business allows us to do what we love with people we love for a living. You can’t beat that.”

 

Rheinlander Bakery Success Story

Ed Dimner started glazing doughnuts in his parent’s bakery at the age of nine. The Dimner family started Rheinlander’s German Bakery in 1963 and Ed and his twin brother helped in the shop throughout their childhood growing alongside the bakery. Ed’s parents retired in the mid-1980s while Ed was still in College. After graduation Ed considered his options and realized that he really wanted to go back in the baking business by re-opening in the

Read More »
Do Gooder Games Cafe

Dan Willman and his wife, Jessica, are co-owners of Do Gooder Games Café, a hybrid games store with an inclusive community where patrons are invited to play games with others while enjoying their favorite beverages and snacks from the café. The store also features new and diverse offerings for customers to purchase games and supplies. To further build community and set themselves apart from similar enterprises, they champion a unique rewards program where customers not only earn points for dollars spent, but also for participating in events such as meetups, art shows, and more.

Read More »
JCS Cleaning Services

A strong online presence is crucial to a business’s success, especially in our ever-increasing digital world reliant on technology. For many business owners, the skills needed to create and manage a professional website are daunting and ultimately a barrier to their business’s growth. To address the gap in digital skills, especially among minority business owners, the North Metro SBDC started a website program led by Diego Leyes, Bilingual Digital Marketing Specialist and Spanish Programs Outreach Consultant. The selected client for the first round of the website program was Jorge Torres, owner of JCS Cleaning Services.

Read More »
Profound Fitness

Diana Rael is the owner of Profound Fitness, a small, personalized gym and training program for all fitness needs. That sounds like the description of many typical fitness establishments. However, Rael’s program is anything but typical. She serves people with special needs, those dealing with the challenges of aging, and those who are uncomfortable in a gym setting—as well as everyone else. Rael’s background includes early childhood education, science education, martial arts, and personal training.

Read More »
Melaxation Box

After a record year for stress and anxiety we could all use some relaxation. A silver lining of the collective trauma experienced throughout the pandemic is the importance of self-care that has been illuminated. Makalah Emanuel, CEO and Founder of Melaxation Boxes, is on a mission to continue amplifying the message of self-care through her business which sells boxes filled with hand-made gifts, thoughtful activities, and products from Black-Indigenous-People of Color-(BIPOC) owned businesses. “After a crazy year a gift of self-care felt like the most appropriate gift to give family members and friends,” Makalah says.

Read More »
Black Hound Design Company

Black Hound…a name one would at first think was associated to a dog training business or a hunting operation; however, the reality is that it belongs to a custom furniture design and manufacturing business…Black Hound Custom Furniture and Design. In 2013, the owners, James and Kate Hixson, had an idea…a vision that would expand and enhance James’s college education in sculpturing. What started as a wood sculpture for a friend, evolved into a prosperous and

Read More »
Skip to content