Today we’d like to introduce you to Ross Gerbasi.
Ross, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Threaded Films started as a group of friends that just wanted to be creative. Everyone had a passion for the arts and storytelling. Early on we focused on filmmaking and photography, using images to help tell our stories. Over time, we grew, finding more like-minded people and expanding our art into crafting, woodworking, technology, and pretty much any medium out there that would help us create.
Nowadays, we are essentially a somewhat private hacker space for the creative. We do not just focus on one creative outlet, but try to provide tools and space for our group to make whatever they want, and learn as much as they want along the way.
On the business side, Threaded Films focuses on corporate work and personal feature films. The group sustains the studio with their own work, and as we add more people we can scale up the projects we take on and offer more to our clients. The end goal is to cut the cord to our need for commercial work and run off on our own adventure into some project that will not only be exciting and entertaining, but hopefully educational and enjoyable for the world.
The idea is built upon a simple premise: If you bring enough talented and creative people together into one place, amazing things will happen.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The biggest challenge, as I imagine most starting businesses face, is maintaining the work to support your dreams, and balancing work and personal creativity. You have to make sure to keep the doors open and the lights on, but you don’t want to sacrifice the ability to be creative, try new projects or learn new things.
The second most difficult part is finding the right people. There are millions of amazingly talented people out there but it’s not just as simple as asking all of them to join up. People need to fit in well with the group, have a generally positive attitude, and be open to different ideas on how to solve problems. I have seen it many times where one person can drag a whole group of amazing people right down. We work very hard to avoid this and look to bring together not only great individuals but an amazing team.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Threaded Films story. Tell us more about the business.
Threaded Films is primarily a film, video, and photography company. We do not like to think of ourselves as specializing in anything particularly. Everyone in the group loves to have a wide range of talents.
Collectively, the group has skills in programming, woodworking, crafting, filmmaking, photography, motion control, time-lapse, aerial video and photography, editing, visual effects and compositing, motion graphics, painting, drawing, classic animation, writing, and the list goes on.
We truly love to be problem solvers first, and the tools in which we solve those problems come second. The group is willing to learn pretty much anything to have it in our toolbelt to help people solve problems.
So if I had to wrap up what we specialize in I would say, solving problems creatively.
We have a lot to be proud of within our group. Each member has a lot of personal achievements from premiering a feature film to interviews about our work on Chicago news. Recently, we received two regional Emmy nominations: one for editing and one for lighting. Although we did not take home any statues this year, we are humbled to be nominated for a third year in a row. Previously, we won an Emmy for photography and another for lighting.
Outside of our work, we are most proud of our independence. We love being a company that can focus on learning and keeping up with our own ambitions. Whether it’s new technology or older techniques, we all genuinely love to learn.
As far as what sets us apart, we simply do not operate like normal businesses. Everyone here wants to be creative and have support from like-minded folks. Unlike most businesses that focus on being a business first, we focus on being creative first. Learning as much as we can, experimenting anytime we can. We then use this to help others solve their problems.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I would say, personally, I have been very lucky in my life, and therefore the business has as a result. However, I think this luck has been more about the people I have met than anything else. The chance encounters that have turned into lifetime friendships are really what the whole concept of Threaded Films is built upon.
Throughout my life, I have met some amazing people–some more talented than I ever could think. Some of them have come and gone, sadly, but there has always been a core group that has stood the test of time. Slowly we find more people like us out there, and we grow stronger and stronger. Finding people like this is rare, and honestly, it’s the most important thing you can do in your lifetime.
Surround yourself with great people and you will do great things.
So I feel very lucky for the people I have met and the team we have. They have been there to help keep the fight going to make this dream a reality.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1517 West Carroll Ave
Chicago IL, 60607 - Website: threadedfilms.com
- Email: contact@threadedfilms.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/threadedfilmschicago
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/threadedchicago
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