Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Bacon.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Nick. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Mainstream Media started back in 2013. My co-founder, Andrew Mausert-Mooney, had just graduated from UIC’s MFA in Moving Images program, and I had been freelancing as a video producer since moving to Chicago in 2011. We jumped into business together because we’d been producing each other’s films since meeting as undergrads at the University of Virginia, and figured we could produce films for other folks as well.
What we quickly realized is that Chicago has a tremendously talented pool of young, hungry video producers, thanks largely to the numerous college programs in the area specializing in production. We needed a way to differentiate ourselves from the rest of the industry, so we decided to focus on live streaming.
As a bootstrapped company, we had to figure out ways to produce TV-quality shows with little to no budget. That meant foregoing expensive equipment purchases and building our own gear. We also established relationships with other video production companies in the area, offering to produce live content on their behalf.
As the technology progressed, organizations started coming to us to help us produce their live streams. We’ve had the pleasure of working with McDonald’s, Pampered Chef, Glassdoor, the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, and many of the educational institutions in Chicago.
In 2016, we made our first full-time hire. We now have a staff of 5 wonderful employees who have become experts at producing live streams. It’s a great environment to be a part of!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Since we’re a bootstrapped company, we’ve had to take a more risk-averse business growth strategy. That means spending a lot more time in planning and really putting a lot of thought into where each and every dollar goes.
One important aspect of our business is that we stay flexible. The technology in our industry changes so rapidly: when we started, you couldn’t stream on YouTube or Facebook. So you have to stay ahead of the technology curve while not getting too caught up in it.
Please tell us about Mainstream Media.
Mainstream Media is Chicago’s premier live streaming production agency. We work with venues, brands, and organizations to stream live content in real-time to a global audience. This content can take several forms:
– live shows, such as awards ceremonies, product launches, or scripted content;
– event streams, where we’ll work with a conference to stream their keynotes or general sessions speakers;
– virtual events, where we pre-produce content with presenters from around the globe to deliver to an audience at a specified time.
Recently, we worked with the Wisconsin Department of Tourism to produce a live show at Summerfest. I’m so proud of this one because it was one of the most technically complicated shows we’ve ever produced – we even had to deal with a one-day delay due to a freak thunderstorm! The show itself was a complete success, though: at last check, nearly 1,000,000 people had viewed the FB live event.
We also really enjoy working on smaller productions. For example, we’ve worked with Northwestern University the past few years to stream some of their convocation ceremonies. Even though the audience is comparatively small, it feel good to connect the family members who are unable to attend to the graduates’ important life event.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I really discovered the power of filmmaking in high school. Every year, my Latin teacher would host a “Latin Film Festival” – each class would have to make a short film about one of the stories we had translated that year. My best friend was in that class with me, and we would write these silly short films about Roman gods and goddesses. It just felt great that our teachers trusted us to make something with very few guidelines.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1000 N Milwaukee Ave
Ste 302
Chicago, IL 60642 - Website: www.mainstreamchicago.com
- Phone: 3125481356
- Email: nick@mainstreamchicago.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mainstreamchicago/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MainstreamChicago/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MainstreamChi
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mainstream-media-chicago
Image Credit:
Angela Bour (Mainstream Media)
Bradley Glanzrock (LStop Media)
Mark Campbell (Mark Campbell Photography)
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