Monday, December 31, 2007

A New Year is Upon Us......Have a Happy, Healthy 2008

Well Friends, New Years Day has come and gone. A lot has happened in the past year. January was when your friendly neighborhood Sales and Marketing Director, ME!, officially started, last January 1st, (although I was there full time since around December of '06, but hey, at least in January a paycheck started, lol.)


Of course the biggest thing for Accent Media, was our move to Downtown Youngstown, after 4 years in the old Howland office. The 650 square feet of Howland was great when the company was just Chip, and then a couple more came aboard. By the time I started in December of '06, we were up to 6 of us and an Intern. As fate would have it, we met our now very close friends Mary Jo Maluso, and husband Rick Blackson. The couple known throughout the Valley for their vocal and instrumentation skills, as well as their work in front of and behind the camera, had a project they wanted to talk to us about. In the conversation we talked about our need for more room and Mary Jo recommended the old PharMor Building at 20 Federal Place in Youngstown. The 7th floor used to host Pharmor's production studios, and Mary Jo's mom Claire, worked in the building and could get us a tour of the place. Of course it was love at first sight. The 4,500 available square feet was perfect for growing into. We could use half of it immediately, and have first option on the second half as soon as we were ready. No walls would have to be moved, there was a sound room and a special effects room and a full studio all just waiting to be used. Three months of hard labor later, painting, decorating, moving equipment in, etc., we proudly held our Open House on Thursday, August 16th with none other than Rick and Mary Jo singing for us as we invited 300 of our friends and neighbors to check out the new spot. We love showing off the place and giving tours, so if you havent had a chance to stop by, just give me a call and I will take you on a personal guided tour, anytime Monday thru Friday, from 9am to 5pm.


2007 also gave us some great new Interns, both production and marketing, and new employees, and a sad farewell to a couple of our valued employees, moving on to other adventures in their lives. With school an important part of some of our editors lives still, we are proud of the accomplishments they have achieved and are pursuing. We wish them the best luck in this Spring semester and will try not to work them too hard while here at work.....(like that would ever happen, they are always working on about 3 projects at once.) We look forward to some new Interns in the coming year, and hopefully hiring a couple of our old Interns as they finish up this last semester at school.


We are heading into the new year with a lot of new clients and are looking to grow even bigger in 2008. I have just started closing out the books on 2007 and I am happy to report that Accent Media's sales grew more than 40% last year, and we are projecting to grow as least as much in 2008. Accent Media welcomes new clients such as Jump Stretch, Prima Health Care, Kent State Univeristy, and hopefully YOU!! We are proud to be working with with Adtronico and the many new clients they are bringing to Accent as well. American Gladiator Fitness, the Eastwood Mall, Austintown ER, are just a few of the clients they are working with and we are happy to be making their projects look the best in Northeast Ohio.


Being in downtown Youngstown has been an exciting time for us as well. We have become good friends with a lot of our neighbors here, and are looking forward to be even more involved in downtown activities in 2008. Fellow blogger friend Phil Kidd will soon be taking over as the Downtown events coordinator as Accent's friend Claire Maluso takes some time to enjoy retiremement with her great husband John. Phil's leadership in his Defend Youngstown blog and campaign makes him the ideal replacement. Phil's enthusiasm for the city rivals most of our elected officials and they are lucky to be working together now with such a fine young man. We are looking forward to lots of new ideas building upon the progress that Downtown Youngstown has already made. We are looking forward to the Bean Counter's Jason coming back with a concept by a new owner but in the same location. Rumor says work will begin again at the building above them, and I am looking forward of it actually happening this time around. You will probably also be able to catch me many evenings at the new Rosetta Stone Cafe. I cant resist a great cup of coffee and wireless internet after work to unwind, or to finish up some work outside of the office environment. I look forward to a happy and prosperous 2008 blogger friends...and hope the same to you all as well.........Scott Sales and Marketng Director, Accent Media, LLC.

Friday, December 28, 2007

New Years and Farewell for Now

New Years Eve is fast approaching, and if you're like me, you're always waiting until the last minute to make plans. Well, here's an idea if you don't have anything going on...and if you have plans...change them, because downtown Youngstown is where you need to be. The Annual First Night Youngstown will be taking place, showcasing local talent, and offering food and activities in a alcohol-free and family-friendly environment. Bring the kids along to do crafts, eat, check out local acts like the Zou, Posture Coach, Jones for Revival, Dead Beat Poets, Jaclyn Hodos, Eric Thompson and BJ O'Malley...there are just too many to name. The opening ceremonies kick off at 5:30pm in our building at 20 Federal Place. We may also be offering tours of our new office to any who may be interested, get in touch with us if you want to check it out.

Well, it's been a great couple of months for me here at Accent Media, but it's time for my internship to end. I want to take the time to thank the staff here letting me help out, and for putting up with me; and thanks to all of you who have kept up on my blogs. If all goes as planned, I look forward to coming back to Accent Media after my spring semester. Until then...farewell.

-Dave

Friday, December 21, 2007

Keeping Warm in the Ohio Cold

Our last blog until Christmas, it's been a while and time has sure passed us by. We'll be out of the office for the next four days, so we wanted to take this chance to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

Getting into the holiday spirit, we recently did some filming of the "Miracle on Easy Street" Christmas show. This is an annual production at the De Yor Performing Arts Center, which is run by the Youngstown Symphony. We are very excited to be working on the DVD for both casts and we would like to commend them for a job well done this past weekend. Speaking of the Youngstown Symphony, did you know that Accent Media did all of their commercials and webisodes? Well if you didn't, you do now. Stop by their website and check out the past webisodes we have done and keep an eye out for more to come.

The New Year also brings good news. We are in negotiations to go to San Francisco in the upcoming months to film a pilate episode for a TV show about good health. The staff here at Accent Media is eager because if all goes well, we will be filming on the weekends over several weeks in San Francisco. It seems that we have developed a niche for health an wellness videos over time. As we mentioned in our last post, we have recently been involved with Jump Stretch, working on instructional videos for their FlexBand product. We are also still working with Shine! to redesign their current website and market their two locations in Columbiana and Boardman. Also, we did in the not too distant past. So, we think we're getting the hang of this new niche, it's a good feeling.

In completely unrelated news, we got a new coffee maker at the office. We're talking the king of the coffee makers, a Keurig single-cup machine that will make coffee, cider drinks, hot cocoa, and tea. It keeps us warm in this cold Ohio winter.

Merry Christmas all.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

A jump into Christmas

Thirteen days until Christmas...sure we've gotten the tree up and the
cards mailed, but it still seems to be approaching us faster as the
years go by. You know what that means, it's time to eat, eat, eat
again...can't we just move Thanksgiving away from Christmas so we have
more time to get rid of those extra pounds in between?

Well, for those of you feeling bloated this holiday season, here is an idea. Go to jumpstretch.com to find different solutions to get back in shape. Jump Stretch, based out of Youngstown, offers the world's first all rubberband gym, where you can get a personal trainer, choose from a variety of classes and pick up some of their FlexBand exercise equipment. It's the perfect gift for your holiday exercise buff or the couch potato who wants to do something healthy and get in shape. We're working with Jump Stretch to develop a training video on how to use the FlexBands to their fullest potential. We'll keep you up to date. Is your company looking for training videos? Keep us in mind for your video production needs.

Monday, December 3, 2007

Local Talent Follow-Up and WYTV

Hello all, back again for another week with plenty to keep us busy. First, we want to thank our friends at Defend Youngstown for spreading the word about our last blog, in response to our search for local talent. Check out their blog and keep up on what's happening in the area.

Speaking of local talent, we would like to say good luck to Matt Palka, who recently made a video for his song "Frayed Blue Jeans". The video was filmed in and around Youngstown and is a great showcase for what the area has to offer. Matt entered his video in a contest, where a recording contract is up for grabs, go vote for it here.



Thanks to Shout Youngstown for passing along this information. If you want to learn more about Matt and his video, you can log on to his blog.

Now, to change gears, we'd like to acknowledge those who have recently been laid off from their jobs at WYTV. We are always willing to talk to anyone with experience in video production and related fields. Lay-offs are never pleasant any time of the year, especially for scarce jobs in video production, we are always looking for extra help. Contact us if you are interested and we can set up a time to meet. Best of luck to you all.

Finally, are you tired of waiting on the phone for hours and never talking to a real person? Phone trees are a real hassle and a waste of valuable time in our fast-paced lifestyles. We recently came across a new web service called Bringo. You sign up for this free service, and when you need to make a call, Bringo will do the work for you and notify you when a live person is on the line. It sounds like a great concept and we are looking forward to giving it a try.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Attention musicians... it's your time to Shine

Hello all,

Our first post since the long holiday weekend...hope all went well for everyone. We just wanted to mention a place in Columbiana called Shine, a health and beauty spa geared towards mental and physical relaxation and well-being. It's a great concept and we are happy to be helping them with their current advertising campaign. Soon, we will have a commercial, a website, and an ad for you to view. Until then, please check out Shine's Myspace page. We want to get the word out about so please add them as a friend; your mind and body will thank you!

Also, we're looking for local musicians. We'd like to get more involved with the local music scene because there is a lot of talent in the Youngstown area. We want to help promote new up and coming bands like Lakeview Drive, and bands that have made their mark on the area, like The Zou and The Kellys. There is no shortage of great bands in the area, and we're sure that there are still some hiding in the woodworks. Any suggestions? We're all ears! Some ideas are in the mix, we'll keep you posted!

Have a good Weekend.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Turkey Turkey Turkey

We just wanted to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here at Accent Media. Now, go eat some turkey and yams and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. See you next week!

Monday, November 19, 2007

The 411 on our city and our favorite snack

Oreos, we love them here at Accent Media. As many of you may know from one of our previous posts, we were a sponsor for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure event in Pittsburgh recently. Visit our website to see our video contribution to the event, and get the highlights. The event, creatively titled Stacking the Odds, was fun way to raise money for the organization and to raise awareness about breast cancer, all while stackingOreos (the ones that didn't get eaten, of course). A special thanks goes out to all who participated.



Next, lets bring our attention back to the local area. We came across a picture of the way things were in the downtown area, about 60 years ago or so. It showed a festive downtown with windows decorated to recognize the holiday season. This got us thinking, what happened to these holiday traditions in our city? A good point was made by our friends at Shout Youngstown, the downtown appeal is fading over time and lacking character. I offer you a challenge Youngstown, lets bring life back to this area and share in the Holiday spirit. Lets move away from a bland uniformity and take a step towards personality.



Finally, on a completely different note, a tip for business that can really be a life saver. I recently read an article about the influence Google has in our world today, and really, is that a bad thing considering the level of convenience that they offer? One of their newest offerings is called GOOG 411, a free telephone information service that allows you to have a phonebook with you wherever you go. Just dial 1-800-GOOG-411, tell the automated service the city and state of your desired listing, and then the name of the place you want to reach and they will connect your for free. It's really that easy, check it out.

Friday, November 16, 2007

It's that Time of the Year Again

Snow, snow, snow...it's about that time when we can give up on warm days, even though this IS Ohio and there are never any guarantees. It's time to start thinking about Christmas too, but first, we can't forget about Thanksgiving...wow, is that next week already? One great thing about the Holidays...is the food. Sure, there are family and gifts among other things...but hey, you've got to eat and this is the time to eat well!
Speaking of good food, we've had the pleasure of working with a woman named Gordy who runs the local Super Suppers in Boardman. This is a great concept for people on the go, students, people who need a break for the kitchen, well, it's great for just about anyone who likes to eat. All you have to do is go in when you have time and either grab a meal that is already prepared or you fix your own meal and save it for when life gets hectic. We just finished a commercial for Gordy...hope you like it.



While you're thinking about it, stop by the Super Suppers website or visit them at the Creekside Plaza in Boardman.

Last but not least, we want you to know that just because the holidays are around the corner, it doesn't mean it's too late to promote your business...actually it is the perfect time. Don't hesitate to contact us and we can give you information on how we can help you put together an affordable, economical, and quality commercial for this holiday season. Well, I guess it's back to work and back to fighting the cold. Have a good weekend.

Dave

Monday, November 12, 2007

New Blood and New Horizons

It's time for new blood at Accent Media, as Scott mentioned in another blog, my name is Dave Laird and I'm joining the team as an intern from YSU. I'll be taking over the blog for the next couple of months or so and I will be keeping you up to date with what is happening here at the company. I'm really glad to have the opportunity to watch the staff here work on some projects while I'm here, it should be a great learning experience.

One thing I've noticed from a outside perspective is that the staff here is into making their projects cutting edge and exciting, which is right up my alley. Don't be mistaken; they can work in any direction that a client might want. They're giving me a chance to help them out with these things that interest so much, more specifically we're going to try to work with the local music scene and create a buzz for these really talented bands.

This brings me on to my next point. We have a concept here in the making to have a half hour television spot to promote local music, extreme sports, and entertainment. It's time to highlight these things and give them the attention they deserve. If you, your band, your club, restaurant, or your "anything entertainment" is interested in being featured in this project, get in touch and we will be happy to have you on board.
Until next time...so long.

Dave

Monday, November 5, 2007

Random Thoughts

So I left off Friday promising some of my thoughts on the Chevrolet Centre and random other Ytown happenings. I for one, am a huge supporter of the Chevy Centre. Do I think it should have been built? Well, that part is debateable, but I agree with the intentions for building it, and since it IS already built, there is no point hoping it will fail. I have attended events there, and it really is hard to find a bad seat in the house. The events I have seen were professional, and the crowds were there for a good time, and not for any trouble that I could see.


My concern has always been, that although this was a Youngstown arena, there was never any real Youngstown involvement in the operations. I understand the city is not in the Arena Operating Business, and should find someone qualified to do such, but can't the City see that it needs someone with local vision with a feel of what works here in Youngstown. Could an Arizona company really know what would fly here in the Mahoning Valley, just because they have run similar 'size' arenas in other cities?Could outside general managers who may understand how to book acts, really know what acts he should be booking here? Was there an investment in getting to know the Mahoning Valley community first? Could the salary spent to hire a company from outside, be better spent hiring a local promoter and giving them a budget the size of the management company's to staff his people? I think these are all valid questions that should have been answered or at least addressed. I am both very happy that the City has asked local promoter Eric Ryan to be the Executive Director, but at the same time, sad that the position will only be temporary. We need a local promoter, such as Ryan, who understands the area, and is willing to take on the task and get it done. I am hoping that Ryan's production company is putting their hat in the ring for the permanent position.





There was a press conference in our building today about one of the newest additions to Youngstown, "Art Youngstown, Inc.", that will be located right across the street at 25 Federal Plaza West, here in downtown Youngstown. The goal is to create gallery space for the local art scene, and the first exhibit, appropriately titled, "The Inaugural Exhibition, will have a first look on Friday, November 23rd, from 7:30 'til 10pm. Doors will open at 7pm. The Inaugarul Exhibit is being held with the help of Denise Powell of James and Weaver Co. I think it is very exciting to have this latest cultural venue downtown, and cant wait to attend.





I also want to point you to an open letter to the editor that was crafted by Defend Youngstown's founder and organizer, Phill Kidd. The letter talks about the real assets to a community, not the attractions that are there to be used, but the people that are there and need to use the attractions. If we want people to step up and get involved in the City of Youngstown, it will take cooperation with the City on following thru with promises, or at least keeping the public aware of events going on that affect city life, like the housing that Phil talks about on his blog. There are a lot of great, positive things happening in the City, now we need to promote them and more importantly, get the cities communities and the outlying areas to attend.





Accent Media is having another busy week, and I will update you all on that by Friday. Take care friends..........Scott

Friday, November 2, 2007

A Little Catch-Up....More To Come Next Week

WOW! Has it really been two weeks since our last post? I guess it's time to catch you up on the moving and grooving here at Accent Media, and our thoughts on the world right now. We last let you know about our participation in a Business Expo, thrown by COSE at the IX Center in Cleveland. It was a resounding success and helped us stick our big toe into the waters and wonderful world of production needs in the Cleveland area. Yesterday was our first meeting that came out of the Expo, and we have our second this afternoon. I really feel it's going to bring us some new business from the 6 county area around Cleveland, and we are excited about all of this new work. It seems the name of the game at the Expo, was "Website Content". There is a serious need for website content in the Cleveland area, and for that matter, the world wide web itself.


As society gets more 'net saavy', plain and static simple web pages are not enough anymore. Attention grabbing video shorts or links are necessary on your webpages to give your content meeting. If your company is selling widgets and doo-dads, you should have a video on your site, showing those items in action. If your company provides a service, you should have some video testimonials from satisfied clients on your site. If YOU are your product or service, you can put yourself front and center and show a video talking about what you do, and why you do it best. Just as real estate needs location, location, location, so does your website need content, content, content!!


We also touched on the YSU Shadow Day, that we participated in a few weeks back. It's a program sponsored by the Regional Chamber of Commerce, for Youngstown State University students to have the opportunity to shadow a sales/marketing or public relations professional around their business to get a taste of the real world. As you read, I was lucky enough to get two very smart and capable young men, who are studying not only sales and marketing, but emphasize music, graphics and production as well. We had a great day here at the office, giving them some hands on experience with how we go about making our sales and marketing decisions here at Accent Media, and how that results in the final product that we produce and create. I was also able to bring them on 2 sales calls I had with Clients on that day, and they had some great questions and were a big help. I am happy to say that one of them, David Laird, applied to be part of our Intern program here, and I have accepted him, so he will start in about a week. Look forward to getting to know him, as I turn over some of these blogging duties to him in the weeks to come.


I will make this entry short and sweet and just catch you up today, but i will soon post on my thoughts about the Chevrolet Centre, and the interim management brought on as the search is underway for a new management company. I also want to talk about some local happenings and events in Youngstown that are noteworthy and positive. Have a great weekend everyone and remember, Media Matters!.........Scott

Friday, October 19, 2007

COSE Business Expo, YSU Intern Shadow Day

A very exciting and hectic day at Accent Media today, with a lot of activity to end the week. Some of our team members are out at the COSE Small Business Conference in Cleveland today, meeting with other members of the area to network and help each other grow. They will be spending the day showcasing the services that Accent Media has to offer and also attending a few of the workshops at the event. We also have two students with us in the office from Youngstown State University, who are shadowing for the day.

We have Zaher Saleh majoring in Advertising Art. Zaher just moved from Lebanon few years ago, and he is very excited to be in Youngstown and in particular to be here today at the office. Some of his interests are photography, web and graphic design, music and much more, he is expecting to have a great day here at accent media getting know more about the area's top production company.

Another student, also an Advertising Art Major is Dave Laird. He is a senior in the program and looking forward to graduating after two more semesters in the program. He is also studying multimedia and web design as a minor. Dave is into graphic design, the local music scene or anything involving music, photography and Guitar Hero (and is looking forward to Guitar Hero III in just week). He hopes that the day at Accent Media will give him the insight that he wants to get a job in the advertising industry.

In short, today has been a productive way to end a hectic week so far. We hope that the time spent with the YSU students will give them what they need to succeed, and that the business expo in Cleveland will introduce us to new faces and new horizons. After all, that is what the industry is about, keeping up and keeping current.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

New Employee-The Terror Begins!! Stacking Oreos!

After "The Move", things at Accent Media have started to settle down- enough to hire a new sales and marketing associate without scaring her off! Kristen N. Shick, a 2004 graduate of The Ohio State University's College of Arts and Science with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication, has joined the Accent Media team Tuedsay, October 15. Working with the Director of Sales and Marketing, Scott Fullerton, Shick sure has a lot in store for her-but it's nothing she can't handle. After living in Columbus and working with Mythodic Promotions, an agency that promoted and marketed large club events in downtown Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati-Shick is up for the challenge that Accent presents. "Once you get used to the craziness and all the demands of stars in the music industry (she has worked with Tommy Lee, Paul Oakenfold and Ritchie Hawton) the customer service requirement for business clients is a breeze," laughs Shick. "I'm excited to start working for a cutting-edge company in Youngstown, the city really needs a fresh vision to give customers." A fresh vision? Did someone say fresh vision?! Well thankfully, that's exactly what Accent Media delivers. With its wacky graphic designers, schooled cameramen, and the notoriously has-to-be-perfect editing team, Accent truly embodies the definition of a "fresh vision." Whether you're looking for content specifically designed for your web-page, marketing materials, commercials or even if you don't know what you want, but know you want something, stop by and see us at Accent Media. You never know how we can help you out util you give us a shot. If you'd like to schedule a meeting to see our demos or just to go over how Kristen thinks Accent Media may be able to benefit your business, give her a call at 330.744.2268.





As many of you may or may not know, Accent Media does at least one project per quarter, free of charge, for a worthy cause. Last quarter we worked with the Trumbull C ouny Red Cross, and put together a video presentation for their 90th Birthday Campaign. We shot it, edited it, and set it up to play at events and on their website. For the 4th quarter of the year, we have decided to work with the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer and Oreo, as they put on a fund raiser for a cure.


On November 10th, at the Hampton Community Center in Allison Park, PA, there will be a, "Stacking The Odds," competition/fundraiser. Forget eating, dunking, even licking the cream center out of the Oreo's, for this fundraiser, we will be stacking them, and Accent Media will be on hand to tape it all. How high can you stack before the cookie crumbles? That is the question. There will be winners for the best stacking, with cash prizes of $300, $100, and $50 dollars. The fundraising part happens by the participants getting pledges for the Oreo's that are stacked. Everybody competing, is looking for "pledges per Oreo," from their friends, families and co-workers. Of course all of the donations go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure. It's going to be an big event, with lots of other activities besides stacking. There is a live auction scheduled for 2pm. DJ Rick White of R&R Express will be spinning tunes, along with live music by the Boilermaker Jazz Band. There will even be photo's with Santa from 10am - noon.


Accent Media will be taping the entire event, and putting together a presentation to be used in future Oreo stacking and Breast Cancer Awareness events. We will also be turning the footage into the Guinness Society to see if we can set a world record for Oreo stacking. We are proud to donate our time and talents to the cause of fighting breast cancer and raising awareness. We will post this video up on our site when it is done as well. We are also entering a "Stacker" in the event, so below is a sample of the Sponsor sheet we will be using. If any of our Youngstown friends would like to sponsor our stacker, please give me, Scott, a call at the Studio, 330-744-2268, and pledge your support. You can also call and I can fax you out a sponsor sheet to hand around your home, school or office if you like. The more money we can raise for this worthy cause, the better.




Friday, October 12, 2007

Busy Saturday in Ytown, Come on Down

It's a good Saturday to be in Downtown Youngstown!! You can start the day at a serice event, and finish it up with something fun. For those of you that have service in your hearts and can't sleep in on the weekends, (yes, there are actually people who don't sleep in on the weekends,) you can meet at the Chevy Centre starting at 7:15 Saturday morning. It is Youngstown's first organized, "Clean Up Day." Linda DeJoe and Jenna Nameth, who work for the city's Litter Control and Recycling Department, have organized this event. The clean up is scheduled from 8am to Noon. Youngstown State University, along with area churches and schools, have offered to help out the event. Corporate sponsors allowed the City to purchase T-Shirts to give out to the volunteers, and free coffee will be provided. Let's help clean up Youngstown everyone. Just a little at a time like this helps a lot, and encourages others not to litter. For more information or to pre-register, you can call 330-744-7526.





After the clean-up, how about a little fun at the big Octoberfest Party on the Plaza that the City of Youngstown is putting on. This is the first time the City has put on the event since the early 90's. There will be food beer and traditional German music being played. The festival opens at noon and closes at 11 p.m. On Saturday, the Youngstown Saxon Brass Band will play from 1-4 p.m.; Del Rezak Band, 5-7:30 p.m.; and Al Hreno Orchestra, 8:30-11 p.m. The Heimat Klang and Saxon Brass bands will dress in traditional German Octoberfest costume. Adding to the action Saturday will be Halloween Spooktacular at the Children’s Museum of the Valley from noon until 5 p.m. Trick-or-treating, games and activities and a live bat presentation will be included. Children ages 2 to 12 are invited to come wearing their costumes. Free parking is available in the USA Parking garage across from the museum. The Children’s Museum is located at 139 E. Boardman St. Admission is free to both Octoberfest and Halloween Spooktacular.





We had a great week here at Accent Media, we had 2 new clients we brought on board, and I hired a new Sales and Marketing Assistant. We are all looking forward to the weekend. We have tickets to go to YSU's Saturday game against Southern Utah, Chip's band has a gig, and a fun time should be had by all..................Scott

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Downtown Youngstown, "It's Happening Here!!"

It's Happening Here!! If you have been paying attention, you know that is the catch-phrase for Downtown Youngstown. Below are the 2 spots that Accent Media was asked to shoot and edit by Keynote Media, who was hired by the City to put together. With Keynote Media's vision, and Accent's fantastic camera work and editing abilities. I think we made 2 really good spots. The longer :60 second spot plays often at the Chevrolet Centre downtown. The :30 second commercial has been in some limited rotation as a PSA on the local broadcast channels. I think proof that it really is happening in Youngstown, is that all the footage for the videos, was shot in just one night. There was a big dinner crowd at Charley Staples BBQ enjoying some of the best ribs in town. The MVP Restaurant was full and there was some serious bocce being played out back and the patio bar was pretty crowded as well. Cafe Cimmento was serving up their regular fantastic pasta with wines. The Bean Counter Cafe was getting ready for it's upcoming blues fest and getting ready for their new kitchen and menu. Party on the Plaza was getting the bands fired up and ready to play all night long outside BW3. Barleys cafe and nightclub had live bands playing that night as well, and our owner Chip's band was even playing there that night. There was a big Thunder Game going on at the Chevy Centre. And The Core was looking like the NYC club that it is, with martini's flowing and a cool vibe.


The videos were offered free to be used by downtown businesses to help promote themselves and the city. I have not seen many people take advantage of that yet. I am posting them here in both formats, so you can go to YouTube and embed them into your sites if you wish. The more people who promote and believe in Youngstown, the quicker it will come about. If you dont want to go the Youtube route and want a compressed version to give to your website developer, let me know and I will send you the file directly.








Are you looking to promote your city, club, event, etc.?? Accent Media can help you come up with the concept, shooting, editing and execution, to make your company, place or product look the best. What keeps Internet users staking out your website often and staying longer? Content, Content, Content!! Let us take pictures, videos, flyers, and whatever media you have of past or current events, and convert them into custom content for your website or blog. Keep checking back here to sign up for a class we will be having soon called, "Using Multimedia To Your Company and Your Website's Advantage.


Keep promoting Downtown Youngstown and the entire Mahoning Valley, and check out the blogs to the right that go more in depth into the happenings in the area. Be informed, Be part of the solution, Be proactive and remember, "It's Happening Here!!"

Monday, October 8, 2007

Elevator: Getting the Shaft, New Graphics and Animation Guy

Do you remember Mary Chapin Carpenter's song, "Sometimes You're the Windshield, Sometimes You're the Bug?" Well let me rephrase that with, "Sometimes You Get the Elevator, Sometimes Just the Shaft!" If you are not part of the inside joke here at Accent Media, we claim to have a super-secret, private elavator, closet door to our studios here on the 7th floor of the old PharMor Building. The thing is, it actually WAS a private elevator to the 7,8, and 9th floors to the PharMor Studio and Executive Offices. This private elevator is in a non-obtrusive closet door, just to the right of the 3 main elevators for the building. The 3 main elevators only go to the 6th floor, so when unexpecting delivery men or clients we have not explained the super-secret, private elevator, closet door thing to come looking for us, they usually jump in one of the 3 elevators and wonder what the heck happened to the 7th floor. It has been both fun and frustrating all at the same time.


Well the frustration grew a little bit last week as our super-secret, private elevator crashed and burned between the second floor and Mezzanine. Not only did it quit working somewhere between those floors, it quit working with 3 Accent Media employee's inside of it. YIKES!!! The only funny thing about it, was that me being the Sales and Marketing Director, and defacto Genereal Manager for the business, most things go thru me first, so we dont bog the owner Chip down with too much. I happened to be out at a sales call with a client in Cortland when the elevator stopped, and who was the first person the trapped elevator riders called from their cell phone??? Yup! It was me. After laughing a bit, I explained to them that Chip was only 5 floors above them, and might have an easier time getting to them than I did at that point. LOL. Good News: they got out safe and sound, crawling thru the pried open doors to the 2nd floor. Bad News: the elevator is still not working a week later, and we are relugated to either going to the 6th floor and then taking a flight of stairs up to the storage area of the 7th floor, or taking the service elevator, with all the odors of the trash area following you up to the 7th floor storage area.





We have a new member of the Accent Media team. Justin Giudici will be working on animations and graphics, with Steve. Justin graduated from school with a degree in film making and animation and design, but has not been able to put his schooling to use until now. Accent Media is very happy to welcome Justin to the team, and know he will do a great job in animation, graphics, and using After Effects and his other program knowledge to really bring future projects to life. As a job test, I had Justin put together a quick commercial together for a longtime client, The Vindicator. This was just a test project, so it was not meant to be aired, and wont be, at least not for this run, there is going to be no tv time for this, but I just made up a project for Justin to do, and I was very impressed. The Vindicator is starting their next Bid N Buy at the end of the week. You can go get a lot for a little hopefully. You can check out the link, and see all the fun stuff they have. Anyway. for his job test, I told him to make a cool looking retro ad for the Bid N Buy, using only animation affects. You can see his result below. It was fun, and just what I was looking for. If we added a fun retro type voiceover announcer, this project could be ready for air. Enjoy, and check out the Vindicators Bid N Buy today!




Friday, October 5, 2007

Beauty and the Beast, Team Pavliks Parade

The week is winding down here at Accent Media, but we got to give a shout out to the DeYor's Youngstown Symphony Society, and Easy Street Productions, for coming together again this weekend for special "held-over" performances of Beauty and the Beast this weekend. We are proud to be the production house of choice for both Easy Street and the Symphony Society. They have been great clients to work with, and Todd Hancock has been a longtime collaborater with Accent. This was our first year of working with the Youngstown Symphony Society. We have been working on all of their new season's commercials and webisodes through one of our collaborative advertising agencies. If you have not had a chance to check out the webisodes of many of the events of the coming season, do yourself a favor and head over to the Symphony website, and check them out. Our own Kevin DeOliveira, along with some help by Steve Cairns put those spots together, and they came out phenomenally.


By the way, if you are lucky enough to go see Beauty and the Beast tonight, look for Accent Media who will be taping the event. This is our 4th time taping an Easy Street Production, and think that it is awesome that Todd and Maureen do this as a way of thanking the cast. These productions are solely to be given out to the cast and crew associated with the production. So if you see some guys with video cameras in the balcony and in the audience, say hi, (but quietly, lol, there will be live mic's on the cameras.)





And finally, in case you have been living under a truck, Youngstown is honoring our newly crowned Middleweight Champion of the World, Kelly Pavlik, on the plaza downtown today. If we could reach our one sole window here on our side of the 7th floor, we would make this a "ticker tape parade", LOL, but no such luck for us. The festivities start with a parade on down from the Market Street bridge down to town square. I wish we had an extra camera to tape it, but we will be set up for Beauty and the Beast, and we have a camera up in New Hampshire with Chip this weekend. Congrats again to a symbol of revitalization for Youngstown, Kelly Pavlik. Great job you and your team, and Accent Media would like to get you under our cameras one of these days...............Have a good weekend everybody.............Scott

Thursday, October 4, 2007

We Put Together a Couple New Demo Videos For You

The videos we have been putting together are finally ready to be revealed. In between all of their projects they are working on for clients, Accent Media's shooting and editing team took some time to create a new, shorter version of our demo tape. This first one shows much faster cuts of our work, is set to a current beat, and demonstrates the creativity the team has and can put together to make your message, product, or service stand out above the rest. Notice the scene changes, and the overall fun of the work..............





The next video gives you a chance to take a quick tour of the studio in a subliminal kind of way. Quick shots around the office space and the special effects studio, are set to the beat, and gives you an idea of the new space we have moved into. It's quite a difference from the 650 square feet we used to have. That tour would have taken about 3 seconds. Of course I welcome all of you to come take a real tour of the studios. I would be happy to show anyone around the facilities, just call me and set up an appointment in advance. After checking out this fun tour, the subliminal shots will stick in your head and you will be able to say, "I remember that," when you come take the tour in person. Enjoy...................





These videos will be up on our website, www.accentmediaonline.com, by next week. If you have a chance, let the guys know how they did on the videos, give us your feedback thru comments or send us an email at the link up on the right.

Monday, October 1, 2007

Kelly Pavlik, Champion and Hero of Ytown Revitalization

Youngstown has a new champion of revitalization, and his name is Kelly Pavlik. Nothing brings about reform, revitalization and growth, without people supporting it and creating the change themselves. With his 7th round knock-out over champion Jermain Taylor, Pavlik became the best Middleweight Boxer in the world. After a heart-stopping, knock-down in the 2nd round, Pavlik recovered his footing, showed true willpower and stamina, and used his incredible presence of mind and skills to last to the end of the round. That one setback, and the crowd's outpouring of emotion, (did i forget to mention that there was over 5,000 fans from Youngstown that drove the distance to Atlantic City, to see the fight in person and root on their hometown hero,) was enough to push Kelly Pavlik on to fight harder, smarter, and get the knock-out in the 7th.


The type of commitment Kelly Pavlik displayed in boxing, is the type of commitment it will take to bring about the revitalization of Youngstown. Through education, technology and innovation, community commitment and perspiration, Youngstown will have it's 7th round knock-out. Resources like the Youngstown Incubator, education like YSU, dedication that is shown from Mayor Williams and community leaders such as the Zoldan's, and the perspiration from communities that are looking to take back their neighborhoods and clean up the city, will serve Youngstown well.


Accent Media is going thru revitalization as well, and is looking for it's own 7th round knock-out. After four years of working in small quarters, being humble about the quality work that we wish to provide, and slowly evolving into a stable of strong cameramen, editors, producers and business talent, we are ready to begin again. Our new studio and business offices has revitalized our thinking, and opened up more possibilities that we only dreamed possible. Our client list is growing and our reputation is climbing, and those that have doubted are coming away with the faith that we can deliver upon all that we promise and more so. There are a lot of production companies, and even advertising agencies that claim they are ready for the big leagues when they actually only there thru luck and lack of competition. With the revitalization of Youngstown, comes the demand of quality over par for the course. One of our favorite sayings is that, "You will always get what you have always got, if you always do what you have always done." We ask that you try something new, and follow your instincts. Let Accent Media prove that there is a a production house in Northeast Ohio that has the creativity, know-how, equipment, and vision to assist in making your dream a reality. Let us help you realize your dreams to get your product noticed thru a superior commercial or product demonstration video. Or thru quality orientation or training videos that prove to your empoyee's that you care about them, want them to understand their jobs, and want to help them be the very best that they can be. We can also make awesome recruitment videos to get your business, sons and daughters, athletes, and reality show contestants, noticed and highlight what makes them the perfect person to be recruited or picked.


Accent Media Congratulates Kelly Pavlik on a fantastic personal victory, and a victory and revitalization of positive recognition and press for the City of Youngstown.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Ytown Weekend Events, New Demo Video, New Tour Video, Music Wanted

Lot's happening in Ytown and the Mahoning Valley this weekend. If you haven't heard about "The Stage" over at the Oakland on Saturday, it seems like a good time to be had by all and a little something for everyone. Of course you may need to head out early if you have HBO, to get the Kelly Pavlik fight at 10pm. Ready to bring in the new month? Oktoberfest is being put on by the Rotary this Sunday at Boardman Park on Rt 224 behind Kohl's and Barnes and Noble.







The new Accent Media Demo Video will be up and posted next week, and you bloggers and myspace watchers will be the first to take a look at it. I would appreciate any feedback you could give us, as we get ready to launch it in our marketing packets. This Demo is much shorter than our last one, without voiceover and a lot faster pace. We have tried to incorporate lots of projects we have worked on, and then threw in some creativity in how to present it, just for fun. Look for it Monday or Tuesday, and please be sure to send us some comments on what you think about it.


Also next week, we are hoping to finish up our brand new "Studio Tour" video that we have been putting together. Another fun piece of video to show off our new offices and filming space. In fact, talking to the guys here, we are actually looking for new music to put the two videos to. Currently we have used a copyrighted song, but we dont want to get into trouble, so we are looking for some original music to use. If you are in a band, or have a friend that is in one, and is looking to get their original song played, have them get in touch with me at the studio, or through our website's contact page. The website's address has a link in the upper right corner of the main blog. or you can go to www.accentmediaonline.com.


Have a Great Weeked Friends, and check back next week for Media Matters from Accent Media.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Fighting For Youngstown Pride

This week Youngstown should be full of pride as one of our own, Kelly Pavlik, heads out to Atlantic City this weekend to take home the title of "Middleweight Champion of the World". At 25 years old, Pavlik has been a professional boxer for 7 years already. He is impressive not only for his numerous knock-outs in the ring, but for the way he has used his fame and credibility to help individuals and organizations throughout Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley.


One of the reasons behind Accent Media's move to downtown Youngstown, was the energy we felt being generated to the city's renewal and resurgance. We are hearing and learning more and more about how the city is being challenged and encouraged by a younger generation, and we are proud to be a part of it. At 25, Kelly Pavlik is poised to become the number 1 middleweight boxer in the world; the Youngstown Incubator is home to up and coming technology firms, including the number one fastest growing private software company in the country, Turning Technologies, whom we are proud to have as a client, where the average age of the incubator is 27 and annual income is over $56k; the first African-American mayor of Youngstown, the honorable Jay Williams is 38 years old and doing a fantastic job of representing the city and setting it up for future success; the list goes on and on about the younger generation making Youngstown vital once again.


The owner of Accent Media is almost 30, with our editors and cameramen ranging from 19-25 years of age. A young company with idealistic views of how a company ought to be run, and the commitments that should be made not only to ourselves and our company, but to our community and environment as well. We start the week off in pride, for the young hero's like Kelly Pavlik, Mayor Williams, The Youngstown Incubator, and others who are making this community a better place to live and work. Let's encourage others of this generation to step up to the plate, forget the steel ties that bind us to the past, and look towards the future and all that we can be.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Business Expo, Ytown Bloggers, New Interns!!

It's a Busy Busy Week here at Accent Media. Tomorrow, Thursday, we have the local trade show, "Business Expo 2007". The Regional Chamber is putting on the event, and we are one of the "Spotlight Sponsors." If you are local or close by the Mahoning Valley, please come to this event and stop by our booth and say HI! There are over 100 businesses from all over the area participating, so it is a great opportunity to see what great businesses and services are available out there. We will be having some candy bars, magnets and penny candy to give away, along with a drawing for a FREE COMMERCIAL or other Video Project up to $2000 dollars. Again, the Business Expo is this Thursday, September 20th from 10am to 4:30pm at the Chevrolet Centre in Downtown Youngstown, Ohio.


There was a great article this past Sunday in the local Vindicator newspaper. It featured 7 bloggers who are writing about the progress and possibilities of a renewed and revitalized Downtown Youngstown. These are all young, talented and passionate people, who practice what they preach or "blog," within their lives and their professions. I am proud to know two of them already, and I am hoping to get to know the others. Heather McMahon, author of the blog, "Mahoning Valley View," I have known since my days of owning and operating some businesses in Downtown Warren, OH, as well as when I was the Vice President of the Warren Downtown Business Association. She is a hard and dedicated worker in Economic Development for the City of Warren, and she is definitely worth the read of her blog. I have also recently met Phil Kidd, who writes his blog, Defending Youngstown. I started reading Phil's blog when we were considering our move to "Downtown Youngstown", and have been hooked ever since. I finally got to meet him, and give him a tour of the studio a couple of weeks ago. He is as great a person as his blog is to read. It's a great look into whats happening here, and you can see the compassion and heart he feels for the city. I have linked their blogs and the blogs below over to the right for easy access. Please take some time to get to know and read these bloggers. The other bloggers of note:


Shout Youngstown

Stark Raving Youngstown

Youngstown Pride

The Oakland Stage

Ytown Renaissance



Finally, I want to introduce to 2 new members of the Accent Media Family this week. We have brought aboard two Production Interns for an 8 week Internship. The first six weeks will be helping out around the studio and getting a feel for the equipment and software. The seventh week, they will be using our equipment and staff to produce and shoot their own mini-project, and on the eighth week, they will be editing it into a showcase for their portfolio. Here in their own words, are Production Interns Heather and Mark. Welcome them aboard. If you would like to email them about their experiences or find out more about our Intern Program, you can send the email to my attention here at the Studio.


what's up everyone, my name is heather lowry. i am unoriginally from warren, oh - meaning i grew up in sunny florida, but have been in and out of warren, off and on due to my love of travel. i graduated from youngstown state university in dec 05- getting my b.a. in english and professional writing & editing. i studied film for 4 weeks in paris, through the ny film academy, which was an amazing experience and i would do it all again. i guess i would say i'm an idealist who tries to stay within the means of reality. i know, right? i have a passion for creating - art, film, writing, design, music (singing alone in the car), dancing, etc. i also like logic and philosophy, although they don't help me with my absent sense of direction. :) i really enjoy learning new things and new experiences ... makes me feel young ... and i can't wait until i can make my first movie, independent from hollywood! but right now, accent media has taken a chance on me, and i couldn't be more excited to get started


Hello my name is Mark Alan Pisciuneri I am 22 years old and I am from right here in Youngstown. I am a graduate of The Recording Workshop in Chillicothe OH, where I recived four certificates in audio engineering, audio production, studio mantinece, and a certificate in for the REC's new tech program. I have been involved in creating music and messing around with audio for several years now and I do very, very amature video production, all from my home studio. Thanks to Accent Media for letting me come on board as a production assistint, I can now show off the skills and talent that I have and learn more of the stuff that I don't know from Accent Media's very talanted staff. I am very excited and plan to accomplish allot with this great opportunity.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Hump Day Wednesday, New Demo Reel

HUMP Day Wednesday here at Accent Media, and time to Asess the week so far and see what we have coming the next couple days. The exciting project of the week is the updating of our Demo Reel. Since we have moved to our new location here in Downtown Youngstown, a lot of our old Demo Reel is now outdated with pictures and slates and phone numbers from our old location. I am really excited about the vision for the new Demo. It will be a lot shorter, but contain a lot more video content from past and recent projects, moving along with a thumping beat. Have you seen some of the amazing Demo's from the big boys in L.A. and New York City? They may have some of the big name companies because of their location, but they sure dont have anything on Accent Media as far as style and video presentation goes. Be on the lookout for our new demo, and you will see it here first on this blog and our MySpace page, and then soon onto our website.

Speaking of Demo Reels...........have you heard about our new sound studio?? With our large sound-proof booth that is capable of accomodating up to 4 people, our software, and our mixing equiptment, are YOU ready to be the next American Idol? How about just the guy or girl out there who wants to record their own demo and see how it sounds on professional tape? Are you a band that is ready to shoot your first music video? Accent Media has shot and edited music videos, demo tapes and all there is to make yourself or group shine. Give me a call, Scott Fullerton, Director of Sales and Marketing at 330-744-2268 to arrange a tour of our facilities, and talk about YOUR next great demo reel or music video!





Thursday, September 6, 2007

Love the Short Week, Selling Your Product or Service

It's already Thursday, you gotta love those 3 day holiday weekends. This week has been hectic for me, as I was called upon to be a juror during my last week of Jury Duty this week. Luckily the courthouse is just 2 blocks from the new studio, so I was able to get a little work done before the trial each day, and at lunch and afterwards. This is pretty much a pure production week here at Accent Media.

The final touches for the Yoga and Pilates video that we shot in New Jersey for a popular instructor, are being polished and readied for shipping this week. As soon as those are on store shelves, we will provide a link to them here at the site. It is a three-disk set that I think will be very popular for both the novice and those experienced in Yoga and Pilates. With the Internet connecting the world these days, if you are an expert on a subject, I highly recommend creating your own video as a way to share your talent as well creating an alternative line of income for yourself. For the small cost of maintaining a website, you can create a strong advertising vehicle for your product, the world over. Ask Accent Media, how we can create a packageable and saleable DVD about your own area of expertise. We will come to you, or you can come to our new studio where we can film you in action and provide an informative and fun DVD of your product or service. We can help from the planning stages, thru scripting, provide shooting ideas, and then develop it into a finished product, ready for market. While shooting the DVD, we can also shoot additional footage that can be used for an infomercial as well that we can format for your website, and you can even use on local television, just like you see on your tv at home, for a reasonable price. For the initial investment to make the DVD, you will have a product that can create revenue for many years to come, that only YOU have the right to sell, unless someone wants to buy the rights from you. When you are ready, you can make an additional investment on Infomercials, or other marketing techniques that Accent Media can help you with. Contact me, Scott Fullerton, Sales and Marketing Director, today for more information, or to get started on creating your own alternate line of income thru selling a product or service on DVD.

The marketing video we created for a well-known and respected rehabilitation center was delivered this week, and it came out very good. The video came in at over 5 minutes, but I think it did a fantastic job in showcasing the many ways in which this rehabilitation center uses sports to enhance peoples lives, who are living with disabilities. The video only required one day of shooting with 2 camera crews and was edited over a few days. It will serve as a fantastic marketing tool for the center. Different from a DVD you can sell, which I talked about above in the Yoga video segment, a great marketing or product demonstration video may not generate income, but can be worth it's weight in gold none-the-less. Marketing and Product Demonstration videos are primarily done by corporate clients. The videos are used to really showcase what the company is about, what it can do or offer, and why it stands out above the rest. Most marketing and product demonstration videos can be shot in a day, sometimes more, depending on the size of the company or project. What is a Demonstration Video? Consider rolling out a new website, you could make a demonstration video on how to use the new website and whatever systems are inside it, complete with screenshots of the web pages. How about the newest machine in your shop or company? A good demonstration video can help your employee's understand exactly the functions, capabilities and the handling of the new machine. And there are many other uses as well. If you think your company can benefit from a good marketing or demonstration video, please call me, Scott, and I will talk to you about it over the phone, or arrange for a meeting to discuss it futher.

Remember that Accent Media can shoot your video in our new shooting studio here in Downtown Youngstown, or we can come to you, either in the Mahoning Valley, The State of Ohio, or across the country. Talk to you soon.........Scott

Friday, August 31, 2007

Enjoy Labor Day, But Dont Labor Too Hard

A three day weekend is upon is with Labor Day coming this Monday, and Accent Media is deciding NOT to labor, and close for the day. It looks like the perfect weekend to be off, with clear skies, not too hot, low humidity and cool at night. Also if you are from around the Mahoning Valley area, you know that it's also the Canfield Fair this weekend. Save your pennies for all of the yummy fair food, it's good eating, but not cheap!! Accent Media is working on a project that we will roll-out this October, that may move into booth at the Canfield Fair next year. We are hoping it won't have to, but that's all the hint I am going to give you. More information will be released shortly.

Our second full week at the new location has come and gone, and we are starting to get a little more used to it. We are trying to remember to use the intercom on the phones and not just yell at each other when we have a call, like we used to do in the old small 2-room location. We don't mind the yelling, but it's become harder to hear each other with all of the extra space, LOL. The only thing we are still dealing with is if someone goes to the bathroom. Before it was in the middle of the office and you could see the door closed and the light coming from under it. Now, we have to check about 6 different offices first before we think of trying the bathroom.

We have had lot's of work to keep us busy this week, and we would like to thank our clients that brought us our commercials and webisodes for Easy Street and the Youngstown Symphony Society's "Beauty and the Beast," that Danny has been working on. We also have Kevin and Steve hard at work on our product demonstration video we are working on that will soon be in 20,000 product's boxes in the next month or so. Dennis hit a home run with the first draft of his marketing video for a rehabilitation center that brought a tear to the Site Director's eye. Frank has delivered the first part of his project for our new Chicago client, where we are sending out 250 business overview DVD's we created for them. Part two is now in production. Chip has been putting out some fires for some of our clients this week with last minute changes and transferring items to clients websites to be viewed and his usual editing load. On the sales and marketing end, I met with a very promising new client this week who would like to take advantage of our new shooting capability and utilize our green screen wall quite a bit. I also set an appointment this week with a national company that is looking for new orientation and training videos for each of their locations across the country. Fingers are crossed on that one, but with our quality and attention to detail, I am feeling pretty good.

Next week, I will be posting a walking tour, or at least snippets of the new facility for those who have not been able to come by yet. I am looking forward to meeting with www.defendyoungstown.com creator Phil Kidd next week and having him look around the studio and see how Accent Media can help the restoration of Downtown Youngstown. We are always looking for ways to take part in the Mahoning Valley community at large. If anyone ever wants to stop by the studio for a tour and visit with our talented and creative staff, please call me, Scott Fullerton, at 330-744-2268, and I will arrange a time for you to come down and take you on a guided tour and how Accent Media is the premiere production house in NE Ohio.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Welcome To The New Accent Media Blog!!

As we close the month of August, Accent Media puts 2 major milestones behind us. First we have now officially celebrated our 4th anniversary of doing business, and second, we have moved into our new location in Downtown Youngstown.

Charles, "Chip," Atkins, never realized that four years ago in August of 2003, that his decision to go out and create his own company to shoot and edit video in the Mahoning Valley, would become the business it has today. After operating alone for almost the first two years, the company enters it's fifth year of doing business with 7 employee's and we will be hiring 2 Interns in the next month, and hopefully 2 more employee's by years end.

On August 16th, Accent Media held an Open House to tour our brand new facilities in Youngstown. Over 180 people came and were quite impressed with the new office space, the new shooting and sound rooms, and the 2,000 additional square footage available for the company to continue to grow. Complimentary refreshments were provided by area restaurants and food establishments including; Super Suppers, B&O Railroad Banquet Hall, The Mocha House, Edible Arrangements, Pascarella's Italian Restaurant and GFS Marketplace in Boardman. The Coca Cola Company of Youngstown provided the complimentary soda's and bottled water. Beautiful floral arrangements were provided by Edwards Florist of Youngstown. Visitors each got their own goodie bag full of area businesses flyers and promotional items. Over a dozen door prizes were handed out, including prizes from; Casals De Spa and Salon, Komara's Jewelers, Mary Jo Maluso and Rick Blackson, Mary Kay Cosmetics, The Steelhounds, The Scrappers, Tickets for the Chevrolet Centre, Doc's Deer Scents, Cafe Cimmento, Buffalo Wild Wings, TGI Fridays, The Youngstown Sports Grille, The Olive Garden, Smokey Bones Restaurant, The Agent Insurers, GFS Marketplace and more. Anyone requesting a tour of the new facility can contact Sales and Marketing Director, Scott Fullerton, at 330-744-2268.

For the first time, Accent Media has it's own shooting space that includes a huge green screen and psych-wall, a travelling green screen wall, a portable product size pysch wall, and rooms that will accomodate focus groups, web and podcasting of meetings, full studio productions, and much more. Along with our professional multi-camera systems that are "Hi-Definition" capable, we have consistently bought new and improved equipment so we can offer Dolly and Track Shooting, Jib Shooting up to 12 feet, and many other innovations.

The Accent Media website is still going thru renovations, but is almost complete, and you can go there to review some of our demo disks, and information about what we do, and how we do it, along with contact information for the entire team. We really enjoy interacting with the community, and are looking forward to meeting and working with our neighbors here in Downtown Youngstown, and throughout the Mahoning Valley and beyond. This new blogsite will be updated often, and please contact us with any questions or comments you have about our company. Most questions should be directed to Scott Fullerton, Director of Sales and Marketing, and you will recieve a response within 1-3 business days. Thanx for helping Accent Media celebrate our 4th Anniversary, and new location, we look forward to serving you.