We were recently featured in Orlando Voyager! Check out the interview below.
Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Shakes.
Hi Samantha, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story? In college, my love and admiration for filmmaking were taken to a new level after taking an “Intro to Screenwriting” course. The idea of what I thought I had to do or be in life changed from that moment on. I learned that I really thrived in the creative world. However, my immediate plans for life after graduation changed, so I had to adapt. While working a full-time job, my friend Michael Thomas and I started a blog that covered all things entertainment. Through that process, I continued to learn branding, web design, content creation, and social media management and also got to practice video production. Over the next two years, I did freelance work for family and friends by helping them develop and elevate their brands/businesses. Fast forward to November 2020, and I launched my first official business, Made by Shakes Creative Agency. I operated as Made by Shakes until recently. As of October 2022, we are now STUDIO SVNTN. We are headquartered in Jacksonville, FL, but we often frequent Orlando for business opportunities and to work with some of our collaborators/trusted partners. I decided to rebrand for a few reasons. The top reason being I wanted a name that would reflect our values: passionate storytelling, problem-solving, creative innovation, and synergy.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth? Time management has probably been the biggest obstacle, but I don’t mean that in the typical sense. This process has been the complete opposite of a smooth road. When I first started, I was a solopreneur, taking on fairly large projects while working a 9-5. I’ve never experienced any difficulties with getting projects completed on time. Managing the time aspect of my work-life balance initially took a bit of a toll on me. Things like how late I should stay up to work, how I effectively give my all at work and to my business, etc., were a bit of a struggle for a while.
Recently, I decided to pursue STUDIO SVNTN full-time. That has been a rollercoaster of a process because the stakes are a little higher. However, I would not trade this experience for anything. Fortunately, I genuinely love creating brands from the ground up, and I don’t view my company differently. The lessons I have learned are priceless, so that I will take the bad with the good any day!
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about STUDIO SVNTN?
STUDIO SVNTN is a full-service creative agency offering a wide range of branding, creative visual design, and marketing services curated to help businesses succeed. We help our clients develop ideas and execute strategies to take their business to a higher level. We partner with clients and brands from various industries, from real estate, entertainment, law, health, and wellness, to hospitality.
Our services include brand design and strategy, photography, videography, digital and traditional print marketing, social media management and content creation, podcast production, business consulting, and much more!
What sets us apart, especially now as we move forward as S17, is that storytelling is at the core of our brand. Our team works together to create a compelling story for our client’s audiences. We help them refine their message, so their target market understands who they are, what they do, and why they should invest in their brands.
I am driven by the belief that no idea, dream, or goal is “too big” to achieve. We celebrate using imaginative and artistic thinking and fusing it with strategy. We are proud of our approach because we always seek to understand from both the consumer and the creative point of view. Perspective is everything in this industry, and through research and strategy, we can create brands and visual products that set them apart from their competitors.
What characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to if you had to? I attribute my success to a people-first approach, transparency, drive, professionalism, and communication. The reason I do what I do is that I find so much joy in helping business owners see the full potential of what their business can be. I don’t talk to my clients like they’re just numbers or invoices. I’m so grateful that people believe in and trust my team’s abilities, and the last thing I want is for them to think we take that for granted. Most of our clientele has been from referrals, and that is because of the reputation we built using the qualities/characteristics listed above.
Contact Info:
Website: www.studiosvntn.com
Instagram: Instagram.com/studiosvntn
Facebook: Facebook.com/studiosvntn
Image Credits
Chase J. Elliott, Samantha Shakes, Michael Everett Thomas, Gary G Photography