C O V E R S T O R Y
Randy Tinney and Creative Media: Shooting from the hip for the Metro business community BY MARY MACK JONES Contributing Columnist
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ward winning videographer, producer, editor and writer, Randy Tinney knows his way around in the world of communications. Since his graduation from Auburn with a degree in communications and journalism, Tinney has run the gamut of experience in his chosen field. Having recently taken the plunge into the deep water of entrepreneurship with his new venture-Creative Media – Tinney is earning his sea legs and charting his course through new territory. No one is more prepared to take the risk inherent in a startup company than Tinney, whose resume attests to his skill and experience as a seasoned communications expert. His interest in broadcasting and video production began back in high school in Fort Walton Beach, Fl, where he dreamed of a career as a disc jockey. At Pensacola Junior College he gained some hands-on broadcasting experience while working as a production assistant for the campus television and radio station. Foregoing the fantasy of spinning the top forty, he set his sights on broadcasting and moved on to Auburn where he eventually graduated with a degree in communications and journalism. After graduation he was hired by a Columbus Georgia television station as a Reporter/ Morning Anchor and worked his way up over the years to producer and main news anchor in South Carolina – a career path that enhanced his skill at dealing with the realities of a fast-paced environment that often demanded quick decisions and responses. It was 1981 when Tinney made the move Randy Tinney to Mississippi and landed at WJTV in the Jackson area as Weekend News anchor/reporter. He accepted a position with Southern Farm Bureau Life in 1989 to create a video production department for the company. For 15 years he scripted and produced training and marketing videos and a quarterly News Program for use within the company. Honing his creative skills as a writer and learning the ropes of the business, he found that his presentations often focused on the human angle while training employees in the art of marketing an intangible product. The personal touch is the hallmark of much of Tinney’s gift for creating appealing material that resonates with his clients. In 2004 he began a new job at Mississippi Public Broadcasting as
executive producer managing the development of live programs. “I did the first Conerly Football show – a live production for awarding top state collegiate athletes which I produced for three years. I also managed the live mobile production unit for offsite locations,” says Tinney. “I am not really a techie like so many others in that business. I like to point and shoot—a little more on the creative edge, I guess.” After 8 months in that spot, he was offered the position of Communications Director where he would oversee on air promotions, outreach, the website and art department, as well as the traffic department and archives. For most creative people, the road to career satisfaction is never a straight line. More often than not the path follows twists and turns and is accompanied by coincidence and opportunity coming from unlikely places. When Facebook hit the internet several years ago, Tinney found the social networking site to be a gold mine for re-establishing relationships with former friends and business contacts. After months of networking, he was encouraged by the support of friends and business associates to make the leap of faith and do what he did best. Creative Media, his new company, was designed to offer quality video production in a professional mode to small business people at an affordable price. “There are lots of high-end video producers in the Jackson area, but they come with a price. I target the midrange market and can produce a creative, captivating and interesting product for the small business person,” remarks Tinney. “I have been pleased and gratified by the people who have told me that now is the right time for a business like mine.” One of his current projects is collaborating with Results Revolution, a marketing webcast focusing on promoting small business networking. Owners Marianna and Andy Chapman host weekly interviews via internet webcast with local small business people to reveal their marketing success stories. The program encourages small business owners and offers advice on various marketing topics. Tinney provides the necessary video and editing equipment for the productions and finds that his efforts have introduced him to a host of contacts in the Greater Jackson business community. Capitalizing on this niche market, Tinney is having fun providing his years of broadcasting and video production experience to other small business’s in the form of training and marketing, programming, website clips, and other small business applications. “ I can’t really define what I do in tight terms,” he laughs. “I will shoot most anything—as long as it’s legal!” See CREATIVE - Page 14 Greater Jackson Business - 13