GOING Virtual
Goldfarb Weber pivots to new market in trying times. B Y
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70 COMMUNITY LEADER | NOVEMBER 2021
(Sherwin-Williams was a GW client prior to the pandemic.) Along with video messaging from Morikis and Grisko, GW has produced more than 30 virtual events, including the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland fundraiser, Northeast Ohio Medical University commencement, Shoes & Clothes for Kids fundraiser and the YWCA Greater Cleveland virtual Women of Achievement event. During one week in November 2020, GW worked three live events: Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio fundraiser, Christ Child Society fundraiser and the Achievement Centers for Children event. COO Vic DiAngelo says the team “flawlessly navigated” all three events. The Achievement Centers commemorated its 80th anniversary with 80 hours of celebration, which included agency updates, client stories, entertainment, raffles, a silent auction and more. Prior to the pandemic, GW’s average video
length was three to four minutes. “I remember when it started, we were really busy, and I felt guilty about it because we had friends and peer companies that weren’t busy and restaurant owners whose businesses were being completely shut down,” Goldfarb says. “We kept it to ourselves how busy we were. We didn’t want to brag about it because everyone else was in a weird spot. We just kept our nose down and stayed busy.” Goldfarb and Weber say they could not have executed the pivot without the help and technical expertise of their longest tenured employee, DiAngelo. “The virtual event business could not have happened without Vic at the helm,” Weber says. “He has a background in switching live television and a broadcast background from news. He hadn’t used it in over 20 years, but he pulled the knowledge to help keep us in business.” DiAngelo worked his way from an entry-level position at GW in 1999 to
“These live-stream events are a bell that is not going to un-ring. If you are doing an event in person, to me, anything that goes up on the big screen that everyone is watching at the event, can be streamed live to anyone who was unable to attend the event. They can sit in their living room and watch.” — Ron Goldfarb
ISTOCK
ot knowing whether their business would sink or sail during the pandemic, Goldfarb Weber Creative Media (GW) President Ron Goldfarb and CEO Tony Weber faithfully went into work every day in their downtown office. While editing projects were still being done from home by employees, no new work was coming in. Goldfarb and Weber, who formally took over ownership of GW in 2009, were weathering the storm when an unexpected pivot took place. The pivot started with a call from Sherwin-Williams Chairman and CEO John Morikis, who wanted to come into the GW studio to record a message to his employees. “They were the first client that helped keep us in business during that time,” Goldfarb says. “Once John realized how easy and effective it was to communicate with his employees who were starved for information, he started coming in every week to tape his message.” Morikis told his friend Jerome Grisko, president and CEO of CBIZ, about his successful video messaging. CBIZ, a financial and employee business service with corporate headquarters in Cleveland, was GW’s first pandemic client.
THERESA NEUHOFF
