by rosanne dunkelberger
photo the workmans
F E AT U R E
VIRTUAL BUSINESS MEETINGS DON’T HAVE TO LOOK BAD
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trategic Digital Services (SDS) knows a thing or two about how the pandemic affected the world of business in 2020. The digital-first advertising and marketing agency, co-founded by millennials Matt Farrar and Joe Clements in 2014, grew 800% over the past year, grossing between $8 and $10 million. Reading the tea leaves, SDS has invested in a new studio-for-hire with all the bells and whistles required to conduct business in a remote, quality way. “The business world isn’t going to go back to people flying across the country for a one-hour meeting; you can see from the last year that’s not actually necessary to do business,” Clements said. “A lot of common business and professional interactions are going to stay remote because it’s far more efficient, but a lot of that remote experience is very poor — bad lighting, bad sound, bad backgrounds. “If we’re going to spend more of our time interacting in this virtual environment … there is going to be a demand for something better than a camera on your laptop.” he continued. “We can run an entire remote, broadcast-quality production on behalf of a client.” With all of its equipment on wheels, the studio can be configured for multiple purposes, including remote media appearances, a virtual town hall, conferences, sales calls and client pitches.
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INFLUENCE Spring 2021