Business of the Year

OC CREATIVE

Brian Oster credits the community as the deciding factor which led to him buying a business in DeKalb five years ago. Oster is the creative director and president of OC Creative, an advertising agency that specializes in video production, website design and branding. Oster started working at OC Imageworks, owned by David Barrow, in December 2010. “At the time, I was the third person working in the company, which was a small advertising agency,” Oster said. “Soon, we were adding more workers and services, including web design and video.” In January 2016, Oster purchased the company and changed the name to OC Creative. The business now has nine employees in-house and uses contractors with specialties for projects. Oster said that the business has grown through the years, without the help of advertising. “We grow because of what I call ‘The Three Rs:’ relationship, referrals and reputation,” he said. “We have grown 10 to 20% a year through the last five years.” Oster also credits his team’s creativity for the business’ success. “We ensure that whatever we create is not cookie cutter, we want it to be unique to the client,” he said. “We always bring something new and creative. We’ve grown from a small local agency to our new tagline, ‘Made in the Midwest.’” In the past year, OC Creative has traveled and done projects throughout Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan and to Massachusetts and Georgia. OC Creative has also partnered with Northern Illinois University, DeKalb County UNITES, NIU’s Division of Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development, College of Business and Jobs PLUS to create 40TUDE Business. 40TUDE Business brings together local marketing experts, industry-experienced faculty/instructors and talented NIU students to help businesses amplify online visibility and sales capacity with expert design and web services. “40TUDE connects NIU students to real-world marketing opportunities and helps businesses utilize and support the work of students, all at a fraction of the cost,” Oster said. “It’s a win-win-win for OC Creative, NIU students and businesses.” In February, OC Creative was named the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce’s 2020 Business of the Year. The announcement came during the annual meeting of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce. After his business was announced as this year’s award recipient, Oster, thanked his wife, Amy, who is the business’ vice president, and his hardworking staff of nine. He described his initial reaction of winning the award as “being humble and honored, excited to continue to give back and be involved in the community.” “Let’s keep turning up the needle from DeKalb County,” Oster said. “DeKalb’s got potential. Let’s see what we can do together. ... There’s so much diversity and leadership in the community. I’m excited for us as a business because we won the award, but I’m more excited to see where we as a community go in the future.” Matt Duffy, executive director of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, said that OC Creative winning the award is “a great acknowledgement of all the good they do in the community.” “2020 was a difficult year, and for them to stand out in a year when everyone struggled with the pandemic, finances, health and safety speaks to their tenacity,” Duffy said. “They truly do go above and beyond. It’s great to recognize OC Creative and the other nominated businesses for what they do.” The Business of the Year Award is given to a business that has had exceptional involvement with the DeKalb Chamber and the community. Other nominees included 94.9 WDKB Midwest Family Broadcasting, Clean USA, Gurukrupa Indian Grocery & Copy Services and Pest Control Consultants. Oster said OC Creative’s plans for the future include “supporting the community and staying creative.” “I think it’s because we’re always looking for what’s next, bigger and better, not only for our business, but also for our clients and the community,” he said. “We want to be creative, no matter what we do. … We have so much more in store and are looking forward to staying involved and connected to the community.”