This Week's Founder: Will Stewart
All Aboard for this week’s feature highlighting the entrepreneurs and innovators who drive The Platform at Greer. This week, we’re getting on board with Emmy winner Will Stewart and the content creators at his video production company, 9/8 Central.
You may already be familiar with this talented team – especially if you attended the Platform at Greer Huddle on social media marketing earlier this year at Pronk Studios or the Bootcamp Cohort 12 pitch event last November. Will says The Platform at Greer and the Bootcamp program have been invaluable resources in accelerating the growth of Pronk Studios and 9/8 Central, its parent company.
Photo provided by 9/8 Central
9/8 Central produces a lot of content for its clients – businesses that subscribe for regular video production and social media management, marketing agencies, and companies that need help with larger video projects. The 9/8 Central team works out of Pronk Studios, the Upstate’s own little slice of Hollywood.
Pronk has a fully-equipped set that can be used for producing podcasts, commercials, and social media videos (among other things). The biggest star at Pronk, however, is a large sound stage and virtual production studio that features a 32’ x 18’ LED wall. Studio A, as it’s called, can save customers time and money through the magic of technology. Using the giant LED wall, crews can appear to shoot in multiple locations throughout the universe in a single day without ever leaving the facility off Pelham Rd. in Greenville County.
Some clients also book Studio A for in-person or virtual events. Pronk recently hosted a job training event for groups from Greenville and Spartanburg counties. The training simulations incorporated a virtual reality platform called Transfr.
Photo provided by 9/8 Central
In April, our partners at BlueInc Strategies hosted their second Growth Forum at Pronk Studios. That event featured Platform at Greer supporter Mark Essex, the founder of Netalytics. Mark shared some of the wisdom he gained throughout his journey -- from the startup to sale of Netalytics.
Photo provided by 9/8 Central
Masterminds Media Network hosted its first live event at Pronk Studios utilizing both the LED wall and the expertise of Will and his team. At April’s Manufacturing Masterminds event, former WYFF 4 anchor Michael Cogdill, the founder of Heartstrong Media, talked about the power of storytelling.
Photo provided by 9/8 Central
The production possibilities with 9/8 Central and Pronk Studios are nearly boundless. Whether they’re working with large or small clients, Will and his team try to stay true to their vision to amplify the voices of those who want to change their world for good.