Proudly, a Veteran-Owned Business
The Art of Building a Business with Creatives
When creative brilliance meets business acumen, magic happens. For over a decade, CRRNT has helped transform The New Blank from a promising design shop into an industry-defining production powerhouse. From commercials to key art, film titles to experiential displays, we've proven that you can build a thriving business without sacrificing an ounce of creative soul.
CLIENT
The New Blank
DATE
Aug 2014 - Present
SERVICES
Management consulting,
brand strategy, digital
transformation, sales, social & marketing strategies
POSITION
15%
When the pandemic hit, I stepped into a full-time role at The New Blank to provide an increased focus and provide relief from consulting fees at a time when the market was shutting down.
TNB was coming off our best year yet, and we were trending upward, profitable, winning --- and creating some amazing work. And thanks to pre-pandemic infrastructure investments, we were able to work remotely while still meeting strict security requirements for our entertainment and gaming clients.
We secured a series of SMB loans and grant products through the state of Washington and completed a successful friends and family capital raise. We also formalized two new lines of business: Flex and Managed Services, in addition to TNB’s core Bespoke motion graphics, 3D, and video production business. Here are a few work selects that will wet your palette.
Marking 10 years in 2024, my role at The New Blank is transitioning back to fractional CEO in 2025 while maintaining core responsibilities, supporting strategic sales, pitch support, business strategy, partnerships, marketing consulting & our Epic Games relationship. At times over the years, it's been a wild ride, I’m excited to see where the future takes us!
The Shifting Economic Tides
“You Should Meet These Guys!”
We know that some of the strongest relationships in life come from chance encounters. A mutual professional connection told me, "You should meet these guys," and as it turns out, the co-founders of The New Blank had a similar sentiment expressed to them. That chance meeting set a partnership in motion, and it was formalized in August 2014.
We also know that building a solid relationship is the first step in any successful venture; project or deeply integrated partnership like exists between CRRNT and The New Blank. And let's face it, stepping into a senior leadership position embedded in a boutique, highly creative shop is not for the faint of heart. It's hard as hell, especially when we’re looking to transform and grow a small, undercapitalized business that isn’t well known.
But together, we can achieve the impossible. Never shying away from a challenge, CRRNT is determined to help TNB reach their full potential. Let's do this!
Evaluating The Investment
As part of our Ventures Portfolio, CRRNT provides access to expertise and resources in marketing, branding, consulting, fundraising, products, experiences, and more in exchange for equity.
Over the years, the services CRRNT applied to The New Blank (TNB) shifted as the needs of business and market evolved. Strategically weighted investments were much heavier earlier on aimed at tackling more critical components the business and brand needed to modernize and prepare for growth. This ensured results are realized not only to The New Blank, but to their employees, customers, and partners alike.
The framework requires a team effort, is highly collaborative, and is integrated throughout the business. It’s built on trust, shared risk, and the autonomy to make ongoing decisions in the best interest of TNB and our stated goals.
Relationship Summary
The investment criteria for The New Blank would not have inked out in standard investment consultancies or accelerators. While there were a number of factors including a strategic fit into the village of brands CRRNT is assembling to create immersive experiences, platforms, and products, three of my main factors were:
1. The caliber of the work:
2. The caliber of the humans; the co-founders in particular:
3. They’re veterans, they’re former Navy veterans, and ride motorcycles like me.
Contributors
Chuck Granade
Business Strategist, CEO
Lando Febuary
Creative Director
Pete Gade
Brand & Content Strategist
Joel Eby
Partner, Executive Creative Director
Bobby Hougham
TNB Executive Creative Director
Sevrin Daniels
TNB Executive Creative Director
Ryan Scott
UX Designer
Jefe Birkner
Search & Keyword Strategist
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The Challenge
Like many small businesses, particularly in the creative services, agencies, and video production markets, The New Blanks (TNB) monthly revenue chart looked like a blueprint for world’s scariest rollercoaster. When reviewing and analyzing year-over-year (YOY) financials, there appeared to be predictable times of the year where TNB was underwater with too much work; other times of the year – crickets. Adding additional pressure on the business was typically little or no visibility on inbound projects, making resource planning extremely taxing and inefficient.
TNB used to treat each project, regardless of the budget or timeline like it was a piece of art. The financials came as a distant second priority. We also used to give work away for free, mostly in support of sales through storyboards and pitches. TNB has also felt the pinch from creator economy; an ecosystem of tools, platforms, and innovations enabling freelancers and co-creators to do work traditionally supported by companies like The New Blank not to mention the surge of companies insourcing; building internal video, motion graphic and content teams.
Putting yet another layer of strain on TNB’s revenue volatility was the lack of financial rigor and a focus on overall performance one might expect from any two well intentioned co-founding senior creatives that have allergic reactions to most things that don’t include designing, animating, or telling visual stories. A few examples include marketing, sales, business process, financial rigor, customer -- and employee experiences.
Cool Guys Photoshoot: Bobby and Sevrin
Symptomatic of boutique post-production companies & mid-sized agencies.
The investment in traditional sales has never worked out. Like most production companies, TNB relied heavily on the sales rep model. Bobby and Sevrin expressed frustration and bewilderment with their inability to grow the business through fractional sales reps and their executive producers over the years.
But we know that not have the right sales rep by itself is not always the lone culprit not to mention growing businesses in today’s modern marketplace is incredibly more complex than finding the right sales rep. Let's be real, there’s much more nowadays that goes into a net new clients decision making process that the relationship had with sales