Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brione Stephenson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Brione, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?
I hope The Studio is the visual symbolism of entrepreneurial success. Although I have perused and continue to peruse higher education, I want the children in our underprivileged, underserved, marginalized communities to know they have options. The Studio stands as my business baby to show the generations coming up after me that they don’t have to pursue education, athletics or fall victim to the streets to achieve success and lead a successful life. There is wealth in trades and entrepreneurship and I want to be the stepping stone they see and come to in search of their own success.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I got my start, much like most PKs, in the church. After my grandfather died and I got the chance to choose a church of my own I knew I wouldn’t be able to just sit and be a member. Church service is apart of who I am. So, I took interest in the media ministry and began working closely with our Executive Pastor. The more she was able to lean on me to handle and execute tasks the more she taught me about the “behind the scenes” aspects of Sunday morning presentation and production. The rest is The Studio history.
I live to serve my community. I created The Studio to be an asset to those that may not have the means or know-how to elevate their graphic design and media departments or ministries. Being the CEO I have to make the hard decisions. In cases where a church, community outreach group from the youth or family in need during their time of bereavement may not have the funds necessary to create professional graphics or media production, I’m able to step in, cut the costs and get the job done.
The most heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, aspect of the job is probably the unlearned mentality of the people you create to serve. Most of the general population don’t quite grasp the importance of marketing and branding and others simply don’t care. You could arguably say it’s still a fairly new concept to many. With word of mouth still being the most effective form of advertising some don’t deem the art of marketing and branding fiscally important. But, how far can you go by WOM alone? You hear a lot of “oh, my cousin or my friend can do that on their computer for free” or “all that isn’t necessary”. In all actuality, most can’t and it really is, in fact, necessary. According to an article published by branding expert Darren Evans in a 2021 article entitled, “How Can Organizations Understand the Bottom-Line Impact of Brand?“, “The dmi:Design Value Index (in the USA) evidences that the latter [can bottom-line impact be measured?] is certainly true. This framework monitors the impact that public-traded companies’ investment in design has on stock value, and interestingly, it benchmarks that strategic value against the S&P500. Design-centric brands including Coca-Cola, Nike, Stanley Black & Decker, and Intuit are known to yield 10-year returns 200% greater than their counterparts.“ Evans went on to say “some organizations don’t readily acknowledge the influence that brand can have on every customer touchpoint. But when it has the power to drive cultural change or service design, for instance, it could affect the number of complaints an organization receives, a firm’s NPS score, or even the ability to meet SLA targets. This data is regulated in certain industries, so progress in these respects can be critical. It could better safeguard client retention too, which is particularly beneficial in overly competitive markets. From an internal point of view, it could strengthen the organization’s ability to attract the hottest talent, retain staff in a competitive space, and even boost the performance of employees if behavior is positively shaped by brand work. It could go so far as to accelerate a company’s ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) value.” Simply put, the bosses of old are starting to come around to the understanding that marketing and branding are effective in company growth, stakeholder ROI, customer loyalty and even employee retention. Marketing and branding makes a difference and it is important. It’s the good work.
If the readers of this article walk away with anything, I hope they understand or at least begin to consider the art of the rising profession. It takes passion, skill, dedication and a slew of missteps and mess ups before you get it “right”. Sometimes, even then and years later, you still fall short. The business is ever-changing. The technology ever evolving. It is truly a profession of art. Love on the graphic design artist and marketing and branding specialist around you a little more after reading this. As always, Let’s chat!!
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
Word of mouth (WOM) from trusted voices in their respective communities gave The Studio a surge of business in the last quarter of 2021 into the first quarter of 2022. It’s truly been the best source of new clients for me. Through those connections my social media began to grow and I was being seen more at events and working venues in media production. With events and social media you start receiving inquiries from family members in other states and artists in surrounding cities and states and it takes on a life of its own thereafter.
Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?
Prior to the passing of my uncle I’d began taking all of my websites down, deleting social media pages and I’d really stopped promoting my services. I did the graphics for a number of his Celebration of Life services just because I wanted to do something DOPE for him one last time and here we are today. New look. Revamped. Updated. Still designing and creating #DOPEArt. I owe a lot of the surge of confidence and the push to my aunt. She really lit a fire under my butt and gave me the push I needed at that time to keep going.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.swindlestevie.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/swindlestevie
- Facebook: Facebook.com/swindlestevie
- Twitter: Twitter.com/swindlestevie
Image Credits
The Studio