We were lucky to catch up with Ronny Young recently and have shared our conversation below.
Ronny, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?
Being artist owned and operated is a core feature of our company. We believe the best people to run a creative company are the artists who make the work. Maybe this is bad, but it always bothered me to “make money” for business people and non-creatives above me at an agency. Why should they get more benefit from my art than me? So, one day, I left and started freelancing. It was such a good experience. You were genuinely rewarded for your hard work. The harder you worked, the higher the reward. The American Dream was alive and I was living it.
Fast forward to today. We like to reward our employees for working hard and making great art. We think our salaries are high enough to keep people happy, and then we bonus on top of that as a way to say thank you. There are no “business people” above us to gobble up all the money. Everyone is treated well and rewarded.
So I guess I want my legacy to be this… Artists need to reap the reward of their passion. Artists often get a bad rap for being bad business minds. I’m here to tell them, you can do it! And I’ll help you!
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 consider myself an artist, the kid who was always drawing. I started by sitting in front of Saturday morning cartoons, drawing my heart out… and now I find myself producing content for global industry-leading brands. Art has always had an important role in my life. I’m the type of personality that always wants to push further, trying to learn new things or level up certain skills with each project.
I love all things 3D. The more realistic the better. After receiving a BFA in Graphic Design from Northern Kentucky University in 2009, I set out to learn all about 3D, animation, and motion. After years of working for other agencies, I finally went freelance. After 2 very successful years freelancing, I decided to start my own company. Polymath was Founded in August of 2017. Polymath is a motion design studio that launches new products for the advertising & entertainment industries. We will have been in business 5 years this August, so close! Our client list includes Seagram’s, Old Spice, Gillette, John Frieda, Biore, Mentos, and more.
From our pitch deck… “Hi there! We are Polymath. Our name is an extension of our philosophy—we wear many hats in order to find the best solution for our partners. We’re a blend of technicians and artists. Harmony of the left brain + right brain. When nerd meets designer. We are polymath.”
Beyond Polymath, I strive to be a leader in the local Cincinnati community. I started a local community Slack channel that allows people to ask questions, network, and find work. Local businesses use it as a tool to find the right partners for their projects. Having worked for many of the large local design firms, I know the right people in town. My network is key to Polymath’s success. I’m fortunate to be invited to speak at Universities and High Schools to talk to kids about 3D and Animation, detailing what it’s like and what opportunities await them. They learn about new paths, and what specific careers are out there. Freelance, full-time, remote work, we talk about it all. This allows me to become a semi-mentor to a few. I can tap into my network and connect these students to the right people, so they can help get them hired.
What the future holds? My hope is to grow Polymath to a multi-million-dollar studio, working directly with the likes of Nike, Marvel & Apple. We’re making serious headway, and I think it’s only a matter of time thankfully. The crew we’ve put together are all rockstars in their own right. We want to help put Cincinnati on the map as a serious contender for global top talent in the animation and video industry.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Being reliable is #1. It doesn’t matter how good you are if you can’t meet a deadline. People also want to work with other “nice” people. So I’d say be nice, be on time, and do your best work. That combo will earn you a great reputation. You’d be amazed how many people fail at these simple and easy traits.
Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?
We slowed down big time in 2020 during Covid. From June to August, we had very little work. It was the scariest time at Polymath hands down. We had also taken on a whole new Director/Partner to start a video department right before this… so our overhead increased. Not a good combo.
BUT, somehow we pulled it off. 2020 ended up being a great year, and Polymath still grew year over year.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.polymath.tv/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/polymath_tv/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PolymathVisuals/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/polymathvisuals
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/PolymathVisuals
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZqYbHW9B4e0wi3RNJo6LVA
Image Credits
credit to Polymath