Post Magazine

November/December 2024

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www.postmagazine.com 29 POST NOV/DEC 2024 utting the wraps on 2024 was measured both by pain and re- ward. Our rebrand certainly had some- thing to do with that. We blinked and Polymath was OddBeast. The fruits of that hard work transformed us into our authentic, fun and scrappy voice. It's been a year full of lessons learned, both on the rebrand and running a motion-design and production studio in general. Here's what I've taken away from 2024. Repositioning your brand By far, the most impactful exercise we undertook in 2024 was our rebrand. Our studio isn't what it was seven years ago, and we needed a change. Let's face it, most companies outgrow their initial brands at some point, and going through this process has injected a ton of life and energy into our team. If you're ready to take the plunge, use outside help. Get third-party clarity and objectivity. Have fun with it! Don't take it too seriously, even though it is serious (weird, I know). Get super clear on why you do what you do, and discover what makes your company different. Commercial real estate We've been renting for years, and we wanted a home. As we delved into ren- ovating a historic building on the main drag (Monmouth St.) in Newport, KY, we learned that you need to have a certain amount of equity into a project to gain access to loans. It's not like your house, where you can simply put 20 percent down. They require 20 percent of the building's projected value upon comple- tion. Yikes! If you're planning a big move, read those fine details closely! Your loan offi- cer sure is. Tools for informed decisions In 2024, we also began making use of helpful tools that we wish we had all along. We joined Forum, the private, member-driven network for creative stu- dio founders launched by global advisor Joel Pilger, and I began to take advan- tage of his Studio Flight Deck system, which provides me with the most robust picture of the company's health and cashflow over the next six months. Our industry is rife with tools. Seek them out! Networking is king After getting too comfortable on Zoom, I was reminded how important it is to reconnect with old contacts, while still making new contacts, of course. This year, I traveled to New York and Chicago a lot, and we got more involved in events, like Making Midwest and Half Rez. This is something we must do more of in 2025. To quote Joel Pilger, "experts travel," so book that flight! Pay for PR Long ago, I got advice to use a PR company and I decided against it to save money. Only now do I see the power and benefits, but it took me seven years. OddBeast got more recognition in three weeks than Polymath had in all its seven years. Not only are we beginning to be positioned as experts in our field, but we get backlinks in stories that help our website's SEO. We also have instant access to a new list of contacts we would never have had, as well as access to new opportunities. Having a good publicist is like having a personal trainer, but for your company's health. Based in Newport, KY, OddBeast spe- cializes in creating stories that reso- nate between leading brands and their consumers. FIVE TAKEAWAYS FROM OUR 2024 REBRAND BY RONNY YOUNG PRESIDENT & FOUNDER ODDBEAST WWW.ODDBEAST.TV P using FFmpeg with a difficult choice: stick with FFmpeg non-Dolby codecs and compromise on audio quality, or risk legal challenges through using non-approved libraries. However, this dilemma may well be a thing of the past because recent advancements have made it possible for content providers and broadcasters to integrate Dolby-certified encoder and de- coder plug-ins into FFmpeg. This enables seamless AC-3 and E-AC-3 processing within OTT and broadcast workflows that are reliant on the FFmpeg framework, meaning that Dolby Digital audio tech- nologies can now be natively supported within FFmpeg, enabling enhanced audio quality without the lawsuit! Key takeaways As consumer expectations rise, broad- casters face growing pressure to deliver exceptional quality content, and high-quality audio is a crucial component of the overall viewing experience. Incorporating advanced audio solutions, like Dolby-certified plug-ins into FFmpeg workflows, allows broadcasters to meet these expectations. By leveraging these tools, broadcasters can ensure that their content maintains its immersive, high-quality audio throughout post production and distribution, helping them stay competitive in an increasingly-de- manding market. Located in San Diego, CA, MainConcept is a provider of video and audio co- decs, plug-ins and applications to the production, streaming and broadcast industries. BUSINESS OUTLOOK

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