Cofounder, 12 Stars Media
In 2007, I retired from full-time youth ministry and started 12 Stars Media with my best friend and brother-in-law, Zach Downs. Since its founding, 12 Stars Media laid the groundwork for everything else I’ve accomplished and it helped me make sense of a jagged career path. Over the years, we’ve produced thousands of web videos, animations, and films for clients around the world. At the same time, I’ve also played a part in several other ventures - some that failed, some that were successful for a season, and some that are still just beginning.
Some that failed…
It didn’t take long for me to branch out after starting 12 Stars Media. In our early years, I spread myself pretty thin. Back then, there were days we didn’t have a lot to do so I made up things to do.
The first official home of 12 Stars Media sat above a busy café in downtown Greenfield, Indiana called The Bread Ladies. Like a sponge, I spent a lot of time in that café soaking up ideas on how to delight the people who came there to eat. One of those ideas launched like a rocket and fizzled almost as fast.
For about four months in 2010, I popped into the kitchen downstairs after a day of work at 12 Stars Media to prepare hundreds of peanut-butter-buckeye-inspired treats I called Rocky’s Funky Truffles. I know, it’s a terrible name - who wants to eat anything described as funky? The name wasn’t the only problem, though, because it didn’t take long for me to lose steam and give up on the idea.
A decade later, though, I’ve ventured back into the business of providing delicious treats through investing in Debbie’s Daughters, another woman-owned bakery that happens to, once again, sit below the offices of 12 Stars Media.
Some that were successful for a season…
As social media marketing exploded and, simultaneously, we all started carrying high-definition video cameras in our pockets, 12 Stars Media spun off a service-as-a-software platform called Candidio. Beginning in 2012, anyone in the world could send us their raw video clips and some basic instructions, and receive in return their very own professionally-edited video.
A loss leader for the most part, Candidio broadened our network internationally. At the time, no one outside Indiana would have considered hiring 12 Stars Media to support their video needs, but cloud-based software solutions were all the rage and we received inquiries that led to ongoing work with global clients like General Electric, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, and Maersk Line.
Over time, though, as the social web became saturated with content and DIY solutions abounded, Candidio lost a lot of its appeal. The cost to market and maintain the software outweighed the revenue generated by it, so we closed it down in April of 2018. Six years ain’t a bad run in my opinion.
And some that are still just beginning…
I believe in Indiana. More specifically, I believe in Hoosiers and I’m not the only one. Kurt Vonnegut said, "I don't know what it is about Hoosiers, but wherever you go there is always a Hoosier doing something very important there."
It’s in that spirit that I launched Hoodox, a streaming service specifically for nonfiction, Indiana-focused stories that inspire. You shop local. You eat local. It's time to stream local.
With Hoodox, subscribers can stream expertly-curated content that's not only entertaining, but also helps connect viewers to their community and create positive change in Indiana. Each subscription directly supports talented creators in the Hoosier state and helps them tell more stories that inspire.
