A creative company that got its start 17 years ago recently set up shop on Washington Square, reflecting a rebirth that coincides with Lansing's downtown district.
The creative professionals at
AE: Adventures in New Media say their new direction answers the growing need of organizations big and small to enhance their new media presence. And with a new location at 408 S. Washington Square, the three-member company says AE has the feel of a start-up but the track record of an established agency.
"You'll get the comfort a small company, where you can talk one-on-one with us," says John Addis, CEO and creative director. "But we also come with the experience of having done hundreds and hundreds of state and national projects as a team."
AE: Directions in New Media grew from Addis Enterprises, founded by Addis in 1998. The company resided in Old Town under the name of AE Studio and Gallery from 2006-2010, then went on hiatus while Addis worked for a larger agency. During that time, Addis continued to collaborate with Tony Sabo and Jennifer Berggren, two Lansing-based creatives. After several projects and late night discussions, the three decided to join forces and resurrect AE with an eye toward 21
st century strategies.
"Our focus on new media doesn't mean we're excluding the old," says Addis. "But we are going to put focus on new media since the bang for the buck is so much greater. There is a place for traditional media in any strategy. It just depends on the audience."
Addis, Sabo and Berggren recently cut the ribbon on their new space that had been the home for Capitol Fur for more than 90 years. The 1,500-square foot interior features high ceilings, original wood floors, and was moderately reconfigured to accommodate spaces for conferences, collaboration and video and audio production. Plans are to hire an assistant this summer, as well as one or two more staff.
"If you're going to be a new kid on the block, you want to have a store front and have people walk by and peek inside," says Addis. "This space does that."
Over two decades, the AE team has won awards in logo design, website design, video production, music composition, print design, and campaign development. The team has also launched more than 250 business, governmental, university, and personal websites, and produced more than 100 video projects for television and web.
Source: John Addis, CEO and Creative Director, AE: Adventures in New Media
Writer: Ann Kammerer, News Editor
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