The first video Brandon Monzyk, \u201910, remembers making was with his family\u2019s camcorder as a child. Later, during snowboarding trips as a 20-something bachelor, Monzyk always had a GoPro camera on hand. He would receive his first drone as a gift from his wife after they returned from a float trip, during which Monzyk wished he\u2019d been able to film the clear spring-fed water and bedrock-lined riverbeds from above.<\/p>\n
When a family friend heard that Monzyk owned a drone, he was asked to capture an aerial shot of Parkway West High School for a wall display. Monzyk happily obliged, capturing the requested shot and also putting together a short campus tour video. The video was posted to social media and garnered thousands of views in just minutes.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI became known as \u2018the drone guy,\u2019\u201d Monzyk said. He started receiving requests to create similar videos for local businesses and real estate listings. When the calls and emails started coming in at all hours of the night, Monzyk decided it was time to pursue his passion professionally. He quit his full-time software job and started Square One Media Productions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a little scary because I didn\u2019t necessarily know where my next paycheck was going to come from,\u201d Monzyk said. \u201cBut that was the fun part, too. I got to choose my own path.\u201d<\/p>\n
As business grew, Monzyk\u2019s best friend and business partner, Nick Profancik, \u201909, joined the team. The two had met while playing on Maryville\u2019s men\u2019s golf team and remained friends over the years, even standing up in each other\u2019s weddings. \u201cWe\u2019re family,\u201d they explained.<\/p>\n
Today, Square One Media has found their niche in the real estate industry. Currently, real estate agents work with large marketing firms or freelancers to build their creative assets. Square One Media is designed to serve the \u201cin between\u201d customers who don\u2019t have large marketing budgets but are seeking high-quality products. \u201cWe found a spot where we\u2019re not competing with other companies, but instead we\u2019ve created something new,\u201d Profancik said. The company specializes in interior and exterior photography and videography, aerial drone photography and videography, virtual staging and website creation.<\/p>\n
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Square One Media has also found success because of the trust they\u2019ve built with their customers. Nearly all their business over the last five years has come from word-of-mouth referrals. \u201cWe ensure there is a human element when working with our clients,\u201d Monzyk said. \u201cYou\u2019re going into people\u2019s homes and it\u2019s a very personal experience. They could be selling because of a divorce or a death. We\u2019re there to help them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Monzyk and Profancik are sharing their entrepreneurial spirit and expertise with current Maryville students. They recently participated in a capstone class for the Strategic Communication and Leadership Program. Maryville students treated Square One Media as their \u201cclient,\u201d creating and implementing a marketing campaign to promote the company. In the process, the Square One Media duo provided real-world feedback and advice for the students to use when they enter the workforce.<\/p>\n
Square One Media will also serve as mentors through Maryville\u2019s Alumni & Friends Industry Expert Program, hosted by the Division of Student Success. The program matches undergraduate students with alumni based on career interests and areas of study. Monzyk and Profancik look forward to communicating with students over the course of the next academic year via in-person meetings, email exchanges and phone calls.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing an entrepreneur is all about coming up with new ideas and turning those ideas into action,\u201d Profancik said. \u201cMy No. 1 piece of advice is: Be a sponge. You need to be very observant of what\u2019s going on around you. You\u2019ll learn so much \u2014 more than you\u2019ll ever learn from a book \u2014 because experiences are key. Then, if you apply that knowledge to yourself, you will be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n
This story originally appeared in the Spring 2019 issue of Maryville Magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n