Lights, Camera, Action!

Controlling his own destiny always interested Michael Rueber, but he never dreamed that would mean owning his own business.  What began as a college project has, in just a few years, morphed into Around the Corner Productions, Inc.  The venture has been quite a learning experience for Rueber and co-owner Eric Braley, neither of whom ever thought entrepreneurship would be part of their career paths.

Around the Corner Productions, Inc. (ATC-P) began during Rueber’s and Braley’s senior year at the University of Northern Iowa with “Panther Sports Talk,” a campus-wide broadcast of UNI sports.  After just three shows, Cedar Falls officials expressed interest in airing an enhanced version encompassing city-wide athletics on the local access station.  Braley and Rueber produced the city-wide version for local access for a few years. During that time, they decided to pitch the original show to area broadcast TV stations, and, in 2005, “Panther Sports Talk” hit the airwaves.  Rueber and Braley formalized their business in 2006, when they incorporated themselves and set up shop in the UNI Regional Business Center/SBDC Incubator.  Seems simple, right?  Not exactly, especially for two individuals whose background focused on creating television shows, not business plans.

“We didn’t actually know how to start a business,” laughs Rueber.  “We didn’t know where to start.”

Once they found a TV station to air their show, the pair approached the University of Northern Iowa SBDC for guidance.  Rueber and Braley knew about the services offered and felt it was important to try to learn as much about running a business as possible before getting started.  From there, SBDC Program Manager Mike Hahn pointed Rueber and Braley in the right direction, encouraging Braley to enroll in the Smart Start class and, eventually, setting up the fledgling enterprise in the SBDC business incubator.  They received counseling on everything from how to incorporate to payroll and accounting. 

Business boomed, and in 2008, ATC-P moved to its current home in Cedar Falls.  Rueber estimates 2007’s growth to be between fifteen and twenty percent, with similar expectations for 2008 – not too shabby for just year two of business.  Larger space allowed the addition of a full-time position, bringing the total to three.  The company employs various part-time and freelance help, depending on workload.

Today, ATC-P is a full-service production house, offering a wide range of services.

“We produce material from concept to delivery,” explains Rueber.  “We find sponsors, gather content, edit and close caption.”  ATC-P also provides specialized technical services for UNI athletic events, operating the unique audio/visual equipment onsite.

Not only does the company fill a need for quality video production in the Cedar Valley, ATC-P also creates some new market opportunities.  By creating new programming, ATC-P creates additional opportunities for advertisers to reach additional, and varied, publics.  Rueber credits the combination of innovative thinking and good client relations for their rapid success.

“The market was pretty much untapped in creating local content for tv stations,” explains Ruebner.  “We keep good relationships with our clients, and we’re the first people they call.  We’re always thinking of solutions ahead of time, and that’s how we anticipate growing the business.”

Plans for future projects include specialized video production, such as industrial, sales and trade show videos.  Producing additional television programming is also on the docket.

Owning their own business has certainly been a challenge, but, with help from the UNI Regional Business Center, Rueber and Braley have been able to parlay their passion into a satisfying career.