innovationIOWA is sharing profiles of the current members of Maple Studios, a startup studio for early-stage industrial technology companies based on the campus of Ramco Innovations in West Des Moines.
Laura Formanek is the creative director and owner of the Studio Process, a full-service video production company. She runs the business full time and currently works with a network of freelancers across Des Moines and Iowa. Formanek shares more about the company below.
For recent coverage of Maple Studios, visit innovationia.com. Know a startup from around the state with an innovative idea to highlight? Email me at sarahdiehn@bpcdm.com for consideration.
Describe what your company does.
Studio Process offers full-service video production services to create meaningful video stories that connect people to your brand’s mission. Whether your company has an awesome volunteer initiative, great employee benefits, or values sustainability, diversity and inclusion, mental health advocacy, or another social cause, your “why” is worth sharing and it will be what drives people to your brand.
Pre-production starts with initial concepting, storyboarding, scripting, talent selection and location scouting. During the production phase, our team lights, shoots and records high-quality cinematography and sound or brings pixels to life by way of original animation. Attention to detail in every step of post production is key, including editorial, music selection, audio mixing and voiceover, color correction and enhancing accessibility through closed captioning. Studio Process can also create custom motion graphics, typography treatments, greenscreen compositing or special effects as well as provide recommendations for video placement or ad buys.
When did you start it and why?
Roughly 6 years ago, I began working as a freelance video editor in Iowa, drawing on my previous experience as an editor in Dallas’ larger advertising market and my time spent as the marketing director for a national nonprofit museum. In the last year and a half, I have been building the full-service video production brand that is Studio Process, focused on “creative video storytelling for good.” This mission-driven focus has been driven by my own personal desire to make a positive impact in the world. It has led to me creating work for organizations right here in Des Moines and in 2022, took me all the way to Nakuru, Kenya, to shoot pro bono documentary footage for a nonprofit that sponsors students’ school fees and provides sanitary pads to young women in the local community.
What makes a startup studio the right place for your business right now?
Having the ability to hire an intern was the main catalyst for moving Studio Process into Maple Studios in summer of 2023. Additionally, I have a comfortable office space to host live editorial sessions with clients when we’re in the post-production phase of video creation. But perhaps most importantly, Maple Studios has provided a sense of community working amongst other startups, which enables us to share excitement, knowledge and resources, and comradery based around what we’re creating. I was recently asked to speak at 1 Million Cups because of my presence at Maple Studios.
Because of the aim to truly help startups grow, it is an affordable stepping stone along the entrepreneurial journey. With this affordability comes an opportunity for hosting community members in the space for workshops. There is a large educational component to everything I do and I am a deep believer in supporting the community that supports me. It is important to me to enable other small businesses to afford a meaningful brand video that provides the opportunity to connect with their customers in a powerful, visual medium.
Additionally, I want to share knowledge that empowers their teams to continue to build an archive of video footage on their own. Furthermore, I am working to grow a community of filmmakers and video creators in Des Moines and beyond, in particular, traditionally underrepresented women and gender non-conforming creative voices within the film and video industries.
What do you see as the next phase of growth for your business?
Within the next five to seven years, I am interested in expanding into my own commercial studio space. Down the road, plans for growth include using this studio space as a significant part of my company’s dedication to philanthropy and giving back to the community.
In addition to owning and operating Studio Process full time, I have taught as an adjunct professor in the video department at Des Moines Area Community College. I have a passion for educating and sharing knowledge, and I intend to expand part of this new studio space for high schoolers and recent graduates to learn about pursuing video production as a career, providing access to video cameras and equipment and hosting workshops led by professionals within the industry.
Investing in a permanent studio space with this makerspace model for young community members would be a place for them to learn about video creation while building confidence in technology and communication. I want to create a revolving door of attracting clientele that specifically wants to work with Studio Process because of its combination of a commitment to philanthropic values and high-quality deliverables. Eventually Studio Process will be able to sponsor a greater amount of donated or reduced-rate services for nonprofits. Studio Process has goals to expand even further across the Midwest and beyond.