For the greater part of my 15-year career I have worked with large interactive marketing agencies, building high profile solutions for online marketing, e-commerce, and Internet-based businesses.  I started with US Web (formerly Ensemble Systems, later marchFIRST) and, until recently, have been with Avenue A | Razorfish.  These, and similar, agencies focus on Fortune 1000 clients that are able to fund large projects at high rates.  With substantial project funding, they can produce outstanding and sometimes groundbreaking solutions.  I have had tremendous opportunities creating industry-leading web sites and Internet solutions for companies like Microsoft, Dell, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, ServiceMaster, JC Penney, and many others. 

However, in my heart, I am an entrepreneur.  I grew up in a family of small business owners.  I have a true passion for the environment, challenges, and opportunities that are unique to new ventures and small businesses.  Consulting has been rewarding because driving projects through the process of defining a vision, forming a strategy, designing a solution, and creating and executing a plan has many similarities to entrepreneurial business ventures.  But, ultimately, these high-value, high-dollar services are only accessible to large enterprises.  The services are worth the price they charge.  I will continue to recommend Avenue A | Razorfish to large businesses.  But, along with other big agencies, they are priced out of reach of most small businesses and new ventures.  

I'm starting Mediassembly to provide digital, interactive, and social media insight and strategic services to small and medium sized businesses.  I hope to leverage my experience to bring some of the strategic thinking and services provided by big interactive marketing agencies within reach of startups and SMBs, as well as provide insight, resources and solutions that are uniquely suited for smaller businesses. 

Mediassembly is actually a company I formed several years ago while developing a digital media-related consumer software product in my very limited spare time.  The name is derived from media + assembly.  With assembly defined as "a set of pieces that work together in unison as a mechanism or device", I think the Mediassembly name is still appropriate.  Successful interactive marketing strategies require engaging customers through multiple channels and assembling solutions with a wide array of technologies.  So I'll stick with the name and expand the original vision.

I will continue blogging on this site, but will likely blog more frequently about Mediassembly-relevant topics at www.mediassembly.com.  I encourage you to follow me there, and to share the site with any small/medium business leaders you may know.  As a startup small business owner myself, I would very much appreciate the referrals! :-)