Star City 6: Jason Luong
Jason Luong is the co-founder of Switch Up Media (switchup.media), a multimedia marketing and advertising agency headquartered in Lincoln, NE.
Tell us a little about your business. – We handle everything from web to print, but like to focus on video and social media marketing. Tyler Weihe and I started the company about eight months after we both graduated from Doane College in 2013. We got our start in wedding videography and that’s ultimately how we bankrolled our business.
Now here we are, two years later, pivoting away from our roots in weddings as we move more towards commercial work. This was always the plan so now that we’re in our third year of business, it’s a great feeling to be able to sit back and see how far we have come in such a short amount of time. Tyler and I were both able to transition into working full time at Switch Up Media this year and that’s helped our growth as young entrepreneurs and as a business.
How did you get started in the business? – The first (and only) job I got out of college was being a Commercial Producer at 10/11 News. That’s where I gained a lot of experience working with commercial clients. I learned a lot while I was there, but I also worked at Switch Up Media part time and it eventually got to the point where my full-time job was getting in the way of work at my company. So I left that job and haven’t looked back since. It’s scary making that jump to being solely self-employed but I couldn’t be happier.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – Dealing with the stress that comes with owning your own business. There’s a lot less responsibility when you’re just an employee at a company. So I have to figure out how to manage my time efficiently so I can take care of all the accounting and boring stuff, while still finding time to be creative and actually make the products we sell.
What has been your most important achievement professionally? – I’m not big into awards but when Switch Up Media won The Knot’s Best of Weddings award for 2016, I was really proud. It was nice to be recognized for all the hard work we have been putting in. The award is good for publicity and all that, but really it was great for our own morale because it signified that we were on the right track and that we could do what we love and do it well.
Tell us a little about your family. – I’m on only child who was born and raised in Cozad, NE. My parents moved to Seward while I was in college so it’s been great to have them closer.
What are you the most proud of? – Switch Up Media; we have built something out of nothing simply by working hard, not giving up on the dream and doing good work.
What is your favorite local restaurant? – Pho Nguyenn is the best place to eat in town, hands down. If you love Vietnamese food or have been curious to try it, it’s a must; I highly recommend the #2 and some spring rolls! I also love Lazlo’s, Dozo and Honest Abe’s.
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – The best way to reach me is by email at jason@switchupmedia.com; you can also contact me at (308) 325-4661 or message me on Facebook. Feel free to visit switchup.media to see what we’ve been working on as well.
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