Today we’d like to introduce you to Rob Thomas.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started Igniter Media in 2003 by creating a DVD of 5 short videos that I thought pastors could use during their sermon. The goal was to create a great element to a typical sermon, one that would inspire people, bring laughter, or make the audience chew on a biblical truth.
We still make mini movies (as they are now called) and have created around 150. These mini-movies have not only been used by tens of thousands of churches but have been viewed over 50 million times on the web. Some of our mini-movies have been featured on the Today Show, Oprah Show, and TBN.
Over the last 15 years, we have built and sold a media distribution website (WorshipHouseMedia.com), published a church create a magazine (Collide Magazine), held an annual event for the same crowd (Echo Conference) and acquired a company (Graceway Media).
Today, we serve thousands of churches with media content through IgniterMedia.com. We create and curate mini-movies, title graphics, worship backgrounds, social graphics, and more.
We have a team of 21 people with a similar heart to help the local church.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
We’ve had lots of little challenges that I think are similar to what I’m sure other companies experience. We’ve had a checking account with barely enough to run payroll.
We’ve had shifts in our industry, probably 2-3 major ones since we’ve been around, that have forced us to adapt and change quickly. We’ve seen other companies not make it due to these shifts.
One of the biggest obstacles was a business & personal one for me, that I’ve talked about publicly. In 2015, my chief financial officer and closest co-worker confessed to seven years worth of embezzlement of company money. This left us in a state of disarray as we dealt with it. It was a crushing blow to me. A betrayal of a friend that I’ve never experienced. Our company struggled financially during that time. It didn’t help (actually quite hurt) that we had just moved into a 20,000 sq. ft. building that we bought. We had bank loans, credit card debt, and stolen money… and things looked dire. Plus, I was extremely hurt and confused. For more words on this, go read our 3-part blog post on this. https://www.ignitermedia.com/blog/2016/1/
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Igniter Media story. Tell us more about the business.
We are passionate about helping churches go further with their media, designs, and storytelling abilities. Often, these are secondary skills for a church and can bring stress and pressure to a staff. How your screens look during worship matters. Ugly design can distract people and turn off visitors. Beauty can tap into something deeper in us. This goes for the beauty of the worship songs and message preached too.
I’m very proud to say, I work with 20 other people who love the Lord and are driven to equip churches too. It’s not something I have to ‘convince’ them is important. In fulfilling our mission as a company, I’m also proud to say that we have a fun and engaging culture. We laugh a ton! Spreading fun and laughter is one of our core values and it makes coming to work exciting!
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I believe it’s true that we can be in the right place at the right time. When I launched Igniter in 2003, there wasn’t a lot out there, but screens were popping up in tons of churches. They needed content. We provided it. The timing was great.
Ultimately, I’m not sure I believe in luck… good or bad. If God is sovereign and he has a purpose for each of us, then, I’m not sure ‘luck’ is able to participate in that. Hardship isn’t ‘bad luck’ as I see how those times are the very soil that the next harvest is grown from.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ignitermedia.com
- Phone: 866.340.1826
- Email: info@ignitermedia.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/ignitermedia
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IgniterMedia
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/IgniterMedia
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/IgniterMedia
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