EST. 2010 · COLUMBUS, OHIO
The History of The Media Captain
From a one-person apartment operation to one of Ohio’s
most trusted agencies — here’s how we got here.
Chicago, where Stef was living when Jason came to recruit her
The Media Captain was born
After Jason got the first 3 clients, he traveled to Chicago to convince Stefanie — who was living there at the time — to join the company. Stef had a full-time job at a market research company and worked out a scenario where she'd still work for them 3 days while giving TMC 2 full days. As The Media Captain quickly grew, Stefanie would shortly join in a full-time capacity.
Tivoli Apartments —
HQ for the first 2 years
HQ for the first 2 years
Operating out of an apartment
For the first 2 years, Jason worked out of Tivoli Apartments in Columbus. Whenever a client asked for an in-person meeting, he would proactively prefer to travel to the client's location. Little did they know we didn't have our own meeting space!
Jason filming promotional videos for TMC’s website
Video was our first love
When The Media Captain just started, our focus was strictly social media and video. It later evolved into a full-service agency (SEO, Paid Advertising, Email, Web Design & Development). This is Jason filming some promotional videos for TMC's website!
Jason filming promotional videos for TMC’s website
The original logo
This is Stef repping TMC's original logo! If you think this is bad, you should have seen our first website!
DoTheJingle.com —
the SafeAuto jingle competition
the SafeAuto jingle competition
Do The Jingle
SafeAuto was one of our first major clients, and Do The Jingle was our first major campaign. We traveled around the country finding the next jingle star for their commercials. We traveled to over 50 cities for four years while running this promotion for them. We also worked with SafeAuto to help activate their sponsorships with the UFC and NASCAR.
McGraw-Hill’s “Enter the Debate” — built around the 2012 presidential election
McGraw-Hill "Enter the Debate"
McGraw-Hill hired us for one of their first-ever social media campaigns — their "Enter the Debate" contest, which was geared around the 2012 presidential election and getting students to submit questions via social media.
Outside 1245 Courtland Avenue — our first ever office
Jason inside the Courtland office
Jason and Stef with their biggest fan — their mom!
Moving into 1245 Courtland Ave
In 2012, we needed to hire employees and were getting more requests for client meetings. We moved into our first-ever office at 1245 Courtland Avenue. It was an 800-square-foot space, but it was perfect. Our first employees (Donnell, Taylor, and Mike) would work out of here.
Columbus Dispatch “Modern Nostalgia” feature
Jason and Stef on 10 This Morning with Karina
Word started to spread
Social media and digital marketing were a constant trend in the early 2010s. Media outlets wanted to feature our up-and-coming agency since we were at the forefront of digital marketing. Our team was growing, and word was starting to spread. We scaled beyond 20 clients, hired our first full-time developer (Michelle) and were officially a full-service agency.
The growing TMC team
Jason and Stef on DermWarehouse launch day
The DermWarehouse truck — we were scaling fast
We launched DermWarehouse
Jason and Stefanie's dad was a dermatologist. We took our digital marketing knowledge and started selling thousands of brands via an eCommerce site. This company eventually surpassed 100,000 customers. We started with a modest $500/month budget and eventually scaled to $50,000/month due to strong returns. We practice what we preach!
The Long Street space above Hills Market
The team at Long Street — even hosted a Japanese film crew!
Outgrew Courtland, moved above
The Roosevelt Coffee Shop
The Roosevelt Coffee Shop
The prior years of our agency were constant growth. Digital marketing felt like the wild west. We were starting to refine our agency and processes. We were busting at the seams in our first office on Courtland Avenue and ventured over to Long Street (conveniently located above The Roosevelt Coffee Shop, which kept us caffeinated). We stayed here for two years until we outgrew the space.
The Gahanna office —
a short-lived suburban chapter
a short-lived suburban chapter
A short stint in the suburbs
We had a short stint in Gahanna before realizing the suburbs weren't for us. This is a long story pertaining to Google Business Profile that we'll have to tell you when we have a face-to-face meeting.
The former governor’s mansion on Town Street
Featured in Columbus Business First
Moving into our dream space
During COVID, the former governor's mansion on Town Street became available. We knew this was the perfect fit for our agency. We had continued to grow and needed a space for the foreseeable future — one that would allow us to grow our headcount, film videos, and host seminars. As a marketing agency, you're always looking for a good story. What's a better headline than "we work out of the former governor's mansion"?
Topiary Mansion — our renovated first floor event space
Jason and Stef at 394 Town Street
Our 15-year anniversary! Wow!
Jason and Stef started the agency right out of college. We had to pinch ourselves when The Media Captain was close to getting its driver's license! We started our agency before Instagram was even invented, yet we continue to evolve and be on the cutting edge.
This same year, we decided to launch another business venture. We renovated the first floor of our building and turned it into an event space, Topiary Mansion — a chance to showcase our creativity while sharing this beautiful historic space with the public. On the weekends and evenings, the first floor is available to rent!
Our team consists of 30 team members across marketing, design, development, and administrative roles. We've become one of the most trusted agencies in Ohio. We're proud to call Columbus home and work with clients through the city, state, and country.
