Happy 5th Birthday to us! Last week we celebrated our 5th year anniversary milestone and the team reflected back on some of the key milestones that helped make this anniversary celebration possible:
The Power of Bootstrapping. In 2006, our CEO, Ming Chan founded the agency in his one-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles using $10,000 from his own pocket. He formed the company to meet the growing demand for technical consultation and execution needed by large traditional advertising agencies and small to medium-sized businesses looking for website, game, and application development. Today, the agency is recognized by its ability to create and deliver interactive experiences that capture attention, delight audiences and demonstrate results. We have grown to 40 employees across two offices and achieved over 5,000% growth in revenue in our first five years!
Taking Time to Diversify. In 2008, looking to diversify the business beyond the entertainment market, The1stMovement merged with AVO Group, a Denver-based independent strategic consultancy led by Ann Van Orsdel. Since being named president of T1M, Ann has successfully taken our business to new heights and the rapid growth was recognized by Inc. Magazine in 2010, when T1M joined the ranks of the Inc. 500 “Fastest Growing Private Companies in America.”
Making the List. In addition to recognizing T1M as one of the “fastest growing private companies in America” for achieving over 1,000% growth in three years, Inc. magazine also named our CEO, Ming, one of the “Top 10 Asian Entrepreneurs in America” in 2010. T1M has also made the list of the “Top 20 Advertising Agencies” for both the Los Angeles and Denver Business Journals! Going for the Gold. T1M’s ability to balance creative form and technical function with sound strategy to produce memorable campaigns that deliver ROI for some of the world’s most renowned brands, including Adobe, AT&T, Cisco, Comcast Entertainment, and PENTAX, has led the agency to numerous awards. These include the Webby, the ADDY, the Stevie, and the Communications Arts and Horizon Interactive awards, as well as a prestigious Emmy® award in the Interactive Television Technical Excellence category. Creating a Culture Where Employees Count. T1M is dedicated to helping its employees achieve the ideal work/life balance. Company-sponsored lunches, happy hours, events such as a “Chocolate Chip Cookie Bake-off” and an annual off-site company retreat are organized to continue to foster T1M’s positive company culture. An employee-led “culture committee” was also created and tasked to continue improving company morale, increase operational efficiencies, enable learning and growth and create opportunities for T1M to give back to its communities. As a result, T1M was recognized by LA Business Journal in 2010 as one of “Best Places to Work in Los Angeles.” T1M’s CEO Ming Chan stated, “Celebrating five years marks a major milestone for T1M, and for me personally. I’m extremely grateful for our team, our partners and loyal clients…each has a role in fostering the innovative work and accolades we’ve achieved. I can only imagine the accomplishments we will experience over the next five years and beyond”Happy Birthday to us and here’s to many more!
