Munq

When we launched Munq four years ago, we committed ourselves to building a brand, not just another marketing agency. We saw an opportunity. Many marketing agencies brand and market their clients, but do nothing to brand and market themselves. How could we build an experience from the moment we launched? This entire hypothesis resulted in everything you see today. Four years later, and I can say that this decision has been the best one yet. Branding is the art of emotion, influence, storytelling and perception. We cannot control how others view us, but we can influence their perception in hopes of generating a desired outcome. Marketing agencies exist in a perfectly competitive, commoditized industry. There is little switching cost for our clients to go from one agency to another - their options for providers is endless. That's why it was a large part of our business strategy to also have a brand strategy that compliments it. Our solution? Build a meaningful brand. One that almost felt like it didn't belong. (Funny enough, many people told us not to call our agency Munq because no one would have a clue what we did haha). That's why our name, logo and launch all have a story behind them (one that is among my favorite to tell). On top of that, Justin Matsen and I wanted to be crystal clear from the start about our values and the things we believed in. This was done to not only attract those we wanted to work with, but those who wanted to work with us. We didn't just make amazing content for our clients, but made amazing content on behalf of our brand. We ensured we delivered every single project with dignity, care and respect - we could do good work and talk about the work as well. The logo you see below now has brand equity: Whether you know us well or not, there is a good chance if you are in the Worcester area, it has come across your path in some way or some point. (In large part thanks to my shameless LinkedIn shilling). Branding is a subtle art - one that is incredibly hard to attribute ROI to. Despite this, I can confidently say if it were not for our conscious effort to build a brand from the start, I don't think Munq would be anywhere near where it is today. Branding is a long term game, but not one without results. It is our hope that our clients can trust us with their brand based on the love and trust we put into our own. Need help with yours? I hope you know who to call. #branding #creativeagency #brandstrategy

Excited to announce that I will be joining PRSA Greater Worcester Chapter’s Board of Directors! Really excited for this opportunity as I’ll be heading their Membership Chair where I’ll be in charge of finding new faces to join our chapter. Huge thank you to Lauren Howe, Kristine Maloney, Lorraine U. Martinelle, MBA, Lisa Swanson, and Cristal Steuer, APR for having me aboard! All of this began when I connected with Kristine Maloney some (years?) ago. I saw she was part of a new communications related professional group and that they were having a flagship event at Polar Park. Knowing very little, I showed up and had an absolute blast! It was there I also met Lauren Howe, who I recognized from a photo engagement I did long before Munq even started. We hit it off, so much I convinced her to come join Venture X Worcester. Shortly after, Kristine and Lauren reached out asking If I would be interested in a board position and it was an easy yes. Central Mass needs a go to organization for marketers, communicators and PR professionals. People in our industry feel incredibly siloed, disconnected and overlooked. Many have attempted something of this scale in the past and didn’t have the suistainable success needed to reach the desired potential. I’m incredibly confident in this group of leaders and have a genuine feeling we are at the beginnings of something special. Over the next year, our vision is simple: Grow membership, create access to professional development, increase networking and social events, all the while allowing our members to enrich their networks. This industry is all about collaboration and our chapter will be a conduit of abundance for anyone who participates. As membership chair, I would be thrilled to tell you more about the exciting new possibilities and potential that PRSA Greater Worcester Chapter will have. Thank you once again to everyone who brought me on this board. Let’s get to work! The journey continues. #boardofdirectors #publicrelations #communications

Earlier this year, we produced this beautiful story video for Mari Gonzalez and El Buen Samaritano (EBS)! Food insecurity is a real and urgent challenge for our community here in Worcester County that needs people like us reading this to address it. EBS goes above and beyond to provide our neighbors with food, clothing, services, dignity, care and respect. My connection with Mari began on the tail end of 2023 when a good friend of mine, Katie (Ferreira) Sullivan, suggested that we should connect - knowing we would hit it off. I came over one early morning in December to the food bank on Prescott Street, where I got to witness the whole operation in full swing. I met Mari, who showed me the compassion, care and empathy for the underserved right away. (For those that know her, you totally understand the light and magnetism surrounding her and the food bank). That, and she told me the beautiful founding story of how both her parents came from New York and got EBS to where it is today. A video was a no brainer for the both of us. Stories like these NEED to be told in our community and deserve to reach the largest audience possible. As we approach the holiday season, know that so many members of our community need our help. Food insecurity has continued to get worse and worse since the pandemic in 2020. A lot of folks rely on resources like El Buen Samaritano (EBS) to keep their stomachs full and their hopes up. For most, this place is the difference maker that tips the scale and quality of their lives. My hope is that you will watch this beautiful piece and consider donating money, food, clothing, service and your time to Mari Gonzalez and El Buen Samaritano (EBS) during these last two months of 2024. I could not think of an organization more deserving of your time, energy, and effort. Thank you so much to Mari Gonzalez and her entire family for giving Munq the incredible opportunity to tell this story behind the crucial work being done for our fellow Worcester County citizens. As Mari says better than I can say myself: Love always wins. The journey continues my friends. #storytelling #videoproduction #brandstory

Last week to vote for Munq for "Best Video Production Company" for the Worcester Business Journal Best of Business Awards! Voting closes this Friday November 1st. For your vote to count, you need to enter at least 10 categories - one vote per IP address. Link to vote will be in my comments! For more reference to what this means to us, check out my featured post on my LinkedIn profile. For a young business like us, these awards go SUPER far in establishing our name and credibility. Over the last *almost* four years, we have come to know so many amazing colleagues, clients, friends and connections through our work. We treat every single project with dignity, care and respect. Telling stories for us is no small feat - we ensure we approach every client with sacredness in mind. Last year...we were underdogs for this award. This year is no different. Which is why we need your help to get us over the finish line! Know that any support of our business does not go unnoticed - Justin Matsen and I appreciate every parcel of goodwill. Be sure to support our friends as well! If you need help filling out the forms, check out the graphic below. Support Worcester businesses! Hope everyone has an amazing week. #entrepreneur #creativeagency #videoproduction

This summer, we produced this walkthrough video for our friends at Venture X Worcester! This video was made extra special because (as many of you know) we have an office in the location! Who better to help put this together than active tenants, right? This past year at Venture X Worcester has been nothing short of momentous. Nicole W. and Brandon Wolanski have committed themselves to not only operating a successful co-working space, but also have invested the time to make it a community. Our experience there transcends the space itself: it's the people who have made it one of a kind. If you work from home, are self employed or are an entrepreneur....you totally get what I mean. Humans need connection. WFH is amazing, but there is something about having the flexibility and option to be around people a couple times a week. Something about being around other entrepreneurs/self starters that share common vision, goals and challenges. Whether it's shooting the crap with Gregory Sandoval in between coffee breaks, or asking Allison Chisolm about sage advice towards clients, or talking all things Central MA with Lauren Howe... These moments are what make Venture X special. There are a plethora of other options and co-working spaces in and around Worcester, but the culture and experience here cannot be beat. And I mean that. While the people are what makes it, the amenities are really the proverbial *cherry on top*. That, and the central location right in the heart of downtown gives us access to a majority of our clients and network. That brings us back to the video. The goal of this piece was simple: to create a keystone asset that shows off the coworking space, it's features and location in Downtown Worcester. Walkthrough videos give interested folks the opportunity to tour the space virtually and gain some insight far before booking a tour. It's a classic case of "showing" versus telling. Photos and 3d tours perform well, but video helps to elevate the customer experience and convey a message of quality and professionalism far greater than other mediums. If you are ever interested in stopping by, shoot me a DM! Would love to show you around the place, that or point you in the direction of someone who can. Liked this video? Vote for us for "Best Video Production Company" for the Worcester Business Journal Best of Business Awards! Have a great week my friends! #videoproduction #creativeagency #videomarketing

Had a blast yesterday filming for Catholic Charities Worcester County at American Vinegar Works LLC here in Worcester! This day of filming is part of a bigger effort that we are excited to share soon with you all. Our project with the Charity is focused on their Mercey Centre and the incredible work they do for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. One major part of the Centre’s program is skill building and employment opportunities. We got the amazing chance to follow two particpants at American Vinegar Works where they play a crucial role in the production assembly of homemade vinegar products. It was a joy to be a part of such an important part of the participant’s week. Being a caretaker for my mom, I understand first hand how important dignity and purpose is. Everyone deserves a quality life. Everyone deserves to be treated like a human being and have access to opportunity and job placement. That’s why moments like these are so special to capture on camera. Been a busy Fall here at Munq, but we are so excited to be wrapping up several massive projects that we get to share with you all. Massive thank you to Lauren Morocco and Rosanty Garcia, MS for being a huge help to us the entire way. The journey continues! #videoproduction #creativeagency #storytelling

To my friends and network here, I have an ask: Munq is looking for your help to win "Best Video Production Company" from the Worcester Business Journal Best of Business awards! Last year, we were ecstatic to receive this award. It truly marked a new chapter in our business - we went from a new and upstart agency to a familiar face in the area we love. Years of relationship building, networking, goodwill and good people showed up for us when it mattered. We are humbly asking once again for your support. Why this award? Over the last year, we have grown in scope, scale, impact and intention. Munq is reaching new heights, ones we could have never even fathomed when starting almost 4 years ago. Last year's award spoke to our body of work and how we make our clients feel after working with us. We were the underdogs last year, and this year still feels no different. Winning the award this year would help solidify our presence in our beloved Worcester County and demonstrate that last year's recognition was not a one off. Our vision from the start has been unwavering: uplift the entire entrepreneurial ecosystem here in Worcester and challenge the status quo of branding and marketing in our region. Our promise to our network, friends and colleagues is to continue that pursuit with every fiber of our being. Just like last year, the same rules apply! - One vote per IP address - MUST vote for 10 categories for your vote to count - Business must be located in CMass To make it simpler for anyone voting, we have made a list of some of our friends. We would love to see you support the following businesses: Category 41) Best Video Production Company: Munq 1) Best Bank for Business: Webster Five (Lisa Cohen) 2) Best Business Insurance Agency: C&S Insurance Group (Gregory Sandoval) 5) Best College for Business Education: Clark University School of Business (Laura Burgess) 24) Best Caterer for Corporate Event: Mint Kitchen and Bar 32) Best Non Profit Fundraising Event: Reliant Foundation Drive for a Difference (Kelsa Zereski) 38) Best Advertising Agency: Enroll Media Group (Angie Ward) 47) Best Woman Owned Business: empHowered PR (Lauren Howe) 49) Best Marijuana Company: MAJOR BLOOM (Ulysses Youngblood) Category 51 Write Ins: Best Co-Working Space: Venture X Worcester (Nicole W.) Best Candy Store: Bri's Sweet Treats (Briana Azier, BSBA, MBA) All in all, this is such a fun time of year! Regardless of the outcome, we wanted to thank Worcester Business Journal for being a pillar of advocacy and empowerment for small businesses in our region. Awards like these go a long way for local entrepreneurs, and it is our hope that many aspiring businesses can get the recognition they truly deserve. Once again, we would be humbled and grateful if you took the time to vote for us! Link will be in the comments! The journey continues my friends. #bestofbusiness #entrepreneur #creativeagency

This past weekend, Munq won Top Team at the Reliant Foundation 5k for the second year in a row! This award goes to the team with the fastest average time...we most certainly came to run. (If you know anything about us at this point, it's that we love some friendly competition haha). On top of that, we had several runners on our team place in the top of their age category including Keon Haji, Jesse Colman and Ciara Burke! For me personally, I came in 11th and shaved nearly 1.5 mins off my time last year! Always good to know that I am not a *completely* washed up college athlete ?? After the race finished, we got to grab a lovely Worcester themed picture with both Smiley and Spark (is it Spark?) to round out an awesome day with family and friends. While we got to win a neat trophy this year, what this race is about is far greater than that. Reliant Foundation is special to Munq: It truly is where we got our start almost 3+ years ago when we made a video for their 2021 Drive for a Difference. It was in that moment that we developed a relationship with the greater Worcester County non - profit sector, a relationship that bears tons of fruit to this day. Worcester is home to so many incredible non profit organizations. Our post pandemic communities are grappling with insurmountable challenges that need help on all levels. Non profit services are in even higher demand than ever before, yet, many non profit leaders are struggling to find resources, funding, talent and opportunity. We are demanding that non profits do more with less - that's why the work the Foundation does matters. Through our work with the Reliant Foundation, I can confidently say that they change lives. Races like these demonstrate the amazing ability of people to come together to support something greater than themselves. It was such a joy to see so many friends in the space that we cultivated over the years (people like Ronald B. Waddell Jr. and Anthony Bizzotto are some that come to mind). That is why this run is such a treasure year after year. Never forgot the power of community and how important it is to "show up" to events like these. As for Munq, our new trophy will be added at the office next to our last one haha. Really excited to see everyone next year! Have a good Monday friends. #creativeagency #5k #entrepreneur

This Wednesday, Munq was on set with Greater Worcester Community Foundation! We were filming a series of video assets in time for their annual appeal! The Foundation uses discretionary funding to help re-invest into the growth and development of their own organization. As anyone in city knows, Greater Worcester’s board and staff are second to none. We got the chance to interview Peter Dunn, Thomas J. Bartholomew, AIF? and Ché Anderson and hear from them first hand how GWCF turns donations into impact. Most importantly, look at Pete - my man is absolutely killing it (he is actually really, really good on camera). Nothing like a couple dudes coming to your executive office on an early Wednesday morning and tearing it apart for an interview set ?? This video execution compliments the brand strategy and brand messaging work we completed back in the summer. Being a strategic partner ensures that any marketing we do for your organization is on brand, on message and keeps your audience in mind. In order to showcase the true scope and scale of the foundation, one of our recommendation was to invest into video. This project proved to be an awesome place to start! Video does not always have to be over ambitious, sometimes we find starting small with our clients makes the most sense. Overall, anytime we can come hang out with Greater Worcester Community Foundation is time well spent. Huge shoutout to Melody M. for setting all of this up and being a massive help! That too, and always a pleasure to see Jacob E. Vázquez, Kelly Stimson and Jonathan Cohen in the office as well. I hope and know our work will contribute to what I anticipate will be a successful annual appeal! As giving season approaches, Munq is here to assist you in any capacity. The journey continues my friends! #videoproduction #creativeagency #fundraising

This summer, Munq filmed a series of videos for my alma mater at Clark University! Geoffrey Chisholm brought us on to tell the story of the new Masters of Fine Arts in Visual Arts program that came to the university this summer. It was the first of it's kind - the inaugural launch. This program was centered around a "low residency" model where artists could gather in a communal setting to offer formal critiques to their colleagues and peers. That and they could receive top of the line input and expertise from the range of visiting artists, professors and professionals. The reach and diversity in this program was astounding: We were interacting with artists from all across the country, as close as our hometown of Shrewsbury and as far away as Denver Colorado. While this was an academic setting full of classes, advisor meetings and field trips, a main focus of this video was to capture comradery. Being an artist can be a somewhat isolating pursuit. A major draw of this program was not only the program itself, but the opportunity to connect with like minded peers in an intimate setting for 10 days. It is the University's hope that more low residency programs like this one can make graduate education more accessible and flexible for working professionals looking to enrich their career. In summation, our end our deliverables included: - 4 Minute Storytelling Video - 1 Minute Cut for Digital Ads and Web - 15 Vertical Videos for Social These different treatments ensure that our clients can achieve maximum reach, engagement and effectiveness across all platforms. Already, these assets are performing incredibly well both on web and social! What we find more and more with clients is that quantity is just as important as quality. Quality is expected - videos look better and better every year and more companies are getting into it. Quantity is the new expectation - people want a quantity of quality videos. That is the new direction Munq is moving in! In summation...this project was a blast. I could have never imagined transferring to Clark in 2017 that I would get to call my school a client. Being an alum, I took a lot of pride in this project and It certainly comes through in the video itself! Huge thanks again to the Graduate Marketing department, Geoffrey Chisholm and Brieanne Young for trusting us with the process and being a blast to work with. To all my Higher Education friends out there, we would be thrilled to tell the story of your institution. The journey continues! #videoproduction #creativeagency #higheredmarketing