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In the land of misfit toys, RoboToaster is king. Progressive and equally as innovative, the multi-media creative agency is ruling Chicago with an iron fist. Approaching a vastly growing industry takes cunning perception, vision, and skill. None of which RoboToaster lacks. With the digital economy expanding exponentially, it’s easy to become adrift amongst the masses. James Kruml (Co-founder, Director of Marketing) has managed to supersede that little hindrance by combining the creative talents of musicians, videographers, graphic designers, and lead visionaries into a powerhouse of brilliance. Discovering the path less traveled, Kruml has discovered a truly unique niche in an otherwise wildly overpopulated market. By encompassing all aspects of entertainment, RoboToaster is accomplishing where many other creative agencies are failing. Staying relevant and fresh, these gentlemen are using current trends in technology, music, and social media to influence their longevity and remain a full stride ahead of the competition, by firstly focusing on theirown brand. In turn, that helps them excel. With impressive clients ranging from Uber, to restaurant Carnivale, to musical groups like GHOSTHOUSE, RoboToaster is rebranding, rebuilding, and rebooting the world as we know it.
A creative agency is primarily brought on to refresh an otherwise derelict business, in terms of staying relevant in a modern economy. Struggling business owners turn to said agencies for help rebranding. An interesting profession, as those agencies are essentially left with the task of creating a new approach to what some may see as an incredibly daunting,“do-over”. New logos, a redesigned website, and a platform makeover is just the beginning. Boutique agencies—RoboToaster being first and foremost—take it a step further. They build a solid foundation from the bottom, up. Analyzing market trends, and incorporating fresh ideas, they create a multi-media experience that helps boost clients ahead to success.
Now, some creative agencies only offer select services, simply sticking to design, advertising, digital engineering, etc. RoboToaster, a full service Digital Agency pulling its name from a clever word association game, does not hold themselves back with the same restrictions—the most impressive of all agencies. Striving to bring on team members that fuel in new ways, Kruml brought on Ricardo Garcia (Co-founder, Director of Operations) and Andrew Jesernig (Co-founder, Creative Director), strengthening his already impenetrable project. Shortly after, creative minds Will Sullivan and Robert Possiant were added to the mix, further constructing a ménage of minds, best in their respective industries. Sean Grady (UX Design) and Sam Davitt (Web Developer) complete the brotherhood, leaving no stone unturned. What sets RoboToaster apart from the others is their ability to succinctly complete their projects to their fullest, most polished form.
Beyond the glitz and glam of clever marketing, lies a group of gentlemen that have bonded much like a fraternity of loyal brothers. Slapstick humor, good attitudes all around, and laughter for days, these men know how to have a good time both on and off the clock. RoboToaster was a media sponsor at Chicago’s Tech Week 2013. No small feat for a fledgling company barely a year into conception. A booth immediately at the entrance, the show was hard to miss, with bright colors and vibrant personalities. Partying like celebrities, invited to the biggest events of the week, these men have risen to the top, but haven’t lost sight of their goals and ambitions.
Sitting down with brilliant minds in the tech-savvy world of design was sure to be interesting. What I didn’t expect was my first foray into the world of Google Hangouts. Thankfully, their patience in waiting for me to quite literally figure it out on the fly was not unnoticed. James, Ricardo, Andrew, Will, and Robert, creative gentlemen that be, have shown me the light. Interview complete with sound effects (sure to be inserted poetically throughout), and graphics (mighty fine cartoon beards, shall I mention) was nothing less than entertaining. Thoroughly humble, and outrageously earnest, these gentlemen are guaranteed to succeed.
You describe yourself as a full-service, creative agency. You also mention appreciating the,“power and value of creative content.” Can you explain exactly what that entails? Break it down for someone who may not understand such broad terminology.
Andrew: I think the reason we describe ourselves as a full service creative agency is to not pigeonhole us in any way. Creative content can be a wide range of things. It can be video, photo, content for the web, editorial, there’s a whole mess of stuff that can be considered creative content. So, we say full-service because we’re not cookie-cutter. Yes, we do a lot of video, but it’s not the solution for everything. It’s a way for us to say, here’s content that’s going to help you reach your audience and get your name out there in the way you want to be seen. What we do for company, “A,” is not going to be the solution for company, “B.” It’s not getting too stuck in one area—we’re about expanding the gambit and finding a creative solution to that problem.
[Insert the first sound effect of the interview, an uproar of applause, catching this humble writer entirely off guard. Chuckles across the group.]
I don’t care what you say for the rest of the interview. That was amazing. You could have said anything, and I would have been sold. This interview is great.
Rick: To go off what Andrew said, the reason we say,“one stop creative shop,” is because instead of sending them to another company to do logo design, or web design, or a new marketing plan…that’s because we can do all of that for you. You need this video, or that info-graphic to reach your customers, we’re the only stop you need.
James: There are a lot of companies out there that are doing the same thing. The market is super saturated, people are consistently coming out with the same ideas. So you really have to have to stand apart, and the way we do that is through creativity and content marketing—whether that’s photo, video, new branding, graphic design, or any type of new design elements—those portions keep you from becoming cookie-cutter or stagnant. Because relevancy is huge. So when you’re consistently putting that stuff out, and connecting with your audience, that’s a huge way to stand apart and get brand awareness. That’s a lot of what we’re focusing on, working on, like Rick said. What are the pain-points of these businesses, and how can we solve those? And, then creating additional awareness through these marketing materials.
How is creative content so critical to the success of future business leaders and companies in the digital economy?
Will: I think, I think that’s a good question.
Of course it is.
Will: Can we get applause please? [Insert applause sound effect.] Thank you. I would like to say, 90% of all media, whatever it is—written, video, photography—is shit. And it’s only that 10% that’s really good stuff. Like, think of any knock-off movie series you see, chucking this content out. Take Paranormal Activity. They just keep doing it for the money, and people will keep going to see it because the first one was good. So, I think it’s really important to push for creative content, something that’s quality, something that will change people’s lives. Change their world view on something. For example, if it’s a bar we’re working for, a video we do or something we brand, makes them think they really should go check it out.
Rick: I think that bar is then put ahead of the game from the bar down the street. I think another key point is these millennial’s are now making and spending a lot of the money that’s out there. And these old school companies, they need to find a way to relate. We grow up with all these cool, creative graphics, whether it’s an iPhone or an iPad, the company that makes the transition is going to get the attention.
James: I read a couple statistics, 80% of all traffic for businesses is done online. If you’re not promoting your product in the digital space, you’re going to fall on your face.
Andrew: I think the digital economy is just a natural progression of the times. We have all this incredible technology that enables us to do what we’re doing right now, to connect six people in totally different places (via Google Hangouts), and social networks are just insane. It’s a progression of how brands interact with their customers. We’re going to tweet this to our customers, or share a post on Facebook.
So it’s about blending the lifestyle we already have into the technology we’re creating?
Andrew: Exactly. It’s about using those tools to connect with your audience in a different way. It’s interesting to see how you can use these tools in conjunction with social media and the way it has evolved. We’ve got this shit on lockdown.
I’m quoting that.
Andrew: We don’t want anyone stealing our special sauce.
What previous projects led to the development of RoboToaster?
James: For me, I was the person that came up with the name. I reached out to Andrew, then I reached out to Rick, and we brought on Rob. Going back to the beginning, I started a skate company, Gold Coast TV, and from that we got a skateboard team together. We were printing shirts and hats, and from that we focused on guerrilla marketing and very ground level tactics to push out our company. Networking with a hip hop artist and an emo band back in the day, that’s how Gold Coast TV came to cover underground hip hop shows in Chicago.
From there I graduated college, spent two years as a technical recruiter, which led me to the technology I needed. I noticed there was a void in marketing materials in the Chicago technology scene. There was no media that was covering everything. I just started filming, put a name behind it, called up Andrew to pull up a logo, and we were very video heavy for a while. Then we brought on Rob, and more projects started coming on. Now we’re finally at the point where we’re a full service creative agency. Video, photo, graphics, and web design.
Keep an eye out for these rising masterminds as they gear up for their project with Koval, that will feature the local distillery and its alluring history. These gentlemen have staying power and they’re sure to become a staple in the digital economy. I look forward to the day when people around the world know this robotic powerhouse for all of their multi-faceted prowess.
-Cole Scott, junior editor, OnTour Magazine
- See more at: https://ontourmag.com/archives/curious-minds-chicago-robotoaster/#sthash.lRDHKUdh.dpuf
Interested in working with us! Shoot me an email [email protected]
