Filled menu bar icon
NMCO Open House blog header

Five Tips For Running a Successful Creative Studio

NMCO would like to begin with an interview with founders, Lucky Gonzalez and Christina Ballew. Discover the challenges NMCO faced, the lessons we learned, and get a glimpse for how we plan to tackle the future in our 5 Year Anniversary Founder Video and our tips below.


As a budding creative studio, NMCO is celebrating its 5-year merger-versary and through our success (and many challenges and failures) we wanted to share 5 tips for running a successful creative studio and video production company in New Mexico.

1. Nurturing Community

NMCO didn’t come this far without our partners. Our community has been incredibly supportive and NMCO values those partnerships. NMCO collaborates with public art, ecologically and socially conscious entities that promote evolving our region with a positive influence. While we are working with national clients and always looking to expand, we will always know we couldn’t reach this success without mindfully building valuable relationships.

2. Inspiring Personal and Professional Growth

We are known for our professionalism, but behind the scenes, we are more than that.  We know that our team is our most valuable asset, we know that before we are creatives, we are human. We encourage mindful and healthy lifestyles for optimal creativity and balance. Priority for a business to succeed is to take care of your team.  We strive for excellence with team creative encouragement inside and outside the studio.

3. Getting Uncomfortable

NMCO has faced some challenges and unexpected roadblocks. We often find ourselves trying things for the first time and exploring the creative uncharted. It’s all part of breaking boundaries, pushing imagination, communicating an organization’s story or mission, and creating what it takes to accomplish outcomes. Dollars dropped in oil, we’re up for it. Poetry, quirky scripting, talking vegetables, edgy design, handling sensitive topics, we explore true potential and try to expand beyond the box. Pushing through discomfort and experimentation broadens your industry skills, makes you stronger and more adaptable, both for creativity and business.

4. Hustle

Success doesn’t come without dedication. We don’t expect it to rain from the sky, NMCO promotes, NMCO works, we showcase our talents to the full extent. We want our connections to feel familiar with new collaborations. NMCO has created pro bono work to get seen. NMCO attended networking events, and as our studio grew, we curated internal passion projects for setting standards we strive for. We regularly exercise our creativity and expand our knowledge for new technology, trends and methods.

5. Adapting to Solutions

NMCO is always leading, we don’t fall to old traditions. We are a human-based studio with immense flexibility for strategic answers. We aren’t just creating content, we are finding ways to improve and optimize based on changes in the industry. We collaborated through remote work in pandemic circumstances, refined all our communications processes and expanded our talent and team. We are embracing our clients managing their internal content, while adapting collaborations to stay busy. We’re planning for a bigger studio, bigger packages and new ways to extend our creative reach.

There are five tips for improving business and expansion for a creative at any level. NMCO is still reaching distant corners of creative, stay tuned for more content and insight. We’d like to thank everyone who’s shared the journey with us so far, we’re looking forward to continuing growth and the future. For NMCO news, events and updates be sure to follow us on our social media pages.

NMCO Studio member, Kahlo

Kahlo

Door Greeter & Cookie Eater

Kahlo is our gentle, friendly, office pup! He loves his belly rubbed, sniffing absolutely everything, and hasn’t found a treat he wouldn’t eat! Be sure to say hi, he loves the attention!

NMCO Studio member, Annakat

Anna Kat Hollis

Senior Web Developer

Anna Kat is the driving force behind NMCO’s web development endeavors. With a sharp intellect, unwavering efficiency, and a keen eye for goals, she is the go-to expert for crafting everything from sleek landing pages to nationally acclaimed e-commerce sites. Anna Kat not only serves as your trusted web developer guide but also, if you look closely, you’ll notice she’s always impeccably color-coordinated with NMCO’s brand – a true testament to her attention to detail and commitment to the company’s image.

NMCO Studio member, Arron

Aaron Walterscheid

Video Specialist & Cinematographer

Meet Aaron, NMCO’s “Silent Assassin.” Despite his quiet demeanor, Aaron is an absolute powerhouse when it comes to videography, editing, color grading, drone operation, lighting, and crafting unforgettable cinematic experiences. His remarkable talent and expertise shine brightly, leaving an indelible mark on every project he touches.

NMCO Studio member, Dana

Dana Apodaca

Senior Graphic Designer & Art Director

Dana’s journey with NMCO has been nothing short of impressive, starting as a design intern and progressing to become a designer who now plays a pivotal role in assisting with art direction. Her dedication keeps our graphics department on track and ensures our processes are efficient and business-ready. Dana’s knack for creating identity systems has resulted in some of our most recognized work. And, if you’re fortunate enough to listen in, she’s consistently voted the best playlist in the studio.

NMCO Studio Co founder, Lucky

Lucky Gonzalez

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

When you have a wealth of creative content, you need someone like Lucky with 18 years of business experience to guide you on where to put it. He’s our media placement guru, with the expertise and know-how to maximize your impact. Whether it’s digital banner ads or broadcast TV, Lucky can take any budget and transform it into impressions and conversions. He’s dedicated to finding solutions for your unique challenges, making him an invaluable asset to our team.

NMCO Studio member, Tina

Christina Ballew

Founder & Chief Creative Officer

Tina, as a co-founder of NMCO, has been on a relentless mission to redefine creative services in the southwest. Building a creative studio from the ground up was a formidable challenge, but her vision and determination have transformed NMCO into a beacon of professionalism and innovation, known for its people-centric approach and out-of-the-box thinking. While she’s taken on nearly every role in the studio, Tina’s next ambition is nothing short of global. She’s poised to take on the world with her creative endeavors.