Taproot reboot: Eastown video production company rebrands

"I think there are 3 main reasons to do the rebrand," says Taproot Founder, Director, and Executive Producer Karl Koelling. After being in the biz in Grand Rapids for ten years, Koelling and company sought to double down on their boutique production company, and he outlined his motivations very simply:

1. "We've grown and we've got more people on staff and this is a more unified direction,";
2. it's an opportunity to broaden awareness of the company and widen their footprint, and
3. it's "a chance to let them know that we are trying to up the game in terms of what we can bring in capabilities and client services."

Growing in staff from two to four over the past year, Taproot has grown its skill set. Last fall, Matthew Bouwense joined the team as lead editor, managing products in post-production. "[He was] was always the favorite guy," says Koelling, of this former freelancer. "[Bouwense is] great in concepts and helping develop projects, really just a core part of the team."

Koelling also hired animator Brent French, who works with the Taproot team three days per week. "Having someone in house who just fits with the team well…that can sync animation first…puts an extra layer of polish on things," says Koelling. "I don't always think animation first."

Koelling also solidified his work with Josh Carrasquillo, who joined the team as a producer, working in brand strategy and marketing. Carrasquillo, who previously worked with a smaller, social media content firm, is currently working to develop this for Taproot. "People are spending a lot more of their marketing dollars, it's so important in terms of building awareness," says Koelling.



In addition to staff, Taproot has expanded their equipment list, enabling them to complete most of their projects in house. They are also constantly improving their tech library in order to improve each video in post production.

When asked about expanding their client base or going after new industries, Koelling noted his desire to work more with universities and colleges, since they have enjoyed past working experiences in that niche. "Maybe we should chase that."

Though Taproot grows little by little, Koelling is proud of their size and capabilities. "We're not a huge company but we scale really well," he says.