Meet Michael Towe of M2 Digital Post in Santee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Towe.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I came into the field of film and video production through the time-honored tradition of driving a dump truck for a living. Of course, that’s a joke, but it is true. After high school I married my high school sweetheart and started working for a small trucking company based in Lakeside. I did however always have a passion for film and video and was always doing something with a camera. Then in the early 90’s I decided I wanted to make production my true full-time job. I bought a professional camera, lighting and edit system and stared out on my own. I still drove trucks during the day and did production on the weekends to try and build that company.

Fast forward to 1995 and I received a job offer from what was then a small company in San Diego called Qualcomm. They were looking to build their video department and it just so happened that they were using the same editing system I was at the time. It was a good fit so I was hired on. That started a 9-year run as a creative inside of the belly of the corporate beast. I say “Beast” because being a creative in an engineering corporation is at the least a challenge. It did however teach me how to work with the corporate client, which was to be extremely valuable when I started my current company. Qualcomm also allowed me to further my education in production by paying my way in to a myriad of production based educational programs and seminars. That alone was worth its weight in gold.

Again, we fast forward the tape… well not tape because we don’t use tape anymore… we fast forward the bits, to 2004. In this year Qualcomm decided that they no longer wanted an in-house production department. That was not their core business, and so they would just outsource the work. My answer was “Great! Sell me some gear and outsource to me!” And with that M2 Digital Post was born. I do have to say that this move from the comfort of a corporate job, to the unknowns of being a business owner, was a very scary and intimidating move for me. I credit Toni Towe, that high school sweetheart who became my wife, for giving me the courage and support to make the move. In the end it was the best move I could have ever made. And without her I am certain I would have never made it.

It’s been 13 years now since starting M2 Digital Post and it’s been the most amazing rollercoaster I have ever ridden. I’ve had the opportunity to work on a myriad of different types of projects. I’ve created videos that explain how an idea from an engineer increased the data throughput to your cellphone, commercial spots where we threw instant mashed potatoes on an actor to simulate snow and short films that have screened at the Cannes Film Festival.  Some of these projects have even ended up with this one-time dump truck driver, being awarded regional EMMY’s. I’ve also had the privilege of working with so many talented production professionals in San Diego. People that take my work and elevate it to new levels. So ya, starting this business kicked off an amazing ride!!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
First off anyone that says running a small business has been a smooth road, hasn’t really run a small business. The rollercoaster analogy is very fitting here as well. As for challenges I’ll give you my two biggest. The first came about four or five months after I opened up the doors. I had a shared office that I rented off of Sorrento Valley Road. It was down in the bottom of a canyon, and that winter we had unbelievable amounts of rain. My office was on the ground floor and the riverbed behind the shop crested over and started flooding out the place. I was actually filming on location at the time when I received a call that the shop was flooding out. I couldn’t get away from filming so I just had to hope that no water would get into my editing system. As luck would have it the water stopped rising just 1/4 of an inch shy of getting into my edit system. I found out later that my insurance didn’t cover this type of flooding so I really dodged a bullet on that one. If my system had been ruined I would have had no way to recover and it would have been the end of the business.

The second challenge was the collapse of the economy in 2008. This hit all of the production companies in town very hard. San Diego is very much a corporate production town, and in 2008 corporate budgets dried up, marketing budgets went away and there were no longer big corporate events that kept production folks working. For my company that meant we had to improvise. If there was no corporate work to be had, we would make our own work. We started a video podcast that was targeted at a very niche audience. An audience that had a product manufacturing base that was looking for a place to advertise. We brought these manufacturers on board as sponsor and ran the show for 3 years and 160 episodes. It got us through the lean times until the corporate work started to come back. It was a good example of the flexibility you need to run a small business. Everything that’s working today, might not work tomorrow, when that happens you need to adjust. Find a new way to create revenue.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about M2 Digital Post – what we should know?
So this is a couple questions all wrapped into one, so let me take them one at a time…

What do you do? We do communication through the medium of video. We can do the whole process from creative to acquisition to editing and delivery. Or we can step in and do any part of that work flow.

What do we specialize in? If I had to put it in one word it would be storytelling. No matter what video I am producing I am trying to find a way to create a compelling, emotional story. I do this because that’s the way to get an audience to pay attention. Stories are something that I believe we’re all hard wired to listen to. We have been listening to stories since we lived in caves, at this point it’s in our DNA. And yes, you do have a story, everyone does, and it’s our job to find it and tell it.

What are you most proud of as a company? I think the go to here is to mention the awards that we’ve won. But while I’m quite proud of those, it’s not what I am most proud of. The thing I’m most proud of is the relationships that we’ve developed, and not just with our customers, but with other production professionals and production companies in town. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some amazing people and develop great friendships along the way. Those relationships are what keep paying dividends. When you’re on set and you get that perfect take, or when you show the client the first edit and they fall in love with it. Those moments of pride are just as powerful as being awarded an EMMY. So ya… The relationships are what I’m most proud of, because the people are what really matter.

What sets you apart from others? Communication… Let me explain. Although my company is a video production company that’s only a means to an end when it comes to what we really do. What we really do is communicate your message to your audience through the process of video production. I believe that because we have years of experience doing this, we excel at the communication part. And that’s really what our clients are buying, that’s the engine, the video production is the chrome wheels and nice paint job.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
People skills. I honestly think that is the most important aspect of running any business. No matter what your business is, you need to have the people skills to develop a relationship with your client. You need to back those skills up with good work and solid business ethics, but in the end, people are buying from you because they like you and they trust you. 

Contact Info:

• Website: http://m2digitalpost.com
• Phone: 619-933-9585
• Email: michael@m2digitalpost.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/m2digitalpost/

Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.