Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Tucciarone and Max Prince.
In 2007, Story First Creative Agency started its life as a small production company by the name of Whistlepeak Productions. Founder Andrew Tucciarone was studying at GA Tech for a mechanical engineering degree when he realized that entrepreneurship was calling to him. After a few initial projects in Atlanta, Andrew was given the opportunity to tell the story of a health startup in Kenya that was working to relieve the AIDS crisis. This is where his passion for storytelling was born.
Fast forward to 2013, after years of producing video and photography content for a mostly a non-profit audience, Andrew realized that to truly tell stories the way they needed to be told he needed a team. This is where Max Prince, fellow entrepreneur and the co-founder of Story First Creative Agency, entered the picture. Max brought a deep sense of creative excellence and a visual language that elevated the stories being told.
The two partnered together to create a company that more fully realized their individual storytelling dreams. Thus, was born Story First Creative Agency, the spiritual successor to Andrew and Max’s original vision to tell better stories.
Shortly after their partnership began, Story First began receiving the attention and partnership of major clients in the cause based space such as the WinShape Foundation (One of Chick-fil-A’s non-profits) and The Rethink Group. These clients pushed Story First to raise their standards and begin challenging themselves in every area of their product offerings.
In the 5 years since, Story First has become a premier Creative Agency in the Atlanta area, working with organizations, agencies, and brands from around the world. From their core work in video and photography production, to emerging skills in design, branding, and virtual reality, Story First continues to press forward with the same core mission they were founded with 10 years ago: telling stories the way they deserve to be told.
Has it been a smooth road?
Building any business is never a straight road, and Story First is no exception. We have faced major hurdles in getting an established business in place.
First off, we learned the hard way that some elements of our original models were unsustainable, and over the years we have spent lots of time tuning up and tweaking our offerings and positions in order to support the business. This up and down has been something that has been a challenge as we strive to be able to produce the quality we desire, and our clients expect.
Secondly, we began the business during the recession and it has been an uphill battle since day one with our business basically never knowing a time where we had access to reasonable capital. The biggest growth transition period in our company was when we were given a low interest business loan from Invest Atlanta and were able to expand our team and our studio in really meaningful ways.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Story First Creative Agency – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Story First operates a studio in the Old 4th Ward neighborhood serving a diverse client base of causes and agencies all over the world. We serve brands and causes through unique and memorable imagery. We specialize in video production, branding and design, and photography.
We pride ourselves on coming alongside brands and learning their story and mission and, once we’ve learned that, working in tandem with them to create something really special. We’ve seen a lot of companies burnt out by other vendors simply cutting to a script, and so we always make sure we know our clients story and purpose on a deeper level so we are able to tell that story in the same way.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
We love Atlanta. It’s a city that is growing and changing every day and we love being a part of that. Creativity and community abound here, and being in a city that embraces and celebrates that is something that is so key to our business. We wouldn’t be the same company if we were born anywhere else, it’s part of Story First in a way that is integral to who we are. Our studio is in Old Fourth Ward right off of the BeltLine, and working in a place with so much history behind us and so much potential ahead of us is really inspiring. We can’t imagine being anywhere else!
Contact Info:
- Website: storyfirstcreative.com
- Email: hello@storyfirstcreative
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/thestoryfirst
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/storyfirstcreative
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thestoryfirst
Image Credit:
Ben Rollins – benrollins.co
Andrew Tucciarone – storyfirstcreative.com
Getting in touch: VoyageATL 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.
