03/22/2020

Norfolk creative company continues to gain sway in market

Inside Business

When Jarrett Beeler and Bryce Picard started Sway Creative Labs seven years ago they were working on a card table in Picard's bedroom.

A small office on Granby Street followed for a few years; four years ago they moved into their current location at 211 W. Freemason St.

Another change is on the way for the duo that now has an employee base of 15 with plans for two more.

"We have really kind of grown out of the space that we're in now – which is a good problem to have – but certainly a trying one," Beeler said.

Sway, which is named for the subtle art of persuasion, was selected as one of the pilot tenants for a new project spearheaded by the digital creative agency Grow.

Assembly, a campus for creative and technology-driven businesses, freelancers and startups, will open late next year at 400 Granby St. in downtown Norfolk.

The move will enable Sway to continue to grow, attract more talent and stay on its creative journey.

Each tenant at Assembly will operate independently in its own office space, but will be able to share collective space.

Sway's current location is 2,821 square feet which includes a seldom-used meeting room. Its new space in Assembly will be 3,718 square feet which doesn't include a shared conference room and communal bathrooms.

"So while not truly doubling our square footage, the additional space and the shared resources give us a measurably bigger footprint to operate in," Beeler said.

As a print, broadcast, media and digital advertising agency, Sway works with a variety of local clients including Ferguson Enterprises, Sentara Healthcare, Tidewater Community College, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the Port of Virginia.

"We're super privileged to have been working with a lot of the area's kind of giants as of late and since we opened the doors," Beeler said.

Among other projects they are proud of, Beeler said they branded the Neon district and created the moniker.

Sway created the NEON District brand and was a part of the Mentally Healthy Norfolk campaign to bring folks together around the issues of suicide and mental health awareness.

"We're champions of the city and it's definitely part of our DNA and part of our business plan as well," Beeler said.

Sway's client base has started to expand outside the region, too, including Sony Music and Politico on projects for Lauryn Hill, Kane Brown, Leidos, Comcast, Nasdaq and CBS.

The fun and interesting work, Beeler said, has gotten his team of writers, designers, developers and producers, excited as they begin to expand their client base on a national level.

The Sway team is also excited about the recent addition of senior copywriter Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy comes with a lengthy portfolio of clients including Virginia is for Lovers, Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, Discovery Channel and PBS over his 14 year career.

"We've been fans of, and sometime bested by, Kevin and his work for a while now," Beeler said, "To have him on our team opens up so many possibilities for the clients we have and those we've been gearing up to chase."

One particular market segment they are interested in chasing is travel tourism.

"The area itself is something that's really important to us, something we've put a lot of time and sweat equity into," Beeler said adding they are assessing the best ways to create initiatives to put the area on the map and get people excited about coming to Hampton Roads.

Beeler is a native of Portsmouth who went to school in Chesapeake and lives in Norfolk while Picard grew up outside of D.C. and came to the area for college.

With two different perspectives of Hampton Roads, the men share a vested interest in it.

"We love this area and couldn't see running our business anywhere else," Beeler said.

Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-222-5356, sandra.pennecke@insidebiz.com

Source: https://www.pilotonline.com/inside-business/article_cfc4b0a4-4cd4-11e9-900c-6ba814d5418e.html