Freestyle Productions
Overview
For more than 30 years, Freestyle Productions has provided live event design and production services to the Twin Cities metro area and all over the world. From virtual events and live streaming, event design and management, video production, social media and digital signage, the business uses the latest production technology, employs a team of highly-skilled technicians and relies on a robust internet connection to bring every project to life.
Background
Every business has been affected in some way by the COVID-19 pandemic. Few industries, however, have been harder hit than entertainment and live events. For Freestyle Productions of Minneapolis, a business that thrives on social gatherings and crowds, the phrases “social distancing” and “stay at home” were the last things anyone on the team wanted to hear.
Challenge
In the face of any challenge, a business that survives is a business that adapts. Even with
the lights dimmed on the live event business, Freestyle Productions refused to let a pandemic be their curtain call. So they went in a new direction, focusing their efforts on virtual event production and relying more than ever on video, live streaming and their fiber internet service from Arvig to pull them through a challenging period.
Opportunity
With video and live streaming doing the heavy lifting, Freestyle Productions, already a fiber customer, called Arvig to bump up their bandwidth. Now more than ever, the internet had to be fast and reliable. When it comes to video and live streaming, uploading, downloading and file-sharing, the business wasn’t taking chances with lag, buffering or downtime.
“The internet is crucial to our existence,” says Dale Kivimaki, Freestyle Productions owner and president. “We’ve always enjoyed high-speed digital technology. We had Arvig drop in digital fiber to us because we were uploading and downloading videos. We do regular video editing as well. Being able to upload with the speed we get over our Arvig digital fiber is phenomenal. And the same thing for getting downloads up in the cloud.”
Solution
Though live in-person events have been difficult to replace from a revenue standpoint, virtual events are helping Freestyle Productions survive. And fiber, now more than ever, is helping the company pull through the pandemic.
“The internet is crucial to our existence,” says Dale Kivimaki. “Being able to upload with the speed we get over our Arvig digital fiber is phenomenal.”
“It’s one of the smartest investments we’ve ever made,” Kivimaki says.
So far, it’s paying dividends. Freestyle Productions has been busy hosting virtual fundraising
galas for nonprofits, producing drive-through graduations and even a virtual fashion show, among other events.
“We’re existing, and we’re just trying to get through this like everybody else.” Whether it’s during challenging times or business-as-usual, it helps to have a dependable internet provider as a business partner.