The Oregon Coast Community College’s Small Business Development Center has announced the hiring of Gretchen Ammerman as the host of the SBDC’s Digital Media & Marketing Studio. Funded by a Lincoln County Economic Development Grant received in early 2016, the studio offers small businesses throughout the county the opportunity to take professional photographs of their products, artwork and more, and to record audio and video content.
“Everything you can do with the studio is designed to help businesses sell more products, locally and across the globe,” Ammerman said. “Better photos, compelling video and audio content – all of it can help Lincoln County businesses better compete online, both on their websites and on a wide variety of social media channels.”
Ammerman brings years of experience working with photography and Apple computers. She recently left The News Guard newspaper in Lincoln City, where she had served as editor. She is an avid trail runner and cyclist and freelances for a variety of publications on the Oregon Coast. The studio is available for businesses to rent for just $20 per hour, in two-hour blocks. The SBDC maintains a calendar of availability; to reserve your time, call 541-994-4166.
“Since the SBDC is all about training,” Ammerman said, “my goal is to help our clients get certified quickly to use the studio alone, as soon as possible. Once certified, businesses can rent the studio for just $10 per hour, and won’t have to schedule around my calendar.” Businesses new to the studio will register with the SBDC prior to their first appointment.
“We’re getting a lot of inquiries about videos,” Ammerman said. “And, while clients can shoot video here in the studio, they are also free to bring in their own video files and edit them, any time between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, in the College’s new iMac video editing lab.” That lab was funded by a separate grant from the County’s economic development program, and is available to the public at no charge whenever classes are not in session.
“The SBDC is currently recruiting for instructors interested in teaching Final Cut Pro video editing, as well as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign, using the new lab,” said SBDC Director Dave Price. Anyone with expertise in any of those applications who might be interested in teaching at OCCC should contact Price at 541-994-4166 or by email.
Information and photo provided by OCCC
