BigSlate Media

What BigSlate Media does

BigSlate Media is a privately held, bootstrapped video production and content marketing agency headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 2015 and acquired and pivoted in 2017 by President Jonathan Halley, the company employs 1–10 people and operates from a 1,800-square-foot studio at 1109 Abilene Place, Knoxville, alongside its main office at 629 N Broadway. Its core offering is full-service video production for brands, agencies, and event organizers, supplemented by drone videography (including first-of-kind FPV live broadcast capabilities), commercial photography, animation and motion graphics, social media management, and studio rental. The company describes itself as Knoxville's leading video production agency and serves a horizontally diversified mix of clients spanning consumer brands (Mike's Hard Lemonade, Raising Cane's), manufacturing (BSH Home Appliances), insurance/healthcare (Copperpoint), home services (Quality Plumbing), media and tourism (Bassmaster/ESPN, Visit Knoxville).

The company's product surface has expanded beyond traditional project-based production work. B-Roll Bank, a proprietary database management software in Beta, gives clients searchable, categorized access to their raw footage archives with proxy and 4K download, introducing a recurring subscription revenue layer ($250–$1,000/month storage plus $500–$5,000 setup). In July 2025, Big Slate Media formally launched Big Slate VFX as a dedicated visual effects and motion design division, positioning itself as the only Knoxville-based production company offering full-service, in-house VFX (green screen compositing, 3D animation, object removal, motion design). Differentiating technical capabilities include being among the first licensed drone pilots in the Southeast and delivering the first-ever live HD drone signal to a broadcast truck for ESPN's Bassmaster Classic coverage.

BigSlate Media generates revenue primarily through project-based professional services — production fees scaled to crew, scope, and deliverables — with a small but growing recurring tail from B-Roll Bank subscriptions. Go-to-market is direct and sales-led: clients engage through website contact forms, phone inquiries, and studio booking, supported by content marketing via the company blog, social media presence, community initiatives (KnoxMedia), and Knoxville Chamber event sponsorship. Pricing is largely quote-based, with disclosed pricing only for B-Roll Bank (Beta). The firm is bootstrapped, with no institutional investment, M&A activity, or parent company identified; ownership remains with founder Jonathan Halley. Recognition includes a 2025 Nashville/Midsouth Emmy nomination, multiple 2020 ADDY Awards, and three 2019 Big Wig Awards.

Name

BigSlate Media

Legal name

Big Slate Media

Website

https://bigslatemedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BigSlate Media is a Knoxville-based video production and content marketing agency serving brands, agencies, and event organizers with video production, drone videography, photography, animation, social media management, and a proprietary footage-archive SaaS (B-Roll Bank). It is a bootstrapped, founder-owned firm with 1–10 employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Knoxville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Video Production Services: Project-based video production for commercials, corporate videos, event coverage, and branded content. Revenue generated through production fees based on project scope, crew requirements, and deliverables.
2. Photography Services: Commercial and product photography services for brands and businesses.
3. Social Media Management: Ongoing social media marketing services including content creation, organic posting, and paid advertising campaign management.
4. Drone Videography: Aerial drone photography and videography services with FPV capabilities for commercial projects.
5. Animation and Motion Graphics: Animation services including character animation, logo animation, infographic animation, and presentation animation.
6. B-Roll Bank Subscription: Monthly membership subscription for footage archive access and management. Setup fee for ingestion and tagging, plus recurring monthly storage fees ranging from $250-$1000/month based on storage size.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BigSlate Media is a Knoxville-based content creation agency providing video production, drone videography, commercial photography, animation and motion graphics, social media management, and visual effects (VFX) services for major brands, agencies, and event organizers. The company also operates B-Roll Bank, a proprietary database management software subscription product that gives clients searchable access to their raw and edited footage for reuse across marketing channels. Services span pre-production through distribution and are delivered through full-scale in-house production capabilities.

Product overview

BigSlate Media is a content creation agency offering a comprehensive suite of video production and digital marketing services. The core offering centers on video production, drone videography, photography, and social media marketing. The company has expanded into specialized divisions including Big Slate VFX for visual effects and motion design, and B Roll Bank, a proprietary database management software for footage organization and licensing (currently in Beta). Services are delivered through full-scale in-house production capabilities combined with digital marketing expertise for seamless content distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Big Slate VFX: Visual effects division of Big Slate Media launched in 2025

Products and services

• Video Production

Quantifiable outcome

• First live HD drone signal delivered to broadcast truck in Bassmaster/ESPN history
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Knoxville Chamber (Morning Momentum)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Big Slate Media is presenting sponsor of Morning Momentum, a monthly event series hosted by the Knoxville Chamber designed to help local entrepreneurs address business challenges.
• BSH Home Appliances CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023BSH (largest home appliances manufacturer in Europe) engaged Big Slate Media for FPV drone videography at their U.S. manufacturing facilities. The videos were used to showcase operations to leadership in Germany and build workforce pride.
• Visit KnoxvillecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Connected Big Slate Media with Bassmaster as their preferred supplier for drone videography and stock footage, enabling the historic first live drone broadcast for the Bassmaster Classic.
• Bassmaster/ESPNcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Delivered first-ever live HD drone signal from a drone to the broadcast truck for the Bassmaster Classic coverage on ESPN. Created content package for ESPN and Bassmaster.com.
• KnoxMediaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Organization founded by Big Slate Media to bring together the Knoxville creative production community. First mixer had over 70 people in attendance. Aims to strengthen collective power of the production industry in the city.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Switch Video: Switch Video is a video production agency specializing in animated explainer and brand videos for B2B clients. It is a direct peer in commercial video production with a comparable target customer base (mid-market and enterprise marketers).
• Lemonlight: Lemonlight is a well-known, scaled video production agency producing commercials, branded content, and digital video for enterprise and brand clients. It is a directly comparable full-service production services peer to Big Slate Media, with a similar end-to-end offering (creative, production, post).
• Yum Yum Videos: Yum Yum Videos is an animation and explainer video production agency serving brands and agencies. It is a direct peer to Big Slate in commercial video production services, particularly comparable for the animation and motion graphics line of business.
• Mango Media: Mango Media is a full-service creative video production and social media agency. It is a direct peer to Big Slate across the full stack of services: video production, animation, photography, and social media management for brands.
• LAI Video: LAI Video is a corporate video production agency focused on live events, meetings, and brand content. It is a direct peer to Big Slate in producing enterprise-grade video, particularly event and broadcast-adjacent work where Big Slate has differentiated drone capabilities.
• Casual Films: Casual Films is a global corporate video production agency serving enterprise clients with branded and communications video. It is a direct peer to Big Slate in the corporate/commercial video production services space, particularly comparable in target customer (enterprise marketing teams) and project-based delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• VidMob: VidMob is a venture-backed creative technology platform that produces and optimizes digital video and social creative for enterprise brands. It is a broader incumbent in the same enterprise video-and-social content market Big Slate serves, with a more software-led, scaled business model.
• Brafton: Brafton is a content marketing agency producing video, written, and social content for enterprise clients. It is a broad incumbent in content marketing services and a strong comparable for Big Slate's social-media and content-creation offerings, with a much larger operational footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bigslatemedia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BigSlate Media