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Award-winning 321MediaGroup consists of three companies that provide a full-range of communication services

By Kathy Hagood

Jim Lewis, managing partner of the 321MediaGroup in Cape Canaveral, continues to expand and reinvent the award-winning communications business he began 27 years ago, just a few years after graduating from college.
“We’ve gone through a lot of changes over the years, but our basic strengths are the same. We’re storytellers,” he said of his business.

Currently the 321MediaGroup consists of three companies, Communications

Concepts Inc., Cantech Inc. and Media Ink Corp. Together the companies provide customers with a full-range of communication services, including television, video and new media production, advertising, marketing and public relations, digital imaging, graphic design and copying.

“The companies function individually and some of our smaller customers only do business with one or two of our companies, but we offer a complement of services for those organizations that want a gamut of services,” Lewis said.
The three privately held companies generate about $3 million annually in billings and employ about 15 workers in Cape Canaveral and at the Communications Concepts Inc.’s new HDTV production facility being created at Universal Studios in Orlando.

Jim Lewis, managing partner of the 321MediaGroup oversees operations at his firm

Clients include the Canaveral Port Authority, Space Coast Office of Tourism, Lockheed Martin and Spacehab. These clients are in addition to other leaders in high-tech travel and leisure, sports, and entertainment industries such as Boeing, Orbital Sciences, Sea Launch, Harris Corp., Piper Aircraft Corp., Greyhound Leisure, Disney Cruiselines, Delaware North KSC Visitor Complex, ESPN, Sun Sports, Fox Sports, ABC Japan Entertainment: Real TV, NBC/Hearst Broadcasting, MTM, and Univision.

Company honors include an Emmy, plus numerous Crystal Reel and Addy awards.
The largest of the three companies, Communication Concepts Inc., is the audio-visual production company that Lewis first started in 1978.
Back then Lewis wasn’t necessarily on fire to have his own company. Business ownership was just something that he got caught up in, much like the way he first got involved in radio in high school.

As a student at Merritt Island High School, Lewis had set his heart on getting an appointment to an Air Force Academy. After he was named the “alternate” for the appointment and therefore did not receive it, he was at a loss about what to do next, he said.

“I didn’t have a plan B. I was just fumbling around,” Lewis said. “Finally, my father said, “I don’t care what you do, but you need to do something.”

Because Lewis’ father had a friend in the radio business he was able to get Lewis an interview for a position as a DJ at a local radio station, WRKT and WKPE in Cocoa. The friend was kind enough to let Lewis make a demo tape in the studio.
“He showed me I didn’t have a clue about being on the radio, so I didn’t get the job of course. But they did let me hang around and help out while I learned about the business,” Lewis said with a laugh.

Thus Lewis began his career in communications, learning about the technology of radio production as well as tapping into his creativity in generating content. He majored in radio/television communications at Brevard Community College. Later he would complete an MBA program at LaSalle University.

While in college he ran a small advertising agency, then after graduating from BCC he went to work with a cable company, Communicable of Southland Communications Corp. As Operations Director he led the production of a variety of local news and entertainment programs.

When the company decided to close up shop, Rick Stottler of Stottler Stagg encouraged Lewis to start a video production company to serve the corporate market. Stottler said he would invest money to help Lewis start the company. Stottler also served as a business mentor for Lewis.

“ Communications Concepts was one of the early companies to offer corporate videos vs. corporate films. The concept was new but soon it pushed the companies that didn’t transition from film out of business,” Lewis said.
In watching those film companies go out of business because they wouldn’t change with the times Lewis vowed never to allow himself to get complacent and stop upgrading and improving his company’s technologies.

“ Of course in our market, we can’t be the first adopters of technology the way we would need to be in Los Angeles or New York, but then again we can’t wait too long before we bring a technology on board because we want to be able to offer our customers the best solutions,” Lewis said. So far the strategy has worked well for Lewis bringing his companies continuing profitability.

“ We’ve made mistakes over the years, of course, but we’ve learned from them,” he said. In addition to his entrepreneurial leadership Lewis has taken an active role in the community. Currently he serves on the board of directors of the Space, Missile and Range Pioneers. Formerly he chaired the Brevard County Tourist Development Council, was president of the Space Coast Chapter of the American Advertising Federation and was director and chairperson of “Buy Brevard” and “Brevard First” for the Cocoa Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and the Brevard County Council of Chambers. He’s a founding member of the Central Florida Chapter of the International Television Association.

Lewis has assisted in fundraising and otherwise volunteered for Cystic Fibrosis, 2000 International Law Enforcement Games, Cape Canaveral Hospital Foundation, Brevard Cultural Alliance and the American Cancer Society.

Among his hobbies are photography, car and motorsports and following the space program.

For more information about 321 Media Group visit www.321mediagroup.com