Truly Unique Vision
Ebele Mora, 24; Jason Smikle, 22; Fabrizio Sousa, 24
www.tuvcollegemarketing.com
Philadelphia
After completing internships at CBS and MTV, Temple University student Jason Smikle knew he wanted to create TV shows that appealed to his own college-age demographic. But he wasn't interested in working his way up the corporate ladder. So in 2005, Smikle and co-founders Ebele Mora and Fabrizio Sousa maxed out their credit cards and launched Truly Unique Vision. The idea was to create an online TV network filled with videos by students showcasing college life on campuses across the country. The team stumbled onto a viable business model in 2007, when a contact in the Chicago offices of ad agency Burrell Communications Group suggested Truly Unique could leverage the network's audience for market research.
The notion paid off: In 2007, Smikle says the business had around $50,000 in revenue and he estimates it will bring in about $125,000 in 2008, mainly from doing research for ad agencies whose clients want to market products and services to young people. By spring 2009, he expects the business will profitably include 40 college campuses in 10 cities.
