What's With The Name?

Over the past week I have had multiple people come up to me and ask how we came up with our company name, Stratum Productions? It actually went more like 'what the heck does that even mean!?' My response was the typical well let me tell you. This is something that have been meaning to post to the blog in awhile but I have never take the time to really sit down and get it out (shame on me....).

To make things clear Stratum was not my first choice at all. I loved the idea of naming the company Elevated Production and for good reasons. The first of those reasons was it started with E and ended with N in memory of our son, Evan, who died. It is in his memory and through what he showed me in his short life that gave me the nudge to start this company.

The second reason is I love what Elevated, as a name, stands for. People want their brand, message, or event--Elevated. To my disappointment the name I had selected was to similar to another business name in the state.

So off to the drawing board I went again except this time I had no idea where to even start looking at for a name. I didn't have a fall back from my first love of Elevated Production. A little bit of research led me to what we now have as a name--Stratum Productions. No I didn't just go flip open a dictionary, slap my finger down and choose the word that I landed on. To me choosing a name is something that needed to be well thought out. It needed to represent every fiber of this company and what it needs to mean and I truly believe Stratum does just that.

According to the trusty Google search, Stratum's origin in Modern Latin is a "layer or coat of substance" more specifically referring to layers of rock. That might seem like an odd thing to name a staging and production company because the only rock we deal with is the musical type, but I promise it will make sense in a minute.

You see when I laid out the vision for this company I did not want it to be a company that did just lighting or audio or whatever it may be. I dreamt that it would be a clients one stop shop that could offer them everything that they needed for their event and do all of them well. Whether a customer comes to us for a lighting rig, or maybe a simple audio set up for a meeting, or a complex tour package with crew. My dream is to make all of that happen under one roof.

It its most simplistic nature we offer layers of production.

Just like the rock that stratum is referring to. All of those layers are molded and fused together because they are similar in many ways yet so very different. They coexist together because one layer relies on the next for support and how they operate. That is exactly what this company means. Without lighting you couldn't see the presenter or band. Without audio you couldn't actively engage in someones music or presentation.

This name was not something that was just randomly selected and slapped on a legal document. It is a calling for us. We are here to offer these layers of productions to help our clients communicate their message, captivate their audience, and connect with meaning.

That is enough deep thought for me on a Sunday night. So I'll leave you with this simple tip...

Don't take life too seriously, no one makes it out alive.