Meet Jacob Poag | President of S.T.E.P. Studio Inc.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jacob Poag and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jacob, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The film industry is one of the most competitive industries in the world, and it is even more competitive for students trying to get involved in the industry. I had an idea for a script but having no film experience and being a 15-year-old kid, every door was shut in my face. That is when I had an idea, for an independent student-run film studio, dedicated to both making professional-grade films and helping students get involved in the industry. After months of struggle where we didn’t know if it would survive and putting all of our efforts into a feature-length documentary, it has now turned into a huge success. Our very first film, the documentary, went on to gain acceptance into three film festivals and won awards at two of those three festivals. We are now S.T.E.P. Studio Incorporated and a nonprofit organization. We have grown to 6 branches all across the state of Georgia at different colleges/universities and encompass over 50 young filmmakers. All of these branches are now working hard on producing their own work. The future is very bright for S.T.E.P. Studio Inc.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When I was 15 years old, I had an idea. This idea had never been achieved in the past and to my knowledge, it had never even been attempted. The idea was to form an entirely student-run film studio that was dedicated to helping young adults get involved in the most competitive industry in the world. The initial goal, after creating the studio, was to create a professional film to compete with projects from other studios across the state. After putting a team of 15 students together, we started on our journey. Our first project was a documentary featuring the small carpet town of Dalton, GA. The name of our film was ‘Dalton: A Story of Survival’. Once our team was assembled we were immediately locked down by the Covid-19 pandemic so, unfortunately, we were not able to meet in person. We were determined that this was not going to stop us, or even slow us down. We met every day on Zoom for 4 hours over the course of 3 months and we wrote the script, raised money, and spent countless hours learning how to use filming equipment. When it was time to begin filming that summer, our team was ready. After filming was complete, we spent almost 18 months and over 200 hours in an editing room where we crafted our very first feature-length film. We were very proud to see this first film be accepted into three different national film festivals We were thrilled when our film received several awards at those film festivals. Recently, we have made efforts to expand. As word of our successes has spread, we have been approached by other students from around the state that want to be a part of what we are doing. This has led to our becoming a non-profit corporation and opening 6 other branches around the state at various colleges. These branches have access to large film programs which will make our company even stronger. The students at these S.T.E.P. branches are now beginning to write their own scripts and are forming teams to create films of their very own. Currently, one branch has a film in post-production and we have two more branches that are preparing to begin exciting projects this summer. I am so very proud of the company that we have worked so hard to build. I’m thankful for those who have helped us along the way, including the entire Dalton, GA community. Our goal is to continue to create opportunities for students and to use our platform to create many quality films. I’m excited about our future.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Even though I live outside of the inner Atlanta city area, you can never go wrong with some food at Ponce City Market where they have tons of different options to choose from, and then head over to the Fox for a show or the Atlanta Symphony to hear great music.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutout goes to all the filmmakers at S.T.E.P. Studio Inc. Without them, we would not be where we are today. Their constant work and dedication to our studio have allowed us to have the successes that we have recently experienced. It was these film makers, script writers, editors, and more that originally said ‘yes’ to the unique idea of creating a student run film studio. I am thankful for everyone who works at S.T.E.P. and their constant dedication to being a part of something truly special. Being one of the first independent student film studios to exist, the work they do each day is ground breaking and it is what makes us one of the top creators for student film in the country,

Website: https://www.stepstudiosinc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s.t.e.p._studio/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STEP-Studio-104712534615560

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYxxAmnTPFi2A3DroHBmT0w

Other: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17006374/

Image Credits
All of these photos are owned by: S.T.E.P. Studio Inc. You have permission to do whatever you would like with them for this article.