‘Action!’: Pair of SRU grads open production studio

Jake Miller, a 2016 Slippery Rock University graduate and co-founder of Red Dot Productions, shooting video for a recent project.

August 3, 2016

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - The old adage "Don't mix business with pleasure" seems to be lost on a pair of recent Slippery Rock University communication: emerging technology graduates who are embracing a new age mantra, "Make your passion your profession."

Brandon Lombardo, '15, and Jake Miller, '16 recently established themselves as newly minted media moguls. The pair has joined forces to launch Red Dot Studios. Named simply for the "record" symbol - or red dot - on a video camera display, Red Dot Studios offers services in videography, graphic design, web development and social content management.

Lombardo, from New Castle, and Miller, from Pittsburgh, opened the studio doors in early June.

"We knew this is what we wanted to do," said Lombardo. "Jake has been my right-hand man for years. His standard of quality is the same as mine and I love working with him. So I said, 'Let's be official. Let's be on the books.'"

Miller, who launched his "career" making highlight reels for WPXI as a teenager, discovered his ultimate passion and talent for the field after enrolling in video production courses at SRU.

"It all started out as a hobby and then one day I realized that I could make a living out of this," said Miller. "It's like that saying my dad would always tell me: 'If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life.'

"A lot of people get up every day simply for a paycheck, but my job is what motivates me to keep going. In this field, we have the power to impact so many people by what we can display and do. It's truly amazing."

The pair has a diverse clientele, having worked with a variety of artists and musicians; a Fortune 500 company in MSA - The Safety Company; FOX News; HGTV; and Freeform, the former ABC Family channel.

Tailoring each job to the individual client, the pair is big believers that "open-mindedness and infinite possibilities" are the central focuses for any project.

"Our mission is to create awesome content for cool people and to make their visions come to life," said Lombardo. "If we're going to put our label on a project, it'll be the best quality material we can produce, no matter how long it takes or how late we have to stay up to accomplish it. At the end of the day, I want to rest easy knowing that not only is the client satisfied, but I can be proud that our name is on it."

Prior to the launch of Red Dot Studios, Lombardo, who has been making films since the age of 16, had already achieved great success. As a teenager, he sold multiple videos to truTV; MTV, the granddaddy of music video television channels that reaches 80 percent of American households; and other websites. With his videos going viral around the country and receiving up to five million views, a pathway in videography seemed to be unfolding before him.

Despite his successes, when Lombardo arrived at SRU in 2008 as an undeclared freshman, he didn't believe his hobby would ever be able to pay the bills.

Without a career destination to keep him on track, he quickly became lost and left the University for a management position at a local sports bar. That association ended when the establishment went out of business in 2011.

Facing another crossroad, Lombardo dug in his heels, determined that he would make his videography dream a reality.

"I knew I had to do something," he said. "So I decided to go back to school and make it work, but this time, I knew I was going all the way."

Now a communications major specializing in emerging technology and multimedia, Lombardo was attending classes with his eyes wide open and his ears tuned for further opportunities.

When he overheard one of his classmates discussing WSRU, the University radio station that hosts and trains students in radio and media, Lombardo tapped the man on the shoulder and came face-to-face with his destiny.

"I asked this guy when the station meetings were and he kind of ignored me," Lombardo said with a laugh. "He was a professional looking sort and here I was with my tattoos and unruly hair trying to get in on his opportunity."

That student was Miller.

When Lombardo showed up at WSRU - in spite of Miller - the pair found that their on-air personalities completely meshed. The would-be competitors quickly blended their personalities and senses of humor, joining forces for a regular broadcast. The pair became fast friends both on and off the air.

"Working with him taught me that anything is possible," Lombardo said of Miller. "People are always going to tell you what you can't do with your life, but it's far better to be happy, waking up in the morning knowing you're about to live your passion. If you find what you love, believe in yourself and just do it ... no matter what."

MEDIA CONTACT: Maizee Zaccone | 724.738.2091 | mxz1016@sru.edu