Northwest Indiana Business Magazine has been shining a light on the Region's business community for 35 years. To celebrate, we are featuring the entrepreneurs who are making a difference in their communities.
Just like producing wedding videos, Jason Monroe likes to get to know his business clients and how their companies work before the first video is taken.
“I get to learn how businesses work on a granular level in order to help them scale and move the needle for clients and services with video marketing,” he said.
Monroe founded Madewell Media in 2016. The client-focused company in Valparaiso now has four employees.
But Monroe got his start long before that. He graduated from Arkansas State University in 2000 with an emphasis in radio and TV.
“In my salad days, I was working in a marketing department at a Michigan nonprofit and doing freelance videography,” he said, “then (I) moved to wedding video in Chicago.”
He founded Highway 61 Films in 2009 and that business is still going strong. His goal is to tell each couple's story in a film format.
That philosophy carries into Madewell, where Monroe found a need for businesses and nonprofits to use these types of services too.
Ten years later, his approach is still working for clients around the country and in Northwest Indiana.
Question: What is your mission statement:
Answer: To be intentional about helping businesses and organizations achieve their goals through effective video marketing.
Q: What was the catalyst for the business:
A: I was learning certain companies were having problems reaching their target audience, creating conversions and educating customers. They didn’t need a full-blown agency to do this, they only needed good and simple video marketing. They needed someone, with a collaborative approach, to ask the right questions to figure out what was going to work for them.
Q: What is a goal for the future?
A: To be even more innovative and results oriented for our clients. We not only create for them but also for personal fulfillment.
Q: What goal have you accomplished so far?
A: There are many, many worthy nonprofits in Northwest Indiana. I would consider a big accomplishment to be helping several of them with their charitable, educational and social missions. Also, a dear client is HealthLinc. They often task us with efforts to help with video work for the Mobile Integrated Response Teams, their substance abuse program, and creating awareness in NWI for folks to get screened for colorectal cancer. Important stuff, right?
Q: Who helped you along the way?
A: Collaborators, community and my wife. She’s my defender … and also my prosecutor.
Q: What is a book, movie, TV show that inspired you?
A: “Rear Window,” which was produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, puts the viewer right in the story, making us feel like we are in that room with Jimmy Stewart. That’s often how we want the viewers of our work to feel, like they are there feeling everything.
Q: What is your favorite inspirational quote?
A: “What is now proved was once only imagined.” — From William Blake's “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell”
Our Entrepreneurship Q&A spotlights the bold thinkers and doers shaping the future of the Region. We hear from local entrepreneurs who are turning ideas into impact — sharing their insights, challenges and the stories behind their businesses. The column celebrates innovation right here at home. To nominate an entrepreneur, email the editor at news@nwindianabusiness.com.
