Morristown Video Business 'Gaining Steam'

One Morristown company has been capitalizing on YouTube's success with a traditional storytelling take on video production.

Drive 80 Studios is an animation company based out of Morristown that started about two years ago.

“We add clarity to what your business does through storytelling animations,” said Owner Mike Doyle. “Businesses have trouble relaying to people what exactly it is that they do. We create two-minute or less informational animations that keep your web visitors engaged so they fully understand how your business can help them.”

When Drive 80 started, it was an LLC that Doyle could use for freelancing for other companies.

“I was tired of using my Social Security number and wanted to make it more official,” he said. “A year ago, one of the companies I was freelancing on cut their vendor budget so I decided it was time to see where I could take Drive 80. I spent the first nine months of the year narrowing down my product because I was spread too thin. I was doing print design, web design, web site coding, photography, video production, animations, etc. It was too much to handle, and there was no focus. I decided it was time to start asking people who were successful how to find direction with starting a company.”

This led to Doyle meeting Chris Lipper, who runs The Alternative Board in Morristown. His company organizes groups with business owners who meet once a month to discuss their issues, said Doyle, who “quickly signed up and everything took a 180.

“Business owners struggle trying to tell people what it is that they do and this was a perfect medium to help educate their potential clients. One of the Drive 80 core values is to keep it simple, and it doesn't get more simple than cartoons,” said Doyle.

He’s still in the beginning stages of Drive 80 with a remote staff of five people and a shared office space in Morristown with a web company called Second Melody.

“I plan on making a giant noise so that NYC starts looking in this direction instead of businesses looking there,” he said. They recently completed projects for Drew University, The Alternative Board and Sterling Rose.

“I also did a project for my wife's CrossFit Lake Parsippany which just opened it's facility a few months ago and is pretty close to Morristown,” said Doyle. “All of the work we have done so far has been for businesses that I am inspired by. I look forward to forming relationships with new clients and help create clarity for what their business does through the use of storytelling animation.”

However, his start-up success is a long time coming. Doyle had a more meager start in the entrepreneurial field.

Doyle grew up in Jefferson and has always had a passion for following his own path.

“This started when I was 17 and decided I wanted to tour the country in my band Lanemeyer and skip college. After that ended in 2001 I moved to California for a bit to clear my head. While I was waiting tables a fellow employee was wearing a shirt that he had designed. I thought to myself that I could do that as well and maybe make some extra cash selling them. So I bought a computer and started a clothing company which didn't do that great.”

Doyle realized that he needed to learn the design programs a little more so he moved back to New Jersey and went to Chubb University for a year. After that it was a lot of trial and error with his ideas, such as T-shirt companies, an online merch company, a shirt printing company, etc.

“They all failed but I kept at it because if you have passion and vision it's hard to deny that and just lead a normal 9-5 existence. Thankfully I didn't give up and now I am gaining steam with Drive 80,” he said.

Check out some of Drive 80 Studios' videos on their YouTube channel.