Stamina Group Inc. was launched in January 2020 and has since made significant ways in the Canadian digital media industry. Consistently striving for creative excellence, Stamina’s creative and digital natives’ team stays ahead of the curve by building communities with exciting content. To date, Stamina is home to seven different media brands with their unique target audience; Swagger, View the Vibe, Divine, Oh LaLa, Haute Living, Streets of Toronto, and WanderEats.
Steven Branco
Steven Branco is the passionate and forward-thinking entrepreneur behind the Stamina Group. After extensive experience in marketing and content creation, Steven is proud to own the Stamina Group independently. The initiative to create Stamina stemmed from the partnerships with the associated media businesses.
He recalls, “My now partner from Swagger approached me and asked for assistance on editorial strategies. Soon after that “View the Vibe” reached out, requesting to revamp their content. Then we bought Divine from their previous owner. As we felt it was outdated, so we provided a breath of fresh air by making it mobile-friendly. With Stamina, I launched the very first media platform that I owned entirely”.
Steven saw the potential for a one-stop digital platform to house the various websites and services. “The idea was to bridge the different facets of my business and create a digital agency where we can work with clients. Since starting Stamina, we have created interpersonal relationships with clients and grew the team by 60%. We had an amazing 2020 despite the challenges!”
Being a bold creative, and self-proclaimed storyteller, Steven’s earliest memory of his artistic expression dates to high school during the MySpace era. “I was a vlogger in the very early days. I started a MySpace in high school, and I wrote about my experiences. I taught myself how to use Photoshop via YouTube, and made Neon Gifs. However, I did not view this as a career choice, only as a hobby”.
His ability to utilize technology and share his ideas propelled him through his unusual career path. However, he didn’t initially view his creativity as a legitimate livelihood. “I didn’t focus too much on schooling. I couldn’t commit to one program. At first, I wanted to be an accountant because I was good at math. I went to U of T for Communications but eventually dropped out. When I met my mentor, he inspired my entrepreneurial drive. He taught me that traditional schooling is not the only way to be successful”.
His professional journey began as a coordinator for a marketing company and worked his way up to Creative Director. Then, he moved on to Sysomos, a social media data company.
Stamina Labs
“We focused on what people were saying about certain brands. That team and I helped expand the company to Latin America and Mexico since I also speak Spanish. The experience taught me so much about social media and how to use it to grow a business. With the right data, companies can create products their customers want”.
The Sysomos experience provided a powerful tool that he now utilizes in all his creative projects. “I was inspired to go into digital media and tell stories based on this data. I wanted to utilize these skills to create the stories that people want to hear”.
The Content House
Stamina creates a consistent caliber of content, design, and themes. Steven and his team go above and beyond to push the digital media industry even further. “We’re in constant pursuit of creative excellence. We are constantly raising the bar. We do celebrate the small wins, but we keep striving to be great at what we do.
The status quo is not good enough”. This month, Steven and the Stamina team announced their newest project, the Content House, in an exciting location just off Queen Street West. “We began renovating a heritage home specifically with creatives in mind.
For bigger productions, the Content House will have studio space that can be used for morning news, photoshoots, cooking shows, and recording podcasts. This is exciting because we are building a common space for our community”. Stamina’s Content House is expected to open in Spring 2021.
For more innovative content, digital services, and information on the upcoming Content House, visit https://havestamina.com/
Author: Vanessa Butera, Content Writer, The Onside Media, Toronto, Canada. If you have stories to share kindly email: – vanessa.butera@theonside.com
