As a small family company approaching 40 years in the audio/visual business, the Floyd family has perfected what it takes to remain competitive in an ever-evolving industry. Despite constant technological changes—from LED lighting and computer editing to artificial intelligence—the family uses decades of experience to adjust to clients’ needs. While the ability to adapt has proven paramount, it’s a traditional form of client-customer relations that keeps The Media Lab Inc. thriving.
“We live by our referrals and our relationships,” Nadine Floyd says of the key to the success for Media Lab, a company she helped found in 1985 with her husband, John. “We’re a very relationship-oriented company and we’ve had people coming to us for services for years. Our clients really become our friends.”
While John Sr. and Nadine were instrumental in establishing the South Florida-based company, their sons, Jimmy and John Jr., have perfected it. Having grown up in the business since their teenage years, they witnessed first-hand how technology impacts the industry, but Media Lab’s core beliefs never altered.
“The biggest thing is, we care,” says John Jr., vice president of technical operations. “We want to be proud of what we produce and provide for our clients. It’s our family name and business, and we don’t mind putting in the extra effort to make sure they look good and keep our clients happy.”
Over the decades, The Media Lab has evolved from a graphic arts and slide imaging company into a full-service marketing support center offering end-to-end audio and video production. As a B2B company, it produces materials for a client roster that includes CSL Plasma, Offerdahl’s Café Grille, Comcast, Spherion, Arby’s, Broward Health, United Way of Broward County and Broward College.
One of the advantages of seeing the transformation of the industry over the decades from John Jr.’s perspective is witnessing first-hand how new technology has emerged and the importance of embracing it.
“I’ve grown up in this business since I was 16, so I’m kind of a jack of all trades,” John Jr. says. “We started when we were young, so we were able to adjust, and I’m always open to something new that comes along. If there’s a new way to do things, I’m always open because I have seen so many changes over the years.”
A critical change for The Media Lab was integrating video services in 1992 when Mark Gompertz was hired. A senior vice president, Gompertz now oversees all client services, but his initial role was shooting and editing video.
“It became our bread and butter,” Gompertz says of video production. “We all collaborate and never say no to what the client requests. If a client calls me at 5 a.m., I’ll be there and ready to adjust to what they need to make sure everything goes right, and it’s been like that since the first day I got here.”
The Media Lab’s in-house studio and green screen enable clients to shoot footage from any location and splice it together seamlessly to satisfy any request.
“We can produce anything from a commercial to a storyboard or a TV show,” says Jimmy, who manages the video production process. “We serve as the bridge. They have an idea for an ad and come to us to facilitate the creation. Years ago, everything was tape-to-tape, and it was laborious and required lots of troubleshooting. Clients had to sit through the entire editing process, but now they can give us instructions and go on their way.”
The Media Lab’s offerings also span meeting and event support and setup. It offers equipment like screens, projectors, and lighting and production services for television, corporate videos, commercials, and tradeshow materials. As they adapt the company’s capabilities to adjust to modern equipment over the years, the Floyd family has remained committed to delivering exceptional work and value through its comprehensive suite of in-house resources. Whether setting up video equipment for a small meeting of 40 to 50 people at a ribbon-cutting cutting ceremony or providing video services for arena and corporate ballroom events with hundreds to thousands of people, the company easily pivots between large and small B2B clients.
Although the family business has seen its fair share of impactful moments that threatened the company’s viability, including 9/11, the Great Recession and COVID-19, the commitment to each other and clients stays at the forefront. As John Jr. and Jimmy transition to more significant roles, Nadine proudly says she can step aside confidently, knowing The Media Lab’s client-centric values remain front and center.
“They work very hard and do a great job, and they have that ethic to go above and beyond,” Nadine says of her sons. “I’m so proud of them and I have nothing to worry about.”
