We Are Proclaim Interactive
Ancient History
I started creating web sites in 1995. These early sites were designed with PaintShop Pro, hosted on SunSITE (now iBiblio at UNC Chapel Hill), and we used NCSA Mosaic to look at them. My fascination and passion for the web kept growing, so in 1997, I started my first web company, which showed enough promise that is was bought by a larger company within a year. Yet my passion remained, so I started Spence Hackney Design, Inc. in 2000 as another full service web site design company, and Proclaim Medical in 2011 as a medical focused online marketing firm.
Growth trends
It’s almost unbelievable how much has changed since 1995. Paintshop Pro, SunSITE and Mosaic have been replaced by Photoshop Creative Cloud, cloud hosting, and Google Chrome (or more likely Safari on your iPhone). The small company I started in 2000 has grown by leaps and bounds. Over the years we have continuously added staff and abilities, growing into a full service digital marketing firm that offers much more than web design. We now develop sites and apps for mobile, shoot pictures as Google trusted photographers, produce custom videos, and we even provide a wide range of search engine, pay per click and social media marketing services.
Drum Roll Please
With the history lesson behind us, we all felt it was time for a new name that better describes what we do. As of January 1, we are officially Proclaim Interactive! This is what we do. We proclaim your message using all the methods the digital interactive world provides: web, mobile, search, social, video, imagery, virtual tours, branding, etc. We use all of these tools to amplify your message and bring in more clients, patients or donors. Your growth is the product we provide.
A Big Thank You
We’ve been blessed with amazing clients who have brought us many challenging projects over the past 19 years. First off, THANK YOU! Our clients are the reason I get out of bed every morning excited to see what the day brings. We owe you a huge debt. You’ve made the past 19 years a truly amazing ride!
The Meat and Potatoes
With all the changes, there are bound to be a few questions. Of course, I would love for you to call or email and ask these, but I also wanted to take a few minutes to answer a couple that have been the most frequently asked:
So Spence, I guess you are moving to some island so you can fish all day, right?
Not likely! I am still in the office every day and I’ll still pick up the phone when you call. What our growth has enabled me to do is to focus my attention squarely on one thing: making sure that our clients are getting the best possible results. My role is “chief make-the-client-happy officer.” I get to be the one that dreams big and that gets to come up with out-of-the box ideas for our clients that translate into incredible results. How cool is that.
Did someone buy you guys out?
Nope, we’re not for sale. This was just a name change. Same people. Same ownership. Same corporate structure. Same great service!
Are you going to get all big-time and move your call center 2,000 miles away?
Nope. Give it a try. Pick up the phone and call us. You will still get a real, live, friendly voice on the other end located right here in Wilmington, NC.
You look all snazzy now, but what do I get out of it?
- Ability to implement a truly integrated digital marketing plan with a single source. We can handle all of your online needs in house and make them all work together.
- Multiple layers of staff for a faster turn around.
- GREAT people. I mean this. We’ve always hired on character, and the staff we have now are nothing short of amazing. Our clients repeatedly tell me how much they love working with our staff. I am sure you you will love working with them too! We’re going to try and introduce everyone to you over the next few months. Sign up for our newsletter if you would like the updates.
- Our growth has given us the luxury of expanding our capacity. We can take on new work and knock it out of the park!
You’ve done lots of medical practices and nonprofits in the past, are you guys dropping this focus?
Nope, not at all! We still do a tremendous amount of work for hospitals, clinics, medical practices, nonprofits and churches and don’t plan on changing this. However, we also do a substantial amount of work in general business. We’ve found that our skills and tactics work well in a wide range of industries.
Do you still have the philanthropic side of your business?
Oh yeah, this is why I am still coming to work! We still contribute a significant portion of our profits to fund a wide array of charities. Our values haven’t changed either. Don’t worry, we’ll shut the doors before this goes away.
The Sappy Part
Thanks again for being a part of the Proclaim Interactive family! I deeply appreciate your support over the years and can’t wait to build the future with you. Here’s to 2014 and beyond!