Meet Martine Grol, Founder & Co-owner of Made by Media, a video production company that makes corporate films, animation films and web videos with a feeling for images and marketing, often based on the ‘person in the lens’.
Martina Grol gets entrepreneurial spirit from her family. Her parents owned a restaurant and campsite where she started helping out when she was 25. She learned a lot from them, knowledge that she now applies in her current business. She studied three media courses in university and received an offer to work as a producer at a broadcast station. She worked there for 5 years to finally start Made by Media in 2010. However, she found her business partner, Colin only in 2020 who took the journey from being an intern to her companion patiently.
Talking about her organization, she says, “We produce corporate films, animations and web videos, and we also provide workshops for filming and editing with your smartphone. Video is hot and necessary in your marketing. It helps people to sell their products and services very well.”
Starting out as an entrepreneur in video production was not as easy, even with Grol’s media background. Her previous clients had been television stations, so she had to start from scratch. She was saving up for a trip to Australia at the time, but rather decided to use the money to create a website and logo for the company. She had to network and connect with different people to build her client base. She worked real hard (90 hours a week for 3 years) to lead her company where it is today and offer top-notch service and products to her clients. They have had clients loyal to them for more than five years, something she is very proud of. They trust Made by Media and often give them two assignments in a week. Currently, she lives with her two daughters and her boyfriend who also has his own company. She is also working to maintain a balance between family and work.
When it comes to life, Martine goes by what her mother used to say, “what you give away at the front door, you will receive back at the back door.” This means when you give something to someone, you’ll always get something in return. It could be a big smile or giving good service to your clients or something bigger. But also never do it expecting the return. Grol loves to inspire, help, and motivate people. She recalls an incident back when she was interning in Cape Town. As she was leaving for Holland, a black colleague of hers came and hugged her, saying she had never hugged a white person before, but she’ll make an exception for her. As a white person working at a white management office abroad, her words really stuck with Grol.
To stay at the top of her game at work, Martine believes in working out and staying fit. She does yoga and takes care of her health. Leaving an inspiring message for her readers in this regard, she says, “As a mother and entrepreneur with a lot of struggles during my journey, I learned to take good care of myself first, before you could take good care of your family and company. It is like a top sport, you have to be healthy. It is the same as in the plane, first you have to put on your own oxygen mask before you could help others.”