An Open Letter from S.R. Tommie
An Open Letter from S.R. Tommie, Founder and President of Redline Media Group, on the 18th Anniversary of the full-service advertising and marketing agency’s founding.
Dear Friends, Colleagues, & Client-Partners:
Today is a special day to me, because it was eighteen years ago—May 12th, 2003—that I founded Redline Media Group.
With three employees operating out of a 900 square foot space, you could say we had humble beginnings. But together we shared a rich vision: to fulfill the marketing and advertising needs of our Client-Partners efficiently, effectively and to the very best of our abilities.
Over the years, we developed our vision and grew with each and every accomplishment. The best part was that our success was based upon making our Client-Partners successful, too—a true win-win situation. Today, as we celebrate our 18th Anniversary, we remind ourselves to accept our collective success with grace and gratitude for where we began, where we are now, and where the journey will take us in the years to come.
As a child, many laughed at the thought when I shared the vision of the future that I saw for myself, as if my ambitions were not achievable. My Grandmother, Mother and Aunties, encouraged me and reinforced that “failure is not an option,” for me. This little Seminole girl growing up in a traditional camp located just east of Lake of Okeechobee, dreamed of the day that she would represent her Native American bloodline and exemplify her tribe’s legacy of being unconquered. I have remained inspired by strong matriarchs, often reflecting on my humble beginnings of being raised in a community of close family, each residing in their own chickee (a thatched roof hut with dirt floors); we honored the land, while being immersed in the rich culture and ancestral heritage of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. It’s been a long journey, but certainly well worth every step that I have taken to get to this point, and I remain honored while continuing on this path to making a purposeful difference. I strive to be the example to those with ambition outside the norm of their family’s existence, to embody the adage, “if you can perceive it, you can achieve it.”
There have been many great lessons that I have learned along the way. In my years prior to founding Redline Media Group, I dedicated twenty-seven years in various capacities to the Seminole Tribe of Florida—economic development, social welfare, community development & management for both the Board and Council arms of Tribal Government, ultimately serving as Chief of Staff to the Chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. These experiences allowed me to gather the necessary tools to carry on into the future, while creating opportunities to better understand the importance of communication, collaboration, clear and concise messaging, problem solving, consistency and making a positive impact.
I have seen firsthand what building a great team means—not just for today—but for the future. Redline may have started small, but our core was highly experienced, consisting of industry veterans with proven leadership skills. We stayed true to our mantra, “Working Together, Works!” as we began finding success with innovative marketing solutions for unique, first-ever events such as “The World Awaits: De La Hoya vs. Mayweather” with HBO PPV and working alongside Bjorn Rebney to launch Bellator Fighting Championships, which has become one of the premier MMA organizations, in arguably the world’s most popular combat sport today.
As our Client-Partner roster began to expand, so did the size and skill set of our team. We found success with events regionally and worldwide; with retailers and service industries, including automotive, consumer goods, education, heating & air, legal; entertainment, media, casinos, hospitality; municipality rebranding, government communication and more. Over the years, we have had the distinct honor and privilege to develop creative for some of the world’s most iconic brands, from Hard Rock International, Seminole Gaming, Harley-Davidson, ESPN, HBO, Madison Square Garden, Staples Center, Prudential Center, to Lamborghini, Bugatti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Audi, Flora Fine Foods and more.
I am pleased to say that Redline Media Group has become known for many differentiating factors, including our deep commitment to accountability and quality control; workflow management; and a unique approach to the creative storytelling process inspired by Native American culture—all of which has enabled us to deliver compelling brand campaigns and creative compositions on a consistent basis, which can be seen in over 76 countries.
We have curated some of our most important, proven and proprietary techniques relative to social trending patterns, technical use of color, psychology, personality characteristics, market dynamics and more, all curated under our trademarked ScivertisingTM process. The art of ScivertisingTM has been a catalyst for us, and I am proud to say this process is an integral part of what fuels the successful campaigns we create for brands globally.
As one of our greatest differentiators, I’m especially happy with our multi-cultural expertise, which is driven not only by our experience in marketing to wide-ranging interests, cultural, socioeconomic and lifestyle groups around the globe, but also by the very composition of the Redline Media Group team itself. We are grateful to have team members from those same diverse groups contributing to the process each and every day.
We are serious about the importance of team. Of the dozens of awards we have been blessed with earning for our advertising work, not a single one of them bears the name of any one individual. Our awards are a representation of the collaboration that is required to achieve true success. In our minds, every single acknowledgement that is received is symbolic of the team effort. Therefore, each recognition represents an, “All For One, Won for All” state-of-mind, signifying the best outcome from the array of contributions by each team member at Redline Media Group.
These are some of the many things upon which I reflect today; I know all of them have been instrumental in our success, allowing us to be an integral part of groundbreaking campaigns, like “Discover Your Rhythm,” for the first-ever Guitar Hotel in Hollywood, Florida and the expansion of the Hard Rock branded property in Tampa, Florida—together the single largest casino project ever undertaken. And the worldwide success of the “Safe + Sound” program, which communicated the stringent sanitary protocols Hard Rock Cafes, Hotels, Hotel Casinos and Rock Shops were undertaking during COVID-19 recovery worldwide, which has become referred to as the gold standard in the industry.
Ultimately, as we look back on our 18-year journey, there is something else that gets us even more excited. And that is the thought of continuing to work for our Client-Partners, creating compelling campaigns for iconic brands that will drive success for the next 18 years and beyond. Our unique experiences make way for our team to be fueled with super-charged motivation and unbridled excitement, which continues to bring us to work early in the morning and keeps us here late at night.
It’s what we live for. And what we love.
Our hearts are filled with gratitude for the Blessing of each of you. This journey could not be possible without your trust and confidence in us. Thanks to all of you for making our wishes come true on our 18th birthday today. We Are All Grown Up!
Here’s to many more years of wishes coming true for all of us!
MVTO- Ma-Doe / A Seminole Creek word that denotes Gratitude.
