Bluewater Media To Add 10 Jobs In 2011

Bluewater Media, a Clearwater-based multimedia company serving the Tampa Bay region, plans to hire 10 more employees in the next year. The company, formed in 2000, has experienced steady growth since 2006, says Bluewater Media CEO Andy Latimer, adding that the company’s growth has caused moves from Tampa to St. Petersburg and now to Clearwater. “We went from 300 square feet of office space to 33,000 square feet in three years,” Latimer says. Bluewater Media currently has 20 fulltime employees, and Latimer says the company plans to grow by 50 percent in the next year. It also contracts freelancers as needed for various projects. Latimer attributes Bluewater Media’s success to a key strategic decision to focus on digital media. “We were the first production company in Florida to be a 100 percent tapeless house and have tapeless remote production,” Latimer says. “With an investment in technology from Panasonic, we were able to live in a tapeless world, which reduced the overall expenses capturing the content.”   Another force that Latimer attributes to the company’s success is his personnel. “We are a very entrepreneurial business,” Latimer says, that rewards employees regardless of their place in the company. “We offer commission on sales for every employee in the company,” Latimer says. “For example, if a receptionist brings in a job, she gets a commission. This enables the employee to generate their own income and their own opportunities.” Writer: Kimberly Patterson Source: Andy Latimer, Bluewater Media