The story of Ann Arbor-based Hook
is quite typical of new-economy start-ups. College friends talk about starting
business before taking jobs in the real world.
"We got into companies a couple of years ago and
realized working for other people isn’t the thing for us," says Aaron
Schwartz, who co-founded the company with Michael Watts last year. "So we
decided to give it a shot and things have turned out well."
The former University
of Michigan students have
turned Hook into a firm that incorporates 3-D imagery into commercial art, such
as animation and illustrations. The firm's clients include Toyota
and its work appeared in this year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
The company now employees three part-time people on top of
its founders and a handful of freelancers. Watts
and Schwartz hope sign on for some large-scale projects for bigger advertising
agencies and expand their payroll to five or six people by the end of the year.
A staff of up to a dozen people could be possible within two years.
But for now, its Watts and
Schwartz trying to make a go of it on their own and enjoying a bit of success
from their hard work.
Source: Aaron Schwartz, co-founder of Hook
Writer: Jon Zemke
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