Check Out Steve Franseen’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Franseen.

Hi Steve, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was in a punk rock band in highschool. Our band never head the funds for a proper PA system, so I started cobbling speakers together with components I found in the back corners of the local used music shops. Later, I was fortunate to get a job working at one of those music shops selling drums and PA gear. When my band needed to record, I decided we should buy recording equipment rather than paying for studio time. So, I set up my first recording studio in my Mom’s basement. The band broke up as bands sometimes do. But, I kept the recording studio going. My mixing abilities along with my mics, stand, cable pack, helped get me into live sound. That’s where I really found one of my main passions – mixing live shows. I’ve had many weekends where I would work close to 60 hours between Friday morning and Sunday night. But, I now own a company that has become probably the (or one of the) most prolific live sound companies in Colorado – at least, from a number of shows per year standpoint. We have 8 mobile stages and handle over 300 events a year. Most of those involving live music.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Many, in the early days, trying to strike the balance between, using the money I earned to live off of or reinvest into more and better gear was always a challenge. Knowing how to put together a slamming PA on a budget was key. I couldn’t afford my first mobile stage, so with the help of a friend I built one from scratch. That in itself is a hell of a story. Trying to figure out how to handle multiple shows that happen simultaneously without cloning myself, learning how to build a team to support the growing business, and or course, the business of the business, accounting, taxes payroll, insurance, etc.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We specialize in outdoor festivals, and concerts. I fly airplanes for fun in my spare time. The weather knowledge gained from that has really helped my company handle the safety side of our events in a really good way. We have also figured out how to execute on small an medium events in an extremely efficient and effective way. So we can provide better value than our competitors.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I found punk rock in about 5th grade. I had been gifted a keyboard for Christmas. It was a real cheesy thing, but a buddy of mine named Andy was also getting into punk rock. We figured out how to kind of fake the Pennywise song.Brohym him on guitar and me playing bass on that keyboard. Andy found a drummer and we attempted to play at our friend Cassie’s birthday party.. we played a few songs (poorly) but when we finished the small crowd was cheering. I was hook at that point. I picked up bass guitar and drums and though I’m not playing much nowadays, I was at one point a pretty accomplished drummer/musician.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mwproductiongroup.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MWproductiongroup/