With cutting-edge technology upgrades unveiled on what seems like a daily basis, the ambitious business owner can run a company with no more than a laptop and a smartphone, says Rob Kissner.
His mission is to show them how. And then some.
The Digital Arts Experience Inc., founded by Kissner, opened July 11 in White Plains and began offering a wide range of courses July 16.
The company”™s goal is simple: to help businesses and individuals unlock the full potential of the devices they use on a daily basis, while also providing instruction in audio and video production, graphic design, animation, photography and web design.
Kissner, who previously managed a recording studio in addition to working for Apple Inc. as a computer trainer, said he and his father initially conceived of The Digital Arts Experience as a venue to provide students with hands-on training in the digital media production field.
However, Kissner said, they expanded the scope of their initial plan to include courses and training programs for adults and businesses after observing a major void in services aimed at businesses that wanted to implement their own marketing initiatives but lacked the technological know-how.
“What we”™re trying to do is take the things a small business would normally rely on a third-party company to do, and give them the tools to do that in-house,” Kissner said. “There”™s really no place to go that will cater to these specific businesses, so that”™s what we”™re aiming to do.”
Among the course offerings for businesses are programs focusing on social media, e-commerce, branding and marketing, blogging and web design, and cybersecurity.
Digital Arts, which employs about 15 people in different technology fields, also offers courses in various software products, including Microsoft Office, Quicken, Evernote and Dropbox.
Courses aimed at adults run the gamut from those that teach the basics of smartphones and laptops to those who delve into multimedia production.
The bulk of the company”™s efforts since opening have been directed toward marketing.
“That”™s really what it”™s been, 100 percent,” Kissner said.
He said the company has already reached out to various business organizations, including The Business Council of Westchester and the Westchester County Association, in addition to the county Department of Tourism.
After getting courses up and running, Kissner said the ultimate goal is to create a business model that can be duplicated at other locations.
“Really what the long-term goal is, is to take this idea, work out the kinks and transplant it in other communities,” he said.
Kissner said the company looked at several possibilities before selecting White Plains, which he called “a no-brainer” due to its central location.
Digital Arts is located at 170 Hamilton Ave., which is owned and managed by GHP Office Realty, also based in White Plains.
The 8,000-square-foot facility includes a recording studio, classroom spaces and a number of computer rooms for small group or individual training.
Digital Arts signed a seven-year lease for the property, and was represented by Bruce Wenig of Rakow Commercial Realty Group Inc.
