Meet the visionary founder behind 35mm Co, Madi Stefanis. A thriving venture that began as a humble endeavour selling second hand film cameras on Facebook Marketplace, which has now blossomed into a globally recognised brand. Her ingenuity led to the development of her own line of reusable film cameras, leading her to become trailblazer in her industry. Get to know a bit about Madi and her journey in creating 35 mm Co.
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WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START YOUR BUSINESS?
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I started 35mm Co completely by accident. I had an old film camera at home and decided to list it on Facebook marketplace for sale. People started bidding in the comments and I quickly learnt that film photography was making a comeback - cameras were super in-demand. I sourced and flipped vintage film cameras for a year before creating and developing my own hero product - The Reloader Reusable Film Camera, which we sell today. The rest is history!
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WHAT WERE YOU DOING PRIOR TO STARTING 35 MM CO?
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I started 35mm Co when I was 19, straight out of high school. I was studying marketing and entrepreneurship at RMIT University. I was also working at Mecca part time.
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A TYPICAL DAY IN YOUR LIFE
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Emails every AM, followed by meetings most days. I try to set aside dedicated days of the week for creative work (product development, campaign ideation etc) as this is what I love doing the most in the business. We work with a team of contractors at 35mm Co, so I'm always checking in on production, marketing, PR and accounting.
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BIGGEST BRAND MILESTONE
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Honestly without sounding cliche, it's all of the small moments. Our first order, moving into a warehouse, getting the keys to our first office, seeing our products in stores. Every one of those moments has led to where 35mm Co is today. Airing on Shark Tank, launching into Urban Outfitters and seeing Gwyneth Paltrow use our camera were all big pinch me moments.
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FAVOURITE PRODUCT YOU'VE RELEASED
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Our Coffee Table Photo Album! It's such a fun, nostalgic item and we have lots of new designs coming soon. We reference nostalgia a lot at 35mm Co and try to embed it in everything that we do. I also love the experience of receiving your film photos back, often having forgotten what memories you've captured on the roll.
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ADVICE TO SOMEONE STARTING THEIR OWN BUSINESS
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Small actions compound into large changes. Stay consistent, every single day and eventually you'll look back and see how far you've come.
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A QUOTE YOU LIVE BY
Everyone starts at a different place. Don't compare your journey to others - success is relative.
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