Meet Matt Pintauro: Video Producer, Graphic Designer and Web Developer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matt Pintauro and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matt, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I always loved the idea of entrepreneurship but never really thought I would take that path myself. I kind of fell into it naturally. I worked in a small production studio and saw the way things ran with client management, workflow systems and time management. After a while of working there, I really wanted more flexibility for myself and to take on jobs that interested me personally. I started taking on my own clients and things started to snowball from there!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
At Darkwave Designs, we pride ourselves on our ability to act as a one-stop-shop for visual solutions. Whether a company has just started and needs graphic design, web development and video, or an established brand looking to rebrand, we are equipped to help them tell the story they want to share with the world. As the visual director, I come from a graphic design education and that translates really well into the other areas of visual services we offer. Everything is based in composition and the graphic designer in me understands that. Therefore we are able to create compelling work that stands out from what everyone else is doing! This is always the hard part, but the most rewarding! When we are able to create something original for a brand, it very quickly gets recognized by others and we have earned most of our clients through word of mouth and referrals. We certainly face our fare share of challenges, however. We are a small band of 2-3 contractors and we like to stay lightweight and mobile. That way we can be extremely dynamic to our clients’ needs as they change and evolve. 2020 presented us with plenty of challenges but we’ve learned to reduce our overhead and operating costs, offer compelling prices with absolutely no shortcut in quality, and always put customer satisfaction at the forefront of our purpose. We are solution-oriented, and that means we keep the client in the conversation as much as they desire so that they are receiving a product that they are happy with.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Some of my favorite spots around the Denver area include Red Rocks Ampitheatre, the RiNo district and South Broadway. Red Rocks is an incredible spot to take in the natural sights even if there isn’t any shows going on. You can often find people getting in their outdoor workouts and its a super vibrant place to spend a morning. I also like to brewery hop around the RiNo area as there are some great spots to bounce around to – especially during the summer. Then I like to get some work done over at Historians and maybe finish an evening on their rooftop patio. That place is great any time of day!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d really like to thank Sean Nook of Black Bottle Brewery in Fort Collins. He really took a chance on me as one of my first clients while I was still in college. Sean commissioned me to design labels for their beers as well as other merchandise. We had a ton of fun creating original illustrations and artwork that fit the brand. This relationship gave me a ton of confidence in building a portfolio as well as handling client relations.

Website: darkwavedesigns.com
Instagram: @_mattyp_93
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathewtpintauro/
Twitter: NA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matt.pintauro
Yelp: NA
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZpGZKkaz2bAQ33Jp6-5yTg

Image Credits
Bri Christman provided photos