My name is Matthew Stigall and I welcome you to my website. The simplest way to describe me is to say that I do what I love. I consider myself lucky to have been given the opportunity to dedicate my life and my career to doing the things I love and believe in. This website will be my thoughts and opinions on these passions, and I hope that it somehow benefits you. I am known to have many passions and interests, but for the sake of having some minimal direction, here are some of my core beliefs, or pillars that I will be writing about on this website.

1. Entrepreneurship

the act of being an entrepreneur, which is a French word meaning “one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods”.

I am, at my core, an entrepreneur.  I also believe that what makes this country so amazing is the opportunity we are given to innovate and create.  As we are born, and throughout our lives, we are given the ability to make our lives what we truly want them to be.  At the stage in my life, I want to believe I can succeed creating a business on my own and living life the way I want.  Here are some of the companies I have started or am in the process of starting.

• Spring4th Media-Provides services and consulting in new and emerging technologies
• Sidegig Studios- Highlights and serves as a resource for people who have started their own company based on their passions
• Nexpense- Mobile Expense Reporting and Receipt Management Application
• Atlanta Soundboard- Website dedicated to the local music scene of Atlanta
• Atl Sports TV- Online Video portal for Atlanta Sports

I also have this belief that with the proper effort and dedication, people can achieve whatever they want by doing the things they love. I am obsessed with technology and how it has enabled empowered ordinary people to do extraordinary things. The main technologies I believe in are social media and online video. I have witnessed the removal of barriers in these technologies allowing anyone, from solopreneurs to large enterprises, to benefit.

2. Online Video

the art and science of videotaping, editing, and distributing a finished video product for distribution over the internet.

My professional video career started as a Freshman at Georgia Tech when I was hired as a member of the Video Staff for the football team.  I have been hooked ever since.  Whether it was filming weddings or working the video for camps for the National Football League, I have a wide range of experience behind the lens.  It has all taught me what I know today about the technical aspects of videography and I hope to one day direct my own movie.  For the time being, I am passionate about teaching people how their companies can benefit from the use of online video.  I also have years of experience in the Online Video Platform industry, and will be starting an industry specific blog at www.onlinevideoexpert.com.

3. Social Media

the use of highly accessible and scalable web-based publishing technologies to transform and broadcast media through social interaction. They support the democratization of knowledge and information and transform people from content consumers to content producers.

Social Media is real and it has truly changed our lives.  The fact that the conversations have changed in a little more than 100 years from handwritten to voice to digital to mobile is astounding.  The spread of information has accelerated from days to minutes to seconds and everyone is entering an ever-changing frontier.  I find this fascinating and have been studying the impacts of social media on individuals, small businesses, and large corporations.  I believe everyone can benefit from social media, and the most amazing thing about it, to me, is the fact that we have no idea where new technologies are taking us in the future.

4. Sports

an organized, competitive, and skillful physical activity requiring commitment and fair play. It is governed by a set of rules or customs. In a sport the key factors are the physical capabilities and skills of the competitor when determining the outcome (winning or losing).

For some, sports may simply be an interest, but for me it is a passion.  I grew up playing numerous sports (baseball, basketball, football, tennis, and golf) and actively follow many more.  For me, it is the ultimate escape that allows me to get away for just a short time.  Cheering for a championship team gives memories that last forever, and there’s always the hope of next year for a losing team.  Most of my sports teams are the local ones based in Atlanta, such as the Braves, Thrashers, Hawks, Falcons.  The team I am truly passionate about, though, is my alma mater, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.  Sure, they have taken some years off my life, but they have also given me countless memories that I could never forget.