Meet Shelly Slater & Jodie Hastings | Co-Founders

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shelly Slater & Jodie Hastings and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shelly and Jodie, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
To be honest – we wanted The Slate for ourselves! We wanted a productive office space that included programming and harnessed the creative energy of an on-site production studio. So, we created it. We have been mesmerized that so many others wanted and needed this space, too. We love seeing Dallasites come to The Slate to work, meet with clients, create content, and network.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Slate is “new media” co-working space. From offices to community spaces, The Slate is a one-stop-shop to simplify your life. Our office and production offerings allow our Members and guests to be productive in all aspects of their business when they are here. What really sets us apart is our ability to integrate video production services into your business plan or organization’s goal – all to promote growth. We are watching the upward trajectory of groups who film at The Slate, who take events live from The Slate, and who use video content to connect with customers and clients.

Right now – at this very moment – we are so excited about our “Zoom Room.” Yes, you read that correctly. A room dedicated to the Zooming needs of our Members and guests. We are going to arrange the room with various backdrops, a high-end camera, and most importantly, flattering lighting. Pre-lit settings and high-end video quality are essential for your most important calls, meetings, or interviews. Immediately after The Slate turned 1, COVID-19 caused major disruptions to a business we had barely just established. Today, looking at where we are, we are grateful the business was young and nimble (despite how old and tired we may feel some days). A virtual world has allowed us to show Dallas our professional production studio. People who may have been reluctant to go on-screen before are some of our biggest clients now. When the chips are down, and you have to talk to your audience – be it employees, investors, donors or the public at large – you need a virtual option, and you need well produced video content from The Slate.

Our Slate slogan is “Hone It, Own It, Slate It.” And, 2020 has certainly helped us with the “honing” part. With every new day, we drill down and ask ourselves how we can better serve our Members, guests and the larger Dallas community with office space and virtual event services. We have learned gratitude. We have learned to keep moving. We have learned how to adjust to a situation as it unfolds. And, we know all these lessons make us stronger. We may credit 2020 as the year we learned our business – and its every contingency. Testing all of our offerings in a tough climate has helped us get better at everything we offer at The Slate: office services, video production, virtual events and original programming.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Fun! A week with our besties sounds like a dream. The weeks are a blur, but come Saturday, we would hopefully send our husbands to Taco Deli or Mustang Donuts for a morning breakfast run – WITH the kids – so we could sleep in a little. We would travel from field to field of sporting games and practices. Honestly, we would probably all end up at Jodie’s house for tacos and margaritas and kid talent shows. We would aspire to Uchi for happy hour, or if feeling adventurous, we would drive to Fort Worth to have dinner at The Cookshack. But, we might just tire out and drink wine on our back porches. That is how we roll these days!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
This is so hard – we credit everyone who walks through our doors with bringing life to The Slate and supporting The Slate. But, at the end of the day, we are a family business – and we want to give credit our family. We have loving parents, tolerant spouses, and a brother we hope to lure to work at The Slate one day. After family, we need to credit diet coke, leftover snacks from video shoots, and our wonderful Community Managers, Cali Massad and Ragan Rogers. Cali and Ragan are our secret weapons. They are the most gracious people – and they know their way around the space, especially our Slate Studio. They will help you arrange a virtual event, plan a video shoot, or get you outfitted at a dedicated desk for a productive day at work.

Website: www.theslateproperties.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theslate2403/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theslate/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSlate2403
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-slate-dallas?osq=the+slate
Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9e7VZ1bx5sIO_qnP5SVHuA/featured