David and Jennifer Pfahlert were already in their mid-30s when they first met through online dating in Seattle. Well aware of what they were looking for in a partner, they immediately clicked and, within five months, were married.
David describes himself as a creative visionary while Jennifer approaches her work with a community-oriented mindset. And in the media space they work in together, it’s a perfect balance.
“The synergy that we have is that we’re very alike in a lot of ways, but we’re also very different in just the right aspects so that we can kind of complement each other,” Jennifer said.
David has owned and operated Silent Stream Media for the past 12 years after an eight-year stint in the film marketing industry. With the creation of Silent Stream Media, David’s goal was to offer his skills, knowledge, and equipment to small business owners like himself who are looking to market their trade.
“My intent when I first started Silent Stream Media was to really give that same quality and the same services to the little guy, to the small business, to the entrepreneur, the startup, because back in those days, we didn’t have the Peter McKinnon‘s and the YouTube stars that have a full production company in a backpack for 1,000 bucks,” David said. “Commercial production can be five, six figures, and most startup businesses can’t afford that.”
Jennifer joined the team after they were married and is a content creator, sharing bits of her journey toward becoming more intentional via her Instagram and YouTube.
But over the years, the Pfahlerts saw that it takes more than just good marketing to launch a business. That’s when Launchbox Collective truly started to come to life.
Launchbox Collective is a one-stop shop with everything small business owners and entrepreneurs may need to create and grow their company.
“I always thought to myself, ‘Why can’t everything I need to market and brand and test my concepts be under one roof?’ And so that’s how the Launchbox vision kind of came to fruition,” David said.
As small business owners and entrepreneurs themselves, David and Jennifer have had their fair share of personal frustrations with starting businesses over the years. And the growth of nomad culture during the COVID-19 pandemic further solidified what they saw as a need for a space in Fort Worth that caters to the self-made entrepreneur.
“Since moving to Texas, Dave and I have really leaned more into that desire to help boost the local economy, because we really believe in locally made, American made, non-toxic,” Jennifer said. “We’re really focused on the local entrepreneurs that help to actually bring value into our communities and into our homes.”
Small business owners and entrepreneurs have spoken out about Fort Worth’s limited available resources and complicated permitting process as a deterrent to entrepreneurs and start-ups from coming and staying in the city. In response, the city created the entrepreneurship and innovation committee and has also been working to better market the city nationally.
Launchbox Collective began as the brainchild of David nearly seven years ago but construction really began a year and a half ago. A grand opening is expected this summer and has gathered a growing following on its Instagram page, where the couple shares regular updates on the project.
Launchbox Collective will house seven fully equipped content creation studios, two podcast studios, broadcast meeting and workshop rooms as well as an event space and retail pop-up spaces. There will also be in-house creative consultant experts, a soundstage, gear rental and a coffee shop.
“I think it’s going to be really great for small businesses. I think a lot of the time small businesses struggle to get off their feet or into the public because they don’t want to sign some a three-year lease or there’s all these unknowns that come with it. So to be able to do these short-term pop-ups or short-term rental spaces, I think it’s just the way of the future going forward,” said Britney Duke, creator of Fort Worth Business Gals and owner of Solkri Design.
Duke initially connected with the Pfahlerts online and has visited the site of the future Launchbox Collective. The couple’s vision for the space coupled with their positive energy makes it a perfect space for community organizations and small businesses to collaborate, Duke said.
“They’ve been pouring their heart and souls and every cent they have into everything. It’s very admirable and they’re sticking to what they really want to do and I love that,” she said. “They’re very positive people. They have a great energy about them. They’re very hard-working, and you can tell that they have a lot of passion for their work as well.”
As the Pfahlerts continue to settle into Fort Worth and prepare for the opening of Launchbox Collective, the couple also hopes to integrate different community outreach and civic engagement programs to make the space inviting to the whole community.
“That’s one of the main things that differentiate us from traditional studios is that we’re more than just a place where you can come and create a video,” Jennifer said. “We’re somewhere that anyone can come at any time and be inspired.”
“Bring that whole social aspect back into entrepreneurship, which has been lost over the last few years,” David said. “We think this will be what community centers are in the future because everyone’s forced to be a creator nowadays.”
Sandra Sadek is a Report for America corps member, covering growth for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at sandra.sadek@fortworthreport.org or follow her on Twitter at @ssadek19.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
David Pfahlert’s Bio
Birthplace: Clearwater, Florida
Moved to Fort Worth: Christmas 2020
Family: Wife (Jenn), Daughter (Sophia)
Education: North Carolina State
Work experience: Video Marketing & Live Event Production 20+ years
Volunteer experience: Used to own a pitbull rescue in Northern California
First job: Working with my dad at his graphic design company
Advice for someone learning to be a leader: Find something you absolutely love and want to get really good at, that way you will wake up looking forward to it every day.
Best advice ever received: Failure is not the opposite of success, it is the foundation of it!
Jennifer Pfahlert’s Bio
Birthplace: South Korea
Moved to Fort Worth: Christmas 2020
Family: Husband (Dave) Dog (Buckley) Daughter (Sophia)
Education: Trinity Western University (Canada)
Work experience: Content Creator & Blogger with experience in hospitality, education, retail Management, event management, customer and community service & engagement
Volunteer experience: Have always served at my church (Sunday school, music, events, community outreach, etc). Traveled to New Orleans with friends in 2008 to help with rebuilding communities after Hurricane Katrina
First job: In high school, I started tutoring English to classmates
Advice for someone learning to be a leader: Never assume you know everything. Be open to learning something new & listen more than you speak, but make decisions firmly.
Best advice ever received: Let your positivity and smile be the thing that people remember when you leave the room.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, by following our guidelines.
