QUEENS TECH SPOTLIGHT: Jeff Schick/Sprite Media

The Queens Tech Corner is a running segment on Chamber social media channels highlighting tech entrepreneurs doing exciting things in Queens.

This month, This Is Queensborough features Jeff Schick is founder and chief technology officer at Sprite Media (sprite-media.com), a Queens-based company that produces digital signage and designs websites with an eye toward affordability, so that all businesses—large and small—can benefit from their work.

What exactly is digital signage?

Digital signage is essentially what it sounds like, a digital image or video that is usually used to market a product. You see digital signage everywhere nowadays: just look at the menu behind the counter at any big coffee shop chain, those advertisements at the bus stop that change every few seconds, or anywhere around you in Times Square.

The medium allows you to work with a great variety of effects. The best part about digital signage is that you can utilize it to get creative in ways that regular old signage simply won’t allow for.

How have you used your skills to help companies and other organizations in Queens during the pandemic?

Since I founded Sprite Media, and especially during the pandemic, I’ve been working with clients to ensure they are presenting their businesses well through a visually appealing, easy-to-navigate website. The first impression you make on your potential customer is an essential part of any business, and for many, that first impression comes from your website.

I always start by asking my clients the question, “What are you trying to accomplish with this website?” This simple question helps clarify a lot, both for myself and the client: if their primary goal with their website is selling a product or service, there’s a specific way to approach that, just like there’s a specific way to approach a website that primarily seeks to inform viewers on the mission of a nonprofit organization.

What does it mean to you to help out businesses in Queens?

Back in the early days of the pandemic, I joined one of the Queens Chamber’s business recovery initiatives, using my skills to help small businesses identified by the Chamber build their online presence. It’s been tremendously rewarding being able to help the small businesses of Queens get back on their feet, bolder and better than ever before.