Q&A with Rory Glaeseman '95

Rory Glaeseman ’95 is a co-founder and Vice President of News | Production at SPACEMOB Studio, a content creation studio and distribution company. He worked as a staff photojournalist and editor for Gannett newspapers/stations in New England and New York, as well as for Newsday on Long Island before co-founding SPACEMOB in 2016. He was nominated for the Pulitzer in 2004 (Photography) and has won multiple news Emmys in New York. He graduated from Franklin & Marshall college with degrees in economics and German.

Our company’s goal is to take the concepts of video and still productions that you see in newsrooms/TV stations and combine them with the production of documentary-style films. We use this perspective to develop content for brands, national publishers and OTT (Over The Top) TV series productions. We provide a unique service which allows us to be an extension of our clients’ internal production division. 

A lot of what I do is the result of what I learned in the field and newsrooms, as a journalist. Whether it was capturing a moment of happiness or a moment of sadness, I really fell in love with telling stories across the entire spectrum of life. It is a great feeling when you act as a bridge between the subject and the audience. I took that love of storytelling, of creation, and I brought it in co-founding SPACEMOB Studio. Video content is significantly consumed right now, COVID or not. If you create content, people will watch it. I believe everyone in my industry has the responsibility to create stories that matter and connect with their audience. I enjoy creating and helping companies/directors deliver their full story and not just a “One and Done” perspective, which exists in this industry. At the end of the day whether I close my laptop or wrap on set, I feel like I have something to show for it. I did something for the greater good, by communicating a concept, a perspective, a story.

We’ve had to pivot a bit as a company during Covid. But now with vaccinations, production is returning. The pandemic has led to a significant increase in OTT content development and adding that with the already existing continued growth, it is a great space to work in. If you can create the work, safely, it is a great opportunity. We are always subject to changes within the video content space and as more streaming services and apps come into the market, there are always “screens” to share your work. 

I came to Tower Hill in eighth grade. It was a hard transition for me to make the jump to the THS level of academia. One of the best components of the Tower Hill environment is that it teaches you how to take information, digest it and express it in a way that others can learn from you. It comes down to great teachers and great administrators who establish the infrastructure where you can learn. But more importantly, it is a result of your intimate group of peers. We had roughly 50 classmates, and most of us keep in touch through social media. I would say my closest friends are still my fellow alums. At Tower Hill, you learn from your excellent teachers, but more importantly you learn from your peers. They inspire you. I don’t think you always see that when you’re in high school. I think about my former THS graduates, including those above and below, in year, and realize how motivated and inspired I was, and I think about those relationships often. 

What I learned from Tower Hill is to have confidence in my ability to learn—to have confidence and understand what it takes to do what you need to do to get to your goal. There are so many times when I was in the field and it was cold, rainy and chaotic. I felt like I could get through it, and a lot of it came from my experience at Tower Hill. That is something that is invaluable to me. For a lot of people, you can go to Tower Hill and then move on to a great college or university, and it’s a stepping stone. For me, it was a cornerstone. It helped me to strengthen my intellectual core and drive. THS gave me the base so that I can dig deep and make the magic happen.