From telecom to family streaming: Robert Marks’ mission to bring home videos to the big screen
Robert Marks has built big before. In 1999, he launched Fidelity Voice and Data with just $600 and a bold vision to expand internet access across Ohio. Over the next 15 years, he scaled it into a $30 million telecommunications and cloud services business, building data centers in Cleveland, Columbus, and Chicago and becoming a regional leader in VoIP technology.
Marks is now channeling that same entrepreneurial drive into something much more personal: family memories.
Reimagining the Home Movie Experience
Today, Marks is the co-founder and CEO of Projector, a new streaming service that lets users watch their own home movies and personal videos on their TVs—as easily as they stream Netflix. Launched in 2020 with co-founder Layne Swenson, Projector is designed for families looking to bring their memories out of the cloud and into the living room.
“Everyone has incredible footage stuck on their phones, laptops, or external drives,” Marks said. “We built Projector to give people a beautiful, simple way to relive those moments with the people they love.”
Projector offers a user-friendly experience that helps organize, curate, and stream personal content, whether it’s a baby’s first steps or a decades-old family vacation. For Marks, the platform solves a modern problem with a nostalgic solution: the return of the home movie night.
From Data Centers to Digital Memories
While Projector is a departure from enterprise cloud infrastructure, the journey isn’t all that different. “At Fidelity, we solved a tech infrastructure problem that affected millions,” said Marks. “At Projector, we’re solving a very human challenge: reconnecting people to their own stories.”
After selling Fidelity in 2015, Marks took time to focus on philanthropy and his family. But the entrepreneurship itch to build returned. With a renewed focus on impact and simplicity, Projector became the right next step, blending consumer tech with emotional resonance.
Why He’s Still Betting on Ohio
Marks is also a vocal advocate for Ohio’s tech ecosystem. From his home in Chagrin Falls, he’s watched the state emerge as a viable hub for innovation. But Marks says access to early-stage capital remains a barrier.
“We’ve got incredible talent and an unbeatable cost of living,” he said. “But we need more founders, investors, and leaders to bet on Ohio as a place to build and scale world-class tech.”
As Projector grows, Marks remains committed to building from the Midwest and showing what’s possible.
Bringing Joy to the Big Screen
At its core, Projector is about connection. “The best technology disappears into the background and lets people be present,” said Marks. “That’s what we’re aiming for. Moments of joy, captured and replayed, without the friction.”
With a proven track record, a new mission, and deep Ohio roots, Robert Marks is once again proving that big ideas, and big impact, can start small. All it takes is just a few home movies.