North Jersey is one of the most densely populated areas in the country. With dense population comes a multitude of small businesses, of which us here at Hartland are now included! Since I moved back home to Sparta, up in Sussex County, after four years at James Madison University in Virginia; I took special notice to the landscape of small business marketing, specifically on social media. Everything has felt too cookie cutter for too long. I knew I wanted to do something about it.

In March of 2026, I quit my job working in a restaurant at a four-star golf resort and packed up my car for a month-long road trip. I spent thirty days sleeping out of my car, waking up in a new environment nearly every day, seeing twenty-three states in those thirty days, and holding my camera in my hands for every moment. It legitimately woke me up. I, for the first time in a long time, knew exactly what I wanted to do.

I wanted to be my own person, sure. But more than that, I wanted to help other people realize that dream, and promote it, as there is nothing more noble, more beautiful than your own small business, providing your local community with a tangible service or goods. So I started Hartland. Maybe it’s in my nature as a creative, but I truly love a double entendre. So, I took my last name (Hartranft), and took a word that I have always felt to encompass the effervescent feeling of American culture (Heartland). And so, I was officially in the Hartland.

Our goal is to bring eyes to your business. Plain and simple. In this day and age, the far and away best method of this is social media. Unfortunately, it seems a lot of small businesses are turning to AI for their marketing. And look, I get it. Small businesses are expensive to maintain, and that might be the only option for some folks. But I have noticed a resounding collective opinion, especially amongst the younger generations, that seeing a business advertise using AI automatically negates any well-doing said business may account for. This kind of thing actually loses potential revenue. On the flip side of the coin, businesses that are doing better than they ever have all share one thing in common: A killer social media page.

And so, we are here to provide exactly this. Photography and videography services optimized for maximum impressions and engagement on social media, which, in turn, always leads to increased sales. If you are a small business in New Jersey, from restaurants to cafes to landscaping to literally any other business, you’re in the right place. Let’s talk and we can provide a worthy display of your vision for your business, through our creative eyes.

Written by:

Rob Hartranft

Founder & CEO