About

We started with a camera and a photo walk.

RAW began in 2015 as a series of photo walks for Detroit’s creatives. Ten years later it is a media platform with an audience of more than 245,000 people and a full-service marketing agency trusted by developers, venues and national brands.

From photo walks to a marketing agency

Shawn Mangenje moved to Detroit from the UK in 2015 with a camera and a conviction that the city was too often shown in the wrong light. He started hosting workshops and photo walks for local creatives, and a community formed around them. That community grew into one of Detroit’s largest independent media audiences.

Paige Pope joined in 2019 and turned the audience into a business. Today our channels reach about 46 million views a year across Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, and roughly 60% of that audience lives in Metro Detroit.

RAW Digital Group is where we do that same work for clients. The crew that covers Detroit every day also flies the drone over your development, lights your dining room, cuts your launch video and puts it in front of the people you want to reach.

Why that matters to you

Most agencies learn what works from other people’s results. We learn it from our own channels, every day, in this market. When we recommend a format, a posting time or a hook, we have usually tested it on our own channels first. And when a campaign needs reach, we can put it on a platform Detroiters already follow.

Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial ParkAerial preview of the 22-acre riverfront park before opening
Lost WoodsA 160-acre eco resort in Boyne Falls: glamping dome, sauna and trails
2015First RAW photo walk
245K+Followers across our channels
46MViews a year across our channels
60%Of the audience in Metro Detroit

Fact sheet

RAW Digital Group at a glance

The basics in one place, kept current. Updated October 2026.

Name
RAW Digital Group (RDG). Known as SMSocial until the 2025 rename.
Founded
2015, in Detroit, as a series of RAW photo walks for local creatives.
Studio
2200 Hunt St, Detroit, MI 48207. Phone (313) 241-0004.
Leadership
Shawn Mangenje, Founder & Creative Director; Paige Pope, Co-Founder & Head of Growth.
Services
Drone photography and video (aerial stills, cinematic aerial video, FPV fly-throughs), video production, commercial and food photography, 360 virtual tours, social media management, paid social, influencer and creator marketing, and marketing strategy.
Drone credentials
FAA Part 107 certified commercial drone pilots. Drone starting prices are published on our drone pricing page; other services are quoted.
Service area
Metro Detroit (no drone travel charge in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties) and all of Michigan, plus Ohio (Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus), Indiana, Chicago and Windsor, Ontario.
Track record
383 clients served and 137M+ views generated. Our own channels reach 245,000+ followers and about 46M views a year, roughly 60% of them in Metro Detroit.
Published results
A Shinola limited timepiece release that sold out within hours, a Club Studio gym opening with more than 1,000 sign-ups and a Stillwater Stables feature that passed 450,000 views. See the work.

Leadership

The people on your project

You work directly with the founders. No hand-off to a junior account team after the pitch.

Founder & Creative Director

Shawn Mangenje

A photographer who moved from the UK to Detroit in 2015 and started RAW as a series of photo walks and workshops for the city’s creatives. Shawn leads creative direction, directs shoots and still shoots much of the photography RAW is known for.

Paige Pope, Co-Founder & Head of GrowthCo-Founder & Head of Growth

Paige Pope

A Michigan native and Central Michigan University graduate who joined the company in 2019. Paige runs strategy, client growth and the systems behind our audience, bringing six years in multimedia and a background building and running her own ventures.

Brands we have worked with

Ford logoShinola logoBarton Malow logoMarriott logoVerizon logoDetroit Tigers logoForbes logoRaising Cane's logoClub Studio logoBiggby Coffee logoEinstein Bros. Bagels logoMotorCity Casino logoAXS logoLexar logoY&R logoBroadway in Detroit logoCity of Detroit logoHour Detroit logoThe Residences at Water Square logoNational Coney Island logoDetroit vs. Everybody logoGametime logoHouston TX Hot Chicken logoJax Kar Wash logoStillwater Stables logoKackleberry Farms logoBeyond Juicery + Eatery logoDetroit Hustles Harder logoFire Creek logoRAW Digital Group client logoMyFlight Tours logoRueblur logoCowboy Denny's logoSimon PLC logoChili Pepper's Tanning logoFarmington Hills Family Dentistry logoLC logoRAW Digital Group client logoRAW Digital Group client logo

Stills

Frames from our footage

Full-resolution frames from shoots for venues, developers, hotels and brands. See all the work →

Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park: Progress aerial, October 2025
Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial ParkProgress aerial, October 2025
Caesars Windsor: Resort aerial at dusk
Caesars WindsorResort aerial at dusk
Detroit Opera House: Marquee aerial
Detroit Opera HouseMarquee aerial
The Residences at Water Square: Rooftop event aerial
The Residences at Water SquareRooftop event aerial
Birmingham Farmers Market: Aerial for a shopping district
Birmingham Farmers MarketAerial for a shopping district
Masonic Temple: Facade detail, aerial
Masonic TempleFacade detail, aerial

The crew

A Detroit roster, built over ten years

Our early photo walks introduced us to the city’s best image-makers. Many of them are now our crew.

Drone pilots

Commercial pilots flying under FAA Part 107 for aerial stills, cinematic video and FPV fly-throughs.

Directors and camera operators

People who can run a commercial set and also know how to shoot a vertical clip that holds attention.

Photographers

Food, interiors, architecture, product, events and people. Matched to the job, not assigned by availability.

Editors and colorists

Cutting for each platform, with color and sound finished to the spec the placement requires.

Creators and on-camera talent

Detroit creators we can cast for campaigns, with disclosure and usage rights handled in writing.

Studio

Based in Detroit

Our studio is at 2200 Hunt St in Detroit, near Eastern Market. We shoot across Metro Detroit and travel across Michigan for projects.

How we run a project →

Our standards
  • Fixed quotes. You approve the number before we book a crew.
  • Legal flights. Airspace, permits and property permission are planned before we arrive.
  • Clear rights. Usage rights, music and talent terms are written into every proposal.
  • Honest disclosure. Paid placements and creator posts carry proper disclosure.

Have a project in mind?

Tell us what you are working on. We follow up with next steps, a rough budget range and the right people for the job.

Start a project