The Rise and Rise
of New England's Media Businesses

by Vinca Liane Jarrett

The last decade in the United States has been a time of economic growth; New England has been no exception to that rule, especially in the area of media, internet and start-up companies with commercial real estate at nearly a zero percent rate of occupancy. While Boston, at the epicenter of New England, has historically been perceived as the starting point for many dramatic and musical productions that head on to Broadway, the entertainment industry is often regarded as exclusive to Los Angeles and New York. Due to the rapid growth of the internet and other telecommunication devices such as cell phones, fax machines, and even the decline in costs of the more conventional telephone, New England media businesses are thriving, as never before. This article takes a look at several of our premier entertainment companies and what they've accomplished and where the future of New England's thriving media community is likely to branch out into at an ever-expanding rate over the next century.

Many N.E. companies are in the business of production and the supply of media equipment. These fields have grown into so many new and involved areas that few or any of the companies interviewed actually directly compete with each other. Based on specialties evolved amongst different companies and excess work, production companies have collaborated or simply referred business to each other. All the companies interviewed were enthusiastically committed to the media and entertainment business' remaining a strong presence here in New England. CounterProductions, training division, New Harbor Media Institute, provides classes in technology to the media community from beginners just starting out, all the way through advance training on newer equipment. On October 28, they hosted a symposium on "The Future of Film, Video and the Web" at its Beverly, Massachusetts facility. At PixMix, Bob Lewis, a past President of the MMA, continues to host that organization's various programs and events, and MultiVision provides space for the national organization Women in Film/Video New England.

At PixMix Video Services (www.pixmix.net) in Boston, Bob Lewis heads up his boutique style in-house team of four, which in-turn oversees a wide variety of contractor and freelance professionals on many varied productions. PixMix specializes in taping corporate events, interviews, presentations, live events, short and long bits for on-air and livestream web broadcast for clients such as Lotus, Fidelity, Akami, the Museum and Fine Arts, FOX Television, and most recently conducted political media training in collaboration with J. Archer O'Reilly, former Executive Systems Analyst for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, for Uganda presidential candidate, Aggrey Awori. While most of PixMix's actual production work takes place right here in Boston, Bob Lewis notes that many of his clients are from greater New England and across the country. Being in Boston has not in any way detracted from PixMix's ability to grow as a business, and bring on its many Fortune 500 and Nasdaq-listed clients, and Bob reports emphatically that this is due largely to new technologies such as the web: "Today, E-business permits increased productivity and high quality output, allowing a better lifestyle no matter where you conduct your work." In addition to its standard video production, PixMix has also provided space to a host of independent producers, including Laura Bernieri at Brighton Avenue Pictures, and most recently Lee Drescher, who shot two pilot episodes of her original children's television series, TREASURE TIME.

Across town in Cambridge, MultiVision (www.Multivision.com) provides another kind of resource for production that includes a team of thirty in-house storytellers, directors, and graphic artists, using technology for documentaries, commercial production, educational product, corporate image making, filmmaking, and even a state-of-the-art recording studio where world music can be produced and added to its many original productions. Clients such as AVID Technologies, XBoundaries.com and Bell South avail themselves of MultiVision's imaginative staff providing more compelling content, thus supplementing and even replacing the need for traditionally used, and certainly more expensive, advertising agencies. MultiVision's clientele has expanded dramatically to include as much as 35% outside the New England area, and Creative Director Jim Gordon states unequivocally that, "TechnologyŠ[has provided] a portal [to such expanding business], but not the creative means by which we do our work."

The economic risk to local businesses also appears to be minimized because of the outreach of technology, wherein faster communication allows clients, who begin locally but grow internationally, to easily continue to rely on Multivision's services. Jim adds, "We are no longer worried about local economics, [instead] spreading the risk of business across borders, and breaking down cultural barriers [through use of new technologies]." Where project deadlines used to be backed into, today they are stretched and nearly eliminated for purposes of shipping out a product, since as Jim Gordon puts it, "technology allows more time for content creation because the changes can happen later in the cycle providing better delivery of service because of e-mail and faster data transfer. (This in turn) allows a greater audience access to product, and allows a client access to more services than the original one that client came for." In addition to its commercial work, Multivision's resources, including a complete soundstage, have been used for many larger-scale nonprofit and independent television and film production, including production support for the National Poets Project for the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., and local filmmakers of the independent feature film, SIXTEEN DECISIONS.

CounterProductions Inc. (www.counterprod.com) located in the Northern Boston suburb of Beverly, has the feel of a boutique production studio, similar to PixMix, employing 5 full-timers in-house, and drawing from a host of top draw freelance professionals on a production-by-production basis. With more than 23 years in the business, Ted Reed started CounterProductions to pick up the amassing need for producing documentaries for local network television and cable broadcasting. As the cable industry expanded, Ted made more and more frequent trips to L.A. and New York, but that has now changed significantly, as that marketplace as expanded into our own New England community. Only 50% of CounterProduction's business continues to be for documentary and cable television production, including the upcoming documentary by Richard Broadman, who passed away last January, about Brooklyn's Brownville Section and its transformation over the past 50 years. It premiers at 1 p.m., November 12 at the Coolidge Corner Theatre as part of the Boston Jewish Festival, followed by a panel discussion.

The other half of CounterProduction's business has grown significantly into the corporate world, including producing corporate functions, interactive and multi-media web production, corporate marketing and television commercial production, PSAs, and direct work for some of the larger Boston-based advertising agencies. Ted Reed points out that, "A lot more in-house [corporate] people at companies are hiring us on projects rather than traditional ad agencies or television stations," and speculates that this is both to keep down costs and to increase creative content for those company's required products. Ted also noted that the advantage to working from the greater Boston area, rather than larger cities such as L.A., New York and Chicago which tend to be more closed, is it "allows us to wear a lot of hats," which keeps the business more interesting. The important part of the business, according to Ted, is to not offer just a service, but a product of the highest, and most unique caliber. For instance, CounterProductions does not just offer the creation of a DVD, but provides a new technology that allows its DVDs to link directly to various websites with quick downloading capabilities, updating it continually, and allowing it to be useful beyond the thirty-day output time.

The largest production house in New England, is Sonalyst Studios (www.sonalyst.com), located in Waterford, Connecticut, but don't let that address fool you. Sonalyst contains three full-scale soundstages, complete editing facilities, 24 in-house graphic designers, and a major recording studio, overseen by Tony Bon Jovi, that can fit a 70 piece orchestra, and has recorded such noted artists as Kenny Rogers, and Room Full of Blue's Grammy-nominated album UNDER ONE ROOF. Sonalyst also produces all the music in-house for the Boston Bruin's and Redsox. At Sonalyst, filmmakers regularly produce feature films, music videos and commercials. Additionally, Sonalyst has an animation house which can provide character animation, effects for features and commercials, and even computer games, including such recent hits as Surface Ship, a submarine game which made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the most intellectually challenging computer game "ever" with more than a million units sold to date.

With nearly 500 employees, each with a partnership interest in the business, Sonalyst brags an array of specialties that only the big-boys of the entertainment world can afford. Clients include AT&T, who hired Sonalyst to create its global village for the Recent 2000 Olympic games in Sydney; ESPN; CBS sports and the New England Sports Network; and Foxwood's Mohegan Sun Casino. To put it mildly, Sonalyst has reached a level of clientele that is hardly New England based, but is rather worldwide, and as one of its partners Ralph Guardiano puts it, "people hire us for productions and all associated products, such as high end corporate work, tradeshow exhibits, travel and leisure for resorts, [from] all over the world." To reach those clients, Sonalyst builds private screening rooms on its web site which a client can access, as well as allowing clients to watch Sonalyst while in production via web camera. This in turn allows constant interaction with production staff and clients, even where client and company have never met in person. The impact of such technology can expand the possibilities of Sonalyst's business to new dimensions, regardless of its Connecticut business address, bringing New England its greatest share of the media production marketplace.

For a more boutique feel of a mid-sized (20 in-house staffers including designers and creative directors) production and design house, ViewPoint Studios (www.ViewPointStudios.com) in Needham, Massachusetts, provides its countrywide, and even international, client-base high end on-air and web branding, logo design, webcasting, and quick-time movies used by a multitude of websites. David Shilale praises the "nice diversity amongst the creative people" of his company, noting that recent projects have included creating a series of network IDs for Tech T.V. and CHTV; program packaging for Animal Planet; the program opening for ESPN Domestic; title animation for Starz Encore Entertainment in Colorado; a 10 second airing package for CNBC created for Rivera Live; a news identity launched January 1, 2000 for WBZ-4; and the creation of a multitude of visual effects for major ad agencies such as Hill Holiday and Arnold Communication. Dave notes that ViewPoint Studios success outside greater Boston is notably attributable to newer technologies, making the "web and internet Š our best friends." For example, technology has allowed story board review and animation reviews over the web in record time, eliminating snail-mail and costly face-to-face meetings from the process.

Supplying high-end equipment for production to area producers and production houses, Rule Broadcast (www.Rule.com) in Watertown, Massachusetts, prides itself in having the state-of-the-art tools and know-how to facilitate communication from creative ideas to television, movie and computer screen. Never keeping equipment more than two years, "Our most important resource," says John Rule, company founder of the 19 full-time staff, "is an employee we call the Director of Knowledge Š [his] only job is to find new technology." Clients include producers of all flavors, making documentaries, training tapes, industrials, commercials, and of course, feature films. While Fed Ex has increased the distance for which Rule Broadcast can provide its equipment, 90% of its clients still reside in greater New England. Corporate accounts include such heavy hitters as Fidelity and John Hancock. On the more sexy feature and television side of its business, Rule Broadcast recently supplied its equipment and soup to nuts filmmaking-get-it-in-the-can-know-how to filmmakers of SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET starring Linda Hamilton and Treat Williams, a feature shot with high definition technology cameras in Jackson, New Hampshire, and due to screen at the 2001 Sundance film festival; and to THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE for WGBH, also shot in high definition. John Rule expects an increase in the use of 24P high definition cameras by television and filmmakers alike, and is likely to be one of the experts consulted in New England as producers continue to move in that direction.

Back in Boston at High Output (www.highoutput.com), the largest film and video lighting and power supply company North of New York, Bob Hirsch, the company's manager, oversees the sixty-person staff's rental and production assistance to producers of television, commercials, industrials, videos, theatrical and special events and feature films. With offices in Portland, ME, Burlington, VT, Providence, RI, and even down South, in Charleston, S.C., High Output has assisted major feature film productions coming to the area, including the recently shot Danny Devito flic WHAT'S THE WORSE THAT COULD HAPPEN, and the Farrelly Brother's (producers of THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY) new animated feature OSMOSIS JONES starring Bill Murray, providing lighting and grip to several live action segments. Like many of the other companies in New England, the web was not seen by Bob Hirsch so much as an advertising tool, but as a way of increasing communication between its company and its existing customers: "The web is indispensable in helping to promote, outreach, [and provide a] platform to visually interact with customers who call on the phone." While the SAG (Screen Actor's Guild) commercial strike has not significantly impacted its business this year, High Output is gearing up to outreach its services to others as the threat of further strike looms in year 2001, but Bob Hirsch isn't worried, as the company continues to grow its business into corporate trade shows, widening its market and equipment leasing business.

Without Video Transfer (www.vtiboston.com), located in Boston and Southborough, Massachusetts, all the other production would be for naught in the world of quick duplication for high output across the universe. Video Transfer manufacturers and duplicates video and audio tape, CD transfers, DVDs, and then packages and even distributes those copies to major labels. With three state-of-the-art in-house DVD duplicators, Video Transfer can have multiple projects going on, allowing its customers to benefit to the full extent of its 115 member professional staff. To date, Video Transfer has produced duplication for more than 60 feature films, including Universal Studios, and hundreds of music products, sold mostly through MusicLand, including the new Jimmi Hendrix DVD. Additionally, an increase in self-distribution for independent feature filmmakers in New England has brought in business from many local filmmakers who wish to distribute copies of DVDs and videos at film festivals or directly to distributors in hopes of getting purchased. On larger projects, as many as 20,000 units may be necessary, but today's high technology has added speed, allowing companies to order smaller quantities at smaller intervals on an as-needs basis. While most of the major music and film business comes from Hollywood and New York, Video Transfer also has a more local New England-based business focusing on smaller units for corporate sales meetings and trainings. Karl Renwanz, head of sales and marketing, points out that "technology has helped us to reach out further. If your work is good, your geographic reach can be bigger, [and] you'll get clients."

In the world of entertainment law in new England, similar developments to production houses and media equipment companies has occurred. Joel Shames at Shames & Litwin [Editor Notes: the author's business partner] has practiced in Boston for more than a decade. Clients are primarily performing and recording artists, music producers and independent filmmakers, including New Kids on the Block, LFO and platinum selling writer/producers Dow Brain and Brad Young of Underground Productions. Shames also co-produced FRIED GREEN TOMATOES, and recently worked on the PBS documentary miniseries RIVER OF SONGS. While Shames & Litwin's clients predominantly originated in the Greater Boston area, many longstanding clients who have reached a level of fame or whose careers have simply taken them elsewhere, and continue to retain the firm regardless of relocation. "The legal profession is one of trust and competence, and Shames & Litwin prides itself in providing the one on one service that clients can rely on." Similar to other entertainment businesses, Shames doesn't see the web as an advertising tool, but instead, "the internet has allowed more rapid communication, more cheaply over greater distances Š firsthand contact by means other than the internet, whether it be by telephone or face to face meetings, continues to be paramount in making a meaningful contribution to the client's benefit." While Shames sees an increase in the entertainment business over all in New England, especially in the music industry, he notes that "there has been a negligible increase in legal work for media and internet based companies, because those businesses just haven't caught up to the amassing legal concerns on-line and in contracts that will likely catch up with those businesses in the near future." Primarily entertainment work still concerns recorded music production, production agreements and distribution for music, television and film, issues surrounding financing and investment, licensing and releases, and contracts of all types.

The entertainment and media industries continue to grow here in New England as technology and the web allows our diverse businesses to expand into markets beyond our region, and provide the highest quality of expertise and professional skill. This author believes that it is likely as technology and communication lessen the length and time and distance necessary to provide services to world wide clients, our next century will catapult the intellectual and professional tools of New England to record levels in the growing media industry if only because of our superior quality of life, and as a result, the ability to attract the best talent around.

If you have questions about any of the contents of this article or would like to get in touch with any of those interviewed or contributing to this article, you may contact the author at (617) 277-6772 or 821-6772 or e-mail her at JarrettBiz@aol.com.

Vinca Jarrett is an attorney of counsel to the firm of Shames & Litwin, a full service law firm with foremost experience in the field of entertainment, including film, music, television and internet. She is also the owner and principal of the script consulting company SKRIPTEASE, which specializes in screenplay drafting, editing and consulting on feature and television projects both on spec and in production. For more information on Skriptease, please contact Vinca at Skriptease@aol.com.