When I arrived at Video Transfer to visit with and interview Karl Renwanz, it didn’t say Atlantic Pacific Media on the front door. I suspect it might the next time I stop by and I’ll tell you why here. I find Karl in one of his studios recording in his own voice telephone answering message information for his multi locations across the country. That’s right, multi locations! By my count it is now seven locations, or is it eight? Let’s see, where is Renwanz today? Our meeting scheduled four days earlier was postponed by Karl saying he had to travel. We rescheduled for Monday, the company one facility larger.  And now, there’s concern for remembering all those names, 7 or 8, whatever it is, tying them all together, and, of course, the all important branding. 

Searching for a name that sounded powerful, Sondra Renwanz pulled Atlantic Pacific Media out of her hat. It certainly sounds powerful. They named their “started from scratch” location in Irvine, California Atlantic Pacific Media. The pairy promptly cquired Video Frontier, ostensibly to add seasoned accounts to their brand new start-up. 

As their third facility purchase in 2005, Karl and Sondra have acquired Allied Vaughn’s Phoenix, Arizona operation and strengthened its national media manufacturing concern.  Their December 1, 2005 press release said, “The acquisition is the seventh facility in the Atlantic Pacific Media family of companies, which also includes Video Transfer in Boston, Massachusetts, High Speed Video in Southborough, Massachusetts, Transfer West Duplication in Las Vegas, Nevada, Video Labs in Landover, Maryland, Video Labs in Rockville, Maryland, Atlantic Pacific Media in Irvine, CA and now Atlantic Pacific Media in Phoenix, Arizona.

There is no corporate headquarters per se for the Atlantic Pacific Media family of companies. For Renwanz, simple and straightforward business principles serve him best. I suspect a book in a few years, “The Leadership Secrets of Karl and Sondra Renwanz.” According to Karl, he divides his employees into two categories. There are those who make the money, and those who count the money. That’s it! If you don’t fall into one of those categories, my advice is not to apply. His management staff is quite small consisting of himself, Sondra Renwanz, Leo Nyren, Chief Financial Officer. Leo oversees the financial affairs of the company as well as policy and human resources. Pat McDonald as General Manager of Video Transfer, Inc. after serving as Operations Manager for more than 14 years, is on the management team. Pat is in charge of scheduling, purchasing technology, and maintaining equipment. Michael Weiss rounds out the team from his spot at Video Labs in Washington, D.C., and only 2 or 3 others.

The whole team is highly mobile with an operating strategy to expand the Atlantic Pacific Media Companies’ national reach in media services and manufacturing capacity. The Atlantic Pacific Media’s Arizona acquisition continues to raise its presence from east coast to west coast. Bringing the Phoenix facility in the family allows for the clients of Allied Vaughn to continue to receive outstanding service and quality coupled with increased capabilities and capacity. The Phoenix property is a 23,000 square foot facility.

“Atlantic Pacific’s decision to acquire the Phoenix operation was the direct result of the presence of well managed facilities on both coasts combined with significant experience in media services,” states Karl Renwanz, President of Atlantic Pacific Media.  Renwanz also stated, “We are continuing to reach the goal of growing our family of companies while serving new clientele and we are well positioned to do just that with our videotape and optical disc manufacturing capabilities.  Our wide range of media services makes us a great resource for the growing Phoenix corporate market.”   

The media replication and manufacturing business is a quick paced, fast moving, industry under siege by constant and rapid advances in its technology. It’s not for the feint of heart. “In the current environment it is gobble or be gobbled,” says Karl Renwanz. He has chosen to be the gobbler. Karl says, “Once you are known as making acquisitions, you have to be discreet about your whereabouts as most everyone in the industry knows each other, and they talk.” I noticed he didn’t tell me where he was going when he postponed our first meeting. And important part of the strategy is to acquire those companies that can feed large scale jobs to High Speed Video, their big manufacturing plant in Southborough, MA. 

Growth by strategic acquisition serves to eliminate competitors as you go along. Renwanz sees a company store in the 25 top populated cities in the U.S., especially the ones in a warmer clime. “I would be surprised if we got through 2006 without an expansion,” he said.  

Renwanz now owns 5 homes, one in each facility marketplace except the brand new one. In his organization almost everyone teaches and trains, so each home is often inhabited by staff on assignment. The camaraderie and touches of home this model provides is both mission effective and cost effective, and you don’t have to eat all your meals out. And Karl and Sondra like to be at home wherever they go.

All of the Atlantic Pacific Media facilities offer twenty-four hour operation and a range of services from packaging design to retail distribution. The 24-hour aspect provides a great deal of comfort for clients and staff as well. Should an equipment failure in any location endanger a rush order, digital technology enables that order to be transferred in almost real time to another location for completion on time.

Atlantic Pacific Media is a big name. It’s 200 employees strong and growing. I don’t know if all the family names will be changed to it, but I can see why that would be desirable branding (Atlantic Pacific Media – Boston, Washington D.C., Las Vegas, and so forth). Karl suggests that their customers will nickname them something shorter. It’s true, the end user wins this game. I think AtPac; he thinks AP Media. Something shorter, maybe, like APM? We’ll be watching this one.

During our talk, I asked Karl for his thoughts about Massachusetts’ new Film Tax Incentive legislation. He is bullish on Massachusetts because the competitive law has passed. He tempers his bullish remarks with the reality of the implementation of such a new bill, predicting it will take a few years for the uptake.

Karl and Sondra Renwanz founded their family of companies in 1986 in Boston. For more information visit www.atlanticpacificmedia.net.

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Carol Patton is a former GM of several TV and Radio stations around the country. She is the founder and publisher of IMAGINE and advocates for the region’s Film, Television, and New Media production industry and the people who work in it.