Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/237968
OUTLOOK BUSINESS DuArt has more than 70 edit suites and will continue its upgrading in 2014. companies that are clinging strictly to a brick-and-mortar, traditional post house methodology." OUTLOOK FOR 2014: "I'm pretty optimistic, because there is a lot of content to be produced these days. On top of the studio work, you have Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and others — more outlets. That bolsters the ability of companies like ours to stay busy all year round. Then, there is all this unscripted work out there, sitcoms, multi-camera stuff. And there is new technology coming, like new versions of the Mac Pro tower systems, which have been completely redesigned. This will allow companies more power within a smaller footprint, and that makes us even more mobile." Stina Hamlin Senior Producer DuArt New York City www.duart.com/ DuArt started in 1922 as a film lab in New York City, and has now evolved into a post production facility that specializes in broadcast post, editing, finishing, equipment rentals, and other services. STRENGTHS: "We have real estate on our side with the DuArt building in Midtown — one of the few major post houses in New York not located downtown. It's a 12-story building that we have been renovating and methodically updating to provide a constantly-expanding range of comprehensive video post services. We're renovating all the old film processing floors and will start construction on the fourth floor in January. We have already gone from 54 edit rooms to 77, and we expect to have over 100 operational rooms to be used for production offices, edit bays, finishing suites, stages, and more by the end of next year. DuArt retained that vintage feel, but we are totally updating our ability to do more color correction and finishing, audio mixing, and other things." WEAKNESSES: "A major challenge is the sheer volume of con38 Post • December 2013 www.postmagazine.com tent that is needed for all the various cable networks. To get more of that action, we are consistently improving our infrastructure as far as shared storage and wireless connectivity goes. We are making sure we are wired with fiber, Ethernet, and so on, and we are always improving the speed of our networks. We recognize that file-based delivery is where the industry is headed. Along those lines, we are currently studying file-based QC processes and new kinds of software, among other things." OPPORTUNITIES: "Continuing with reality shows is one great thing. There is a real buzz about even more shows coming to this region, and we expect to pick up lots of that work. Also, there are all kinds of new platforms and forms of deliverables we are looking at that are quite exciting. For instance, we have a large audio book department, where we record and master books for the Library of Congress and other clients. We also have a huge localization department to translate, cast, and voice different animated series from all over the world. And we are targeting other verticals, like video games. Those things are all a part of trying to diversify more, which is how you have to do it in an always evolving media world." THREATS: "The continuing thing is the lean and mean budgets we are seeing today. DuArt is smart about not going overboard, and helping clients find solutions, but certainly, that is a concern for everyone. Fortunately, the increased quantity of work makes up for a lot of that. "There are also things you can't control, like blizzards or Hurricane Sandy. That was a chaotic time, but we were fortunate to be on higher ground on the West Side, so the flooding didn't hurt us too much. But we saw what it did to some other companies that had to leave their offices, and that was very difficult for all involved." OUTLOOK FOR 2014: "Non-fiction programming is so vibrant right now, and we expect more of that in the coming year. That insulates us from some of the downturn that the commercial boutiques had to deal with when things got tight. Non-fiction started ramping back up last summer, and it is now busier and busier. That's why we're focused on keeping our renovation on track and providing more space for those clients." Dan Bryant Executive Producer Whitehouse Post Chicago www.whitehousepost.com Whitehouse Post is a creative editorial company that specializes in commercial advertising work. The company has offices in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and London, and collaborates closely with three sister companies — Carbon VFX, a visual effects and finishing studio; Capgun Collective, a live-action production company; and Gentleman Scholar, a design-focused production company. STRENGTHS: "What primarily accounts for our company's strength and continued growth is that our owners are all creative — editors. They made our primary mission about offering the best creative resources for every project. In fact, part of the strategy is to actively cultivate talent within the company. That allows a consistency in creative focus that has been inculcated across the entire network of our company and our sister companies. "We add to that a mature business structure. We've designed a