Trail Head— the commercial production/postproduction house launched last year (SHOOT, 8/28/98, p. 1) by Santa Monica-headquartered Stoney Road Productions (which is parent to several spot production companies)—is shifting its focus to the post arena, building around resident editor Patrick Fraser. Two of Trail Head’s production stalwarts—executive producer Gary Buonanno and director Barry Young—have exited. Young has joined Cognito Films, Santa Monica (see separate story, p. 1), and Buonanno has returned to the freelance world as a producer/ assistant director.
Stoney Road president Michael Romersa said that Trail Head was still involved in some production. The company currently has two directors: Marty Weiss and Joe Schaak. At press time, Weiss said he was considering his options while finishing up a couple of jobs and bidding on some others via Trail Head.
Schaak, who continues to work on regional-originated fare out of Minneapolis-based production house Twist, had come aboard Trail Head for national representation earlier this year (SHOOT, 1/29/99, p. 7). He said he is contractually obligated to Trail Head through Jan. 15. Currently he is weighing a couple of alternatives—either entering into a nationwide representation relationship with another major market house, or establishing a national infrastructure at Twist, a company in which he’s a partner.
Romersa said that the rationale behind changing the course at Trail Head was twofold. For one, it continues Stoney Road’s consolidation process. "You have to address the realities of the business," he explained. "Business is generally off and that means we need to consolidate and run leaner." Earlier this year, Stoney Road closed Nitro Films—much of which was consolidated into another Stoney Road production company, bicoastal Reactor Films (SHOOT, 2/12/99, p. 1)—and more recently, Fahrenheit Films was shuttered (SHOOT, 9/17/99, p. 1).
Secondly, the founding concept behind Trail Head—offering production and post services under one roof—wasn’t widely embraced, according to Romersa. He estimated that about 20 percent of the jobs produced at the company also employed Trail Head’s editorial and finishing capabilities. "I personally still believe that the concept is valid—that one-stop shopping for production and post can result in significant savings for clients," related Romersa. "But clients weren’t buying into it."
Romersa said that he asked Buonanno to stay on to run Trail Head and help build its stand-alone editorial/post operation. But Buonanno declined. "I simply decided I didn’t want to stay and develop an editorial/post company," said Buonanno.
Despite the recent consolidation within the Stoney Road family, Romersa said that several moves are in the offing in terms of expansion at individual production companies. Stoney Road’s lineup of bicoastal shops includes Bedford Falls, M-80, Reactor Films, MPH, and Message.
Romersa added that a development is also pending that will extend the reach of Stoney Road’s Santa Monica-headquartered talent management company, Envision.