Lenny Smalheiser has joined Boomtown, New York, as a senior editor. His last company affiliation was New York-based Cabana, where he recently cut several spots, including three for New York agencies: Sprint’s "City Limits" via McCann Relationship Marketing; Cablevision Lightpath’s "Golf Lesson" for KZS Advertising; and MCI’s "CJ" via Fuel, the interactive division of Messner Vetere Berger McNamee Schmetterer/Euro RSCG.
Smalheiser brings a longstanding industry track record to Boomtown, having been a co-founder of Big Picture Editorial, New York, in ’87. Big Picture and Even Time, another privately held New York editorial shop, were originally acquired by the now defunct, publicly held International Post Ltd. (IPL) and became Big Picture/Even Time in ’96. In January of the following year, Big Picture/Even Time was renamed Cabana. Later in ’97, IPL was acquired by the Northvale, N.J.-headquartered Video Services Corp, which went public around the same time.
According to Smalheiser, when his long-term contract with IPL expired this past May, he decided it was time to search for new opportunities. He spent a month looking at different editing facilities, seeking a place where he would feel comfortable serving his long-term clients, which include New York ad shops such as McCann-Erickson and the aforementioned Messner, as well as several freelance agency producers.
the right stuff
Smalheiser said that he approached a number of different editorial houses, but from the first visit, joining Boomtown felt like the right move to make.
"Steve Kraftsow [Boomtown principal/editor] has created a great editorial boutique; the staff is professional and have a laugh while they are at it," observed Smalheiser. "The equipment is top shelf and the offices are in a comfortable loft space in the Flatiron District, which is a great neighborhood."
Boomtown also fit in with his editing philosophy. "As an editor, I feel very comfortable with a broad range of editing styles," related Smalheiser. "I think the industry tends to categorize editors, as it has directors. Over the years, I have collaborated with some extraordinarily talented people on really diverse projects."
Kraftsow cited Smalheiser’s "vast wealth of experience," including having served as a facility owner. Kraftsow added that Smalheiser is not a replacement for senior editor Michael Schwartz who, after a short stint at the company, left in May to join New York-based Zap Edit.
"Len is a great addition to the company and [his arrival] is unrelated to the departure of Schwartz; he is not a direct replacement and we are still talking to other editors to fill that position, but it needs to be the right fit," concluded Kraftsow.
Boomtown is represented on the East Coast and in Detroit by Laura Zinn of Zinndependent.
