We have editors, colorists, designers, audio engineers, composers and sound designersathe whole gamut, says Tim Larson, president/general manager of post house DownStream, Portland, Ore. Having everything as sort of one-stop shopping is helpful to people, and weve still been able to maintain the individual identities of these groups.
According to Larson, about half of the jobs that come through DownStream are both onlined and offlined there. In addition to the shops creative editorial and finishing services, it also offers an array of services including musical scoring, audio post and design for print. DownStream also does film transfer work, and has a Philips Spirit Datacine with a high-definition output card, which makes it possible for the shop to take on projects such as converting NASAs vast archive into a high-definition format.
DownStream wasnt always a multi-service shop offering resources for editorial, post, animation and CGI. The company started small and grew along with the burgeoning Portland advertising market. In fact, when The Tyee Group, Portland, a direct response ad agency/production company launched DownStream in 88, the company didnt even have a facility.
We essentially started out as a boutique that provided editorial services. We actually had editors that worked at a number of facilities and we basically contracted out their services for post, explains Larson. As time passed, the shop began purchasing its own equipment. Then the company acquired visual effects gear and digital online systems. By the early 90s, DownStream had become a full-service post company.
In February, global agency network Euro RSCG Worldwide acquired a majority stake in Tyee. Per the deal, Euro RSCG required that Tyee divest itself of DownStream. Larson, who was then VP, put together a finance group to acquire the post house. (SHOOT, 3/24, p. 7)
My concern was looking out for the welfare of the employees and also for the companys welfare in terms of maintaining our own identity, says Larson, who didnt want the post shop to be spun out and maybe taken over by someone that didnt have as much knowledge about the local marketplace and the trust of the employees. I made the overture to put together a financing group.
Larson and his partners put together DownStream LLC, which succeeded in acquiring DownStream. When Euro RSCG bought Tyeeawhich is now Tyee Euro RSCG, Larson, who held shares in Tyee, converted them into the purchase of the post house. DownStream founder Steve Scott retired from his position as president/general manager, with Larson assuming those duties.
Some organizational changes have occurred since the newly formed group assumed ownership of DownStream. Larson says that when Scott was with the company, he ran the outfit as an individual. Now department managers take care of day-to-day operations. For instance, Maryjane Wood runs DownStream Sound, the audio arm of the company, and Scott Harger, formerly a senior editor, now serves as postproduction manager. Also, a new internal finance staff handles the companys books. Previously Tyee had managed the post houses finances.
The Work
Jim Barrett, formerly of Western Images, San Francisco, is the senior colorist in the companys telecine department. Kelly McClean, one of four staff Avid editors, is getting attention for cutting spots like Driveway.coms Lord Insidious, directed by Bennett Miller of bicoastal/international hungry man, out of Elvis & Bonaparte, Portland. Senior Flame artist Michael Nicholas oversees a visual effects department that includes three full-time Flame artists. And Toki Wolfe, a former design director at Nike, Beaverton, Ore., heads up a design group that works on broadcast and print projects. Recent ad work includes Utility.coms Little Girl, directed by Marc Greenfield of Food Chain Films, Portland, via Moffatt/Rosenthal, Portland; and Ice Arena and Sled Dogs for Columbia Sportswear, also directed by Greenfield, through Borders, Perrin And Norrander, Portland.
DownStream Sound, is about a mile from the post facility. Although the company has offered audio services since the early 90s, the new stand-alone shop was launched this past January, and offers audio mixing, sound design and original music. DownStream Sound recently finished work on Lucky Socks, an in-house spot for adidas International featuring Los Angeles Lakers guard/forward Kobe Bryant, directed by Andrew Jenkins of adidas.
Larson relates that while DownStream works with many Portland area agencies, many of their clients are from out of town. The agencies that come [to Portland] dont necessarily come here because of us; they come here because of a local production company, he explains. Chel White Films [Portland], for instance, is handled by [bicoastal] Curious Pictures out of New York. Curious Pictures will come here with a spot. We also do Coca-Cola and Turner network IDs that come out of an agency back East.
Does Larson find his shop competing with out-of-town post houses for Portland work? We do, he says, Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, for instance, generally goes where their directors take them. For the most part, theyre working with directors out of New York or Los Angeles and theyre working at post companies in those places. Its difficult to keep the work here at home when the directing talent is out of town.
I think we have a lot of local directors that have done great work, Larson continues. Marc Greenfield, Gary Nolton [of Limbo Films, Portland], Rafael Astorga of Generator Industries, Portland, and other local directors are terrific and are bringing in a lot of national caliber work. AWere working on things to try and keep as much of that here as we can. Again, its an issue of convenience for them. If they have a director in New York, its really difficult to drag him out here to do the work.
As well as doing spot work, DownStream does a variety of long-form jobs, including transfer and on-line editing for FOXs animated television series, The PJs, through Will Vinton Studios, Portland; DownStream has also worked on some M&Ms ads for Will Vinton and BBDO New York. Currently, DownStream is doing editorial, post, effects and music for Bibleman, a direct-to-tape series, produced by Pamplin Entertainment, a provider of contemporary Christian entertainment.
Larson believes the recent changes in ownership at DownStream arent really noticeable to clients. For most people the change has been relatively transparent, he says. Weve been able to maintain our core staff.’
