Keeping a boutique feel in Dallas.
When Toronto-born editor Michael Van de Kamer moved to Dallas 16 years ago, he knew it wasn’t the wisest career decision. "There had been lots of advertising opportunities [in Toronto], and it was extremely difficult finding work here," admits Van de Kamer, senior editor/owner of Post: Op, Dallas. "There was an ingrained ‘good old boy’ kind of system going on, and it was very, very hard to break in."
What’s more, early ’80s Dallas wasn’t exactly a hotbed of commercial postproduction activity, as Van de Kamer quickly found out. The practical solution would’ve been to cut his losses, pack up his reel and head for the nearest coast-or, at least, back to Toronto. But to the young editor, who had followed his girlfriend to Texas, practicality was not an option. "She’d stolen my heart," he explains.
He decided to make Dallas work for him. "I brought a new, fresh approach to postproduction for commercials, and finally some people saw some talent and gave me a chance." Working out of Allied WBS, a Dallas post house that worked mainly on feature films, Van de Kamer established himself as a freelancer and developed experience in both spots and feature films.
Within a short time, he struck out on his own and founded the editorial boutique Post: Op. "I borrowed some money to buy equipment, and that was the beginning," Van de Kamer recalls. "Basically it was two rooms. The staff was me and someone who handled bids, producing and scheduling. I was the only editor for quite a while."
Post: Op’s client list has grown and diversified over the years. The company recently worked on several spots for DDB Dallas, including "Perfume Gauntlet" for FootAction USA, directed by Dave Merhar of Visitor, Santa Monica; Arizona Jeans’ "Batting Cage," helmed by David Ramser of bicoastal The A+R Group; and Nintendo’s "If Shaq Invented Basketball," directed by David Jellison of bicoastal Tool of North America. Other recent spots include "Performance" for Wyndham Hotels, directed by Kevin Donovan of bicoastal Bedford Falls, via The Richards Group, Dallas.
Post: Op’s recent endeavors highlight the company’s ability to cut in a variety of styles. For example, "Batting Cage" relies on humor to sell jeans. In the ad, a teenage boy shows off his baseball prowess in the batting cage. When three teenage girls take notice of him, he gets distracted and is hit by the baseball in a rather uncomfortable place. The tagline: "At least part of you is comfortable." "Performance" is more visually oriented. In illustrating the hotel’s sponsorship of Cirque du Soleil, it shows Wyndham Hotel staffers performing acrobatic feats to accomplish their duties.
