Editor’s Note: Bill Bratkowski and partner Mark Coppos sold Coppos Films in 2001; it closed this summer (SHOOT, 7/5-16, p. 1).
After more than 20 years of running the business end of Coppos Films, it saddens me to see how it has ended. Our philosophy from the beginning was to work with creative people who did the best work, and for us to deliver, direct and produce the finest quality product. I feel we achieved that. We had a great deal of respect for all the clients we worked with, and I think we achieved a mutual respect in return. I thank each and every one of them.
Our small family of permanent staff has always been loyal and hard working, and they made it a pleasure for me to come into the office every morning. I thank them all and hope they find equal or better positions that their talents deserve.
I started a lot of people who have gone on to achieve greater goals at other companies and have bettered their careers. I wish to thank them and hope they have continued success. We had a lot of great times together, especially our yearly Christmas parties. I will always remember and be grateful for them.
Our many talented directors have made me proud to be associated with them. Their work set the standard in our industry for many years, and the awards, too many to count, have been a great achievement of the company, topped with the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 1991, which gave us worldwide acclaim. I thank those directors. We established a creative atmosphere where directors could come and develop their talents and push them to the edge. They did just that.
Our crews and suppliers, too many to mention, when asked to perform miracles, did that and more. Again, I thank them for all the miracles. It was fun to watch.
Thanks to our support services, from legal to accounting to banking, who were always a pleasure to work with. They started with us and were with us for the more than 20 years of our business.
In closing, I want to thank Mark for being the best partner a partner could ask for. His exceptional talent and creative ethic are of the highest order. It was more than a pleasure to work with him over these last 20 and more years. It was the most enjoyable time of my life.
Thanks to you all.
