The Production Hub Interview
An online directory of companies in the video production and film industry
Production Hub interviewed us about our success and outlook on life.
Here is the interview as it appears on the Production Hub website, “What’s Hot on the West Coast? Crystal Pyramid Productions!“
Q: What do you think has made Crystal Pyramid an “Award Winning Production” Company?
A: When you do what you love and love what you do, then your work reflects that passion & attitude, and clients appreciate your work. Then as a natural progression, the awards come. It is certainly an honor to be acknowledged for your work by awards committees but our greatest pleasure comes from giving clients exactly what they want, on time and preferably under budget.
How Do You Stay Busy?
Q: How have you attained such an impressive list of clients such as Oprah, Maxim, E! Entertainment, Dreamworks, etc.? How do you keep staying busy with projects and gigs?
A: We have been rolling along in the video production world since 1981. When you get in on the “bottom floor” of any enterprise, and consistently deliver exemplary work, then you become the “go-to crew”. We have been listed as an elite television broadcast crew on various directories for years, on the Roladexes of TV producers, and our reputation has also spread via word-of-mouth. We are tapped by television broadcast producers who can trust that we have the experience and the equipment to get the job done right the first time.
We’re not that kid in torn jeans fresh out of film school with a DSLR and cheap tripod who thinks that sand bags on C –stands are “not a necessity but a luxury.” We have been around the world shooting and producing video for over three decades. We love our work, we know what we’re doing, we have made many clients happy over the years, and we’ll keep on “rocking in the free world” for as long as we can.
Q: What has been one of your favorite clients to work with, and why?
A: We have enjoyed working with most all our clients both in the corporate and International broadcast worlds. Extra! and Inside Edition for similar reasons are a lot of fun. They usually assign very timely and interesting gigs that center around a pop-culture icon or two, so over the years we’ve been able to converse with such celebrities as Hilary Swank, Charlize Theron, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kirsten Dunst, Justin Timberlake, Will Ferrell and many others. You come to realize they are just as human as anyone.
Q: What do you envision for this company in the next 5 years?
A: We plan to continue our work and participate on gigs where our expertise is appreciated. We are not the most expensive of crews, but we do stellar work at fair. We do see an influx of young producers who don’t charge much for their services. And they are wooing clients with their rock-bottom pricing. Those clients may end up having to hire another production company eventually to do it right; we’ve had quite a few panic calls in our time, i.e., the amateurs they hired used the camera mic from across a room, or an interview at night was shot with bad lighting. If you want it done right the first time, then call on the experts!
Q: What is your favorite part of creating video and projects for clients?
A: We enjoy communicating with the client about what they would like to have in hand by the end of the production. Sometimes they only need the rawfootage. Sometimes they want a production that’s scripted, shot and edited. It’s the communication process that will determine what direction we will take in terms of equipment, crew members, locations, etc. We enjoy saving the client money on their project, and introducing them to options that they may not have previously considered.
For instance, when working with the Irrigation Association, they told us they wanted to have legacy videos with interviews of Irrigation Association members shot over several years at various conventions. We suggested the use of green screen that added so much to the finished shows, as the background could be whatever the person was talking about. We videotaped several people who are no longer alive. The IA were thrilled with the results and so happy they did it before their “elders” passed away.
Q: What advice would you give a professional in the industry when it comes to starting and successfully running their own production company?
A: In the last several years, I have noticed an unfortunate dismissal or even disparaging of “veteran” producers by younger producers. The idea that sand bags on C-stands are “a luxury and not a necessity” is a dangerous mindset. (Is insurance a luxury, too?) So our advice would be to sit down at the feet of a veteran producer and absorb anything and everything they have to impart about working in the world of video production as long as they have.
Join a local industry group and learn all you can about all the various aspects of production. One thing we found out long ago is that you have to wear a lot of hats in this industry. If you don’t get called on for camera operation, maybe there’s a gig that requires a grip or gaffer. If there’s nothing happening for sound technicians, then maybe a teleprompter gig is coming up. The more you know, the more valuable you will be.
Q: What is it about the West Coast that you enjoy most?
A: We love most everything the West Coast has to offer (other than the traffic jams). We love the diversity of cultures. We enjoy the restaurants featuring eclectic foods, the small-craft breweries, the beaches, the mountains, the deserts, the weather and the feeling that this is Paradise.
Q: What’s the next awards Crystal Pyramid would love to win?
A: It would be lovely to win an Emmy or Academy Award.
Q: Anything else you would like to add?
A: Our career has been much like a smooth Pacific Ocean wave. We were at the right place at the right time at many points along our journey. Our CEO Mark Schulze was an early innovator of the helmet cam. He used his rig first in the sport of mountain biking (1987). We produced the world’s first instructional mountain bike video (“The Great Mountain Biking Video” 1987). We produced the world’s first instructional massage video (“Massage for Relaxation” 1985). And we produced the world’s first anti-terrorism video (“Anti-Terrorism: Weapons and Tactics” 1985).
We have always enjoyed our work very much. And the advice we would offer to anyone who is getting into the industry would be this: If you are passionate about video production, then follow your heart. But if it’s all about the money, you may be better served elsewhere. If you do what you love, and love what you do, the money will follow.
