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Somewhere outside the box, beyond the reaches of imagination and above the boundaries of technology is the answer. The standard solution has been abandoned for the extraordinary and the principals of Sandman Studios stand together at the bedrock of this push-through philosophy.
“Dream. Imagine. Create.” These three words guide Sandman Studios to clients who wish for solutions that are like no other. Clients such as ABC Family, Fox Kids, Larry King Cardiac Foundation, Novell, Luxury Motors, William Morris Agency, Tahitian Noni, Tag Entertainment, Party Light, Warner Bros., Estates West, Arizona Foothills magazine and others. Sandman’s principals also worked with many industry leaders prior to joining the company, including DreamWorks, Sony Pictures, The Walt Disney Company, ABC Television, Nokia, Hitachi Data Systems, Sun Microsystems, Microsoft, Intel, Hewlett Packard, and the list goes on.
Equally impressive is the Advisory Team for Sandman which includes Larry King of “Larry King Live” fame, John H. Koenig, CIO at LucasFilm, David R. Bradford of Wasatch Ventures as Strategic Advisors, and Edmund C. King with investment banking and financial consulting background as Financial Advisor.
“We got tired of working for someone else.” “This is our destiny.” “We joined with people who had the same vision.” These are the echoes of Sandman’s conception. The company was founded in October of 2002 and by mid-November (a month and a half later) they received the call from Tag Entertainment to shoot test shots for the high-tech feature film, Red Riding Hood. More about that later.
Self-described as a “full-service creative agency engaged in visual effects production and interactive multimedia,” the brochure promises they deliver everything from initial concept to design, development, integration and implementation. The founders come with extensive exposure to national and global clients and large scale projects, but offer value based on affordability because of a low cost structure.
Collectively, Sandman’s artists, production managers and VFX supervisors have provided stunning visual effects for over 200 feature films, hundreds of hours of television, hundreds of commercials, and countless video and interactive projects for some of the world’s leading companies.
In spite the principal’s backgrounds, Sandman’s beginnings were humble—text book bootstrapping. The first several months of operation were out of a shed without running water, air or heat and prone to blowing the circuit breakers. A true test of commitment to making it work, agrees three of the six founders available for the interview.
Located in Orem, Utah, the Sandman team consists of some 10 core talents with local and L.A. based connections that enable them to expand to 100 artists as projects require. No one has had much sleep for about a year, but the energy keeps everyone going. As we glance into the different rooms along a hallway, everyone is anxious to show the current project at hand. A new Web site for Skull Candy, a new magazine design for NanoDynamics, a new scene for Red Riding Hood, a corporate DVD for FemmeNet, or test shots for a new action thriller featuring CG sharks for MGM.
Every person at Sandman wears several hats and there is an understanding that “it takes what it takes.” The company was built on the values of a strong team and hard work. The common denominator is the dream as well as the fact that everyone lives within 15 miles of the office and has the belief the company can accomplish miraculous creative feats, while still being integrated in their respective families’ lives. The absence of a commute has a lot to do with that, the fact that they have been friends for a long time, as well as the involvement of their children. There’s not one of them that can't spot CG a mile away. Small but savvy, the kids sometimes lend a hand or even stand in for a blue screen shot.
“Starting a company is not easy,” says James Jensen, creative director. “But if you truly believe it will happen—if you have no shred of doubt—then it will happen. We are making our dreams come true.” This attitude makes working with them irresistible. And their only criteria is working with clients they “can get passionate about and that have a good message.”
Most clients come from referrals or leads that have seen Sandman’s name on another client’s project. Another form of growth comes from project expansion. An example is the Red Riding Hood assignment. The first task was 120 high definition VFX shots. Once they got involved, the project became all theirs, now totaling more than 1,300 shots. Sandman used a cutting edge, real-time spatial tracking system and created 3D models and visual effects in what they call the “onion effect” to create a virtual forest, significantly reducing the guess work when shooting virtual environment scenes on blue or green screen. Their process not only saves substantial time and money, but at the same time it allows for more creativity from the director who can look at live action embedded in a CG set, creating and making changes in real time.
Additionally, Sandman is among the first firms in the country to use the Avid Nitris system, a state of the art, real-time high definition editing, compositing and effects system. Between this system, lots of planning and ingenuity on the part of Sandman and the use of HD stock footage, the film will be done in record time, within a very confined budget and look better than most big budget special effects films.
It wasn’t easy though. The Sandman team spent six months figuring out exactly how the technology for this would work. Six months on their own dime as a new company. “It was a risk,” says James. “But we did it. We figured it out.” The first week was a challenge teaching all the crew and talent to operate in a totally new way. The planning time felt like down time to the director, but once everyone got on board, it became fluid and the team was on a solid foundation.
With less than 20 people and some six months later, the project is well under way and making good progress. Expected to be released in early 2005, normally five to six studios would have been involved with a project this size. But Sandman values, and has cultivated the rich talent pool in Utah bringing in local talent and BYU students who will gain invaluable experience with unique technology and end up in the rolling credits. They are also working with the University of Utah on a new tool for better, faster rendering.
“We feel like we are at the top of the game right now,” says Stephen Sobisky, COO. And the fact that they are building their own company makes them feel unstoppable. “We have no doubt we can do anything creatively,” he says.
One of the keys is that the business team is strong, which allows the creative team to focus on what they do best. Shawn Neider, president and CEO, explains, “Our biggest problem is that we usually go overboard and over deliver. Developing new processes and techniques enables us to create not only something that excites our clients, but that still works within their budgets.” “We care more about each other and our clients than about making a lot of money or individual success,” says Stephen, which is an attitude that fuels the lay-it-all-on-the-line spirit. And the future? “As long as we create great work, the money will follow,” says James. Shawn concludes, “Everyone has been more willing to make personal sacrifice for the good of the company than in any other venture we’ve ever been involved with. It’s our little company against the world. We think those are pretty good odds.”
Dream. Imagine. Create.
Susen Sawatzki
