LEARNING CURVE: TWO-D PRODUCTIONS : Cast of Extras : Infomercial Maker Utilizes Freelancers

I formed Two-D Productions in 1989, and we’ve been doing primarily infomercials since 1992. I do all the producing and directing, and I oversee everything in the business. My clients appreciate that they are not just another project running through a large production company.

As my projects got bigger and more sophisticated, I hired freelancers to help me out. Now it affords me the opportunity to have the small company I want and still do the kinds of projects I want. I don’t have a huge overhead, so I can afford to take a really interesting project even if most of the payment comes at the back end.

This business is a freelance business. On a typical production, I bring in freelance production managers, line producers, gaffers, a director of photography, grips, electric, makeup, wardrobe, hair, catering, a script supervisor, writers, production assistants, production coordinators, location scouts, video technicians and editors.

To staff all those people is not cost-effective for me. I’ve seen other companies staff up to do a lot of production, and they end up going under or cutting back and losing a lot of money.

Choosing from a pool of people gives me the freedom to say this person is right for this job and that person is right for that job. For example, I may do an infomercial that requires an audience and a stage and five cameras, so I look for a director of photography who has that kind of experience as opposed to one who shoots beautiful exteriors.

When I get a new job, I put together a schedule and somebody in my office calls the people I want and puts them on hold for the dates I want them. It only takes half a day. Once they’re on the job, they are an employee of Two-D Productions and I am responsible for them.

In the beginning it takes a lot of time wading through resumes, keeping track of who messed you up and who worked out well. But it gets easier as you go on. Now I have a group of people I can count on that I enjoy working with.

Scheduling is tougher with freelancers. It can be hard to round everybody up and have them all be there on a certain day. If they worked for me, they’d all be available. But the flip side of that is that then there’d be a lot of time spent sitting around drinking coffee with nothing to do.

There’s also extra paperwork with freelancers because they have to fill out a payroll form every time they do a job for me. But we have an outside service that deals with the checks. Ultimately it costs more money to have them on staff than to worry about scheduling and paperwork.

On the benefits of a freelance work force . . .

“It affords me the opportunity to have the small company I want and still do the kinds of projects I want.”

On the freedom of working with freelancers . . .

“Choosing from a pool of people gives me the freedom to say this person is right for this job and that person is right for that job.”

On why freelancers are worth the hassle . . .

“Ultimately it costs more money to have them on staff than to worry about scheduling and paperwork.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

AT A GLANCE

Company: Two-D Productions

Owner: Dena Levy

Nature of business: Infomercial production company

Location: Hollywood

Year founded: 1989

Number of employees: 2

Expected 1996 revenue: $1.5 million