Capitalizing on a Temporary Solution

For an industry that prides itself on being up-to-the-minute, the field of entertainment post-production has remained surprisingly low tech in its employment practices.

As is the case in the entertainment industry in general, the work force in the post-production business--which encompasses such areas as editing and visual effects--is nomadic. Jobs come and go with production cycles. Workers are often hired through personal referrals or by sending out their own resumes and “reels” one by one.

Meanwhile, the use of temporary workers has soared in other industries. Dozens of temporary employment agencies have sprung up as a result, many serving specialized fields such as medicine or law.

So why hasn’t the post-production business followed suit? “I don’t really know,” said Brian Terr, co-founder of a new temp agency that seeks to change this situation. “I’m kind of amazed it’s taken this long.”

Whether Terr’s International Creative Alliance Inc.--with offices in Santa Monica and Stamford, Conn.--can establish a successful business in this niche remains unclear. ICA just opened its doors in December and has served only one client company so far.

Terr and co-founder Dwain Schenck--who met while working in public relations for post-production equipment maker Quantel, a division of London-based Carlton Communications--hope to establish ICA as the premiere provider of skilled temporary workers for post-production.

The business segment is sizable and growing quickly. Worldwide, total expenditures on post-production are estimated at about $8 billion. Los Angeles is the largest single market, with dozens of companies benefiting from the fact that the studios contract out about half of their “post” work. But analysts expect a surge in international demand as well as new digital platforms, such as digital videodisc (DVD), to drive a worldwide boom in post-production.

Terr said they’ve signed up more than 120 screened and qualified workers and are getting positive reaction from the industry. January tends to be a relatively quiet period in the film and TV industries.

Mark Breakspear, director of visual compositing for Santa Monica-based Digital Muse, used ICA when he needed to leave Digital Muse--which works on commercials and such TV shows as the “Star Trek” series--for a few weeks to go on location.

“We gave him a list of details about what the person needed to do, and he was able to choose a person who did the job very satisfactorily. In fact, it was almost too good,” said Breakspear with a laugh. “I could end up out of a job.”

Digital Muse has already booked two more temps through Terr. Breakspear said while he’s always called on people from his own list of potential workers, “there’s no guarantee they’ll be available.”

Post-production workers don’t come cheaply. A talented visual effects editor can make anywhere from $75 to $200 an hour, according to ICA’s Schenck. Editors working on Avid, the leading editing machine, generally earn between $19 and $45 an hour. ICA charges an additional fee.

Temp workers see signing with ICA as a way to help make a career shift or move to a different market. Eric Boyer, a compositing and special effects artist, has signed on with ICA although he currently has a full-time job at a firm that works on commercials and music videos in Austin, Texas. “If I wanted to support myself in just Austin as a freelancer, I wouldn’t have enough money to eat,” Boyer said. “I’m thinking of trying to move to a bigger market this year, but I’ve found that the major ones--New York, Chicago, L.A.--are really closed unless you get in some way. I think [ICA] could be a way to get introduced.”