161 east grand chicago, illinois 60611 312 321 0880 oneatoptimus.com

Why ONE works.

We felt that the commercial production process could be a lot less complicated, so we created a new model.

Why ONE works. 3

By joining forces with the highly respected post-production company, Optimus, we’re able to bring the entirety of a production, from script to air, under one roof.

tom duff president, partner

Optimus since 1995, president since 1996

That same year assembled the partnership that bought Optimus from Anheuser-Busch

A sports fanatic, clearly likes a blitz

Lifelong Chicagoan did time in production at Burnett, Riney, DDB

“ This place and our people mean everything in the world to me” (not counting family, White Sox)

Why ONE works. 4

Your project begins and ends in the hands of one caretaker. No more handoffs. No more communication gaps.

john noble executive producer, managing director

Began his career at 16, PA-ing on classic 70s Volkswagen spots

After NYC’s School of Visual Arts, worked as a production coordinator for legends Bob Giraldi, Mark Story and Henry Sandbank

In 1986, began collecting awards as an agency producer at DDB NYC, then McCann, BSB, Chiat/Day, BBDO, GKV, and in 1995, The Martin Agency

Helped build the success of brands like Audi, Choice Hotels, Sprite, SAAB, GEICO, and UPS

Added Chicago to his address book as head of Production & Digital Core at Element 79 overseeing Gatorade, Propel, Quaker, and Celebrity Cruises

Returned to “the other side” as head of ONE

One-word description: accomplished

Why ONE works. 5

How ONE works.

312 321 0880

How ONE works. 7

This is the number that connects you to your executive producer, your content producer, your director, your editor, your graphic designer, your colorist, your audio engineer and your craft service person. It’s a pretty easy number to remember.

We’ll make this number easy for you too. Simply put, we’ll make it work. No short-changing anything. As you might guess, we’re all about peaceful coexistence.

How ONE works. 8

budget

prep

gretchen praeger managing director/executive producer

Optimus’s unsung true leader, knows and does it all

Reared in the Optimus shipping room, catapulted by her love/studies/knowledge of film

Elegantly blends creative savvy with effortless taskmastery

Into cooking, sewing, running

Gets her best workout running after her 3-year-old

Responsible for popularity of the phrase “Ask Gretchen”

Everybody’s on the same page, start to finish.

In our case, the post-production begins before the production begins. We’ll start with a technical pre-pre-pro with the DP, AC, Editor, VFX Supervisor and Colorist.

How ONE works. 9

visit www.oneatoptimus.com to view reels.

ONE at Optimus was built to house the best emerging directorial talent in the industry and to unleash their creativity and drive in a thoroughly organized, buttoned-up environment. Our current roster of directors is diverse, original and supremely creative, spanning the globe from China to Rome to Jerusalem to Minneapolis.

Driven and accomplished, curious and interested, encouraged to explore new possibilities and to seek fresh perspectives. Brave, but not reckless. All work, all play.

How ONE works. 10

sunny zhao

barry kimm

alex anderson

mehdi zollo

michael chaves

james fleischel

alex beh

aggressive

directors

Whatever you (or your project) hunger for can be whipped up in our full-service kitchen. Whether it’s a complex food shoot or simply a round of espressos, our sleek stage kitchen is fully outfitted to produce all manner of edibles - and shootables - beautifully.

Serve.

From your ultra comfortable front row seat, you’ll have our brand-new, state-of-the-art stage at your command: 1400 square feet with a 16-foot ceiling.A 20’ x 28’ cyc that stretches to 12 feet tall, coveringexposed brick walls. A crisp white sweep, perfect for a seamless background, that can be painted any color you wish. All thoroughly sound-insulated with recycled materials. Ready? Set.

Observe.

Where ONE works. 11

the space

Our bright and lively production office is equipped to run several productions simultaneously. And smoothly. Specs: Wifi, color copier, scanner, fax. 50” Sony Bravia with Blu-ray player. Final Cut workstation featuring a g5 2 x 3.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor with 10 gb of RAM.

Where there’s a buzz, there must be a hive.

Our plush respite from the action hovers at the very top of our vintage factory building, featuring gorgeous skyline views of the city and all the comforts of your homeaway from home: 55” Sony Bravia display, Blu-ray player, 5.1 surround sound. Xbox, Wii, PS2, cable. Conference call capabilities and a fully stocked wet bar (which nobody on that conference call needs to know about).

Client lounge? Or client cocoon?

Where ONE works. 12

It’s big, but not too. It’s sophisticated, but not too. Chicago is accessible. Here you’ll find real people, real houses and real neighborhoods alongside fresh talent from the likes of Second City and Steppenwolf, plus a cityscape filled out with every style of architecture imaginable. Our crews are seasoned and skilled. And we have a full, in-house production stage at ONE. But we can shoot anywhere – L.A., New York, Argentina – wherever is best for the job.

Chicago’s a great city.

locale

How ONE works. 13

We’re lucky to have a camera super-geek on our team: our nationally renowned Senior Colorist. He has extensive knowledge of cameras, and together with his team, he’s been bridging the gap between production and digital acquisition for years. Using a variety of tools and constant feedback, he crafts individual answers to projects, solving the common headaches with digital workflows.

craig leffelsenior colorist, partner

BFA in Photography, BMOC at Optimus since 1996 Beyond nationally renowned colorist, has covered the spectrum as DP and Director on commercials and music videos A tech wiz, tests cameras for Fletcher Chicago and is intimate with the RED ONEHas Super Bowl spots and international work under his beltWhen his fingers aren’t mixing colors they’re strumming a guitarHas the only office with portholes

tech

How ONE works. 14

The Optimus reputation owes a lot to its roster of award-winning editors. Eight in Chicago, five in Santa Monica. As diverse as they are, they’re all passionate about their craft, inventive, tireless and, especially important, a pleasure to hang out with. Hard work doesn’t have to feel like hard time.

editorial

Born in Nebraska, son of a preacher man

Bought a camcorder instead of a car at 16

Gave up sleeping in 1992 when he started at Optimus

Met wife at Optimus, created 2 kick-ass daughters

Loves making :30 movies

Hates saying no

randy palmeroff-line editor, partner

How ONE works. 15

glen noreneffects director, partner

Modest leading talent of hotshot Graphics crewBroadcast introduced him to tight deadlines at ABC-TV

Channeled growth of motion graphics and digital compositing when they were coming into their own

Has practiced visual wizardry at Optimus since 1994

Post-work, practices fatherhood of four as Adventure Guides circle leader and soccer coach

Claim to near-fame: extra in “Risky Business”

Flame. Smoke. Maya. Cinema 4D. (We could go on.) We have all the latest, and we have all the talent who know how to work it. We call them artists. Others call them magicians.

visual effects

How ONE works. 17

design

mike “chick” ciacciarellicreative director

New England native studied film history and screenwriting at Northwestern Started as a PA in LA, ended up in Chicago as an award-winning animator and designer Has worked with agencies of all kinds and directly with clients, including McDonald’s, Sears, Coca-Cola, Altoids, and Samsung, to name only a fewDoes double duty as a participating motion graphics artist and project managerCoordinates a parents-as-art-teachers program at his daughter’s schoolBelieves good design is the custom creative solution to a unique communication problemHas actually said above statement out loud

Our design group is tight-knit, cutting-edge and multidimensional. Every designer’s style is individual, but we collaborate as a singular unit, linked both digitally and creatively. Everybody’s versatile: our 3D animator is equally skilled in stop-motion, and each of our designers is more than capable of building a rough-cut and an off-line edit. We can do storyboards, concept frames, and any other form of “pre-vis.”And we’re not just behind-the-scenes types - we’re completely comfortable working directly with clients. We’re people-designers.

How ONE works. 18

You might already have a music house or two in mind. We also have partner relationships that we can bring up. In any case, we’re happy to help negotiate. As for VO recording and mixing, we’ve got you covered with our rock-star (really) Audio Engineer.

joel andersonaudio engineer

Ditched Cedar Falls for top film school University of IowaLanded Optimus internship in 2004, fast-tracked to current positionAward-winning sound designer on in-house fringe film projectsOnstage rocker, backstage video producer of Pitchfork FestivalInto baseball, guacamole

How ONE works. 19

audio

v.4

v.5

v.3

v.2

v.6 v.7 v.8

v.9 v.10

v.11

v.12 v.13 v.14

v.15

v.16

v.17

v.18

v.19

v.20

v.21

v.22

v.23 finishing

Versions coming out of your ears? Great! We love versions. Swap a price point, switch out a product, last minute copy change, last second copy change. That’s just part of the business, and we’re experts at making it painless.

How ONE works. 17How ONE works. 20

Whatever works.

We run a tight ship, but we don’t stick to one course. Got a steady relationship with your own sound guy? Have your eyes on another place for graphics? No sweat. We’re totally flexible. The only thing we insist on is making your entire production experience the best one you’ve had.

Whatever works. 22

no problem

Sometimes, they’re everything. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, breakfast a second time. Warm, homemade cookies daily. Manicure? Limo to the airport? Yoga session? You will be treated like family– a royal one, maybe – and made to feel at home.

little things

Whatever works. 23

Let’s work together.312 321 0880

Ask for John and we’ll get started.