Speakers included Tim Houlne, CEO of Working Solutions, a company that staffs call centers with home-based employees.  His story was a great lesson in attitude and perspective—if you look for opportunities, you’ll find them. If you look for challenges, you’ll find those instead.  Although his business faced considerable challenges, through innovative thought and sheer determination, the business has grown to be a leading provider of quality customer service agents for companies like Home Depot.

Mike Rose gave insight into his new book, Return on Energy, which offers an unorthodox management methodology for communication priorities within the organization. By putting the right people in the “right seats,” an organization can maximize its success while also enabling all members of the organization to achieve personal growth.  His perspective of an effective organizational structure looks more like a bull’s eye target than a top down organizational chart or a Knights-of-the-Round Table co-equal model.

Jim Smelley, a self-described geek and co-founder of Thought Ensemble Collaboration, talked about how to innovate with technology. Remember the “just one word” scene from The Graduate?  Today, the single word in technological innovation isn’t “plastic”—not surprisingly, it’s “Cloud.” Hearing it from an expert just solidifies to me the idea that the Cloud isn’t the MySpace or Blackberry du jour. And, an important lesson he left the audience with—hug an IT person today. They are so very critical to the success of an organization, and so often relegated to hiding in the server room.

The final speaker was the dynamic Vice President of Wholly Guacamole, Tracey Altman. I believe she breathes guacamole. Or, at least, she has internalized the brand so wholeheartedly you really believe there are endless possibilities for innovating the humble avocado. She offered great insight into innovating existing product lines.

Many thanks to ExperiPro and the 85+ business executives who attended this wonderful event. It’s always so inspiring to hear stories from people with such insight and generosity of spirit as to share their hard-earned advice.

Have you ever been to the Hotel Adolphus in downtown Dallas? The one that is ranked annually in the best hotels in the world. Yes, not the city or state, but the world. That’s the one!

Well, AMS Pictures senior account rep Eileen Yedwab, and Executive Producer Tim Wylie were there just this past weekend for the “Boogie Wonderland.” This disco-themed holiday party was sponsored by Meeting Professionals International’s Dallas Chapter. The event featured a silent auction that benefited the JPA Scholarship Fund. Both Eileen and Tim donated! Eileen got a wicked awesome pair of Rangers tix, and Tim is the new owner of a timeshare. Just kidding, Tim! He did get some nifty hotel packages for the next time he’s up visiting family and friends in Norfolk, Va.

Eileen described the event as “a great time to network and build friendships,” and Tim noted that there was “disco fever in the air!” Way to go, guys!

Today AMS Pictures welcomed former “Saved by the Bell” star, Mario Lopez, into our studios to record audio commentary for Extra. Mr. Lopez commented on all the latest celebrity gossip buzz and entertainment headlines. For some AMSers it was an exciting chance to meet one of their favorite celebrities. Be sure to tune in to Extra to catch all the latest stories!

According to Deloitte’s website, Deloitte University (DU) “will become the heart of our organization, a place that will foster our talent’s growth both personally and professionally.” In order to quickly orient and integrate visitors to the exciting opportunities and robust facilities that DU offers, a short five minute orientation video is screened to all new arrivals.

The video excerpt above gives us a sample of the highly polished product deliverables that represent Deloitte’s standards. From gorgeous time lapses to sweeping facility overviews, you get a strong sense of the environment that you are about to enter.

“This place is incredible – limestone walls, reclaimed wood, sculptures, artwork everywhere and a huge reflection pool – these elements make the facility look like a resort. It’s close to two football fields in length and we needed to garner as much lush footage as possible, so we employed two complete camera crews and covered it from one end to the other” said director Randy Martin.

In addition to the strong video element that features the versatile architecture and style of the university, Diana O’Brien, Deloitte University Managing Principal, along with other professional voiceover talent, endow the welcome video with a warm and informative tone.

We are proud of our collaboration with Sharon Chortek, Keiler & Company, and Deloitte, and we wish the best to all of Deloitte University’s present and future attendees!

“The power of imagination makes us infinite.”
~John Muir

For their 2011 Research & Development Creativity Celebration, Frito Lay again teamed up with AMS Pictures to produce an unforgettable corporate event.  From the proposal phase to pre-production, all the way through to the actual event, every element of the creative approach coalesced just right to create a tone in sync with the theme “Power of Imagination.”  AMS Pictures incorporated dynamic lighting elements, energetic music, and exciting videos to illustrate the power of a creative mind, while also inspiring collaboration and creativity throughout the Frito-Lay R&D team before, during, and after the event.

Event Responsibilities:

• Theme Execution – Event Production, Custom-Produced Frito Lay Music Video, Graphic Design, Scenic/Set Design, Lighting Design, Room Layout
• Event Execution – A/V Management, Company Event Management, Show Logistics, Multi-Camera Shoot of General Session

Event Responsibilities:

• Labor for set up, show, and strike
• Show Flow Management
• Rear screen projection system – dual screen
• Single output switching system
• Single Camera IMAG
• DDR & DVD Playback
• Custom Stage with truss and kabuki drop banners
• Pyro effects with full rehearsal day
• Entertainment lighting design & execution
• Sound System for 300 with wireless microphones

]]> http://cs.amspictures.com/portfolio/our-work/dean-foods/feed/ 0 http://cs.amspictures.com/portfolio/our-work/zachry-associates/ http://cs.amspictures.com/portfolio/our-work/zachry-associates/#comments Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:15:40 +0000 Brett Reisman http://cs.amspictures.com/?p=3272 Aviall, a leading parts provider for the defense and aerospace industries, recently asked leading creative agency Zachry Associates to produce a video to showcase the their state-of-the-art, 500,000 sq. ft. central distribution center in Dallas, Texas.  The video achieves its goal of creating a dynamic piece that is both informative and visually engaging in conveying the complex yet efficient operational power of their facility.  AMS Pictures is pleased to…]]>

Aviall, a leading parts provider for the defense and aerospace industries, recently asked leading creative agency Zachry Associates to produce a video to showcase the their state-of-the-art, 500,000 sq. ft. central distribution center in Dallas, Texas.  The video achieves its goal of creating a dynamic piece that is both informative and visually engaging in conveying the complex yet efficient operational power of their facility.  AMS Pictures is pleased to be selected to partner with Zachry Associates and proud to offer our creative support and high level of project management to the job.

The approach to the creative look and feel employs a technique of ever changing video windows combined with clean text animations to present a fluid sense of motion, emulating the precise and methodical operational pace of the Aviall facility.  And, with the addition of an exciting 3D animation fly-through of the facility – produced by IOD Architectural Animation Studio - the collaboration delivers a captivating and energetic look into the distribution center, clearly making the point that this facility is second to none.

The Ken and Barbie dolls on the bathroom doors are garbed in luau clothes in July, and now Christmas clothes in the winter.  Town Square receives a complete makeover.  We hang lights from every corner of the building, for no other reason than because it’s festive and we want to work in a fun environment. Come by and check out our holiday spirit, and also donate to our Food Drive, running now through the end of next week!

From the AMS Pictures team…

Have a Happy Turkey Day!

]]> http://cs.amspictures.com/buzz/deck-the-halls-with-boughs-of-holly/feed/ 0 http://cs.amspictures.com/buzz/ams-pictures-sponsors-mediatech-institute-video-production/ http://cs.amspictures.com/buzz/ams-pictures-sponsors-mediatech-institute-video-production/#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:16:24 +0000 Brett Reisman http://cs.amspictures.com/?p=3276 The AMS Pictures “What Would You Do With A Boeing 727?”  Summer Sweepstakes has inspired a class of students at Mediatech Institute to take the winning idea of Molly Cain of Comerica Bank and turn it into reality!    AMS Pictures opened up its doors last week to Mediatech Institute’s advanced production class. Working with Equipment Manager James Rucker, Director of Photography Luisa Mendoza-Kirby, and Sales…]]>

The AMS Pictures “What Would You Do With A Boeing 727?”  Summer Sweepstakes has inspired a class of students at Mediatech Institute to take the winning idea of Molly Cain of Comerica Bank and turn it into reality!    AMS Pictures opened up its doors last week to Mediatech Institute’s advanced production class. Working with Equipment Manager James Rucker, Director of Photography Luisa Mendoza-Kirby, and Sales Coordinator Brett Reisman, the class had access to AMS Pictures’ sophisticated camera, grip, and lighting equipment.  They also got to film inside of the AMS Pictures backlot airplane.  It was a very enriching production experience for the students, as they got a chance to work with our savvy and experienced professionals as well as our array of production equipment. Now with the semester winding down, they have two weeks to turn 45 gigabytes of raw data into a polished short commercial that brings to life one of the AMS Pictures Summer Sweepstakes finalist ideas.

Giving young people the opportunity to engage with real studio equipment and on a project that they develop and execute is extremely rewarding to us – these are the next generation of producers and film makers and deserve a chance realize their passion.

Check back soon for the latest news as this project continues to develop!