by Nancy Jundi

Burbank, CA – Starting off with nothing more than an iMac and their kitchen table, Executive Producers Tony and Erin Carenzo have made GrapeVine Productions one of the most forward thinking full-service production facilities in the game. Now in their seventh year, what began as a husband and wife team has grown into a close knit family of over a dozen editors, graphics designers, 2D/3D animators and producers. With clients including Disney, Warner Bros., Sony, Cartoon Network and Toys ‘R’ Us, they’ve certainly moved beyond their humble beginnings. “We started with just production and editorial services to facilitate our own projects,” says Tony Carenzo, “but we’ve grown so much that most of our work now comes from the outside.”

Armed with multiple Avid Adrenaline HD work stations, a Pro Tools HD recording studio and over a dozen graphics stations, Erin Carenzo noted “When we got into this, graphics and audio weren’t our specialty; we hired amazing people and learned from them. We’re producers – there are a lot of people who can do what we do. What makes us different is how we do it and who we do it with.”

Angel Stallings, who joined the one-stop-shop facility in 2006 as their Director of Sales and Marketing said “I saw Grapevine’s projects and was intrigued.” She was eager to get her feet wet in the graphics world after carving out an impressive background in post with Pacific Soundwaves, Margarita Mix, Level 3 Post, Hollywood Digital and R!OT.  Stallings said “Their work was creative and beautiful. I wanted to get into the graphic and visual side of things and was drawn to the amazing work they do.”

Learning about holding auditions, designing graphics, and editing proved a real education for Stallings. “I’ve never seen a more professional group. It’s been fantastic introducing them to all the clients I’ve worked with over the years” she said. “The company is incredibly versatile. We have young artists on top of their game, and it’s amazing what they can pull off!”

What may be most amazing about Grapevine is the way they not only embrace new directions in the market, but pioneer them as well. While many of their peers may be reluctant to change course, the Carenzos and their team are always looking for the faster, better, and most affordable solutions for the overall benefit of their clientele. Mastering projects from :30 second promos and commercials to longer formats, GrapeVine has a proven and commanding knowledge of how to facilitate each one with creativity, precision, and within budget.

A new challenge for GrapeVine has been in creating content that can be transferred from HD, SD, web, and mobile outlets – a challenge they welcome with open arms and anticipate more of. “It’s about keeping in touch with the market” said Tony Carenzo. “The more consumers are able to skip past commercials with things like TiVo, the more we have seen product placement in television, and promos made for the web and cell phones.” With the media being produced so it can easily transfer from one format or outlet to another, GrapeVine is able to provide appealing and cost effective solutions to their clients’ ever changing market.

A key to success for GrapeVine Productions, is the awareness of how technology comes together with talent. “We do all of the work on our Avid Adrenalines and PC design stations” says Tony Carenzo. “We can do everything on them that the more expensive machines can do, plus remain flexible and efficient by opting for reliable and proven technology over edgy and new. We focus on making sure material can come in and go out without a problem, and the Avid HD Adrenaline has done that for us consistently.” Erin Carenzo adds “We couldn’t do any of this without the amazing technology, but technology without an artist doesn’t do us any good.  It’s the marriage of a great machine and a talented artist that gets us to the final product.  We certainly have hit the lottery with our staff, so now we just manage a very talented brain trust.”

GrapeVine’s elite and loyal brain trust is a virtual cornucopia of backgrounds. They’ve got former graphics instructors, musicians and recent college graduates all under one roof. “Everyone on our team is a jack of all trades” says Mychael Lederer-Morihisa, a Lead Graphic Artist for GrapeVine. “In a crunch, three or four of us can do overnight what 10 to 12 people might normally do in a week.” Mychael, who met the Carenzos while working on a project for Disney (where Erin was formerly on staff), has been with the company since the very beginning. “We grew in spurts and never put all of our eggs in one basket” says Lederer-Morihisa. “It was important for us to constantly diversify our projects and to always be looking forward.”

This group of technical hermits is generally tucked away in the darkened corners of their graphic stations, but when these computer gurus do come up for air, they are well taken care of. The Carenzos have certainly made sure the atmosphere is fun and relaxed with a Pac Man/Galaga machine in the lobby, ready supplies of coffee, chocolate, and other munchies in the kitchen.

With a “people work with us, not for us” mentality, it’s no wonder they’ve attracted and retained some of the best talent in their field.   Erin Carenzo noted, “We’ve never bought into the idea that one role is more important than the other. Someone may be a manager, and someone else may be a coordinator or an assistant, but if we lose a member of the team, whatever their role may be, it affects all of us the same. Whether it’s myself, or an artist, or a coordinator, someone still has to fill the hole.” With innovative producers, an eclectic team of artists and a client list rapidly expanding, you’ll be hearing more from GrapeVine Productions often and in big ways. Stop by www.grapevineproductions.com to learn more about Grapevine’s projects, their talented brain trust and what they can do for you.