Dominic Pandolfino
CEO
Nice Shoes
New York City
www.niceshoes.com
The production and post production landscapes have converged. What used to be two separate fields have blurred. And although there will always be a demand for the premium specialist, more post production companies are moving towards offering more complete, end-to-end solutions.
In 2014, Nice Shoes launched its Creative Studio, which provides a full service creative complement to our color grading and finishing capabilities. As we enter 2015, we want to build on that groundwork in order to serve a wider range of clientele. In addition to the Creative Studio, we also continued to forge new partnerships with other best-in-class post houses across the country. These partnerships offer remote color services and talent exchange throughout secondary markets. Collaborating with companies that might have once been considered competitors is a significant paradigm shift for our company — and likely for the industry as a whole.
Nice Shoes offers a range of services, along with grading and finishing for various project types
This year, I went to IBC, along with our CTO Robert Keske and my partner, Chris Ryan. We researched a number of products that would aid us in our goal of equipping our artists with the best end-to-end solutions out there. There were a number of vendors that had some really impressive toolsets on display, so it's clear the rest of the industry has this kind of workflow in mind as well.
Technology changes but creativity is constant. Where the industry once obsessed on putting technology first, we’ve all seen the conversation shift from boxes to creative solutions. What’s more critical now is the human factor, building great teams and being a more complete resource.
So while I can’t identify any one standout trend for the coming year, I can only say that it’s up to companies like Nice Shoes, and everyone in our industry, to push beyond trends and work to become nimble enough to adapt to the constantly-evolving needs of our clients. That adaptation will demand not only better technological foresight but also an increased sensitivity to a client who cares less about the “how” and more about the total solution and final result.