Wild Kingdom

Marlin Perkins was an early video hero of mine. For years he held court on "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom", introducing viewers to a world of animals. Marlin seemed to know everything there was to know about critters but he always made certain that somebody else on his staff did the dirty work. A typical voice-over went like this: "While I watched from the helicopter, Jim wrestled the ferocious crocodile of Borneo."

She may not wrestle crocodiles, but Katharine O'Brien has emerged as Stonefilms' answer to Marlin Perkins. Katharine produces "Pets on Demand", a video series for Comcast that introduces viewers to a wide variety of animals ready for adoption. And we do mean variety----dogs, cats, horses, pigs, goats, rabbits, you name it. Twice a month, Katharine and her crew work with the SPCA and the Houston Humane Society to profile 15 animals. And along with the cats and dogs there are some surprises, as well: the Houston Texans Cheerleaders made an appearance at the SPCA, and some hockey stars from the Houston Aeros were special guests at the Houston Humane Society.

Producing a video with horses and pigs is challenging, to say the least. Katharine has become an expert at animal psychology and insists that cats are the most difficult subjects. "We are on their schedule," she says, "and sometimes they are so wild or cranky that we have to switch them out with a calmer kitten." And dogs----"they are either calm or crazy," Katharine tells me, "no in between. We have to throw dog treats to them throughout the shot to keep them calm."

It is a parrot that has made the most indelible impression. This particular bird had apparently once lived with an owner that used a CB radio, because the parrot could do a dead-on impersonation of radio squelch before saying, "Hello." The folks at the Houston Humane Society arrived one morning to hear a persistent greeting from inside the building and were worried that they had locked somebody in overnight. But, no, it was just the parrot, giving them a "10-4, good buddy," to start the day.

"Pets on Demand" is not just fun to produce and to watch----its a program that gets results. Folks are coming in to the SPCA and the Houston Humane Society asking to adopt animals that they had seen on Comcast. There are so many cats and dogs and horses and rabbits that need a loving home. We hope you'll take a look at Comcast and "Pets on Demand." Who knows? There may just be a parrot in your future.
---Ronnie

CHRISTMAS ALREADY?

You knew the retailers were ready to increase sales when the Christmas items were coming out before Halloween even began. This has been a tough year for so many companies, and corporate budgets have never been tighter.

To help with our client's budgets, Stonefilms has been using our web review for projects more than ever. We are having fewer client supervised edits, and sending review copies of programs straight to our server, for review across town or across the globe. This may not make the airlines happy, but we have been able to reduce travel for clients exponentially, and although we have some of the most comfortable edit suites in Texas, most clients love the ability to review programs at the desk, at home, or on their Blackberry - anywhere in the world.

Speaking of the web, we have just wrapped production on a 22 part series of informational videos in Spanish and English for the Mental Health Mental Retardation Authority of Harris County.

And we, too, are getting into the holiday spirit. Our producers are working on the KHOU Thanksgiving Parade, and Santa has been contacted, and will be there to ring in the Christmas Season.

Happy Holidays!

Billy