One local production company impacted by the Springer show’s stealthy move to Connecticut is Pixel Brothers. It has been shooting the show’s field segments for 10 out of the 19 years it’s been on the air.
Pixel Brothers partner Mike Torchia only just learned about contract ending in July, when he was invited to an NBC meeting where the move was announced.
Virtually the entire company had had some part in the syndicated show, with the ongoing field shoots utilizing cameramen, audio engineers, crews, editors, equipment rentals, and even the administration staff.
Editing of the two shows was added to Pixel’s plate in August, 2007, when then-Springer executive producer Richard Dominick moved postproduction.
Four of Springers staff editors, who’d been on the Springer show for a dozen years, joined four new editors whom Pixel hired to work on the Steve Wilcos show.
It’s not known if any of the eight editors have been offered jobs in Stamford ? or if Pixel is considering opening a branch office there. Regardless, Pixel will keep the editors on staff, ready and available for potential new show business, said business development director and Pixel spokesman John Patterson.
“While we were stunned by the Chicago cancellation, we had planned for this eventuality. Being a full-service and diverse company helped cushioned the loss,” Patterson stated.
Dominick left NBC five months ago to form his own production company. He has a partnership agreement with Pixel to develop his talk and reality TV shows that he would produce in Chicago.
Pixel Brothers had an astonishing 165% growth last year, Patterson noted, although he would not reveal what percentage of that was attributed to work on the two NBC Universal contracts.
Optimism prevails, however, about the success of the Dominick shows it has just begun to shop, and four other TV shows in various stages of development brought to them by other producers.
TV shows aside, Pixel continues to work on a full slate of videos, interactive and graphics services for corporate and commercial clients.
Pixel Brothers last June moved into 12,000-sq. ft. of space over two floors in a loft building at 400 N. Wolcott. Phone, 312/733-7373. See
