Tallstoreez Productionz
Jennifer Lyons-Reid and Carl Kuddell are Adelaide based award-winning filmmakers, educators and new media artists currently producing a slate of cross-platform projects including an eight part documentary series for SBS, a new educational project for the ABC and an interactive game for the City of Adelaide.
They are also the owners of Tallstoreez Productionz Pty Ltd, a successful NEIS business in its first year of operation, having undertaken the program through Mission Australia Adelaide.
"What began as a hobby grew rapidly into an innovative art and media business that makes a difference," said Jennifer, "Something was missing in the media education world: fun and empowering projects that engage young people, teach media making and promote social awareness."
To fill the gap they saw, Jennifer and Carl created "Directing the Hero Within" - a youth media education project in which they have conducted workshops and professional development sessions across Australia with hundreds of participants and supported them to produce insightful documentaries and short films, contributing to a lively youth media network. The idea and drive they possessed was well supported by business training from the NEIS program.
"Neither of us had a business background," said Carl, "our learning curve has been steep. It was so nurturing to have mentors who believed in us and stepped us through at a pace that was relevant."
"Our business model is about empowerment and the support from NEIS fast-tracked our career," added Jennifer. "We have achieved most of our five year goals within the first!"
"During the extensive business plan research for NEIS, we saw the success of user generated content such as ‘YouTube" and ‘MySpace'. We identified the need for ‘how to' packages to support viewers to make their own video content," said Carl. "To our delight, the niche market we targeted has proven to be a growth sector and we are now booked until 2008 to deliver workshops and are starting distribution of our DVD resource."
There is no doubt that Tallstoreez Productionz has had a tremendous first year. They more than tripled their forecast turnover and profit and have transformed their partnership into a successful South Australian based company. The budget for the SBS series alone is $1.3M and there is now a distinct possibility of delivering their service in North America!
Look out for Tallstoreez Productionz, as you are sure to hear more about them - a great example of how NEIS training can direct a business on the path to success!