As one who has lobbied hard for some brave soul or souls to create a soundstage in Kansas City, I am thrilled that StagePort has opened just across the street from T2 +Back Alley Films. And I’m not alone – all the local film makers, productions houses and agencies – in and outside the Crossroads Art District have welcomed this new addition.

Jeff Owens, a genius set designer and veteran member of the film community was responsible for building out the 12,500 sq. ft at the back end of the building that houses OfficePort and JavaPort. There is no one better than Jeff to take this on – and his involvement will guarantee StagePort’s financial success. He will be working alongside Jon Trozzolo in managing the facility that includes one large stage and two smaller ones. Jon and Jeff are co-owners of the facility, along with real estate partners Michael Edmondson and Shaul Jolles.

Lots of folks have considered this undertaking – but it was hard to make the numbers work when you consider the investment in the build-out, which is why it made such sense to get Jeff Owens involved. He is not only well connected and well respected within the film community, but he has the “chops” to do the work himself. It took a little longer for Jeff to take on such a large role in the construction process, but it made the investment more palatable. And Jeff got the community involved before the construction began – by contacting a large number of the people who would use it and asking them what they wanted in a soundstage. He brought in the best people to advise on acoustics, lighting, etc. – took that information and created a facility that would meet the needs of the customers who would use it. Pretty smart – pretty impressive.

That kind of homework – focusing on user experience and listening to customers and potential customers and building or creating what they need, instead of what you want – is really a critical component of business success today. I applaud their efforts and wish them much success.

StagePort is located at 208 W. 19th Street, in Kansas City, MO. For more details about StagePort, there’s a great article in the Kansas City Star. And, if you want to find them on Facebook or stalk them on Twitter, I’m sure they’d love the attention.

So, five years is a long time, right? The world changes from minute to minute–so FIVE years–a lot happens and changes in that time. Well, five years ago T2 in partnership with Inland Sea Productions and the Kansas City Area Development Council started work on the “The Next American Dream”–a documentary on the revitalization of downtowns all across the nation. Kansas City was a natural fit for the documentary for a number of reasons. First, and most obvious – we live here! Duh!! Why would we shoot a doc on another city’s revitalization? We don’t live there and couldn’t watch the progress. Additionally, some folks had told KC officials that we were doing the rebuild the right way…and apparently doing it ahead of schedule. So…. off we went. Camera in hand. Again…and again….and again….and again….for like–4 years. It was like Groundhog Day, only we knew that we would ALWAYS have six more weeks of shooting and interviews.

Then, before we knew it, years 4 and 5 were upon us. We were in post and knocking out really fantastic story. T2 editor, Cara Myers, is a champ. Plugging away day after day–digging through literally YEARS of footage and interviews. Writers Aimee Larrabee and Larry Garrett helped to keep Cara sane while she was in the editorial suite. I have to admit, I often wondered if they drugged her….oops, I digress. T2 graphics, headed up by Michael Ong, brought the color and elevated entertainment value with the motion graphics. I loved being in meetings with Michael discussing the graphic look for the doc. I finally understood that when an artist would show Michael an idea he had for the documentary graphics–the sometimes response from Michael being “Interesting.”—actually means: “Whoa Nelley, that is kinda ugly and why don’t you give it one more shot.” Michael knew the look and feel of this documentary from day one. He stayed true to his vision–and we are all grateful for that amazing vision!

Premiere time. We finished the doc and it was time for the premiere–Oct. 7, 2009 at the new Power and Light AMC theater. We were all excited…but nervous that all of the folks were going to be looking at our newborn baby for the first time. Would they think its cute? They did and it has been a success ever since. Yes, it has been shown in over 40% of the United States and 32% of the top 50 markets–yes, all that is true. Now for the mushy stuff– it being shown in all of the markets in the world won’t touch the immense pride, joy and pure satisfaction I have for being apart of this documentary. A true labor of love. For me, it truly was a dream come true. I am looking for the next doc for us to sink our T2 teeth into–but nothing will match the passion of our first– “The Next American Dream.”

Well, I think Mr. Florida may have been a bit ahead of his time – or maybe the rest of the world was just lagging behind. But now, it looks like all the planets are aligned and, for a growing number of business leaders and big thinkers, the word “creativity” has swelled in stature recently.  Maybe it’s the recent shit storm that swept our country – thanks in large part to the “creative geniuses” on Wall Street. Or maybe it’s just that the combination of creativity and technology is the only way to survive now. Art and commerce have finally merged – and the world we are facing is a much different place than the one we lived in before.

Creativity is much broader, too – and much more collaborative.  It feels like the secret source of creativity now is about getting creative people in all different fields and genres working together – and sharing ideas – all under one roof.   Because creative people are curious – not just about what they do – but about everything.  I’m seeing this firsthand in our new T2 Experience Lab, as well as in the way our sister company, Back Alley Films has evolved.

Suddenly, “Experience” has become the buzzword in marketing. There are Experience designers – and whole new Experience companies — and new divisions in traditional  agencies are being formed to focus on touching the customer in unique ways.   And the coolest thing now, is that it’s moving beyond digital – and beyond specific technologies – and into a world where two-way interaction with a brand is possible anywhere and any time.  This has opened up a world of possibilities for the “creatives” in the T2 Experience Lab.

At the end of this month, 150+ members of AIGA will host their 20-year anniversary at our new event space, The Venue. They’ve asked our team at The Experience Lab to step in and create something magical. It will be creativity in design AND in technology – and it promises to be an amazing experience.

And our team at Back Alley Films has recently retooled their roster and re-named the folks on it – they are no longer directors, they are artists.  And they are multi-talented artists – editors who shoot – or write – shooters who direct; award-winning documentary film makers who are now creating content for the web at budgets that are miniscule compared to the commercial budgets of the past; still photographers who have expanded into motion and can capitalize on an integrated messages. It’s all about creativity, but without the limiting parameters of specialization. The focus at Back Alley is about creating live action content – content that is media agnostic – and more in line with the production company of the future – and the budgets that have become a reality.

So, I say, this is our time. Not a time for doom and gloom — but a time for seizing the opportunity.  Sounds trite, I know. But seriously, there has probably never been a better time to be in a creative business. So, stop the fear and negativity. The more fearful we become, the more we will fall back on tried and tested formulas for what we do – and that would be the kiss of death. It’s a brave new world – and it requires courage to move beyond our comfort zone. But isn’t that music to the ears of “creatives?”  I know it is to mine. What do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts.