Last December, on my 14-hour flight from Minneapolis to Tokyo Japan, I decided it was time to go into business again. I had started in the media with my own business, "The Video Company." For those of you who are old enough to remember, or if you were even in Wisconsin back then, you may remember the "Wheel and Sprocket" commercials with the two owners doing all kinds of wacky stunts. You may also remember a weekly show called "Vintage Video Theater." It was kind of a "Siskel and Ebert," only they showed a whole movie between their commentaries. I also spent a year traveling the country doing "Video Wallpaper." "Video Wallpaper" was a term I came up with to describe shots of the local sites for each city, mixed with my clients marketing and advertising materials. The video would then be played in the nightclub or restaurant cut to music. I guess this was a kind of precursor to the music video. These were all productions of my production company.
In the next 20-years my career took me through a number of positions and employers - but I guess I always knew I'd end up back as an entrepreneur. My 20-years in this business taught me a lot. But the one thing that still surprises me is why some people just don't get it. Everyday I hear stories from my friends and clients about experiences they have had with all types of vendors that frankly (pun intended) just amaze me.
When did poor service become expected and satisfactory service become extraordinary?
How do some companies lose sight of the fact that their customer is the most important part of their business? Maybe they get too big to give personal service, or maybe they get too confident and secure in the thought that their clients will always comes back - or maybe they mistakenly think they have no choice.
These are the questions that drove me "back to basics" and back into business for myself.
Disc Cloners Plus is my new DVD/CD duplication company. We offer DVD and CD duplication PLUS DVD authoring and some video support services (master clean-up, titles, moving menus etc.). Are our DVDs and CDs better than the other guys? Well, not really. I mean, all BS aside - a DVD or CD is really just a bunch of 0's and 1's on a plastic disc. We do make sure we use the best media and research and purchase the best duplication systems available - but for those who have lasted in this business - chances are they've done that homework too.
What will and has differentiated us is our service. I don't want or plan to become an Allied Vaughn or Great Lakes Media. I'm working hard to strike a balance between being big enough to provide the services my clients need and staying small enough to know what that need is - personally.
My partner and I know every job that comes to us - we know the details and we know the people who place the orders. With 40-years combined experience in the media business there is not much that can stump us anymore and I make it a mission to keep up-to-date on what's new. I love working with my clients - 90% of them have become friends 10% will become my friends in the future.
Being a producer for as long as I have been, I find great joy in learning about what other people are doing in the business. I do my best to help "the new kid" find a connection or first job in the business - wouldn't you have appreciated that when you first started? I also thrive on putting people together who can help one another. Isn't that what makes life rewarding?
It's just not "rocket science." I've been on all sides of this business; customer, salesperson, vendor, client and I remember what frustrated me and what impressed me.
I knew when I was being "snowed" and could feel when someone was sincerely interested in helping me. That feeling kept me coming back to them and I did. So you see, I really had no choice than to start my own business again. I owed it to myself; I owed it to my clients. It's just all so basic.
Frank Datzer is a video production veteran with over 25-years in the business.
He is an experienced Avid and Final Cut Pro editor, DVD authoring technician, animator and director. He spent 14-years as the Assistant Vice President of Media Services for USBank, Managed Roscor Corporation's Wisconsin Office (the Midwest largest broadcast systems integrator), was associated producer on the award winning short film "Wishtaker," and is a contributing videographer to The Getty Images High Definition Stock Footage Library.
Presently he is President of
Disc Cloners Plus - a Milwaukee Wisconsin based DVD/CD duplication company which he started in February of 2006.