BAM Studios News

BY LEWIS LAZARE Sun-Times Columnist

At mid-afternoon on Friday, Mike Demaio and his post-production crew at Media Nexus/Chicago were STILL putting the finishing touches on the big rap-off spot starring Cubs manager Lou Piniella and White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. The commercial is the centerpiece of the first dedicated television ad campaign for the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Chevy Dealers Association in nearly a decade.

Demaio was hoping the spot would have its world premiere on air Friday night, but he conceded the commercial might not get its first public viewing until Saturday, halfway through the first weekend of the much-anticipated crosstown showdown between the two division-leading Chicago baseball teams. Read more…

BY LEWIS LAZARE of the Chicago Sun-times

It promises to be quite the show. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and Cubs manager Lou Piniella are teaming up in a new wave of television commercials from Media Nexus/Chicago for the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Chevy Dealers Association.

The Guillen-Piniella campaign marks the first dedicated ad campaign for the Chevy dealers association in nearly a decade. The deal to pair the two high-profile and often outspoken local sports figures was done by Media Nexus CEO Mike Demaio, who brought the local Chevy dealers account to his shop earlier this spring. Read more…

 Works Like a Dream: BAM Studios Unveils Groundbreaking Sound Effects And Music Library System

 BAM Studios, a high-end dual suite sound boutique based in Chicago, recently unveiled its new customized data system dubbed the Dream Server. This proprietary sound effects and music data retrieval system features expandable storage that surpasses existing audio systems.

 Dream Server, developed by BAM audio engineers Brian Reed and Dave Leffel, combines new hardware and an upgraded network with audio software by Toronto-based Soundminer.

“We wanted fluid integration of all our media files in one efficient network – one that also had an easy front-end access to help speed the search and production process,” says Leffel. “There wasn’t a system that did it the way we had envisioned, so we built our own.” Read more…

- Brian, Johnathon and Dave -

Lucky Seven: BAM Studios Celebrates Seven Summers In The Production Community

The summer of 2007 marks the seventh anniversary of BAM Studios, a Chicago-based commercial audio boutique. BAM was founded by veteran audio pro Brian Reed back in 1999 and has developed a national clientele over the course of its years in business.

Among BAM’s credits are Leo Burnett’s Altoid’s spot “Land of Sour, People of Pain,” (winner of a 2005 Gold Cannes Lion) as well as Oprah’s recent “ABC Primetime Oscar Special” and “Building a Dream, The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy.” Read more…

(L to R) Founder/engineer Brian Reed, studio manager Johnathan Karcz, and engineer/producer Dave Leffel.

Commercial audio boutique BAM Studios which celebrates its seventh anniversary this summer, recently completed work on projects for Harley-Davidson and Flashpoint Academy.

The year-long Harley project resulted in an 18-minute internal sales video that includes over 15 original compositions. Conceived by Chicago agency Brandtrust, the video contains eleven sections, each with its own unique soundtrack. Production encompassed a sizable amount of music searching and narration recording. 

BAM also created Web audio for the Flashpoint Academy of Media Arts and Sciences, a new school in Chicago that offers two-year programs in game development, film, computer animation and recording arts. The project marks the studio’s entry into Web audio.

The studio used its Digidesign Pro Tools systems on both projects. Bam’s two suites have access to its DreamServer, a proprietary sound effects and music data retrieval system that offers detailed search and storage features. 

Brian Reed’s BAM Studios celebrates its seventh anniversary of business this month, which also marks the completion of a year-long Harley-Davidson music project.  The ever-changing, 18-minute H-D internal sales video, created by local BrandTrust, encompassed a sizable amount of music search and narration recording.  BAM’S proprietary DreamServer tracked music searches for the video, which contained 11 selections, each with its own soundtrack and more than 15 compositions “and allowed us to quickly compile the final license,” said Reed.  BAM’s DreamServer search engine integrates media files, storage, database and efficient network. It contains for the Midwest’s largest music and effects library—500,000 music cuts and 200,000 sound effects. “Our renegade attitude towards technology gives us an advantage over other houses,” said Reed, who spent 12 years at now-defunct Skyview before opening his own boutique shop. “We’re looked at as a beta-test site and we have been able to discover some of the best additions to the industry, such as DreamServer, long before our competitors,” he added.  “We’re constantly researching and investigating new products to stay at the forefront of changes in the industry.”  Read more…

Star Treatment: St. Louis Production Team Makes The Most Of Its Three-Hour Shoot With Albert Pujols

Celebrities lead busy lives, especially when that celebrity is Albert Pujols, the best hitter in baseball and the face of the champion St. Louis Cardinals franchise. Even after an endorsement deal was finalized with the popular first baseman, there was precious little time to execute the campaign. The production team was given just three hours to shoot a pair of spots for the St. Louis Metro Ford Dealers Association.

“Leader” opens with shots of Pujols donning his Cardinals jersey, hat and batting gloves. A narrator compares the ballplayer’s hard work and dedication to that of Ford. After the narrator claims, over shots of various Ford vehicles, that “leadership isn’t given,” the spot cuts to a close-up of Pujols, who finishes the thought by telling viewers, “It’s earned.” Read more…

Stepping Up To The Plate: BTFilms Crafts Baseball-Themed Spot For Home Run Inn Pizza

Home Run Inn Pizza, which opened its doors in 1947 within batting distance of Chicago’s Comiskey Park, recently introduced its very first television spot. GLOWAC+HARRIS and Blue Chip Marketing & Communications, the advertising agencies for the famous Windy City pizza makers, called upon the talents of another local powerhouse, BTFilms, to produce and direct.

“Home Run” features a little girl who imagines that she is a big league baseball player in an effort to score a slice of Home Run Inn pizza. The girl’s efforts are echoed by a pair of voice-over announcers that give viewers a play-by-play. After the first slice of pizza is taken away at the last minute, the girl wrinkles her nose, determined to get the next slice. She does, and the spot ends with the tagline, “Home Run Inn Pizza: Always a big hit at home.” Read more…

The Midwest’s biggest music/effects library is contained on BAM Studios’ new Dream Server.

BAM Studio’s Brian Reed is a persistent cuss.  It took him five years, never doubting, to  achieve his goal of getting major music libraries to join in his quest for a better  delivery service to audio houses like his.  The result is the BAM Dream Server, a revolutionary search engine for the Midwest’s largest music and effects library.  Twelve terabytes of content 500,000 music cuts and 200,000 sound effects-are contained on the Dream Server, in which media files, storage, database and efficient network have been fluidly integrated.  The Dream Server accepts audiofiles embedded with metadata, which allows the user to see and search more than 30 fields of embedded data, explained BAM sound designer Dave Leffel. “All files are searchable complete with full descriptions, composer, publisher, category, length and other information attached,” he said. Reed said it was always his dream to have every sound effect and music library file on a massive server accessible to any room at BAM, “and we found we had to do it ourselves to get what we wanted.” He has been collecting library music and effects since he opened BAM in 1987 and delivery was on vinyl records. Since 2000, BAM has prodded all the major libraries to help deliver digital assets directly to the end user, with both software from Soundminer, a Toronto-based metadata pioneer, and open standard metadata already embedded.  “We’ve finally accomplished the goal and I believe our system now rivals any audio facility in the world,” Reed said.  BAM is also celebrating the completion of its second 500 sq. ft.  “It has identical HD ProTools, surround sound compatibility and a voiceover booth” to the original studio said Leffel.  He joined BAM a year ago from S2, saying he was attracted to the studio by its versatility of services, which includes ISDN and ADR and long-form. BAM recorded ADR with Nicole Kidman and Will Farrell  last year.   BAM provides voiceover, sound design and mixing for a variety of media. A recent variety of work includes commercials for Aurora  Healthcare/Rhea & Kaiser and UCSD MedicaliStorandt, Pann, Margolis; sound for a logo for Virtual Studios, which worked on the  new “Poseidon” movie; radio spots for Exelon/ComEd for Tierney Communications, and audio for the Daytimedollars.com website for  soap opera fans.  BAM’s third staffer is studio manager Johnathon Karcz. 

TeamWorks Media Produces Big Ten Men’s Basketball PSA ‘Welcome to the Big Stage’ Features Musical Artist Talib Kweli 

 TeamWorks Media, a Chicago-based, full-service creative media company specializing in sports and entertainment, produced a Big Ten Conference men’s basketball public service announcement featuring musical artist Talib Kweli. The 30-second spot features Kweli performing an original track he composed for the Big Ten titled “Welcome to the Big Stage.” The PSA will premiere during the Fiesta and Orange Bowl telecasts and will air on CBS and ESPN Networks during conference games beginning in January. 

 The spot highlights the fast-paced style of play, intense competition and team spirit of Big Ten men’s basketball through the style of one of music’s most talented lyricists.  Read more…