WHEN Richard Bullock and his wife Toni purchased Boz Films from Greg Bosworth in 1997, the two jumped head-first into the world of Vancouver commercial production.

For three years the Bullocks ran Boz, getting a feel for the market. The Boz experience culminated in a ‘brief, six-month merger with Peace Arch Entertainment.’ The short-lived union was abandoned because, as Bullock says, ‘we decided we were a little more efficient on our own.’

‘So we took it back and decided it was time for a new name,’ he explains. The result is a new Vancouver spot shop, BlackBox Creative.

‘The Vancouver market is small,’ says Bullock. ‘There isn’t a ton of creative, although some of the stuff we do get here is great.’

With this understanding of the market, the new company is ‘focussed a bit more on roadhousing,’ serving U.S. clients and ‘occasionally [clients from] Japan, Australia and Europe.’

Besides the slow flow of local boards, Bullock explains another reason for the roadhousing specialty. ‘We don’t want to be in competition with production companies in Los Angeles. We’re not trying to bypass people that will bring us roadhouse gigs,’ he says.

There are other differences between Boz and BlackBox that Bullock expects will give the new company an edge. First, a move to a smaller office and staff has created the kind of lean machine Bullock believes can serve clients more effectively.

‘It’s basically myself and Robert Colbourne,’ says Bullock. ‘We’re calling him a producer, but he is basically director of sales at this point. He’s on a learning curve, as far as production goes, but he’s highly motivated and has a strong background in sales and financial.’

Bullock’s ‘lean’ philosophy keeps overhead low and productions flexible. It is also a reason the company does not keep a roster of directors. ‘We don’t want to make huge commitments to 20 directors. We’re not just flexible mechanically but also flexible creatively,’ he says.

On top of established clients from New York and L.A., BlackBox is ‘trying to develop relationships with new clients.’

‘Again, we don’t want to compete with production companies in Los Angeles or New York or Toronto, for that matter, because we can’t. It’s a different market. So we want to service them and maybe open up new markets that are maybe not as familiar, like Florida. We’ve got a great client in Alabama that’s been back three times,’ says Bullock.

The company is keeping an eye on the future world of interactive spots as well. Its website, under construction, ‘is coming soon.’

Bullock’s most recent work, a series of spots for Ameritrade out of the U.S., is helping to unwrap this BlackBox. What’s inside? A gift for Vancouver and the Canadian economy – U.S. dollars.

-www.blackboxvancouver.com