Over the past 15 years of publishing Playback, we at Brunico have had the privilege to watch, monitor and comment on the growth and challenges of the Canadian film and television industry. But what is more, the efforts and accomplishments of this industry’s leaders have inspired and influenced the direction we have been taking our own company.

Since the mid-eighties, technology has changed at a frantic pace, from the Mac Plus, shared 20 Mb hard drives, and 1200-baud modems with which we began our business, to the digitalization, satellite transmission, laptops, PDA’s and personal video recorders we have today. Meanwhile, the cold war ended, the North American Free Trade Agreement was implemented, markets globalized, regulation and government reliance were reduced, businesses consolidated and integrated, industries converged, channels proliferated, a new generation of entrepreneurs and leaders emerged, and financing became more sophisticated.

In the years ahead, this pace of change is most likely to continue – not let up. And in such an environment, we are inspired by the success stories we have been covering to be aggressive, increase our size and resources, pursue international markets, look for partnerships, hone our marketing skills, offer integrated solutions to our customers, develop strong brands, invest in technology, and ensure that we are sufficiently financed to do so.

Shortly after Playback’s debut, we began distributing the magazine at international markets. We launched Strategy magazine in what turned out to be the height of the last recession in the early nineties. We put our full text online as far back as 1993. Eventually, we launched our own international publications – KidScreen, RealScreen, and Boards (now world leaders and perhaps the only truly international business magazines that are published in Canada today). We opened an office in L.A. and four years ago we diversified into the production of conferences – both in Canada and the United States – which now account for a quarter of our business. Almost half of our corporate revenues in 2001 will, in fact, come from outside of Canada.

Having the opportunity to reflect upon the 15th anniversary of Playback makes us at Brunico think of the bigger picture. That’s a very good thing in these troubled times, since like everyone else, we have been very focused on the day-to-day challenges of coping with recession and the aftermath of Sept. 11.

But the status quo is never more ripe for fresh ideas and inspiration than in a time like the present.

Such a period challenges and rewards the best among us. Just to stay in business requires that costs be kept in line, no stone left unturned in the quest for sales, spinning wheels be stopped, and cash flow carefully watched. But for those who have assembled (or can assemble) a talented and experienced team with a successful track record, this is a time to be aggressive.

We look forward to seeing a new crop of innovators emerge as we continue to seek inspiration from the ever-evolving Canadian film and television industry.