The Partners’ Film Company: Building from scratch, exploding in the go-go eighties and facing the challenge of today’s unforgiving marketplace, one constant in the long, strange Canadian commercial production trip has been The Partners’ Film Company. Its ubiquitous seven stars have appeared through changing fortunes, industry speculation and new directions, and any discussion of the history or the future of the industry must acknowledge the role of one if its cornerstones.

Following is a look at the evolution of Partners’ over the last year and where the big swinging constellation in the ad firmament, and the industry, may be headed.

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When The Partners’ Film Company opened its doors nearly two decades ago, founder and Brantford, Ont. native Don McLean had a vision – to strive for excellence and ensure client satisfaction in the topsy-turvy world of advertising. And so it remains the oldest and the biggest, a reminder of what was and a testament to the endurance and flexibility of some industry veterans, surviving in a competitive market and operating in an economy where downsizing is the norm.

Over the last five years, the trend for commercial production companies has been to go small – a small facility, a minimal payroll, very little equipment ownership, and plenty of freelancers coming and going. Yet Partners’ is, well, Partners’.

‘To be a smaller production company doesn’t necessarily mean deals,’ says Partners’ executive producer John Smythe. ‘Our size is our leverage; we can offer clients the best possible deal because of our size. With the work coming into our company and with our large staff we can always find the right person for the job.’

Looking back over the past year, the company again has done anything but stand still, spinning off a successful editing arm and recently moving into equipment supply.

Editing facility Panic and Bob opened its artfully arranged space last spring with former Partners’ Post editors David Baxter, David Hicks and Andy Ames. The union has proved fruitful, with the company attracting a long list of high-profile jobs over its short life span.

In November, Partners’ announced that as of February 1997 it would begin operation of Affiliated Equipment, a separate equipment arm to service Partners’ affiliates and, potentially, other companies willing to sign on. The move also marked a change in equipment supply dynamics, with the new arm being fed by PS Production Services, after Partners’ deal with long-standing supplier William F. White expires in the new year.

Even the little things count, as crew on company shoots moved from an hour to a half-hour for meal breaks, which Partners’ says has helped streamline on-set action. The company also added a new head of post-production, Jan Saywell, at the beginning of this year.

The moves of the past year are an evolution of the Partners’ industry tapestry, which has continually transformed itself and spawned some of the major players in the business today. The Partners’ framework now includes Jolly Roger, formed last year, Imported Artists, Radke Films, Revolver, Videogenics, Revisions and The Directors Film Company, with former Partners’ satellite Kessler Irish Films buying itself out from the fold this year.

Ross McLean points to this year’s success stories, the young directors who have been making loud noises in the commercial world and beyond. Such stories include Revolver’s Drew Jarvis, who has captured the attention of awards committees both domestic and foreign, Clay Staub and Floria Sigismondi (whose compellingly strange video for alt freak Marilyn Manson recently earned her the attention of the grandfather of alts, David Bowie), and established shooter Miroslaw Baszak, for whom the year has been a dizzying flurry of busyness.

Some other Partners’ alums busied themselves this year with long-form projects, including Kari Skogland with the independent feature The Size of Watermelons and Bronwen Hughes with Paramount’s Harriet the Spy, coproduced with Nickelodeon.

Partners’ has long been supportive of young talent. ‘We want to let our cinematographers expand themselves; we want our directors to be able to expand themselves,’ says Smythe.

He also cites the branching out of the company in terms of jobs and geography. ‘We have shot several projects in Budapest and Singapore, which were both very successful.’

As for the future, Partners’ management is typically tight-lipped about specific strategies to meet the challenges of the next few years, which of course, include looking out for new talent. Immediate changes are the move of the wardrobe department out of Partners’ and into its own expanded space. In the new year, craft services will also be contracted out.

The move into equipment marks a new direction for Partners’ and on a micro-scale means the company will have its own trucks and drivers. In addition, a core of three full-time video assist staff will be on hand as needed. While commercials are the company’s mainstay, the equipment arm could potentially open up long-form opportunities.

Allen J. Nizi is a second-year media writing student in the Radio and Television Arts program at Ryerson Polytechnic University, Toronto.

With files from Teressa Iezzi.