"Reeling" in Your Attendees
June 2008
Quick Quips
Imagine you’re put in charge of an organizational celebration honoring a worthy individual.
Attendees arrive uninspired, probably expecting the same old thing—a few toasts, some hurriedly prepared speeches and perhaps the predictable slide show.Instead, the lights dim, and guests find themselves taking in a first-rate video production—complete with moving interviews with the honoree’s friends, family and coworkers; home-movie clips and photo stills from their childhood; even soundtracks and special effects straight out of Hollywood.
The special day has been saved by Mad Props Productions, the brainchild of husband-and-wife team Jonny and Christy Sheehan, both seasoned veterans in the world of professional film and TV production.
“Mad Props Productions was a natural outgrowth of my desire to figure out everybody’s life story,” says Christy, who wrote for various media outlets earlier in her career, including VH1 and A&E, and also produced a short bio of tennis legend Althea Gibson that aired on USA Network. Husband Jonny, meanwhile, has had his television production work aired on such outlets as ABC, MTV, NBC and several other channels.
Their popular Director’s Cut service edits photo and video collections into cohesive movie productions that can be organized chronologically or thematically, with the Sheehans working closely with clients to choose the best pictures and video clips. The Mad Props team also conducts interviews with appropriate parties, even providing makeup service and lighting so that everyone looks tip-top during their starring role. They have the ability to feature companies and organizations in their videos as well, though so far the focus has been on individuals.
“We’ve done extensive career sections on our tribute DVDs,” Christy Sheehan says. “We honored the President of Production for Miramax, another bi-coastal producer and the owner of a trucking company. We interview people with whom they have worked, create a short timeline and produce a general tribute. These types of tribute DVDs would be appropriate for retirement parties or any company milestone.”
While Mad Props is based out of Brooklyn, N.Y., they will travel anywhere that clients cover the expenses for, and also have producers on the West Coast able to handle a simple day shoot. They typically need about eight-to-12 weeks of lead time—and the loan of any old photos, footage or company memorabilia that might enhance the production. madpropsproductions.com
