From Commercials to Sitcoms: Video Companies Cover it All in Northwest Arkansas

Northwest Arkansas companies have the latest technology at their fingertips when it comes to video production, and everything from corporate benefit films to sitcoms are being produced locally.

Ozark Film & Video Productions is undoubtedly the biggest and likely the most ambitious of that sector. Based in Springdale, the company has been around since 1982.

“We do a little bit of everything,” said Dan Borengasser, Ozark’s vice president.

One of Ozark’s most ambitious projects to date is a 30-minute sitcom called “Life of Riley” that it’s producing out of Branson, Mo. Ozark has filmed a pilot episode and is now in the process of trying to find a network to pick it up.

Borengasser said Ozark has 12 employees and much of the crew has been together since the company’s early years. They have the capability to mass produce VHS videos and DVDs. They also offer a wide range of filming options. Digital Beta cam and 35 mm film production are the best and the most expensive available, and Ozark offers both, along with other less-expensive filming options.

A 30-second commercial costs $1,500 to $4,500 or more, depending on what’s involved.

“The prices are just all over the place,” Borengasser said. “It depends on what you’re doing and what you want.”

Ozark recently opened an office in Houston to provide video services to Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. The company produces a Web cast for Chevron every two weeks, updating its Web site on the company’s status.

James M. Borden at Network Video Productions may not have Ozark’s 5-ton grip truck and 1,200-SF studio, but he seems to have the market on local sports productions. Borden does a lot of play-by-play filming for University of Arkansas Razorback coaches, produces two golfing shows, works with the Arkansas Sports Network and is now producing a local sports show airing on Pax .

Borden started Network Video Productions in 1995 and launched “Golfing Arkansas” that same year. The company has since produced about 300 weekly episodes. The show airs on a Little Rock station and locally on Family Net.

He also produces “Grand Slam Golf” for a Tulsa television station.

“Golf has grown a lot over the last 20 years,” Borden said. “We have a lot of fun with it.”

He tracks the lower echelons of professional golf nationwide, filming a variety of events, golf courses and golf instruction spots.

Borden also produces the “Razorback Classics” show that highlights old games with discussion from a few of the players involved.

Borden said about 65 percent of his business is sports-related, another 30 percent is local commercials and the remainder is mostly legal work and documentaries. He’s produced some for the Arkansas Regional Studies program at the UA, capturing on film an Ozark personality or way of life, Borden said.

John Doty started his own video production company a few years ago but hasn’t been able to really get it off the ground. He’s had a few coups but nothing to keep Pearlwood Video Productions running profitably.

Doty admits part of the problem may be his own desire to keep his business a one-man show. Doty has made films for The New School and the North Arkansas Symphony. But the tremendous investment in time and money needed to make a dent in the local market for video production may not be worth it, he said.

Doty invested about $35,000 in equipment to launch the company and isn’t sure if he’ll make it back.

“It’s a tough business to break into,” he said.