Backstage brainstorm spurs creative group

SANDPOINT – Behind the curtains, where conversations come in whispers and the stage lights provide only an oblique glow, five creative locals came up with a bright idea.

    Their mutual interest in acting drew them together. The down time between entrances and exits gave them a chance to huddle during last holiday season’s run of the play “It’s a Wonderful Life” and gave provenance to the formation of a Sandpoint-based company called 7B Productions.

    “We were all hanging out backstage,” said Robert Moore, who directed the play and helped to found the production company. “We started out talking about film and then branched into stage, commercials, videos – why stick to one genre?”

    The scope of the exchange fanned out as the background of each participant became apparent. Christine Heneise brought 22 years as a creative director and advertising agency owner. Maddie Elliott, despite her youth, carried several years of experience as an administrative director, while Ron Ragone stepped up as the elder statesman with 35 years in the areas acting, directing and theatrical production. Dion Nizzi added to the ranks with professional time in the trenches as a script supervisor and developer.

    “The common denominator is that we all think big,” Nizzi said. “I think we can best be described as a hometown, homegrown production company. We’re looking to bring big city production values to a small town.”

    “And small town values to our productions,” Elliott interjected.

    The advent of social media outlets such as You Tube and Facebook have changed the landscape and leveled the playing field for smaller operations like 7B, she explained.

    “In a lot of ways, it makes us more accessible,” said Elliott. “People use social media and it’s a good way for us to get ourselves out there.”

    A good way, as well, for local merchants to entertain the idea of marketing via this scaled-down equivalent of television commercials without the cost generally associated with that advertising medium.  But in an era where anyone with a smart phone can capture a video and post it online within seconds, what does 7B Productions bring to the table?

    “It’s a group effort and that’s what makes it better,” Moore said. “There is strong oversight to what we do – on stage, on film and on the Internet.”

    “If we’re going to be successful, we can’t be just any schmoe putting stuff on the airwaves,” added Ragone.

    According to Heneise, the groupthink approach, matched up with the skills of the group that’s doing the thinking, led to production meetings rife with creative interplay.

    “We’re kindred spirits and I think we understand what people want for entertainment,” she said. “Right now, our main focus has been creating relationships. That’s the key to everything.”

    To achieve that, the players in 7B have been building a stable of talent for use in various productions, from future stage plays to short films and commercials.

    “Our No. 1 goal is to create something that’s going to be effective in the community,” said Nizzi. “Part of what we wanted to do was provide employment as a way to strengthen the town. We’ve really only just begun all of this and we’re already starting to make an impact.”

    Growing the production company will be a process of laying a foundation of “break-even projects that lead to business projects that fund larger ventures,” he added.

    “The fact that we started small has been really helpful,” Elliott said. “We take a look at each project and then take it in a series of baby steps.”

    If things go as planned, those steps will lead to the formation of a consulting arm of the business that will branch out into other fields of entertainment, including music, special events and promotions.

    “Although it seems like a broad scope, coming from an ad agency background, this all seems very logical,” Heneise said.

    “But there are a lot of things that have to stay on track,” Moore acknowledged.

    7B Productions shot its first local commercial about a week ago. This summer, the company plans to begin shooting a short film using local actors – an enthusiastic commodity that appears to be in plentiful supply.

    “When we did ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ people – especially the kids – came out in droves for the auditions,” Ragone said. “It’s a shame to waste all of that talent and interest when we could be using it to showcase our town.”

    The company currently is producing the David Rambo stage play, “The Lady With all the Answers.” Featuring Kate McAlister as advice columnist Ann Landers and directed by Deborah McShane, the one-person play will take place for a second weekend this Friday and Saturday, April 13 and 14, at the Panida Little Theater. Tickets for the show, which is geared toward audiences 18 and older, are available at Pedro’s, Eve’s Leaves, Eichardt’s and online at  www.brownpapertickets.com     

    An encore performance will take place on Sunday, April 15, at the Pearl Theatre in Bonners Ferry.

    For more information about 7B Productions and its upcoming projects and events, visit  www.7bproductions.com or call (208) 946-6553.