BusinessReport.com

When MTV was looking for a place to edit some video segments during the 1996 Super Bowl in New Orleans, it came across a little-known Baton Rouge production company named LA Post Inc. It turned out to be a good thing, too. Instead of having to find a nearby production studio to break down video, MTV had LA Post??s mobile 38-foot bumper-to-bumper production truck on site at the Super Bowl. Since then, the truck, owned by LA Post co-owners Jeff Cotten and Doug Foval, has taken them to places they never knew imaginable a few years ago.For the 1997 Super Bowl in San Diego, MTV again sought the services of LA Post. And the spotlight shone again on the company when it drew the attention of NFL Films, now a client. LA Post has since worked on several high-profile projects, including last year??s College World Series with ESPN and CBS. This year, during the Super Bowl, the 'I??m Going to Disney World' commercial featuring winning Baltimore Ravens quarterback Trent Dilfer was edited using LA Post??s mobile production unit. The income from renting out the digital, state-of-the-art, mobile production facility isn??t too bad a return on what was a $750,000 investment by Cotten and Foval.'The clients love it,' Foval said. 'We take it, plug it up, and they start editing.'The truck has taken LA Post to places and events all over the United States since Cotten and Foval left a local television station in 1995 to start their own company. The idea for the truck was really an afterthought and was almost tossed aside after the two started thinking about renting new space for a second production suite. Instead, they put the suite on wheels and have been rolling ever since. When MTV came calling in 1996, it was just what the Music Television Network needed.'They used it and suggested that we market it,' Cotten said. 'We didn??t even know there was a market for this.' The game or main event isn??t usually televised through LA Post. Where Cotten and Foval come in handy is as engineers or editors for the special segments and features viewers see during the games. Essentially, the truck is used to supplement the production efforts of the networks. During the 2000 College World Series in Omaha, LA Post edited previews of the games broadcast during ESPN??s coverage. But as successful as Cotten and Foval have been in attracting clients, they aren??t the only ones to gain attention. Two other companies under the LA Post Group umbrella also have carved out a niche for themselves. K-fx2 is a digital effects firm and Ford Soundesign, owned by Jeff Ford, handles audio, voiceovers and music composition. Occasionally, the companies contribute their services to the same projects.'It??s really a one-functioning unit,' said Bruce Kelfstrum II, president of K-fx2. 'We kind of help each other out with the services we provide.'Kelfstrum was a co-worker with Cotten and Foval at a local television station when all three left to start their own separate businesses, but eventually, each decided to make a go of it together to cut costs. All three companies in the LA Post Group, together now for nearly six years, are housed in second-floor space in the Park Square Complex at 4845 Jamestown Ave. Being under the same roof is an added convenience when the companies are working on the same project.'We??re able to dedicate 110 percent of what we do best to the project,' Kelfstrum said. 'There are others that do what we do, but not in the specialized areas.'The companies are continuing to spread their wings. Cotten and Foval are expected at next year??s Super Bowl in their hometown of New Orleans. And later this year, the two will work on events with the Ladies Professional Golf Association and the NCAA. Ford has been involved with writing and orchestrating the music scores for several projects.'In our own little way, we??ve all found our niches outside of Baton Rouge,' Foval said.