A Successful Union at Calgary ’ s Propeller Studios
By Andrew King
PHOTOS BY : JASON LAWRENCE
Just a few years ago , Patrick Butler and Frank Laratta were friendly competitors in Calgary ’ s audio post-production industry . Their respective businesses – Twisted Pair Sound and Sync Spot Digital Audio Post – differed slightly in terms of core services and the segments of the market they sought to attract ; however , it wasn ’ t uncommon that they would be either competing for or collaborating on different projects over the years .
Those interactions would eventually spawn a dialogue about teaming up to more efficiently take advantage of the sometimes limited opportunities available in Calgary ’ s ebbing and flowing marketplace , and in May 2013 , Propeller Studios officially took flight .
Operating out of what was Twisted Pair ’ s home base in the city ’ s southeast quadrant , Propeller is essentially a hybrid of the two original studios ’ talents , technologies , and experience – one that elevates both their internal processes and finished products to a level that surpasses what each would be able to produce independently .
And in the time since hitting their stride with the new operation , Laratta and Butler have branched out into new initiatives with the goal of elevating the post-production market city- and
province-wide , ensuring there are plenty of opportunities for gains and growth in what has long been a tightly-knit , talent-rich market .
Speaking with Professional Sound from his home office , Laratta recalls the circumstances surrounding his first formal talks with Butler about a potential partnership . “ We always go through ups and downs in our industry ,” he begins , “ but at the time , we weren ’ t particularly busy and were also in the process of renegotiating our lease .”
That informed Laratta ’ s decision to move Sync Spot from one central location to a network of smaller satellite offices . “ A lot of our clients were from out of town , so we were working remotely anyways ,” he explains . “ Our workflow had solidly transitioned to being mostly digital , and it always seemed silly to have this operation going when so many clients weren ’ t actually coming onsite .”
For bigger projects where they did require a larger-scale facility capable of doing , say , a 5.1 surround mix , Sync Spot would often end up at Twisted Pair . “ And from there , one thing led to another and the idea started brewing about us joining forces – could we be better together instead of operating separately ?”
26 • PROFESSIONAL SOUND