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Symbiotic Studios

Audio post house Cups 'N Strings and video post house DNS Digital Post are allied but independent

By Frank Moldstad

Pictured in Cups 'N Strings new control room are (L-R) Doug Nolan, DNS owner and Bruce Maddocks, Cups 'N Strings owner. Photo by David Goggin

After moving into adjacent offices in a new building, the owners of audio post house Cups 'N Strings  and video post house DNS Digital Post realized they had an opportunity. The same clients who had audio post jobs often needed video post work, and vice versa. If the two facilities worked cooperatively on such jobs, they could attract new customers, and everyone would benefit from the efficiencies and economies of scale -- clients included. A symbiotic relationship was born.

Symbiotic relationships that benefit each side are common in the natural world, with examples such as flowers and bees. The world of post production is a decidely unnatural place, but it's not the first time art has imitated nature. Symbiotic relationships in the post world include such practices as recommending retailers or resellers to customers, or referring clients to a competitor if a deadline is too tight. But a true symbiotic relationship is an ongoing effort, which is how Cups 'N Strings and DNS Digital Post are doing it.

This past January, both Cups 'N Strings and DNS Digital Post moved into the Santa Monica Studios complex on West Olympic Boulevard, and with offices on the same floor, it didnt take long for Cups 'N Strings founder Bruce Maddocks and DNS founder Doug Nolan to start talking.

?It's not a situation where we are kind of in the same building, or a floor or two away from each other, says Maddocks. ?Were literally an office away from each other.

The two studios each have considerable expertise in their fields -- Cups 'N Strings in mastering, audio post and film scoring, and DNS Digital Post in online finishing and color correction for broadcast and film. But theyve been making messenger companies rich, with constant pickups and deliveries to other facilities all over LA. Its a fact of life  for specialty post houses in the entertainment industry, as they do their part and pass files onto the next specialist.

Maddocks and Nolan realized that by collaborating, they could offer one-stop finishing for DVD, TV and film projects. The alliance didn't require them to merge, just to commit to a cooperative work arrangement. The results are gratifying to both parties.

?It opens up a lot of doors, says Nolan of DNS, ?because Bruce comes from a different place than I do. So he introduced me to new people, I introduced him to new people, and just the luxury of having both video and audio in the same place has just been a big help. If there's a change in programming or something, I'm about 10 feet away as opposed to on the other side of town or a different facility or something like that."