Family & Children’s Place helps children and families in the Louisville and Southern Indiana area heal from abuse, violence and neglect. A beacon of hope in the community, F&CP promotes safe, healthy and stable families through research-based services and programs. Videobred first partnered with F&CP several years ago and continues to help the organization use video to communicate its message.

“We are very honored by our ongoing relationship with Family & Children’s Place,” said Pence. “There’s no more worthy cause than working to prevent the abuse of the most vulnerable in our society.”

For more information on this great organization go to familyandchildrensplace.org.

“We would go to the infield and we saw what a big spectacle it was,” Dave said.

The Derby and Videobred have a long history together, dating back to the origins of the company. The name “Videobred” came about as a play on words to “thoroughbred.”

“We named it Videobred because we thought the horse industry could use our images and we could tell stories with these images to promote one of the prettiest industries in Kentucky. And it worked,” Dave said.

In the early days of Videobred, they produced video projects for Triple Crown winners Seattle Slew and Affirmed. They also began to produce annual programs for local stations like WHAS.

As Videobred grew over the years, their relationship with the Derby became even bigger. In the early 1980s, Videobred became notorious for throwing pre-Derby bashes, which Dave says were some of the best parties he had experienced.

For the guys and Videobred, Derby week meant no sleep. They had to be on the backside of Churchill Downs at 4 a.m. most mornings, even after covering the free country concerts at Freedom Hall put on by Videobred client Philip Morris the night before.

Bob and Dave even bought the silks worn by 1992 Derby winner Lil E. Tee at an event celebrating legendary jockey Pat Day’s 7,000^th win. Where are these silks now? Hanging in Jamie Pence’s office.

So, we hope everyone had a fantastic Derby weekend. It’s truly the best time of year to be a Kentuckian.

Article written by Rachel Shulhafer

This month we had the pleasure of talking with Wayne Shepherd. Even more fortunate is that Wayne is in town for a brief stint. Although Wayne has an office at Videobred, his home base is in Redondo Beach, CA. There he runs At The Post Productions and has done quite well for himself. Wayne has an impressive resume, working on movies like 300, Pleasantville and The Tourist, to name a few. It is always a pleasure to have him around. Below is a photo of Wayne and Dave Krieghauser, from back in the day.

1. When did you work at Videobred and what did you do here?

May 1985 – Summer 1991. I performed every job at one time or another while at Videobred but I started out making dubs then progressed to a production assistant in the field but ended up as an editor.

2. What is your job now, and what do you love about it?

I’m the Visual Effects Supervisor for my company At The Post. Even after 25 years I still love what I do, the technical and creative challenges are different of most every project and that keeps the mind fresh.

3. What is the most important thing you learned while work at Videobred?

This is a tough question, I value so much of my experience at Videobred and tell people constantly. One of biggest things to for me has been how to run a creative business, a company made up of artist. I’ve seen many companies try to force a corporate structure on an industry that in my opinion needs to breathe on it’s own and have room for people to grow. Dave, Bob and Dennis, with their guidance, let us all find our own way. Beyond that, the technical skills of filmmaking have been invaluable to my career.

4. What is your drink of choice now and what was it then?

Today: Bombay Sapphire and tonic with a lemon. Then: I believe it was Tanqueray & tonic.

5. What movies have you seen lately?

21 Jump Street, Project X, Safe House and Wanderlust.

6. Your favorite piece of technology?

AutoDesk Flame, Visual Effects Compositing System.

7. What is your biggest Louisville guilty pleasure?

It use to be White Castle since I’ve lived west of the Mississippi for 18 years but if I think about what I really miss the most it would have to be the people.

8. Craziest thing that happened on a shoot or in an edit?

It was the time kkjhoiwennnosi sdfwoinmms, slkdjfoiiier loeik;m,mzj!!!!!! Wow, that was crazy. (censored)

9. Advice to incoming interns or anyone who wants to work at Videobred?

My advice is to work hard, absorb every bit of information in as many areas of the business as possible and take advantage of each opportunity that crosses your path. An advantage I realized later was my wide range of experience at Videobred became extremely valuable, today people tend to be more specialized, an editor just edits, a 3D animator just animates, etc. If you’re trying to light a visual effects scene in the computer, the practical lighting experience on-set becomes a valuable asset and that carries over to many other positions.

Great advise, thank you. To find out more or contact Wayne check out these links.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0791891/

http://www.atthepost.net/

Eric Stemen comes to us from a land down under.  Well, he was born there anyway.  A son of an Army officer, Eric has spent time in Australia, Portugal, Ohio, Mississippi, and Alabama.  After relocating for the last time to Kentucky, Eric began getting his feet wet shooting wedding videos with Jamie’s (Pence) father in Elizabethtown.  “He was definitely a mentor to me.  I watched him and learned a lot, and knew that’s what I wanted to do.”  With a deep interest for cars however, he originally received a degree in Automotive Technology.  After working as a mechanic for a year but still taking classes in television production, he realized that he could marry his love of cars and love of shooting and editing together.

Eric went on to Western Kentucky University where he received his degree in Television Production.  After graduating in 2009, he interned on Ft Knox shooting video for their ROTC program.  It was there that he was able to put Final Cut to good use and really start to get deep into editing.  Eric joined Kertis Creative shortly after where he headed projects for Desert Sun Auto Group and Mavia.  You can check out some of his animation work here: http://mavizon.com/  or his documentary for Desert Sun here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmgAtBUmbyA

After 2 years with Kertis, he was approached by Jamie to join our team.  Eric had met Jamie and was eager to get behind Jamie’s belief and vision in the video industry.  He was excited about the opportunity to stretch his creative legs.

In his spare time, Eric puts his love of shooting and editing together creating videos for Auto and BMX crosses.  He is also mountain bike enthusiast so chances are good you can catch him in his favorite spot, Cherokee Park.  What you won’t catch him doing however is rooting for UK or UL basketball.  Because, and I’m not kidding, he doesn’t watch sports.  Sigh.

That’s okay, Eric.  We’re still thrilled to have you here.  Welcome!!

-Rebecca

If you’ve walked through the doors of Videobred, chances are there’s been at least one four legged companion roaming the halls.  Steve’s dog Archie literally just walked up to my desk.  We’re dog people here at the ‘Bred.  We love our dogs and we love bringing them to work.  That’s why I was so excited when I met Sunny for the first time. She came in the lobby just as excited and happy to meet us as we were to meet her.  Sunny, as some might recall, was the pit bull that was thrown off the Clark Memorial Bridge in July 2009.  Kelsey Westbrook rescued and adopted sweet Sunny. Saving Sunny Inc, a non-profit organization founded by Westbrook, rescues, shelters, and finds new homes for abused and neglected dogs. Saving Sunny Inc. also dedicates their time to promoting “public education about responsible dog ownership, spay/neuter, and reporting animal abuse, neglect, and dog fighting.”

Our team could not be happier to help Westbrook, and her tireless crew, promote their message and mission to the community.  In December, we followed them to Crestwood Elementary where Westbrook spoke to the students about the dangers of stereotyping, what you should do if you see animal abuse, and how these sweet and loving dogs need a good home just like any breed.  As you can see in the above picture, the kids loved Sunny and she loved them right back.

We are excited to document this organization’s journey, through a video mission statement that will live on the Saving Sunny website. Stay tuned for the final project. My hope is that by seeing the story of Saving Sunny, you will be inspired by their strength, dedication, and most importantly their fight to save these voiceless victims.  Please check out SavingSunnyInc.org to learn more about Sunny’s story, and  Westbrook’s blog about the “Unsaveable Six.” Learn how you can help in their efforts to give love to dogs who some said did not deserve it.

http://www.savingsunnyinc.org/

I’ve been around Videobred forever. And when I say forever, I literally mean FOREVER. My birth was induced by excessive dancing at a Videobred party. I used to sprint around the office on all fours barking at everyone who passed. I was dangled off the studio balcony by some idiot at my sister’s 13^th birthday party. Now after interning at Videobred for almost three months, I fully understand how the company works, and figured out that the production business is where I want to be. I started my internship as a print journalism major trying to find an industry that wasn’t dying, but still involved communications and media. I couldn’t have asked for a better atmosphere and group of people to be around to figure out my future endeavors. Not only did I learn a ton about production, but I had a killer time while doing so.

When I try to explain Videobred to my friends, I feel like I can’t quite do it justice. It’s hard to explain to people on the outside why Erika and I filled Tori’s office with balloons, why the president of the company is in love with a Blue Bell radio jingle, or why most of my mobile uploads of Videobred on Facebook involve dogs and fake guns. But I guess that doesn’t matter. The only thing that really matters is that I know why all of those things are awesome.

So thank you, Videobred, for showing me a great time. I’ll be around.

Love, Rachel.

Gina:

So Long, Hamilton Avenue.

It’s amazing how much can change in two months or in one day for that matter. Something that’s been a part of my life since I can remember dramatically changed while I was interning at Videobred. It was something I never encountered before or knew how to react to yet it was something that supposedly happens to everyone. It didn’t define my summer though. Instead what I learned and developed here did. I observed how a production crew operates and communicates. I saw friendships blossom. I saw employees say goodbye. In an industry dependent on collaboration, it was impossible to gloss over the interactions.

I was given the opportunity to be involved in every facet of production from concept to finished product. Not only were the productions here done with professional grace but somehow by the pure entity that is Videobred every project was just as much fun as it was work.

That’s the secret though, right? Find work that’s just a tad too much fun to be called work. I’m a hundred percent sure that I discovered what that is for me now. It’s just time for me to squirm my way into the industry through ambition and determination.

So, Videobred. It’s not you. I never want you to think that. It’s been fun and I’ll always have fond memories. I don’t want to say that I’m moving on. I want to say that I’m going in the direction that you suggested. I grabbed something conceptual here that no one can take from me–a higher sense of teamwork and an old furniture factory full of new contacts, cohorts, friends.

Barrett:

Internships get a bad reputation. I don’t know who’s fault it is but they do. You hear a lot about the bad and not very much about the good. You almost always hear about ones where all someone did for the entirety of their internship is meaningless monotonous bull shit. If that was the case with this one, I would of ran back to school this next semester and changed my major to something involving wearing a tie and slack everyday and I would of probably have to face my fear of cubicles. Hallelujah that this was not the case.

My first full day on the job I arrived over an hour late, I was involved in a four car pile up. No one was injured, not much damage was done but I was a little shook. The next week I got a speeding ticket going to get lunch. Somewhere in between I deleted a file of Matt Niehoff’s that took him four hours to redo. I was too physical with some gear, I was terrified of the phone, and I wasn’t sure what to do during down time or how to handle clients when they arrived. I was a bad intern, maybe VB staff didn’t think so but I did. I sucked.

In the weeks that followed I started to get it. I knew where gear was, I understood expectations and I realized that announcing lunch was awesome. I found my role and it was awesome. The staff of Videobred showed me how to not only work hard but to enjoy working and those you work with. I laughed hard all summer at the shenanigans that went on in the building. It was great when we had visitors such as Archie and some of the other four legged friends who came in. Cookouts, viewing parties and even the occasional hoop session in the studio were great ways to unwind after a long week.

Between editing, shooting and producing I feel like I ran the professional gauntlet to a degree. I have a lot to work on to prepare myself for my future but I appreciated those who took the time to help me lay the foundation. If there is one thing I know I’m going to be able to rock out it’s Time Lapses. They are sweet. Thanks Steve and Will. I’m waiting on my copy of Overtime after Brian and Matt make a sweet deal or VB wins the lottery either or. I also can’t wait to use what I’ve learned on projects this year in school and in the future.

The greatest part of this summer was hanging out with people who are talented, humorous, and grounded staff who knock out projects with style and efficiency and as I said on my last day, never take themselves too seriously. It was a great way to spend a summer and I look forward to seeing all the great work VB does in the future. I wish everyone there the best and to my fellow interns Rachel and Gina, Thanks it was awesome even if I never did girl talk.