This is a year of big changes for Tall Taurus Media. The Everett-based producer of commercials, corporate videos and other custom multimedia products has a snazzy new logo — complete with a bull and horns — as well as a new business plan that incorporates the latest in direct marketing: digital signage.
In February, Tall Taurus founder Jonathan Holbrook launched his company’s digital signage service inside Antonio Melani Salon in downtown Everett, where custom-framed flat-screen displays hang artfully from the walls promoting the salon’s products and services.
“We design the footage and do the production work,” Holbrook said of the signage, which can include still images as well as video made to order.
“It’s a whole new medium, and we’re excited about it,” he said of the marketing device, which is finding its way into retail shops, banks, hotels and other venues that see it as a way to enhance the customer experience while providing targeted information.
It’s not the first time Holbrook has ventured into new territory. In 2006, he acquired DVGear, a video workstation manufacturer of which he had been a client.
“A year and a half ago, the owner of DVGear was looking for someone to take over,” Holbrook said. “… I guess I stared at the ceiling for a couple of weeks before taking the plunge.”
Longtime DVGear employee Hung Hoang remained with the company following the merger, providing technical know-how in creating video-editing systems that are used by schools, churches, municipalities and corporations.
Clients have included Boeing, Everett TV and Puyallup High School, Holbrook said.
In January, Videomaker magazine delivered a “smokin’ review” of DVGear’s DV Dream turnkey editing system, he said, with critic Brian Peterson writing that “DVGear’s DV Dream turnkey editing system comes out of the box ready to play. We simply turned it on, transferred our project and media files, opened Premiere Pro and started editing without a single hiccup.”
In February, Holbrook took some time in between projects to talk about his entrance into the world of video and film production, his short stint as a local celebrity and his company’s move into digital signage.
SCBJ: What led you to the world of film and video production?
Holbrook: I always wanted to be a filmmaker or performer when I was younger. I decided I wanted to be a filmmaker in 1988 or ’89.
SCBJ: Where did you acquire your skills and training?
Holbrook: I read the books; I’m self-taught. … I attended the University of Washington film and video extension program, and I did a couple of full-length features. My feature “Customer 152” was an official selection for the 2004 New York International Independent Film Festival and was named Best Feature at the 2005 Northwest Projections Film Festival. (It played in select cities across the United States.) It was a thrill.
I also played it at the Historic Everett Theatre. I was a celebrity for about three months. It was kind of fun.
SCBJ: You started your company in 2000 as Studio H Filmworks, but in 2006, you changed the name to Tall Taurus Media. Why?
Holbrook: We wanted to do a revamp. I’m tall (6 feet, 7 inches); I’m a Taurus; it’s all about the media.
SCBJ: What services does Tall Taurus provide?
Holbrook: We do video production — HD and SD video — and we’re just going into digital signage. We’re a one-stop source (for commercials). We help with the broadcast scheduling, so we become the agent for clients that we produce for.
SCBJ: You’ve produced commercials for State Roofing, Village Theatre and the Imagine Children’s Museum as well as corporate videos for Providence Everett Medical Center and SportsArt Fitness, for whom you recently traveled to Taiwan. Why did you decide to add digital signage to your services?
Holbrook: TV commercials are starting to thin out a bit because everybody is going to the Web. Everybody’s getting smart when it comes to commercials. They have DVRs and (can skip) the commercials.
I went to Capital Networks to get reseller training. In Toronto … everybody’s doing (digital signage).
SCBJ: How does your new digital signage service work?
Holbrook: We design the footage and do the production work. The plan is that we’re going to provide digital signage for small business and cross-venue advertisers. By cross venue, we mean that a neighbor can ask to advertise on the digital sign for a fee.
SCBJ: How much does digital signage advertising cost?
Holbrook: There’s a set-up fee and a monthly payment for the service under the contract. … A business owner will be able to pay for the service for $150 a month or around there (depending on the size of the display and the length of the contract.) The customer has the option to buy, but (mostly) they don’t own the equipment.
For more information on Tall Taurus Media, go online to www. talltaurusmedia.com or call 425-252-8840.
— Kimberly Hilden, SCBJ Assistant Editor
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