NewEnglandFilm.com

Imagine building a full service production company from the ground up. How do you picture spending the first year? Building a client base? Beefing up your demo reel? Developing a recognizable brand?

How about winning an Emmy?

Bluefoot Entertainment was conceived by its founder, Timothy Horgan, several years before its 2003 launch. The soup-to-nuts facility works collaboratively with clients like New Balance and ESPN to "create a unique television experience with each project". Such ‘projects’ are pretty impressive; since its inception, Bluefoot has covered the winter and summer X Games, NCAA football, baseball, and basketball events, World Cup soccer, Heisman Trophy Awards shows… the list goes on. And their hard work has already paid off; last May, Bluefoot earned a National Sports Emmy Award for a feature produced for ESPN.

But what’s the most remarkable thing about Bluefoot Entertainment, this serendipitous media heavyweight who has bypassed ‘up-and-coming’ status and is sprinting, full force, to the front of the production pack?

It’s a family business.

Joined by his brother, producer Daniel, and sister-in-law, General Manager and CFO Tanya, (as well as two full-time editors and two production managers), Timothy has fostered an environment that is as conducive to top-of-the-line professional performance as it is to comfortable collaboration.

Sara Faith Alterman: Can you tell me a little about the inception of Bluefoot Entertainment, and about your own respective beginnings?

Timothy Horgan: I was a producer for three years before becoming a photographer and editor. There were many factors that went into the decision and planning of opening a production company; mainly, I saw a need to offer what I thought was lacking in similar companies in the area. (Having been a producer) I have always felt the need for producers to be as comfortable as possible. Creativity is a must, and the professional atmosphere must reflect that. I think that Bluefoot has accomplished this with our location, client base, in-house talent, top-of-the-line equipment, and personnel, even right down to Kaya, our resident "Edit Dog" that roams from suite to suite keeping everyone company.

Daniel Horgan: I was a researcher and writer for CXO Media from 2001 to January 2005, but I also worked as a freelance producer officially since 2002. However, I have been in and around Bluefoot since 1996. Whenever I was home from college I would join my brother in the edit studios to sit in and observe, or offer help on any projects he was working on. As time moved on and experience accrued, my input incrementally gained more value and my involvement (though still minor and of course, pro bono) grew.

SFA: So when did you actually begin working for Bluefoot, Daniel?

Daniel Horgan: I officially joined Bluefoot in January of 2005. I always knew I’d be a producer for Bluefoot, it was just a matter of allowing the company to reach a point where my services would be constantly in demand and then finding the right time to make the switch. I currently produce, handle marketing and outreach, help analyze new business development, and handle minor technical services. Bluefoot is at an exciting point where potential new directions can always be considered and achieved. We were careful not to pigeonhole ourselves as strictly a post-production house; that’s opened many doors for Bluefoot to be involved with projects from the ground floor.

Timothy Horgan: Daniel offers many things to this company. New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc is as a huge fan of his work and has become a very important client of ours. Daniel offers a fresh look to what we’ve been doing for years, and is quickly becoming a master of how to unite the two schools of thought. His loyalty to Bluefoot is unmatched and that is a huge bonus for me.

SFA: What’s it like to go to work with your brother everyday?

Timothy Horgan: Of course working with family can always have its moments, but Daniel and I have circled the globe numerous times together, so we know each other’s breaking points.

Daniel Horgan: It’s tough. Imagine the professional equivalent of receiving Indian burns and dead arms. But I haven’t yet considered myself too old to call on my mother to broker any office disputes.

SFA: What sets Bluefoot apart from other production companies?

Daniel Horgan: Bluefoot stands apart from anyone in its ability to take television projects to the highest level from not just the post-production phase, but also from as early as the ground floor. With Tim and (editors Mike Gay and Matt McCormick’s) long and wide experience with ESPN, Bluefoot has earned a voice at the table in every step of the process. Our clients are comfortable handing over the keys to an entire project based on our reputation and fully produce a piece entirely on our own. This full-service option is popular and sent the company in an exciting direction.

Timothy Horgan: With the onslaught of Non-Linear Editing Systems flooding the market in years past, it was necessary to find the right system to fit our needs and get a jump-start on the High Definition Television world. Bluefoot has been at the forefront of HDTV since ESPN trail-blazed the technology and set the standard in the market. Bluefoot remains one of the predominant HD houses in New England. With 2 AVID HD Nitris’ systems, a Final Cut Pro HD system and an HD Pro Tools system for Audio Sweetening, we have all the tools we need to blaze ahead ourselves.

We now employ and work with some of the best in television in Connecticut and the rest of the country. Having worked on countless ESPN and ABC Remote events, a Rolodex of the best producers, photographers and editors in Sports Television and Network Television has been assembled. It’s a resource we keep well stocked and well used.

SFA: Bluefoot won an Emmy in 2005, barely a year after its inception. How did that accomplishment affect the company?

Daniel Horgan: The day after Tim won the Emmy Award, I called HBO regarding a documentary idea that we were looking into. I told an executive there that we were ‘as of yesterday an Emmy Award winning production company’, and I could almost hear the individual straighten up and drop what she was doing. The call immediately transformed from a simple inquiry into a ‘let’s do some work together’-type of discussion.

SFA: How do you see the company growing? Do you envision a major professional (or even geographic) expansion, or would you to prefer to keep it a more intimate working environment?

Daniel Horgan: That’s a tough one. I feel we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. We definitely are in the midst of significant growth. Our reliance upon freelance editors has grown over the past year and we recently installed a third edit system to accommodate the work demanded by the Military Channel, a member of the Discovery Channel family. (That’s pretty telling of how willing we are to take on new types of projects!) But the intimacy is definitely an advantage…

Don’t plan on us turning down any work that excites us. We’ll always find a way; we just have to continue being innovative.

Timothy Horgan: We have big plans on the horizon for 2006, and see it as the year that Bluefoot grows into markets like New York and Los Angeles. All in all, I see Bluefoot as not only a trend-setting company, but also a traditionalist company. We excel at classic and clean TV production, but also help set the bar in alternative and fresh ideas and productions.