Liquid 9: a brave new boutique; Focusing on agencies and small businesses

Post, July, 2004 by Mike Joseph

KANSAS CITY -- In the major markets, boutique is all the buzz. Every city with a thriving agency environment has at least one small shop slicing the media pie a new way. A few even cover the full production spectrum, from spots and longform to Web design. But if you're Kansas City-based Liquid 9 (www.iloveliquid9.com), you're not only the first in the region, you're a creative post boutique that stands apart.

For Liquid 9's principals--director of operations and online guru Christopher O'Connor, Avid editor Joy Moeller and sound designer Chris Sweetland--it's more than the wide range of capabilities they bring together; it's the creative synergy that sets them apart. As a team, they provide turnkey post production for television and radio spots, corporate and entertainment longform audio and video, music recording and editing, graphic Web design and coding, and uniquely, a strong partner relationship with regional indie film producers.

To view their work is to experience the next generation of broadband multiple media: active, fast and highly visual, a convergence of post-MTV video flash-cut editing, online animation sensibilities and streaming edge audio. Format is flexible; it's the story that matters.

According to Moeller, creative use of the full palette of audio, video and online tools is a given, reinforced by their strong involvement in the regional independent film scene. But more so, the element that truly sets them apart is their desire to provide customer focus, delivered with flexibility and enthusiasm in a comfortable and relaxed environment.

Says Moeller, "We are something completely new for Kansas City post production. The boutique thing had not happened here when we visualized Liquid 9. People did not have a place to go where they could get great editing and sound in one place. Our clients work all over the country, and they were telling us before we ever opened that this city really needed a boutique."

Open for a year and a half, Liquid 9 already has an impressive list of projects under its belt, with A-list clients McDonald's (Order, swipe, enjoy), Wal-Mart, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Lee Jeans, Sprint, NFL Films, Yellow Freight and other notables. But their efforts aren't only aimed at top shelf agency work. Says O'Connor, "We approach our business from two different angles, one being the strong ad agency client side, and the other being smaller businesses."

IT TAKES HEART

As Moeller points out, "Ad agency projects are the biggest, most creative and most viewed work. That's something we all wanted to focus on. Since we do independent film work ourselves, we're completely open to that community, too. But we additionally have an interest in helping smaller businesses, ones that are creating something new, like us."

O'Connor adds, "The higher end advertising work that we get leverages the relationships that Chris Sweetland and Joy Moeller had in previous positions, before we opened our doors. In helping small businesses, we really want to be able to focus entirely on our clients' brand identities, using video and audio and the Web, without sacrificing creativity for affordability. We offer a complete customizable package to smaller businesses who can't afford agencies. We're not in competition with our advertising clients, of course, but we are in a position to give something back to the small businesses we relate to who cannot afford other advertising options."

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Located in the trendy Westport entertainment district of Kansas City, Liquid 9 clients are a short walk from clubs, restaurants, bars and agencies. It's where the creative crowd makes its home, and proximity to the action fits well.

GEAR AND SERVICE

At Liquid 9, it's more about the talent and creative flexibility than showing off racks of gear. They understand that the world is changing, with Apple bundling viable software with every G5, and every college student able to work the software. But reality dictates a higher standard than that, and Liquid 9 has made the investment, with a full Avid Media Composer edit suite, Digidesign Pro Tools audio mix and overdub suite (with ProControl, Mix Plus and an ISDN patch), plus a dedicated graphics suite (with Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe's After Effects and Photoshop and Macromedia software).

"A lot of companies wave the flag about the gear that they have, and that is definitely a way to market yourself," says Moeller. "We wave the flag about creative people. The other big thing that makes us different, besides our intimate size and the creative work we do, is our client service. When someone comes here, they are our number one focus, our number one priority. They won't hear, 'Your session's starting thirty minutes late because the previous client ran over.' We wouldn't say, 'That project doesn't have a big enough budget.' We'd do your laundry if you'd want us to! We are willing to try anything. That's who we are."

As O'Connor puts it, "I think our clients understand that they have the latitude to explore the different stories within their footage. We're proud of our independent film work, and when we show our clients--big and small--what we've shot, edited and sound designed, that helps us build a relationship, especially the trust and creativity part. They think, 'Hey, they are passionate about what they do, and we want to work with passionate people because that will help our project.' It's absolutely a partnership.