People Productions brings good vibes to its workplace

Source: Boulder County Business Report
Author: Keely Brown

03/02/2007 - BOULDER - Four years ago, film producer Bruce Borowsky got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work as a crew member on a 72-foot sailboat during the Transat Challenge Race across the Atlantic Ocean.

Not only did Borowsky’s sailboat win, but the documentary the filmmaker produced about his experience ultimately won top prize at a national film festival.

When Borowsky talked about this life-changing adventure, one of the first people he gave credit to was his boss, Brad Gilbert, who not only encouraged him, but gave him more than two months off to participate in the race.

“It was the biggest challenge of my life to accomplish this, but I couldn’t have done any of it if Brad hadn’t been so supportive,” Borowsky said. “He provides us with opportunities to do our own personal endeavors, and he works the company around our own personal schedules. Usually, it’s the other way around.”

In the high-stress, deadline-driven media business, Gilbert’s company, People Productions, has a unique approach.

The video production, Web design and development firm provides its staff with attractive perks, personal time off, personalized schedules and a low-stress environment.

“I come from a background in live television, which is very stressful,” said Gilbert, who helped create People Productions in 1984 and eventually purchased it outright in 1991. “It was fun, but it started to affect my health, and I’ve always chosen lifestyle over money-making, given those two choices.”

Perhaps the company Web site says it best.

An employee bio may reveal, among impressive credentials and achievements, a lifelong love of Russian literature, or a passion for the Indigo Girls. Included on the staff page is a photo and complete bio of Kobe the office dog, a Golden Retriever always on hand to provide dog-therapy.

To top it off, the laid-back atmosphere has not affected the company’s finances.

Gilbert said People Productions hopes to do $2 million in revenues in 2007, which would represent a 10-20 percent growth over last year’s numbers.

It’s a realistic projection, given that two of the last three years have seen a 50 percent growth in revenues for the company. However, Gilbert said he doesn’t want to grow People Productions much beyond where he’s already taken it.

“We’ve been doubling in size and revenues every four years, and we don’t want to get much bigger,” he said. “We’ve maximized our space, and besides, I don’t want to spend my whole life working.”

Gilbert’s staff works 40 hours a week including lunch breaks, where the staff generally stops work and sits down to eat together. If an emergency deadline arises, Gilbert prefers to bring in freelancers to do the nighttime and weekend work.

Best of all, there’s no time clock.

If staff members finish their work early, they can leave early. If they work late, they can come in later the next day. If they get burned out by mid-afternoon, Gilbert lets them go home, and take a bike ride - or a nap. An employee is allowed to work from home, too, thanks to the company’s custom-built project management system, which allows the entire database to be accessed from home.

The key to keeping his staff sane and his clients satisfied is all in the management, Gilbert said.

“We’ve developed a lot of clients, and we’ve never had a year when we didn’t have growth,” he said. “We’ve just learned to manage this growth intelligently without killing ourselves.”

People Productions has succeeded by keeping the work flow at a reasonable rate, which means not creating impossible schedules for the staff. Gilbert insists on keeping a realistic attitude toward deadlines, and even occasionally turns down a project if he feels it can’t be brought in within a given time frame.

“When you’re hungry for business you’ll say ‘yes’ to everything, but we’re honest about not creating impossible situations right up front,” he said.

People Productions employs 10 full-time employees and five regular freelancers. Most are on salary, with additional employees brought in to work part time on special projects such as production shoots. Staff members are eligible for wage increases of 5 to 10 percent a year, along with revenue-based bonuses, which are handed out to every employee regardless of their position. Gilbert said the bonuses handed out in 2006 were the largest in the history of the company.

Gilbert offers all his employees an opportunity to purchase health and dental insurance, with the company paying half the cost of the premium. Also, employees are offered a chance to invest in an IRA after their third year of employment.

Nearly everyone with People Productions has been with the company for at least five years, and several have been with the company for eight years or more. Employees get two weeks vacation, which increases to three weeks after five years.

However, if they feel they need a bit more - whether it’s for a sailing contest or a trip to China - they don’t hesitate in asking.

They know that they will probably get it.

“I want my employees to pursue their passions and desires; after all, that’s what keeps them happy,” Gilbert said. “If there’s something they want to do, I tell them to go ahead and do it, and don’t worry about the company first.”