SPECS GRADS BREAK OUT OF THE BOX

Specs Grads might even become film makers if they're savvy enough to think outside the box, ambitious enough to work hard, and courageous enough to take the leap. Tommy and Todd Brunswick (pictured above, left to right) would be two such people as founders of The Skeleton Factory -- Michigan's very own motion picture production and releasing company.

With offices in Canton, MI and Los Angeles, CA, The Skelton Factory is led by an executive board of advisors comprised of veteran entertainment industry professionals, including a former studio president, attorneys, marketing leaders, and the established producer/director team of Todd and Tommy Brunswick.

After graduating from Specs, the couple first went to work in commercial video production -- first, Todd in 1993, followed by Tommy in 1996. Tommy was both a freelance make-up artist and script supervisor for many years, while Todd produced industrial training videos for Air Gage Productions.

However, the twosome's jump into movie making wasn't the stretch one might think. For one, their projects are produced on high-definition digital video (HDTV) instead of film. (They are only transferred to film in post-production.)

Plus the contacts they've made while working in the teleproduction industry helped their initial company, Crossbow 5 Films, get off the ground.

Now with several films behind them and plenty of ideas in various stages of progress, the Brunswicks are making this movie business work and with some impressive results.

After only six weeks on the open market, their first effort, Biker Zombies from Detroit, was picked up by Spectrum Films for worldwide video distribution. Their most recent contribution, Mr. Jingles, just returned from the Cannes film market and will be released in the summer of 2005, possibly by MGM, along with their second feature film, Lurking Terror. Both are being held there for review.

"Filmmaking is 90% business and only 10% art," explains Tommy with the conviction of someone who sees far enough past the dream to make it a reality.

And now with the introduction of the The Skeleton Factory (a company Crossbow 5 Films has sort of morphed into), the Brunswicks are now in a position to help make the dreams of other local aspiring film makers come true as well.

Developing intruiging screenplays with new writers and nurturing the visions of young and determined film directors are the primary functions of The Skeleton Factory's production division.

The other key areas of the operation include promotion and releasing, which includes premiering completed films in theatrical venues, holding screenings and appearances at festivals and conventions, generating press and advertising, licensing films for regional, national and/or international release via box office, DVDs and cable television, and direct sales and unit purchasing by rental outlets.

The chief objective of The Skeleton Factory, above all else, is to produce exceptional movies in high concept genres. Of course, with a name like The Skeleton Factory, a strong emphasis on horror, sci-fi, thriller and suspense fillms should be expected.