Calling Johnson/Burnett a production services company is like saying Caesars Palace rents rooms. It's true, but certainly not the whole story.

For almost 20 years Biff Johnson, president and co-founder, has grown the bicoastal company into a diversified construct of synergistic and forward-thinking talents.

"It's a very unique company. It's a hybrid," says Johnson. "We started off doing international production services for groups shooting in the United States. That was '83." But Johnson realized early on it was a cyclical venture. "When the dollar gets strong, foreign business drops."

So Johnson evolved the model and broadened the business base. "Johnson/ Burnett has grown into a partner/player with many independent, smartly run companies looking to reduce fixed overhead costs," he says.

Those smart companies include Schofield Films and Pfeiffer Van Dusen in New York, and Norman Seeff Productions in Los Angeles, as well as newer New York additions Public Domain and Focus Media. Johnson/Burnett offers up office space to these companies and has forged a relationships that traverse client/supplier lines.

Johnson is passionate and forthright about the business he loves and the challenges it faces. "Nobody cares where your office is. People are on their cell phone, on the Internet. The notion of going out and building up these fixed costs is preposterous. It's yesterday's news. And it's going to sink a lot of yesterday's people."

The alternative, Johnson explains is a production services company that lets creative people plug in and plug out of facilities when the work is there. "We house them and provide a full gamut of services including, job cost accounting, financial services, gap financing, vendor accounts, receivables...that's our core business."

These companies also have access to Johnson/Burnett International's offices in Toronto and London by way of International Movie Management, with offices at Shepperton Studios. Additional satellite operations are in place in Vancouver, Sydney, Melbourne, Johannesburg and Capetown. Johnson is also excited about their recent alignment with Prague production company Milk and Honey.

He says J/B takes the pain out of foreign production, handling the producer's local needs; locations, licensing, equipment rentals, lab facilities, foreign exchange rates, taxation, accounting and personnel.

One natural extension of the J/B empire is it's wholly owned subsidiary Aegis, a classic production house formed in partnership with New York-based executive producer Robert Berman. The Aegis roster is an interesting mix of spot helmers like Henry Sandbank and David Anderson as well as theatrical, documentary, television and feature directors like Brian Levant (Snow Dogs), Tim Hill (Max Keeble's Big Move), George Billard (The Bird Man of JFK) and Sandy Smolan (Ally McBeal), who are available for commercials and promos.

Johnson/Burnett NY came to the rescue recently when Propaganda promptly sank leaving Nike and Wieden + Kennedy treading water. Brian Beletic was directing the spots for Trunning^TM footwear, which star Roy Jones, Jr. and Derek Jeter.

W+K Producer Gary Krieg recalls, "We were under a really tight turnaround because of athlete availability. It was great having Johnson/Burnett there. They got the shoot together with a week to prep it."

J/B solidified links to the entertainment world three years ago when Johnson joined forces with television exec Allan Schwartz. A veteran of Fox, Columbia Pictures Television, ABC and NBC, Schwartz states, "Biff wanted to offer his clients the contacts and the experience of my 25-plus years in the development, production and programming side of the business." Schwartz's connections have already paid off for director Stan Schofield whose independently-produced feature, Cost of Living starring Edie Falco, sat dormant for years until Schwartz saw it and secured distribution.

The centerpiece of the Johnson-Schwartz mind meld is six-month-old BrandMedia, an evolution of the sponsor-driven programming of early TV. Schwartz explains, "We show the advertiser and their agency not only programming opportunities but a way to have an equity position. There is tremendous value if you build up a library." He and Johnson won't reveal details but say their first major deal is about to be signed.

Like his evolving domain, Biff Johnson is hard to convey in limited space. He disarms with honesty, philosophy, pragmatism and generosity. He believes the commercial industry is headed into a very tough year but looks at it this way: "We're in perilous, changing times, which are always times of great opportunity. Always."

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