Surely by now we can all agree: rumors of the 30-second spot's death were greatly exaggerated. As evidenced by the year-end reels we received from production companies and agencies alike, 2006 yielded a huge spectrum of broadcast work, and the best of it was as inspired and as viable as ever. That said, anyone who spent even a tiny portion of their year in front of a computer screen knows that the way we consume media is changing rapidly. From advertising to interpersonal relationships to the 2006 American mid-term election, YouTube had a profound and wide-reaching effect on the world. Extrapolate that five or 10 or 20 years into the future and it's obvious we're on the crest of a massive sea change.

As such, in the course of determining our Production Company of the Year for 2006, we knew it would be important to consider the steps that prodcos were taking to capitalize on these new opportunities. We also knew that dabbling in alternate broadcast disciplines such as viral, web shorts and longform content for the sake of it wouldn't be good enough. We wanted to find a company that was not only doing everything, but doing it well. That search led us to Smuggler's doorstep.

Founded in early 2002 by ex-Satellite line producer Patrick Milling Smith and ex-Satellite head of sales Brian Carmody, the bicoastal production company entered into its first year with a roster that included Brian Beletic, Ivan Zacharias, Neil Harris and Happy. In the years since, Smuggler has added names like Chris Smith, David Frankham and Stylewar and gradually staked out a place as one of the industry's premier production companies. With its reel boasting stellar broadcast work for top-tier brands such as Geico, Sprite, ESPN, Nike, Virgin Mobile, eBay, Vaseline, American Express, Amp'd Mobile and Red Stripe, 2006 was, in many ways, business as usual for Smuggler, something Milling Smith acknowledges was bolstered by its strong partnership with UK affiliate Stink. "It's been huge to get Ivan over here," he says. "One of our big ambitions for next year is to get people like Ne-O, Nacho Gayan and Martin Krejci to America to do a job."

But while Milling Smith touts 2006 as "the best year we've ever had for the 30-second commercial," a look beyond Smuggler's traditional broadcast output reveals a whole other menu of content that has managed to extend the company's reach while simultaneously reinforcing its considerable quality control. There was the White House-affronting "Still Free" viral for Ecko Unlimited, an elaborate stunt which captured the attention of the world's press, not to mention the Pentagon, and saw newly-signed director Randy Krallman pick up a Cyber Grand Prix at Cannes in his very first assignment. There was a successful branded content venture for OfficeMax through DDB Chicago; directed by new signing and Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker Henry Alex Rubin (Murderball), the long-form TV special Schooled ultimately garnered over 5 million views in its television and web incarnations. There was also Smuggler's short film and music video output, which, punctuated by Happy's contribution to the Adicolor campaign ("Green") and Brian Beletic's unlikely TRL-topper for Lady Sovereign, proved typically superb.