Carlsbad couple succeed from afar

By: SHANNON WINGARD - For the North County Times | Friday, June 22, 2007 8:36 PM PDT ∞

CARLSBAD ---- When Cliff and Cheryl Pia moved from New York City to Scottsdale, Ariz. 11 years ago, they established a "virtual" production company so they could continue to serve the clients they left behind.

Since then, the Millennium Creative Group, which is now based in Carlsbad, has flourished by producing advertisements, corporate videos and multimedia presentations for Fortune 500 companies like Sony, Pepsi, Duracell and Wal-Mart.

Cliff Pia, president and creative director, said the company promotes corporate brands by using video to get an emotional response from the audience.

To accomplish this with a variety of clients, he said, "We immerse ourselves in their brands so we are able to understand their culture."

He said about 80 percent of its projects were intended for internal corporate use. He said the company, which has full high-definition studios, as well as graphic and audio ones, has evolved over the past five years. Now, however, the majority are videos created for the public ---- from ads for Mountain Dew featuring race cars to one using the animated characters from "The Incredibles" movie to promote Tide and Downey.

Cheryl Pia, who serves as the chief operating officer and the chief financial officer, said the company's gross has doubled in the past five years since it relocated to Carlsbad, from $1.5 million to $3 million.

However, she said, ensuring that they have the right "synergy" with potential clients is more important than any business they gain. "We've turned down some big jobs," she said.

When it was created, Cliff Pia said the Millennium Creative Group relied on the Internet, which was gaining popularity in 1996, to give existing clients a similar level of service that they received from the former production company he created in New York.

Early on, Cliff Pia said the virtual business did run into a few problems, including how to transfer the large files online and how to standardize the information for either Macs or PCs.

"We were waiting for technology to catch up with what we were doing," he explained.

Over the years, Cliff Pia said the process has become easier with advances in technology. In addition, he said the company has adapted to better meet the clients' needs. In fact, he said the company has partnered with an agency in New York so their clients can go there to see edited materials.

Cliff Pia said the partnership is invaluable, because an editor at one location can make changes to a project that clients at the other location can observe.

"We learned how to do business from afar," he said.

Cheryl Pia said the Millennium Creative Group provides its expertise on branding for free for charitable organizations, including Hands Across the Border Foundation and the Make a Wish Foundation.

Name: Millennium Creative Group

Owners: Cliff and Cheryl Pia

Address: 5946 Priestly Drive, Suite 102, Carlsbad

1375 Broadway, 7th floor, New York City

Phone: 888-396-6975

Products: Full-service production company that produces advertisements, corporate videos and multimedia presentations.

Web site: http://www.mcreativegroup.com/

Established: 1996

Employees: 7

Estimated gross sales for 2007: $3 million

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