Sound work is humming along at Cerny/American Creative, with spot business remaining strong and a growing emphasis on feature films.
“We’ve been doing a lot more sound to picture work, though we still do some of the best radio in the country,” said JoBe Cerny, president of the 16-year-old shop. “We’ve been concentrating on bringing in more feature work. We’re well-equipped for it with a fully automated Procontroller sound-to-picture theater and an M & K theater speaker system.”
Cerny/American just completed sound retouches for Delvin Molden and Michael Hoffman’s “Love Relations,” in advance of a video and cable release.
 |
| President JoBe Cerny (left) and engineer Craig Lee of Cerny/American Creative. |
“We had a couple small fixes before the release,” said Cerny/American engineer Craig Lee, who was sound editor on “Love Relations.” “There was some music that had to be gotten ridden of because of clearance issues.”
Cerny/American also did the post sound work for Chris McKay’s “2 wks/1 yr,” which played at the 2002 Los Angeles Independent Film Festival.
“Traditionally we do all the post sound, from dialogue editing to sound effects and the mix,” Lee said.
Scott Dikkers’ Chevy Chase comedy “Bad Meat” was the first picture on which Cerny/American did only the Foley and ADR.
“There are getting to be a few directors who stay in Chicago that we’ve done a few projects for, and we grow with them as the film community grows,” said Lee, who has been with Cerny/American for six years after a stint with composer John Koetz.
Cerny/American won a Crystal Award of Excellence and was first runner up in the Silver Microphone Competition in 2002 for a General Mills Cereal Adventure radio spot for Minneapolis agency Campbell-Mithoun.
JoBe Cerny is active in fields throughout the production business. “We’re a production company that owns a recording studio,” he says, emphasizing the company’s versatility in scripting and producing corporate, TV and radio spots in addition to their specialty in sound.
Cerny has two scripts under consideration at Disney, a shoplifting comedy called “Discount Detective” and a racing picture entitled “Indiana Outlaws.” “I’m always ready to make the leap to the next level,” Cerny said.
A Second City veteran, Cerny’s film acting career includes a recent role in “Road to Perdition.” He remains a commercial mainstay as the voice of the Pillsbury Doughboy and as the silent spokesman for Cheer laundry detergent.
Cerny/American is at 11 W. Illinois; 312/222.1886.
