Omnicron: There's no business like show business

By PAULA OLIVER

Leaning back into his zebra-patterned couch, Ondrej Havas looks almost as contented as the head of a successful video production business should be.

But he is not one to sit back and bask in the swag of industry awards his Auckland company, Omnicron, recently won. He prefers, instead, to hand on the credit to his skilled team of seven.

The handpicked team scripts, films and produces training videos, documentaries, corporate profiles and TV commercials for corporate clients.

Once seen as the work no real cameraman wanted to do, corporate business is proving a lucrative niche for Omnicron, which is also picking up work overseas.

Omnicron has been a long but pleasant journey for Mr Havas, who started it in 1980 simply because he was unable to find a job.

"I always had a passion for film and got overawed when I went to the cinema," he says.

"Even though it seems like the riskier thing to do, starting my own business was actually the only option because I couldn't get a job in the small industry."

The explosion of video in the 1980s put him in a good position to capture business, and he fondly remembers a water safety film for the Manukau City Council as an early project.

As business grew throughout the 1980s and 1990s, new technologies began to challenge video, and Mr Havas bought equipment to ensure Omnicron could work in the modern forms of CD-Rom and DVD.

But he says video is still the core business, and a philosophy of not dazzling clients with technology is what makes his company different from its competitors.

"We don't let the technology drive the project, but instead let the storyteller do it. Some companies go the other way and focus on technology, but rather than be driven by technocrats, we are communicators."

When he was pitching for a Sydney contract to make an educational video for a pharmaceutical multinational recently, several Australian companies dazzled the audience with all kinds of technology. He focused on substance, and won the contract.

"It's not to say we don't use technology to its utmost, but we just don't let it control the whole project."

Deciding what equipment to buy is always difficult, but being part of an international forum of film and television producers helps him to identify overseas trends.

Omnicron is the New Zealand member of the forum, known as IQ. Mr Havas says its yearly meetings have been a key to expanding his business, particularly abroad.

"These are people who make feature films or who have won Oscars, but everybody leaves their egos at home and I get a good chance to learn a lot from them.

"Aside from having lunch with the producer of X-Files, we've always picked up good business from the network."

A Microsoft video is a good example. A Seattle production company charged with making the video in New Zealand used its IQ connection and enlisted Omnicron's local knowledge and input.

They got the expertise of an extremely diverse group of people, whom Mr Havas says he enjoys managing and encouraging.

"We have a tight pool of really key personnel, and it's important to remember that everyone is motivated by different things. I try to get to know everyone really well and find out what's important to them so their best comes out."

Enlisting the help of former BBC producer and director Ian John has been crucial to developing topline business, but Mr Havas says it is just as important to make sure that a person is in the right place.

An example is graphic designer Martine Ryan, who began in a different part of Omnicron. She demonstrated a strong interest in graphic design, and Mr Havas knew her passion would produce the best possible results if he gave her that job.

"Why put someone in a different area of the business when they're really interested in something else?

"Many of my staff have been here for a number of years, which is unusual for this business. But I do push them out of their comfort zones, too, and encourage them to broaden their skills."

Broadening the skills of the company is also a focus, and the recent development of software that solves an age-old problem is proving another positive.

Acting on a client complaint that as soon as a video was made it seemed out of date because something had changed, Mr Havas and his team came up with software allowing clients to choose parts off a CD-Rom, giving flexibility to their final presentation.

"If, for example, an insurance company with a wide portfolio wanted a video to do a presentation but didn't know which products a client would be interested in, they can choose at the last minute what to show them instead of apologising for fast-forwarding through something irrelevant," Mr Havas says.

The software has gained a strong response from clients, and Omnicron is looking to expand its horizons further.

"About 20 per cent of our business is offshore, and we would like to grow that.

"I think New Zealanders can do a lot more in Sydney, and we're looking at pitching for work in all areas of the South Pacific now."