A movie-worthy tandem
Reiner Roduner and Felix Courvoisier have founded a company specializing in corporate films and cross-media communication: Seed.
Reiner Roduner and Felix Courvoisier have founded a company for corporate films and cross-media communication: Seed. "When pictures learned to move" was a simple way of describing the invention of film over 100 years ago. Today, images move in every conceivable direction and in the most diverse forms. Filmmakers need to specialize if they still want to be seen in a world of images that is no longer manageable. "I have realized that audiovisual media for corporate communication has developed into a very complex entity. This goes far beyond the classic production of film clips. More and more integrated communication approaches are required," says Reiner Roduner. With this development in mind, the owner of the production company Absolutturnus Film in Zurich has now teamed up with Felix Courvoisier, previously Head of Corporate at Condor Films, to create Seed Audio-Visual Communication. With Seed, the duo develops and realizes integrated communication solutions with a focus on audiovisual media.
Roduner has been producing commissioned films of all kinds as well as documentaries and feature films for over two decades. In addition to TV and cinema spots, Absolutturnus also specializes in the development and production of sponsorship spots for sport, culture and meteo. Since 1994, Roduner has produced over 600 meteo billboards for clients such as Allianz Suisse, Migros and Vögele, as well as various sponsorship spots for Zurich Insurance, UBS and Credit Suisse. Absolutturnus has found the absolute knack for new forms in the advertising film market. However, there is a danger that Roduner's specialist company is slowly being perceived by some clients as too much of a "general store". To counter this tendency, Roduner had already spun off Cinema Motion earlier. This is a division of Absolutturnus that specializes in the co-production of feature films and documentaries. "Das Fähnlein der 7 Aufrechten" or, more recently, "Handy Man" with Marco Rima are from this kitchen.
Roduner now wants to position himself more clearly in the field of audiovisual corporate communications by diversifying further. To this end, he has been looking for a specialist with "the best name" to further develop this area. This week, Reiner Roduner and Felix Courvoisier can now announce the founding of their joint company, Seed Audio-Visual Communication, to which Roduner will contribute the Corporate Film division of Absolutturnus.
"From the first conversation, we immediately talked about the same things, developed the same visions and discovered the same understanding of the possibilities of integrated communication," enthuse the new partners. With Seed, they have now created a company that stands as a competence center for integrated communication solutions with a focus on audiovisual media. Seed will share premises with Absolutturnus and use the same infrastructure with studios and editing rooms in the media building on Bachstrasse in front of the Rote Fabrik. However, the work will be quite different.
"In corporate communications, 95 percent of tasks are direct commissions. This requires us to have conceptual expertise," says Courvoisier, explaining the increased demands. Clients often don't just want a film or a web solution. "They want impact, and we make ourselves available to find a clever integrated solution." In such a solution, the "medium of moving images" will play an important role. "Messages need to be packaged into experiences and then fed into various channels," says Courvoisier. Roduner summarizes: "Audiovisual media achieve the best effect when they are designed and implemented in an integrated way, i.e. when they are networked with other media."
Of course, Roduner must not scare off his previous clients for the commercials with such ideas in the direction of a "general contractor". Absolutturnus still only wants to act as an executive producer. In the corporate sector, however, the development towards "thinking film production" can no longer be stopped, hence the founding of Seed. For Roduner, this new step is also an opportunity to "test the limits of how far you can go with cinematic integration".
Roduner got his start in the media as a copywriter at Reader's Digest after completing his commercial baccalaureate. Through his sister Bea Roduner, who was already doing PR for film distributors at the time, he met the legendary "Superman" producer Alexander Salkind in 1984 and had to "rescue" a forgotten POS concept for the Cannes Film Festival for him overnight. Roduner did the job so well that he was allowed to stay on as Salkind's "personal assistant" and spend four years commuting between London and Zurich for his film advertising. Roduner designed advertising concepts for new films for festivals throughout Europe. "I was totally fascinated by this world," he still enthuses today. Back in Switzerland, he continued his career as a production manager at Topic Film. He later took over the corporate department from Andres Brütsch and André Amsler, moved to Condor, where he managed the audiovisuals, and then spent a year traveling the world. After his return, Roduner's first own company was called "Filmhaus", which then developed into Absolut Film and later Absolutturnus.
Felix Courvoisier, the "audiovisual communications specialist", studied business administration in Zurich and worked in advertising and PR agencies before and during university. He then completed a trainee program at ABB. Here, the budding "industrial filmmaker" got to know the world of his future customers. Courvoisier worked in the HR department and spent five months in Controlling, where he was responsible for a power plant project in Malaysia. Back in Baden, he became an assistant to the Head of Corporate Communications and then headed up global communications for the gas turbine and combined-cycle power plant division. A job advertisement finally brought him to Condor. Here he was initially responsible for acquisitions in 1997, then quickly developed into the areas of consulting and conception and took over the management of the Corporate department in 2001. For several years now, he has also been a lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland on the Master's degree course in Corporate Communications Management.
With Seed, all this experience is now to flow into a company with a promising future, where the images learn to walk from scratch.
Andreas Panzeri
Roduner has been producing commissioned films of all kinds as well as documentaries and feature films for over two decades. In addition to TV and cinema spots, Absolutturnus also specializes in the development and production of sponsorship spots for sport, culture and meteo. Since 1994, Roduner has produced over 600 meteo billboards for clients such as Allianz Suisse, Migros and Vögele, as well as various sponsorship spots for Zurich Insurance, UBS and Credit Suisse. Absolutturnus has found the absolute knack for new forms in the advertising film market. However, there is a danger that Roduner's specialist company is slowly being perceived by some clients as too much of a "general store". To counter this tendency, Roduner had already spun off Cinema Motion earlier. This is a division of Absolutturnus that specializes in the co-production of feature films and documentaries. "Das Fähnlein der 7 Aufrechten" or, more recently, "Handy Man" with Marco Rima are from this kitchen.
Roduner now wants to position himself more clearly in the field of audiovisual corporate communications by diversifying further. To this end, he has been looking for a specialist with "the best name" to further develop this area. This week, Reiner Roduner and Felix Courvoisier can now announce the founding of their joint company, Seed Audio-Visual Communication, to which Roduner will contribute the Corporate Film division of Absolutturnus.
"From the first conversation, we immediately talked about the same things, developed the same visions and discovered the same understanding of the possibilities of integrated communication," enthuse the new partners. With Seed, they have now created a company that stands as a competence center for integrated communication solutions with a focus on audiovisual media. Seed will share premises with Absolutturnus and use the same infrastructure with studios and editing rooms in the media building on Bachstrasse in front of the Rote Fabrik. However, the work will be quite different.
"In corporate communications, 95 percent of tasks are direct commissions. This requires us to have conceptual expertise," says Courvoisier, explaining the increased demands. Clients often don't just want a film or a web solution. "They want impact, and we make ourselves available to find a clever integrated solution." In such a solution, the "medium of moving images" will play an important role. "Messages need to be packaged into experiences and then fed into various channels," says Courvoisier. Roduner summarizes: "Audiovisual media achieve the best effect when they are designed and implemented in an integrated way, i.e. when they are networked with other media."
Of course, Roduner must not scare off his previous clients for the commercials with such ideas in the direction of a "general contractor". Absolutturnus still only wants to act as an executive producer. In the corporate sector, however, the development towards "thinking film production" can no longer be stopped, hence the founding of Seed. For Roduner, this new step is also an opportunity to "test the limits of how far you can go with cinematic integration".
Roduner got his start in the media as a copywriter at Reader's Digest after completing his commercial baccalaureate. Through his sister Bea Roduner, who was already doing PR for film distributors at the time, he met the legendary "Superman" producer Alexander Salkind in 1984 and had to "rescue" a forgotten POS concept for the Cannes Film Festival for him overnight. Roduner did the job so well that he was allowed to stay on as Salkind's "personal assistant" and spend four years commuting between London and Zurich for his film advertising. Roduner designed advertising concepts for new films for festivals throughout Europe. "I was totally fascinated by this world," he still enthuses today. Back in Switzerland, he continued his career as a production manager at Topic Film. He later took over the corporate department from Andres Brütsch and André Amsler, moved to Condor, where he managed the audiovisuals, and then spent a year traveling the world. After his return, Roduner's first own company was called "Filmhaus", which then developed into Absolut Film and later Absolutturnus.
Felix Courvoisier, the "audiovisual communications specialist", studied business administration in Zurich and worked in advertising and PR agencies before and during university. He then completed a trainee program at ABB. Here, the budding "industrial filmmaker" got to know the world of his future customers. Courvoisier worked in the HR department and spent five months in Controlling, where he was responsible for a power plant project in Malaysia. Back in Baden, he became an assistant to the Head of Corporate Communications and then headed up global communications for the gas turbine and combined-cycle power plant division. A job advertisement finally brought him to Condor. Here he was initially responsible for acquisitions in 1997, then quickly developed into the areas of consulting and conception and took over the management of the Corporate department in 2001. For several years now, he has also been a lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland on the Master's degree course in Corporate Communications Management.
With Seed, all this experience is now to flow into a company with a promising future, where the images learn to walk from scratch.
Andreas Panzeri
