Brian Stark (The Short  Version )

Brian Stark is the producer and art director responsible for over 100 successful interactive and branding projects. From his early history creating the legendary Streetwise.com portal to co-owning one of the most respected production boutiques on the east coast, Brian Stark has built a small empire of highly respected clients.

10 years of hands-on experience working in the interactive arts has given Brian a vast understanding of the complexities of Flash as well as many of the other programs that are used in conjunction with Flash.  This is what Brian calls,  "The Flash Matrix."

"The funny  thing is that my imagination is never satisfied. It always needs a new platform of expression. The truly amazing thing about Flash is that it has allowed me to learn and incorporate countless other software platforms into my interactive flash projects."

Coupled with his obsession for brand culture, motion pictures, music and technology, Brian is an artist that defies description. His understanding of interactive culture and his love of the audio visual arts represent a valuable asset for creative guidance and tactical advice.

Brian Stark (The Long Version Part 1)

Going back to his roots, Brian is a film maker at heart. His passion for movies and photography can be seen in his earliest works for his family's home video collection. With his father's video camera in his hand at age 8, it was obvious that Brian was a creative spirit with dreams of making movies like his hero, Stephen Spielberg.

Encouraged by his family to pursue this career goal, Brian would edit and dub music to his family's home videos. Even at that early age, Brian was aware of the dangers of "destructive" editing and took every precaution not to kill any holiday memories forever. After all, Mom and Dad were the producers.

"I bought my first video camera at the age of 14. I still worked on family stuff around the holidays... but truthfully, hanging out with friends, break dancing, setting off fireworks, and asinine comedic shorts became the focus of my videos. "

Dubbing soundtracks onto his home videos was an adolescent pastime that gave Brian an understanding of how sounds, music and visuals compliment each other in artistic fashion.  Even though he was often razzed by his friends for buying orchestral movie soundtracks or artists like Enya or Hanz Zimmer, Brian loved the cinematic sounds as the backdrop for his projects.

"I remember creating a history of 80's movies for my 9th grade history class. This  ultra amateur video was used as a benchmark videofor years after my graduation. Even with ridiculous video,I could not believe the reaction of my classmates to the  'professional sound effects and music.'  THAT made a permanent impression on me."

Complete with clip-on bowtie, Brian worked at Bernardsville Cinema to fund his need for soundtrack CDs and VHS tapes.

"Could I have been more obsessed with movies? I think not. I mean my bedroom walls were covered with movie posters. It's amazing that I had time for all the other hell raising that my friends and I got into as teenagers."

"Working at the movie theater and then the video store gave me a chance to watch movies over and over and study them. Bernardsville Cinema was single theater art house; so we tended to get the movies that either sucked horribly or were great films like Thelma and Louise and Regarding Henry."

All through high school, video production played an important roll in Brian's education. Bernards High School was a pilot school for New Jersey's "Technology in the Schools" program in the early '90s. This gave him complete access to cable level broadcast equipment and even early Macintosh drawing programs like Page Maker.

"I lived in the tech department... and this was not your father's AV club. I remember how upset I was when I was reprimanded for making some rave style graphics for my locker senior year. It was a design for the hardcore techno group Lords of Acid. Big mistake. I was called into the principal's office. He went on to compliment my graphic work regardless of my obvious reference to "drug culture." I was banned for 1 month from the tech department, this was perhaps the worst punishment I could imagine at the time."

Brian went on to use the school video equipment to create a 10 minute short video that he used to submit to top film schools. The video was a progressive mix of classic short film making mixed with MTV and early 90's social issues.

"There is absolutely no way I could have been accepted at the School of Visual Arts based on my scholastic achievements. Even my SVA insider friend told me that I was a long shot based on my SATs and grades. If it were not for the progressive video I made... I never would have been accepted."

The year Brian went to SVA in Manhattan was one of the most exciting times in his life. It was 1993 and New York City was on the verge of the digital age. Working in Greenwich Village and going to film school was his dream.

"I will never forget the time at SVA. New York, in 1993, was a blast.  If I was not in some dirty downtown studio shooting 16mm, I was partying all night at The Limelight, Palladium, or Club USA. I learned so much in that time. It truly is the core of my creative spirit."

Just when Brian felt he understood the paths of his life as a filmmaker, the digital age offered a new and exciting option,   Digital Video. Unable to stay content with the old methods of filmmaking and video production, Brian was hired for his first professional job.

Working as a digital video editor for a small CD-ROM developer,gave Brian the ability to work with the absolute latest technologies like Adobe Premier and Macromedia Director. The published products were low-end, the job and company were short lived but the experience offered Brian a glimpse into the future of interactive publishing.

"Really...the job sucked. I was just happy to be using the killer computers and software that were available to me at the office. I'll never forget the first time I saw a monitor covered with the key frames of a 3D Animation. I had no idea what I was looking at. It looked like alien code to me. I remember I wanted to know what it was, and fast."

When the company folded, Brian was left with an open future. He briefly looked for jobs in digital video but they were not in demand. Not sure of what to do, he worked at a video store and local bagel shop to make ends meet.

The year was now 1994 and 2 events were about to change Brian forever. The internet was born into the mainstream and Brian met the love of his life... Judy Hahn.

Shorty after meeting and falling in love, Brian and Judy began experimenting with digital music and sound. Together they purchased a modest digital studio focused on the Roland XP-80 Keyboard.

"It was so much fun!  The XP-80 was an amazing tool.  I did not know how to read music by any stretch. But I did know how to play piano by ear. After 6 months, the keyboard made me sound like I was the damn Chemical Brothers or Moby.  Our first company, Vertigo Studios, was born."

"We are soul mates, best friends and business partners.  I know most people would not dream of working hand-in-hand with their significant other. But for Judy and me it's a natural extension of what we share in our personal lives.  Making music with Judy was great fun and *actuially* paid the bills for a short time."

With the internet exploding at the seams, Brian and Judy dove head first into making a web site for Vertigo Studios. Using early programs like MS Publisher and Adobe PageMaker, Brian launched their first web site in the spring of 1996.

"It was truly the dawn of my career as an interactive producer.  I wish I could find that old site. I think we would all share a laugh about how far the internet has progressed.  I mean... do you even remember 14.4 kbps optimization, let alone 28.8 or 33.6!"

Between the years of 1996 and 1999 Brian and Judy produced dozens of songs for companies around the country.  Unfortunately, as time went on,  the demand for custom music scores was not going to pay the bills.  However, the demand for web sites and interactive content was skyrocketing. It was only natural that Brian and Judy begin building web sites for companies other than itself,  and that DID pay the bills.

"I owe a ton a gratitude to Jordan Hahn (Judy's son). I was utterly clueless about the ways of the internet and technology. Jordan was able to teach me the basics of HTML, FTP and computers in general. Without his patient guidance, I don't know where I would be today.  Thanks Bro."

Unsatisfied by the limitations of HTML, Brian and Judy were looking for a new way of presenting visuals on the web. In early 1998, a good friend of Brian's suggested that he look into a cool new software program.... Macromedia Flash.

Brian fell in love with the possibilities that Flash 3 allowed. With motion graphics, and integrated sound, Flash brought new freedom to web designers, and a new era in multimedia was born.

Flash quickly became the obsession of Brian's.  He built a strong skill set as quickly as possible. Within a few months, they were able to land their first agency gig for Cullinane Design in New York City. Working for companies like Price-Waterhouse-Coopers and Harvest Consulting was a big step forward for Brian.  Vertigo Studios now being trusted with major brands for the first time.

More about Brian Stark (The Long Version Part 2)

It was New Years 2000.  Brian had spent the night partying with his life long friends. Still groggy and hung over, he booted his computer, opened Flash and proceeded to start building Streetwise.com. This project was the first commercial web site to use Flash for whole site delivery. Two weeks later, on January 15th 2000, Streetwise.com launched to astronomical traffic and success.

"Talk about flying by the seat of your pants. I don't think we left the computers for weeks. It was such a complex task using the early versions of Flash, I still don't know how we actually pulled it off.  People were blown away."

Contracted by David "Beno" Benvenista, the Streetwise project transcended all expectations; eventfully landing on the pages of Time Magazine, Billboard, The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

"What a dream job!  I was responsible for creating and maintaining all kinds of interactive content for huge bands like Linkin Park, Marilyn Manson, System of Down, Rob Zombie and Papa Roach.  We ended up building 3 versions of the Streewise.com portal in less than 2 years. The demand for Flash marketing was out of control. Streetwise just kept growing and growing and growing."

Streetwise lead to some fantastic side projects that included working for Sharon Osborne on Ozzfest promotions, Hot Topic clothing kiosks, a Pony Sneakers mini site and a video for use during the now infamous Pledge of Allegiance tour.

In the time that Brian worked for Streetwise the company grew from representing 6 bands to over 40.  Streetwise later went on to become a major Hollywood marketing firm focused on a wide range of interests including movies and consumer products.

"Streetwise owes a lot of its success to the power of Flash. By leveraging the right tool for the job, Flash was able to provide a rich experience that no other web site on the web was capable of. There were *no* other Flash sites. This was the first time the internet had seen this type of technology. I remember the bandwidth overage bill that came in one of the first months...it was staggering."

During his time with Streetwise, Brian was also invited by DreamWorks to produce the official web site for the movie Almost Famous.  Subsequent web sites we also produced for DreamWorks by Brian Stark and Judy Hahn in 2000, including one of Nelly Furtado's first public web sites and a complex mini site for Leslie Carter.

"One day I'm working on an a truly disturbing image for Marilyn Manson, the next, we're producing the cutesiest eye-candy this side of Nickelodeon for Leslie Carter.  Talk about a diverse client base."

With the success of Streetwise as well the acclaimed DreamWorks projects, Brian and Judy were inspired to reinvent themselves as new company in New York City.  Metro Digital Media Artists was born.

"Let's be honest.  We were making great money. Even though the dotcom heyday was winding down, Judy and I felt invincible. We packed up, sold our house in Califon New Jersey, and moved to New York City in September of 2001. This was bad timing to say the least."

After only 9 days of life in Manhattan, the events of 9/11 took place and quickly changed everything for Brian, Judy and the fledgling Metro DMA. Unable to book a job for almost 1 year,  Metro was in big trouble.  The year after 9/11 left Brian and Judy almost penniless. Then, miraculously, in the fall of 2002, things began to change for the better.

Metro was contracted by David Risley, Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin to build the Official Web Site for La Boheme on Broadway.  This was a tremendous opportunity for Metro that lead to its first Macromedia Site of the Day! Later that fall Metro also built web sites for Les Miserables' and Man of La Mancha.

“Lets face it, Metro was on its knees. Post 9/11 no one was spending money on the internet and we were not going to make it another year in New York City. When we were contracted to build La Boheme on Broadway, it changed EVERYTHING. I was a huge fan of Moulin Rouge and Romeo and Juliet. To work for Baz Luhrmann was an honor and a privilege, and it pretty much saved our company."

For the next few years, Metro was able to stay afloat in New York City.  Brian and Judy landed dream clients Stephen King and Donald Trump as well as a handful of other highly respectable companies like Avaya, E-Harmony and Unicef. However, even though Metro was flourishing, its business overhead prevented Brian and Judy from enjoying the fruits of their labor.

"Working for Stephen King is perhaps the most surreal thing that I can think of. Along with Stephen Spielberg,  Mr. King is my idol from when I was a boy.  As far as I'm concerned, The Shawshank Redemption is the best written work since the days of Shakespeare. To work for him is something that still defies my imagination... It's not just me. Everyone loves Stephen's work. Sometimes haters talk some trash about his horror work, but when you remind them of Stand by Me, Shawshank and Green Mile, everyone is quick to recant. Truthfully, people like Mos Def wanted to meet *me* because I work for Stephen King. If that does not give you an idea of how big S.K. is,  I'm not sure what would. "

After several successful years in New York City, Brian and Judy decided that they were no longer going to struggle to pay the bills.  Relocating Metro to Somerset County, New Jersey was the best way to keep Metro viable and still work for the outstanding clients that Brian and Judy had landed in New York City.

"There was almost no choice in the matter.  The cost of doing business in New York City was out of control.  It just didn't make sense for us to continue on that route any further. Leaving New York City was a difficult time for Judy and me... however, it has left us and our clients in a much better position."

Metro flourished in its new location.  Building web sites and interactive content for dozens of companies and individuals including New York Times Best selling author Terry Goodkind, The Knight Agency and The Real Estate Group NY  to name a few.

"So why did we close the Metro doors?... It was an outdated business model and the worlds of interactive have shifted in a way that we need to reposition ourselves for the next generation. It's for the best. As difficult and emotional as it was, our time in New York City building Metro was a time of great personal and professional growth. I would not change it for the world."

Now that Metro has run its course, The Stark Agency picks up were Metro left off.  Brian and Judy stand before the next generation of Web 2.0 and look forward to new adventures building the dreams of our clients and ourselves.

By: Amy Lauren

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