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When Alex Geisler and Herbert Bass founded Unitel Video Inc. in 1969, editors cut videotape by hand and marveled at such inventions as slow-motion playback. Two decades later, technology like electronic editing and computer-generated video has taken leaps and bounds, as has Unitel.
Just last month, the Manhattan-based company, which provides facilities for studio and mobile production, computer graphics and videotape transfer and duplication, made its biggest leap ever. It completed the $17.5 million purchase of Editel, a supplier of video production services. The move almost doubled Unitel's annual sales to $80 million.
It also makes Unitel a powerhouse in New York, where the business is fragmented and dominated by boutique operations and a handful of mom-and-pop shops. It boldly moves Unitel into the Chicago market, the country's third-largest production venue and a region Editel dominates.
Being bigger may not necessarily be better for Unitel. Service and attention to detail is the lifeblood of the facilities business, says John Fisher, vice president of production for HBO Downtown Productions. The key question now: Can Unitel deliver that service now that it is a sprawling $80 million company?
The answer to that...