As one of the top suppliers of reality programming for cable networks, BCII has received its share of entertainment industry awards and accolades. But even more meaningful to President/CEO Bud Brutsman are the thank-you letters from people who the company has featured — military personnel, auto manufacturers and classic car owners. These reality TV subjects, he says, are grateful for how they were portrayed once their shows aired. “They appreciate what we are doing,” Brutsman said. “That is what matters. That lives on.” BCII, abbreviated for Brentwood Communications International Inc., currently has 13 shows in production for the Travel Channel, The Weather Channel, HGTV and other niche cable stations. The North Hills firm also produces web series and commercials, distributes content, and provides brand management services. Last year, the company took a big leap by purchasing a former Anheuser Busch training facility for its offices and editorial suites, the largest investment the 14-year-old company has made to date. In 2011, BCII brought in $10 million in revenues, a 25 percent increase over 2010 when the company had $8 million in revenues. In the unscripted genre, Brutsman and his production team of 30 employees spotlight the characters and stories in action sports, car collecting, and extreme occupations. “Turbine Cowboys” premiering this spring on The Weather Channel, for example, follows technicians who maintain wind turbines. New seasons of “Hot Rod TV” and “Car Crazy” will air on the SPEED channel, while the building of one-of-kind mega motorhomes is shown on “Extreme RVs” on the Travel Channel. BCII is successful with such programs because of its storytelling abilities and Brutsman’s enthusiasm for the show topics, said Dan Kahn, president of Kahn Media, a Reseda media and marketing firm that works with BCII. “Instead of a production company owned by an MBA with nothing in common with the audience, Bud is his target demographic,” Kahn said. “He is doing what they want to do.” The shows are not just hits in the U.S. but in foreign markets, as well. Car makeover show “Overhaulin’” and mixed martial arts show “King of the Cage” have been licensed to more than 30 countries. “Hot Rod TV” has aired on Discovery Asia. Car shows are especially popular overseas because car enthusiasts and collectors are found the world over, Brutsman said. “The Japanese are fanatical about American muscle cars,” Brutsman said. Selling the shows in foreign markets is not tough because BCII focuses on the story subjects and not on making a flag waving, thumbs up, let’s promote America show,” said Richard Propper, the CEO of Solid Entertainment, the Encino firm handling international distribution for BCII. YEAR FOUNDED: 1997 Revenue (2010): $8 million Revenue (2011): $10 million Employees (2012): 39 “They strike a balance and they understand what the different needs are,” he said. Breaking into the biz Brutsman gauges his life by how far he has come, and in that regard, he has indeed come far. The Wyoming native came to Los Angeles at age 18. He had dropped out of high school. Brutsman worked as a health club manager and a personal trainer until getting his entry into the entertainment business working for David Catlin at Brentwood Communications International, a videotape distributor. In 1997, he started the television production division of Brentwood Communications that evolved into BCII. His time working for Catlin, he says, was valuable because he learned the importance of strong distribution. “I want our stuff to be seen,” Brutsman said. Early shows Brutsman produced were on the military — “The Real Story of the Navy SEALs” and “The Real Story of the Green Berets” aired on the History Channel. Those were followed by programs including “Cheating Las Vegas,” narrated by actor James Woods and “Inside the Britannic,” for which Brutsman learned how to scuba dive. “(“Britannic”) was the first program for us that got traction and we sold it everywhere,” Propper said. The car-related shows resulted from an interest that Brutsman had in classic muscle cars and growing up with a father and brother who both raced. “Overhaulin’” was one of the first car makeover shows for cable and ran for five seasons on TLC (formerly known as The Learning Channel). “It was not about the cars. It was about the people and their connection to their cars,” Kahn said. “That is something that they do very well.” “Rides” was a tribute to the craftsmanship of the artisans building cars and ran for four seasons, also on TLC. “We shot it in a cinematic way to give justice to how beautiful the cars are,” Brutsman said. “Living With Ed” One of the most popular – and groundbreaking – of BCII’s shows did not involve cars at all, but rather focused on the green lifestyle of actor Ed Begley Jr. “Living With Ed” was the combination of good timing of increased awareness in the environment. And it was Brutsman who noticed that Begley was not unlike many husbands whose wives did not share in their hobbies and interests. That struggle between Begley and wife Rachelle made for good, playful banter in the series that ran on HGTV and Planet Green. “You can be a super hero and your wife will still say to you ‘Can you take the cape off for a few minutes’”, Brutsman said. “His wife was not as dedicated to the environment as he was.” For all the success “Living with Ed” had in the U.S., it did not translate well into the international market. It was a challenge getting foreign distribution because Begley was not well known in those markets, Propper said. “It was a series ahead of its time,” he said. BCII receives pitches for unscripted shows on a daily basis. Brutsman says he looks for shows that have heart, do not exploit their subjects and can change the viewers’ perspective on a topic or a group of people. He also likes shows that can make a difference in someone’s life, such as “Payback” in which big name celebrities — including Jay Leno, Tim Allen and Robert Downey Jr. – designed a car for someone who had helped them in their career. Doubling or even tripling the size of BCII is Brutsman’s goal in the coming years. He plans to continue following the formula that has made the company what it is today to grow the business into the future. While cable stations have been a great outlet for its programs, a cross-over show in the competition genre of “Survivor” or “Fear Factor” airing on a broadcast network would nice, Brutsman said. His motivation, in fact, is a fear of failure. “If we do our job right then everyone else wins around us,” Brutsman said.
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