Before they could help make other people make their dreams come true, Corey Armideo and Nate Hall had to make their own dream come true first.
Over the last six months, the two friends from high school did just that by transforming a dark, dusty basement below a barbershop on Walnut Street in Perkasie into ChromaSonic Studios, an 1,800-square-foot, state-of-the-art digital production space they envision becoming a hub of creativity for businesses and performing artists in the community.
“It doesn’t matter if you want to become a famous actor, musician, TV host, or just want to use video or audio to market your business, we are here to help you achieve your dreams,” said Armideo, CCO of PBR Productions.
Armideo and Hall, the company’s CEO, cut their teeth in the video industry while students at Howard High School of Technology in Delaware in the late 1990s, making stop motion Claymation shorts, lugging heavy recording equipment on their backs, splicing video tape with a razor and reading books and watching documentaries about the behind-the-scenes making of classics like “King Kong,” “Godzilla” and “Frankenstein.”
While still in high school, they discovered their love of community television by working at Channel 28, a leased-access station in New Castle, Del. People could reserve time in the studio to produce their own projects for broadcast. For a comparison, think of “Wayne’s World.”
“It was fun helping people have a voice and develop their creative ideas into a tangible TV show,” said Hall.
After leaving Channel 28, Armideo and Hall embarked on a series of jobs together as they honed their craft by working in video production with QVC, ESPN and the Game Show Network. They tackled everything from reality show pilots to editing colonoscopy videos.
Eventually, they landed at Philadelphia WPVI (6ABC), working as video editors for Action News for the better part of two decades.
They launched PBR Productions – it started as Pioneers Beyond Reality – in early 2017 in an 88-square-foot space in Quakertown.
ChromaSonic Studios features a green screen, an 82-inch touch screen (the same kind used on local news), a custom LED light-up news desk and more. Every part of the building is wired to lead to the state of the art control room from the lobby, studio, and even outside.
The control room features top-of-the-line audio and video equipment capable of live-streaming around the world, producing podcasts and YouTube shows, and making professional music recordings. It also includes an audio booth for voiceover artists, singers and people looking to dub audio for movies.
Mike Cappi of Cyclone Rebel Sound will head up the company’s music division.
Most of the company’s work – live streams for corporate events, commercials, social media campaigns, safety and training videos – is done on location.
Hall said the studio is designed to give the greater Perkasie community an outlet for their creative endeavors. The studio’s first effort is “Ralston Live,” in which host John Ralston interviews local business owners and nonprofit organizations for distribution on Facebook.
PBR also plans to offer training in video production, drone piloting, social media marketing, story telling, music making and more, says Hall.
If you go:
PBR Productions hosts a grand opening and ribbon cutting for ChromaSonic Studios, 515 W. Walnut St., Perkasie, Friday, June 14.
Tours and an open house begin at 10 a.m., with the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3 p.m. A red-carpet party starts at 5 p.m.
Live music and a laser light show will be outside, featuring three local bands, including Perkasie’s own Flamin’ Harry. Staging, sound and lighting will be provided by Cyclone Rebel Sound Productions.
Parking will be available at the municipal lot at 7th and Walnut streets.
