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Sure Shot is a sure thing in the Valley
NEW MIDDLETOWN
Broadcasting tonight’s Super Bowl game more than 2,100 miles away from its headquarters is all part of job for Sure Shot Teleproductions Inc.
The New Middletown-based company, 10314 Main St., provides a combination service of television production and satellite transmission uplink to its clients.
“We’re kind of a quiet partner with the media,” said Dan Wilhelm, a company adviser.
Denny Kunce founded the company in 1987. Before starting the company, Kunce worked on the radio and also on the sales side for The Vindicator’s broadcast partner 21 WFMJ-TV from 1976 to 1983.
Kunce’s company broadcasts major American sporting events such as The Masters golf tournament from Augusta, Ga., the World Series and the Final Four men’s college basketball tournament to international clients in Europe and Japan.
“The growth of sports in Europe is at an all-time high,” he said.
The company took off when the major television networks started outsourcing feeds to other companies in the early 1990s. The networks supply the primary feed of the event, which a company such as Sure Shot supplements for its clients.
“We do a good job on the supplemental feeds,” Wilhelm said.
Typically, companies provide either the television production of the event or the satellite transmission. Kunce provides both in one truck unit. Sure Shot has 10 trucks with five of them that provide the two services combined with the other five solely satellite uplink. The units are sent throughout the country to cover sports and entertainment events.
“Denny has carved out a unique position in these fields,” Wilhelm said.
Sure Shot also has the advantage on the logistics side of the business. The hosting venue has limited space for trucks to broadcast the event on site.
“I’m only taking up one space,” Kunce said.
The business comes with many challenges such as financing. Kunce received a multimillion-dollar loan from Home Savings and Loan Co. to upgrade his truck units and add the fifth truck. He said its quite difficult for a bank to make that kind of investment because they don’t understand the industry.
“I didn’t want to take the business out of town,” he said. “If you’re operating in New Middletown, Ohio ... where do you find a bank to understand that story?”
“A bank has to make a pretty big commitment to invest in a company such as Sure Shot,” said Ken Goldsboro, vice president, relationship manager of Home Savings.
Kunce said he’s grateful for the loan, which would help with his company’s expansion. Sure Shot employs 25 full-time employees with about 50 free-lancers. The company also has sales offices in Dallas and New York.
On the other hand, it’s a challenge finding qualified workers, Kunce said.
“There are no schools for what we do,” he said.
A plan is underway to change that, however, as the company is working with faculty at Youngstown State University to provide its services.
“They’re the real deal,” said Fred Owens, a professor of telecommunication studies at YSU. “They have had our interns before.”
The school also offers a sports broadcasting track in its telecommunication studies program.
Owens said students may not be aware of the need or opportunities that television production and satellite transmission offer.
“It’s kind of remarkable that we have them here locally,” he added.
Although Kunce is from New Middletown, the area has another advantage for the company.
“You can get to 70 percent of the U.S. population within 24 hours from here,” Wilhelm said. “The location of New Middletown is a great location ... when you’re moving almost daily.”
Kunce said the company is heading in a good direction.
“I’m extremely confident that there’s nothing but positive things for us down the road,” he said.