Local company acquires longtime production company known for its Whatcom productions
A production agency known for its Whatcom County video storytelling was recently purchased by a Bellingham firm.
Hand Crank Films is now under the ownership of Bellingham-based creative agency Variant. Hand Crank Films Founder Max Kaiser decided to sell the company in order to focus on Pipeline, a software system he is developing for video production companies.
Hand Crank Films and Variant will continue to run independently, but support each other in a way that brings more services to the table for clients, said Micah Bobbink, managing director of Variant.
Founded in 2005, Hand Crank has used Whatcom County in a variety of ways to tell stories. In 2010 it worked with the city to provide a video pitch to Google, which was taking applications to put its high-speed fiber networks in communities. It also filmed a commercial that involved zombies wandering around downtown Bellingham and The Herald building.
Hand Crank has also dabbled in documentaries, with one of its most well-known being “On a Wing and a Prayer,” which appeared on PBS World to 2 million viewers, according to a 2010 article in The Bellingham Herald.
“The strength Hand Crank brings is the legacy of great work and developing great talent,” Bobbink said, adding that it also expands Variant’s creative footprint to Seattle, where Hand Crank also has an office.
Variant, which was known as Big Fresh until this year, has seven employees. Three of those employees will transfer over to Hand Crank. Bobbink said Variant focuses on marketing and advertising campaigns, environmental design and video.
Hand Crank operated on a contractor model for employees, working out of the Bellingham and Seattle offices. Both will remain open and continue to use contractors to develop new talent.
This story was originally published November 21, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
