Thursday, April 10, 2008

Local Lenexa video firm gets axed by Wal-Mart, releases gotcha clips!

This just in, from a Flyer reader, a Huff Post article describes:

According to the Wall Street Journal, a video treasure trove of Wal-Mart execs caught in unguarded moments is being floated around for sale by Flagler Productions. The Kansas-based company was originally hired by the corporate giant in the 1970s to film corporate sales meetings and other company functions. However....

The videos, thousands of them spanning three decades, are in the library of a production company in Lenexa, Kan. Flagler Productions Inc. was hired on a handshake deal by Wal-Mart in the 1970s to produce and film corporate sales meetings and other company events. ...

Adding from the original WSJ piece (linked above):

The video library might have remained under wraps if a new Wal-Mart executive hadn't decided to hire another company to stage a musical production for its 2006 stockholders' meeting. The decision sharply curbed Flagler's role. Wal-Mart dumped Flagler altogether as a producer in late 2006, nine days after Mr. Flagler sold the company for an undisclosed sum to two employees, Mary Lyn Villanueva and Gregory A. Pierce. The current owners say Wal-Mart accounted for more than 90% of Flagler's revenue. The company's bank called in a loan, and the pair dismissed their 16-person work force, Ms. Villanueva says. Flagler offered to sell the whole video archive to Wal-Mart for several million dollars, Ms. Villanueva says, although she won't disclose the exact price. Wal-Mart countered with an offer of $500,000, arguing the footage wouldn't be of interest elsewhere, the two owners say.

Oh yeah? Well it is now, baby! (click the link, heh, heh!)

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