Project 30

Eugene, Oregon, United States

Profile Campaigns

Creative Difference, By Serena Markstrom

<div id="DTElementID-29105" class="Text"> Telos Studios has some of the characteristics of a superhero’s lair. With gadgets galore, a covert location and inhabitants who plan to make the world a better place, the new multimedia venture headed by college students is poised to make a difference on the local entertainment landscape. But unlike the superhero story, with the star at the center and his trusty sidekick, the Telos model is inclusive. The studio’s motto is “production with purpose”; the name Telos (Greek for “purpose,” “end” or “goal”) alludes to potential, and the founders believe in a cooperative management model. “We’re pretty proud to call it a business,” said Taylor Parrish, one of the founding partners. “My parents like it, my grandparents like it. It makes me happy.” James Aronoff was the first of four co-founders to get involved with the west Eugene studio. That was back when it had another name and Aronoff had a different partner. Aronoff saw the need to take things in a different direction, and a little bit of serendipity intervened when he and Max Barkley discovered that both men had been approached about doing something with the space, Barkley said. A 21-year-old journalism student at the University of Oregon, Barkley’s skills are in video, writing and photography. But he said he was not willing to take on the risk until Aronoff and he started talking. Soon, Max Sugerman and Parrish also were onboard, and new ideas constantly were bouncing off the acoustically sound walls. They leased the studio, and much of the recording equipment that already was there. A friend from Parrish’s hometown of Los Altos, Calif., loaned some money so they could get a high-powered computer for the engineer station, and they began to overhaul the space to suit their needs. Aronoff did much of the construction work, painting and converting one of two small bathrooms into an isolation booth. There is a small lounge and office area in the front, and the sound engineer booth doubles as a hangout with plenty of cozy seating. The main studio chamber is particularly good for recording drums, said engineer Stephen Temple, noting the generally favorable acoustics in the room. A wall between the two main rooms still bears some graffiti the new occupants chose to leave in place: “Music is what feelings sound like.” An inclusive, cooperative approach If you are ambitious, have technical or artistic skills and a willingness to sharpen those skills while basically working as a volunteer, then it is possible you can find a place at Telos Studios. Not that the partners are recruiting actively, but in telling how they went from two to 12, the idea of pooling resources and cooperation comes up frequently. They are attracting a lot of talented young people, most of whom are college students with skills in writing, social media, computer coding, website development, video and photography. Budding journalists interested in covering music hone their skills on the Telos blog, which often features videos of shows. Their focus is on local club shows; if you’re curious about up-and-coming bands, it’s one of the best places to check. The studio also is available as a rehearsal space. Telos tacks on nominal fees for the engineer when artists want to start recording. There is a natural advantage in getting more people involved. All have their own networks of people, so word about an endeavor can spread more quickly with more people invested. They are also friends and this is fun for them, not just business. Customers so far have contracted services for everything from music videos, album projects and an advertisement for a political initiative. The two founders talking during an in-studio interview, Parrish and Barkley, said they also want artists to feel welcome to come check out the studio and hang out. “We are a full-on multimedia studio,” Barkley said. “We can do anything and everything for an artist.... “We are not going to limit ourselves as just a recording studio.” Events bring attention to studio Another outreach effort Telos is sponsoring is a “battle of the bands.” Starting April 7, 20 bands will compete for studio time. Those involved with Telos have many other ideas that are social in nature to spread the word of their business. Parrish said the state of the economy has something to do with the attractiveness of starting a new venture. He is also an electronic music DJ (Muffin Top is his stage name), and he called the studio his “dream job,” one that could only be better if it also paid his personal bills. For now, the studio is covering its baseline costs; anything extra, the partners are investing back into the studio. They all have outside jobs or help support themselves with student financial aid. The clean, professional environment leaves an impression, and when artists come in, “You can see their eyes light up,” Barkley said. Parrish quickly jumped in: “I still get that feeling when I come in here,” he said. “We’re making an impact more and more every day.” You can call Serena Markstrom at 541-338-2371 or e-mail her at serena.markstrom@registerguard.com. </div> <blockquote> <div id="DTElementID-36393412" class="Pullquote"> “We can do anything and everything for an artist.... We are not going to limit ourselves as just a recording studio.” MAX BARKLEY TELOS PARTNER   </div> </blockquote>

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