Green Bay, December 20 , 2004: Balance Studios was chosen by SCREEN Magazine, a renowned Midwest trade magazine that covers creative news in 10 Midwest states and has subscribers from all 50 states and 6 foreign countries, to turbocharge its online presence. “They’re experts at creating innovative and intuitive design and have a brilliant approach to the development process” comments Robert Gauldin, SCREEN Magazine’s Production Manager, “Balance was with us from conception to creation – actively involved in every aspect of the creative process of developing our new site. They ingenuously created a customized website that repositioned our magazine in a dynamic way. Bringing to life something that, in all honesty, I didn’t think was possible.”

“It is remarkable how much content is accessible through the interface and archives of the new SCREEN Web site,” comments Ryan Moore, Technical Director of Balance Studios, “Balance has worked hard with SCREEN to design and engineer a very useable and manageable creative resource. The database is huge and perpetually growing. Thoughtful content layout is what makes navigating through so much information a possibility. Not only did Balance create the new website, but also a completely customized back-end application giving Screen full control of content updates.”

With a tightly organized layout, the site is equipped for diverse interaction, such as displaying video clips, posting classified ads, presenting all different sorts of articles and columns, and selling products online. The entire content archive is searchable — which is critical with so much available information to be drawn from.

The site’s architecture was created with the future in mind. As the magazine grows and their online needs also increase, the back-end architecture will allow for seamless future expansions for features like, SCREEN Magazine’s famous Production Bible online, user log-in for featured information, and on-line chat forums.

In the first post-launch week, SCREEN Magazine reports that they have received more hits than they averaged per month with their old website.

SCREEN Magazine was founded in 1979 to report on and market the creative community in Chicago, and today SCREEN covers creative news in 10 Midwest states and has subscribers from all 50 states and 6 foreign countries — and reaches worldwide with this popular site on the Web. Additional information can be found at www.ScreenMag.com.

Green Bay, December 20 , 2004: When KD Dance, the New York-based designer and manufacturer of stylish dancewear decided to toe step into the virtual marketplace and make purchasing easy for their national and international customers , they turned to Balance Studios of Green Bay, WI, to create and engineer a Web showcase for promotion and sale of their garments.

“The alliance between Balance Studios and KD Dance is based on a shared passion to support creative artists the world over through specialized design and technology,” said Darren Lutz, President and Creative Director of Balance Studios.

An apparel industry leader for the yoga and dance disciplines since 1980, KD Dance has introduced innovative collections recognized for their modern styling using flexible and durable materials that are very comfortable to wear. The KDDance Web presence was conceived specifically for and around their unique product line.

KD Dance garments are frequently modeled in magazines such as Shape, Ladies Home Journal, and Self and currently can be seen, larger than life, in the Miramax blockbuster film “Shall We Dance?” starring Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere.

Through the Web site, www.KDDance.com, enthusiasts worldwide can now easily purchase the same items they’ve seen in print or on-screen.

Green Bay, December 17 , 2004: Balance Studios was chosen by Ceili Rain, an international award-winning Celtic rock band to write and produce the global music video for “Like a Train,” the featured single from the band’s newest album, “Change In Your Pocket.” (Watch it here!)

Designed and directed by Darren Lutz, co-founder and president of Balance, “This is such a powerful, full-on song,” comments Lutz, “so I envisioned a driving, hard-edged appearance for the video. All the color was stripped from the HD footage and then re-introduced digitally to give a pre-Technicolor look. Film grain, enhanced lighting, lens flares and volumetrics were also added for a juxtaposing grunge and ethereal treatment. The band was excited about the look and I am very happy with the result, too.”

The video was shot entirely on location at the Green Bay National Railroad Museum and features, the “Big Boy,” the world’s largest classic steam locomotive, known as the Union Pacific No. 4017. This world-wide attraction provided the ideal backdrop for the upbeat video.

Bob Halligan Jr., lead singer, songwriter, and founder of Ceili Rain, says the video is more than he could have dreamed and comments that “Balance Studios is like balance in life — you need it! These folks are warm, generous and very talented, a combo to die for. People love our video and that’s because it’s so ‘balance’d! Anyone would be lucky to have them!”

Footage was shot by famed cinemaphotographer, Alan Hotchkiss with the Panasonic AJ-HDC27 VariCam HD Cinema camera in 24 frames progressive scan. The AJ-HDC27 VariCam features CineGamma(tm) software that permits Panasonic’s HD Cinema camera systems to more closely match the latitude of film stocks. Edits were then off-lined through Final Cut Pro, finished in discreet Smoke, and ultimately, discreet Combustion was employed to enhance the visuals.

Ceili Rain’s “Like a Train” video is being released by Compendia Records. It will air internationally on over 100 television stations and through DISH satellite network throughout December, January and February. Currently it can be viewed online at: http://www.ceilirain.com .

Ceili Rain was founded in 1991 and tours internationally with a unique blend of rock’n'roll and Celtic flavors, a sound that is exciting, danceable, joyous and musically unique. For more information, or to purchase the CD “Change in Your Pocket”, visit Ceili Rain’s Web site ( http://www.ceilirain.com ).