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Meet Jijo Reed of Sugar Studios

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jijo Reed

Hi Jijo, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
In 1989, I was 23 years old, seeking something more stable in my life—I was working as a waiter at Jerry’s Deli, studying acting, and detailing cars. One day, a friend from my acting class mentioned that the company he worked for needed a driver. The company produced movie trailers and key art for studios, and though it was starting at the bottom, there was potential to grow. I took the opportunity.

The company, Intralink in Beverly Hills, had a full post-production infrastructure. My job was to deliver 3⁄4” tapes and discs with movie trailers, TV spots and movie poster concepts to big studios like FOX, Universal, Sony, and MGM. One of the first films I remember working on was Thelma & Louise, which has become iconic. Through osmosis and hands-on experience, I learned about the post-production process—how picture, sound, and graphics come together to tell a story.

From there, I moved on to Cimarron Bacon O’ Brien, a company that worked on large-scale movie campaigns, such as Terminator 2, Casino and In the Line of Fire. I started as an assistant, duplicating tapes and labeling them, but eventually I became a post and editorial assistant. Working on the Star Trek and Die Hard franchises for Paramount and Fox was a major milestone for me.

Over time, I became an in-house post-production supervisor and 8 years later opened a theatrical trailer division within a commercial editorial house in Santa Monica. That’s where I started hiring editors, working as a creative producer, writing copy, choosing music, and designing graphics. Since then, I’ve had 3 companies, but that’s really how it all began.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Running any business is tough, especially as a privately-owned company without the backing of a corporate conglomerate. There have been moments where capital was tight, and we had to scale back on staff and overhead. The real challenge, however, has always been maintaining a high level of quality despite fluctuations in resources.

In post-production, every frame counts—there are 24 frames per second, and each one is an opportunity for a mistake. So, attention to detail is critical. There are always challenges, but our commitment was always to deliver the best possible product.
Strivingfor excellence means embracing the struggles that come with the territory, while not ever compromising in creative quality and perfection.

We’ve been impressed with Sugar Studios, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I started Sugar Studios in 2012 with a focus on independent space while focusing primarily on scripted features and documentaries. I took the trailer house model—where various post-production services are offered under one roof—and applied it to the feature film world. While a few other companies provide similar unified services, we were among the first to combine cutting-edge equipment with top-tier talent in every department.

There’s often a belief that if you consolidate services that quality or creativity will suffer. But at Sugar Studios, it’s about the people, not just the equipment. Our artists are among the best in their fields, and that’s why we’ve been successful. It’s all good to have fancy furniture and art on the walls, but unless you have a rock solid technical infrastructure and the best talent around, the wallpaper means nothing.

The timing was also perfect. The rise of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Apple TV has driven an insatiable demand for content, particularly independent films. This demand aligned perfectly with our business model, and we’ve been fortunate to have a steady flow of work, even through the pandemic. Filmmakers love it here..they constantly comment how great it is that they can walk from their edit bay to our sound department to a color suite then check in on their visual effects… also, having all of this in one place helps to keep post budgets managed.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
My grandfather was the voice of Fred Flintstone, and as a child, I didn’t fully grasp the concept of voice acting. One birthday, he showed up to my party in a Fred Flintstone costume. My friends, who didn’t believe Fred Flintstone was my grandfather, were amazed when they saw him in costume and heard his unmistakable voice. It’s a memory I’ll never forget—it was pretty cool to have Fred Flintstone as my grandfather!

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