User:Postoffice55/Kantola Productions

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Kantola Productions, LLC is a video production and marketing company located in Mill Valley, California. The company produces and markets video programs targeted primarily to the business training market.

HISTORY
Kantola Productions began operations in 1985 with production of Be Prepared to Speak, a public speaking video program produced in cooperation with Toastmasters International. This video appeared on the Billboard Magazine list of top-selling special interest videos.

The company subsequently developed a series with the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania on the topics of business finance, marketing, ethics and management in addition to two series with Toastmasters International on business communications and management. In the late 1990’s, the company's footprint was expanded through acquisition of video lines from Advantage Media and GTE.

Starting 1997 and 1998, Kantola Productions entered into four long-term video production and marketing ventures with Stanford University:
 * Two dramatic-format films with story lines designed to bring out the teaching points narrated by Stanford professors. These productions were “The Stanford Video Guide to Negotiating,” released in 1997 and “The Stanford Video Guide to Financial Statements,” released in 1999.
 * The Stanford Executive Briefings, an ongoing monthly video series featuring talks by CEOs, business consultants and professors from Stanford and other universities.


 * The Stanford Workplace Health series co-produced with the Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention. These programs covering the subjects of preventing and managing stress, back pain and computer-related injuries feature content presented by Wes Alles, PhD; John Farquhar, MD and Amy Ladd, MD of the Stanford University School of Medicine; Jane Rothstein, MSW, LCSW of the Stanford Health Improvement Program; and Leo Keoshian, MD, Ret., of the Stanford Department of Functional Rehabilitation.


 * The Best Practices for Your Website series co-produced with Stanford Publishing Courses on the topics of website design, content and visibility. These presentations, delivered by web publishers and technologists, are regularly re-filmed, with the latest set of programs sheduled for release in early 2009.

CURRENT
In addition to executive production of its programming, Kantola Productions administers direct mail marketing campaigns and marketing co-ventures for the programs they produce.

Kantola’s two major product lines include filmed lectures branded as the Stanford Executive Briefings series along with Kantola dramatic-format videos filmed using professional actors to demonstrate real-world business situations. The lectures provide managerial and executive education, while the dramatic-format videos provide employee training for the workplace.

Kantola Productions’ current best-selling title is Sexual Harassment: A Commonsense Approach which comes in employee and manager versions, along with a version specifically for managers within the State of California (to help meet training required by AB 1825 legislation). These programs, among others, are also available in closed-captioned and Spanish versions.

AWARDS
Kantola Productions’ original programs have won national video training trophies and medals including several Telly Awards and two Cine Golden Eagle awards. They have also received silver and gold awards at the New York Festivals and Worldfest Houston, and recognition as a Trainer's Gold Selection.