| In October 1994, Brad Kimmel founded Bradley David Productions, Inc. (BDP) with the idea of producing a television show about the classic car hobby. Starting with $5,000 and a small office in the Small Business Incubator in downtown Evansville, Indiana, he began developing My Classic Car. Everything went well during the first several months, but when Brad's nationwide search for a host came up empty, the project was in jeopardy. The story of how Brad found the host for the program, Dennis Gage, can strengthen your belief in fate.
As it turned out, Dennis also lived in Evansville, Indiana. As Brad tells the story, he was busy working on a local television campaign to pay the bills. One of the television commercials he developed called for an actor to play a turn-of-the-century law scholar. Brad visited the local talent agencies, but the local talent pool offered no options. As he disappointedly prepared to leave the last agency, the owner jumped up excitedly and said, “Wait a minute. I've got the guy. He came in here with his daughters and had an interesting look. So I suggested he have his picture taken. It's around here somewhere.” Dennis jokingly recalls being sufficiently vein that he agreed to have his picture taken. As the agency owner frantically raced around looking for the 8x10 of Dennis, Brad looked on anxiously but skeptically. Finally, the owner ran over to the large potted plant near the window and picked it up, revealing the much anticipated photo of Dennis underneath. The owner wiped the water ring and potting soil from Dennis' face, and Brad's only comment was, “If that mustache is real, he's hired.” Then Brad added, “It only pays $25.”
Surprisingly, the next day Brad received a call from Dennis. As Brad recalls, “I hadn't even known this guy ten minutes, and I'm thinking this guy might be the host of My Classic Car ! So first I asked him if he liked old cars. He quickly responded with, ‘Yes, I have two at home.' So I went on to say, this is going to sound strange, but I'm looking for a host for a television program about classic cars. Would you be willing to do a camera test? Dennis quickly responded with, ‘Sure! When do you want to do it?'”
Little did either one realize at the time, but an amazing partnership was formed.
Today, BDP is a true multimedia company with a staff of 14 people, with offices located just off US 41 north of Evansville, Indiana. The company continues to be recognized as a leader in producing high quality television programming and related products for national cable networks, advertising agencies, and corporate clients. |
