“It is true of the nation, as of the individual, that the greatest doer must also be a great dreamer.”
—Theodore Roosevelt

Ron Moler broke into the film business by making surfing documentaries as a teenager. Photo: Ian Wagreich

Tall, lanky, and with a laid-back demeanor, Ron Moler looks and sounds like the lifelong California surfer that he is. “I still surf, but it’s not every day,” Moler says.

Now, it’s business that takes up Moler’s time. Moler is CEO of Ignition Creative, a full-service multimedia motion picture and television marketing company that creates trailers, billboards, posters, television spots, and Internet and print ads.

Entertainment marketing is big business—the average marketing cost for a studio picture was $36 million in 2007, falling from a peak of $40 million in 2003, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.

But when Moler and his partner Bob Israel started their first entertainment marketing firm, Aspect Ratio, in 1978, it was “basically the cowboys and Indians days of motion picture advertising.” Moler sold Aspect Ratio in 2000 and spent the next few years traveling and pursuing other projects. A former film student who got his start in the industry by making surfing documentaries as a teenager, Moler directed and produced a couple of movies, including Local Boys, a 2003 coming-of-age surfer movie starring Mark Harmon.

When his non-compete clause from Aspect Ratio expired, Moler and his partner Leo David bought Ignition Creative six years ago. Martin Kistler joined as creative director and partner.

Ignition Creative has four divisions—theatrical and new release movies, home entertainment (which includes television and cable), audiovisual (which includes sporting and special events), and gaming. The main business is motion picture and theatrical advertising, according to Moler. The company, which has 150 employees, works on 25 movies in one form or another at any given time—whether its building a Web site for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland or designing the movie poster for Leonardo DiCaprio’s movie Inception.

Like other companies, Moler says Ignition Creative has been hit hard by the recession. “All the major studios get pressure from above, and they’re spending less.” Cash flow has been another issue for a company that often waits 60 to 90 days after a release to get paid. Moler has had to lay off people and hold off on replacing some employees who left on their own.

However, Moler says that billing clients immediately and training staff to fill multiple roles have made his team stronger. Because there are so many entertainment marketing companies, he’s now looking to acquire or partner with one of them.

To share your Dreamers and Doers story, e-mail Greg Galdabini atggaldabi@uschamber.com or call 202-463-5563.

Member Facts
Company: Ignition Creative
CEO: Ron Moler
Founded: 2004
E-Mail Address: NA
Address: 3211 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90404
Phone: 510-782-2118
Web Site: www.ignitioncreative.net
Chamber Member Since: 2005
Number of Employees: 150