The Colonie
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2008
- Employees
- 11-50
- Offices
- 1
About The Colonie
The Colonie is an independent post-production boutique based in Chicago, working across commercial advertising, branded content, documentary and independent film. Founded in 2008, the studio provides creative editorial, motion design, visual effects, color grading and finishing for broadcast, web and social formats. It works with advertising agencies and directly with brands, serving domestic and international clients through its Chicago facility and remote collaboration workflows.
Editorial, design and finishing
Creative editorial encompasses offline and online editing for commercials and other screen-based content. The studio's motion graphics and design work includes 2D and 3D animation, brand identity packages, title sequences and graphic animation. These capabilities sit alongside compositing, beauty retouching, clean-up and CGI integration, with Flame finishing and digital color grading supporting final image preparation.
Its commercial work spans beauty and cosmetics, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, retail, consumer packaged goods, food and beverage, and personal care. Projects are produced for broadcast television advertising as well as digital, social media and mobile marketing. Beauty-focused post-production is a particular area of experience, combining editorial and image finishing for cosmetics campaigns.
The studio also offers technical workflow supervision, transcoding, delivery mastering and post-production project management. Outside productions can rent edit suites on a four-wall basis, extending its offering beyond projects handled by its own creative team.
Agency and direct-brand work
The Colonie has worked with agencies including Leo Burnett, FCB, Burrell Communications, Energy BBDO and Highdive. Its portfolio includes advertising for consumer brands and public-service businesses, alongside documentary editing. This range connects short-form commercial production with longer-form storytelling while retaining an emphasis on editorial, design and finished imagery.
The company began with former Avenue Edit creative talent and has continued operating as a Chicago post-production business since its founding. Its current offering brings editorial, graphics, effects and finishing together within a single studio.
More about The Colonie
Founders and current team
- Founders included editor Bob Ackerman, editor Brian Sepanik and executive producer Mary Caddy.
- The current roster identifies Ackerman as Partner / Editor and Susan Okimoto as Partner / Operations, alongside executive producer Zach Day and senior producer Anne Siwek.
- In late 2026, creative director Tyler Nelson and assistant editor Lauryn Smith joined the team. Other featured specialists include senior motion graphic designer Jeff Borowiak and senior finishing and VFX artist Tom Dernulc.
Production tools
The facility uses Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro editorial workstations, Autodesk Flame Premium, DaVinci Resolve for color grading, and dedicated motion design stations.
Certifications and recognition
- The studio holds Women's Business Enterprise certification through WBENC, Woman-Owned Small Business certification and California Public Utilities Commission certification. It maintains active SAM.gov registration and belongs to the Association of Independent Commercial Producers.
- In 2025, Reel Chicago honored The Colonie as its "Post House of the Year."
Notable credits
16 creditsOffices
Where The Colonie is based
- 610 North Fairbanks Court, Third Floor, Chicago, IL 60611, United StatesChicago, Illinois, United States
Chicago office
HeadquartersOpened 2008
About this office
Overall headquarters and sole operating studio, occupying the third floor of the historic Schatz Building in Streeterville. Facilities include editorial, Flame finishing, color grading and motion design workstations, plus two rental-ready four-wall suites.
Open roles
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