If John Rule had become obsessed with motorcycles just a few years earlier, say at age 17, it would have spelled imminent disaster. Rule believes that he wouldn’t have had the maturity or respect for a motorcycle’s speed and power. The power would have been at best wasted, at worst catastrophic.
“I guess you could say I ride a motorcycle the way I run my business: I drive just a little faster than prevailing traffic,” says Rule from his neatly furnished Watertown office, complete with high-design office chair, family photos, woven cotton rug, and tiny row of model motorcycles lining the window frame. Driving faster gives him more options and lets him negotiate the road. “People don’t see you on a motorcycle, you have to see them,” he explains.
At first glance, Rule Broadcast Systems, which claims the largest inventory of any other video equipment rental house in New England, seems like a mere supporting character in local media production. A statement on its website reads: “We don't believe in competing with our clients, so we're not involved in production. But you are, and we're totally focused on helping you do what you do best.” This face-value approach to “getting” its role in how to raise up the industry as a whole is exactly what keeps John Rule ahead of his competitors. He always knows where everyone else is on the road, including (and most importantly) where he is.
The grown-up John Rule nods with respect at riding with helmets, pads, and protective eyewear, distinguishing himself from the masses of mid-life crisis bikers lured by black leather and tattoos: “Those are Harley riders. I like Hondas.” Rule clearly cares more about what’s under the hood. “With a motorcycle I can get the performance that would cost $500,000 in a car for $2,000 in a bike.”
Off the road, Rule powers Rule Broadcast Systems with a carefully cultivated balance of cutting-edge technology and bar-none customer service. He founded his namesake business thirteen years ago after a stint as manager and vice-president of Boston Camera Rental Company. Boston Camera specializes in film, and Rule wanted to focus exclusively on video equipment, eager for the challenge of mastering evolving technologies. He learned the industry not by chance but through two “unbelievably gracious” mentors. “They didn’t just tell me what to do. They taught me how to do it.” In retrospect Rule can’t believe they had such faith in him, but he’s passed on that same faith to his employees and colleagues.
The spirit of Rule’s early mentors has been present in his dealings ever since. Colleagues, one after the other, praise Rule for his fairness, his consistency, and his technical savvy. It is not uncommon for Rule to call together area producers and crew to learn about and test new technologies on site. He has devoted space at headquarters precisely for this purpose. The space has become increasingly important with the advent of high definition video (HD), which accommodates various accessories akin to a film camera outfit. Part of working in partnership with production houses is making time and space for their education and evolving needs.
Far from a supporting role, Rule Broadcast has earned a reputation for introducing new technology into the marketplace. John Connors credits Rule with encouraging his New Hampshire-based company, The Troupe, to try HD. One reason production companies shy away from adapting new technology is that their clients aren’t eager to foot the expense. “When we did our first HD shoot, John adjusted the price on the rental,” Connors recounts. “Once the client had a look they said, ‘don’t shoot it any other way.’” Connors first tried HD about two years ago; today, he uses it for 95% of his clients.
Tim Mangini, production manager for Frontline, has rented from Rule Broadcast for years. He brings big projects to Rule, because when it has to be right, Mangini knows it will be. He appreciates that Rule’s staff pushes him with new ideas, anticipating both his needs and the needs of the field at large. “John is always looking for new technology. He’s got it before we’re asking for it.” For a job in Houston, Mangini worked with an exacting crew who “had done enough work to know the good from the bad.” They talked endlessly about Rule’s equipment: “They said it was the finest they’d worked with. No old clunkers, nothing past its prime.”
One thing Rule has zero interest in, (he reacted with the phrase “visceral aversion”) is archiving and maintaining old technology. He rotates major inventory every 2 years, sells the used equipment, and reinvests in the latest models, assuring customers, “If we don’t have it, we’ll buy it.” “We were the first rental house in the country to rent Avids,” Rule asserts. They were also the first web site to rent equipment online.
But offering such proactive service is never without risk. With technology, one bad investment can make or break a career. “We make a lot of decisions that are good for the industry, bad for us,” Rule says. One risk was the purchase of several Digi-Beta cameras. “We spent a lot of money and for a while, equipment sat on the shelf. But we knew it was important to offer that technology.”
Rule’s shelves are stacked with coiled yellow cables, gleaming camera cases, and oddly shaped ditty bags; each marked with a barcode and tested before being returned to the shelf, an accountant’s dream. These rows and rows of gear allow Rule to promote his outfit as a full-service shop. “Right now we’re doing everything for Knock First,” a Scout Productions reality television show where teenagers redecorate their “crib” during a parentless 48-hour party. Rule Broadcast helped Scout plot the video, audio, and post-production.
It all sounds so rosy, has Rule ever misjudged? “In 1989 I believed High Definition was five years away.” Five and ten years later, he remains committed to HD’s viability and the certainty of ever-converging systems. “In the old days it was important to understand the analog video signal. It was manageable.” But now, media professionals need to know both digital and analog video, multiple computer platforms and software, endless tape formats, the Internet, … and the list goes on. “Now one person is asked to master what seven people used to do,” adds Rule Broadcast’s Tom Talbot, director of sales and marketing. Markedly ahead of local industry, Rule Broadcast has been renting HD equipment since 1997, when Sony introduced its first HD camera. Rule employees have been “living and breathing” HD ever since, mastering the technology while waiting for the market to catch up. “What we’ve learned is now so ingrained that other people are learning from us,” says Rule.
Rule Broadcast recently became official “Sony Broadcast Resellers.” They had been Sony “reps” since 1997 and earned the ability to sell the full line of Sony professional products this past June. Not one to pass at a chance for sarcasm, Rule quipped that it was his “innate charm” that earned Sony’s business. Certainly charm helps but nothing beats riding faster than the guys on Harleys.