We are a full-service production management company established in 1987 to assist the creative community in actualizing concepts for complex projects that require more expertise and/or additional support to their existing in-house creative departments.
Having clients as diverse as Johnson & Johnson, Girl Scouts of the USA, Tiffany & Co. and both museums and galleries around the country, we have had the honor to work with some of the most creative people in our industry and aid them in producing their phenomenal projects, art books, branding materials and packaging.
The Actualizers are well known for our extensive knowledge of paper stocks, pre-press, printing and bindery processes used in Asia, Europe and North America. We help determine project objectives and priorities, and supervise day-to-day workflow for our clients. The Actualizers manage projects from the developmental stages through on-site supervision to delivery of final products.
Amie Cooper
Amie Cooper started the Actualizers in 1987 believing that there needed to be a better liaison between Creatives and Creators. Even though she went to one of the best art schools in NYC, she learned more about creating art and design than how to reproduce it. When a graphic designer, book designer, photographer or fine artist is involved in the reproduction of their concepts or art for a publication or a retail package, they need to translate their ideas and sensibilities to printers and manufacturers. To achieve the best quality reproduction and keep the final products as similar as possible to the original art, Amie believed there should be an advocate working on behalf of the Creatives to translate their needs, find the right teams to produce their work and manage the production process for them. From 1979 until 1987, she worked for two paper merchants, for a bindery, and for a printing plant to gain as much technical skill to feel confident that she could offer this service in her own firm. By October of 1987, she was ready to open the Actualizers and begin providing Creatives a service to manage the production of their projects. As technical systems change and advance, Amie continues to learn, grow and offer even more to her clients. Amie’s knowledge of both domestic and European paper stocks is extremely beneficial to her clients for finding the right paper stock for each of their projects instead of settling for what’s readily available. Amie’s understanding of pre-press and proofing processes, coupled with her ability to communicate the essence of a photograph or illustration, makes the transition to printing with ink on paper progress more smoothly. She has an amazing eye for color and is known for being very demanding on press and always pushing for perfection. She is an asset to any creative team with her love of brainstorming and has become an invaluable asset to marketing strategists and conceptual teams in their developmental stages.
Mikki Kalar
Mikki worked in production management for corporations, advertising agencies, design firms and printers for twenty years before leaving Minnesota to come to New York. She joined a newly formed specialty music packaging division of Time Warner as Director of Production. During her five years at Time Warner, Mikki used her vast knowledge of structural construction and innovation to produce the special editions for groups and vocal artists such as, Metallica, R.E.M., Led Zeppelin, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, Madonna, Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon, The Beatles, The Doors, Eazy-E, and others. While collaborating with the Actualizers to find a black, plastic mesh bag for the Wax Trax Records’ metal “Black Box” package, Mikki was lured away to become the Actualizers’ packaging and binding specialist. In 1997 she became a Partner at the Actualizers and the CFO. With her obsession to detail, she also provides project trafficking, develops and monitors schedules, maintains client budgets and reviews final vendor billings for the Actualizers’ clients.