Hartford Business Journal

2014 | Doing Business in Connecticut 45 By John A. Lahtinen O ne of the cornerstones of the state's digital media, TV and film industry is its four local network affiliates. As in many states, the news anchors and reporters at these stations become local celebrities. But unique to Connecticut is the fact that two long-time on-air talents are not only profes- sional partners, but are partners in life, too. e couple in question is Dennis House and Kara Sundlun, who have been mar- ried for the last 11 years and have both made careers at the WFSB Channel 3 CBS affiliate news station. With 36 years of combined experience in the TV news business, the downtown Hartford residents share a passion not only for telling the news, but also revealing how it affects the people of Connecticut. Both House and Sundlun were drawn to journalism from a young age. For Sundlun, performing was a passion very early on. She participated in school plays and also honed her skills at making an argument on the debate team. In college at the University of Michigan, Sundlun worked at a station in Detroit and interned at CNN as well as at the White House. "I sent my tape all over America and landed a job as an on-air reporter in Charlot- tesville, Va., where I was a one-man band, writing and shooting my own stuff," she said. Sundlun signed on with WFSB in 2000 and has been here ever since. An Emmy award winner, Sundlun has reported live from Ground Zero aer the Sept. 11 terror attacks and traveled with Connecticut National Guard troops to Bosnia and Germany to cover the War on Terror. Fulfilling an item from her "bucket list," Sundlun is hard at work writing a memoir called "Finding Dad," the story of how she met her biological father — former Rhode Island governor Bruce Sundlun — for the first time when she was 17. Eyewitness News anchor, Face the State moderator and proud native New Eng- lander, House has been a staple of Channel 3's news coverage for 22 years. His lifelong passion for the news business was revealed at the young age of 14 while watching coverage of the Blizzard of 1978. He ended up working as a college admissions officer aer earning his undergraduate degree. He pursued a graduate degree and then landed an internship at a Rhode Island TV station and later se- cured a paying job as assignment editor in New Hampshire. House also completed stints as a weekend anchor at a station in Illinois and as a sports/news anchor in Michigan before joining WSFB. While he dreams of someday becoming mayor of Hartford, House has no plans for hanging up his press badge anytime soon. "I think journalism is a noble profession and I still have the hunger to break stories and inform the public," he said. ❑ and Palace can boast to being the longest continually operating independent produc- tion company in the tri-state area. With 2013 earnings approaching $5 million and more than 100 customers — including major corporations, advertising agencies, and television networks — Palace focuses on three major areas today. First, Palace is a turnkey contract production services company that creates custom programs, commercials and elec- tronic media for corporations and agencies. Second, the company rents studio space, audio and video edit rooms and all remote support equipment including cameras, lights and audio. Finally, Palace creates proprietary programming for distribution in a variety of channels. Among its original productions is the popular Rabbit Ears Entertainment series, with children's stories narrated by the likes of Denzel Washington, Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Morgan Freeman and Meg Ryan. e success of the series is reflected in many honors, including two Grammy Awards, 18 Grammy Award nominations and 21 Parents' Choice Awards. In addition to the Rabbit Ears series, Palace Productions' projects include many genre feature films and a variety of music and documentary productions. Chris Campbell, Palace's chairman and creative director, came to Connecticut in 1970 to attend Fairfield University and never left. "Connecticut has an excellent environ- ment for digital media companies and a fine environment for business overall," he said. Palace's proximity to New York City and the presence of major creative resources in the state have been beneficial to the com- pany's growth. Not to mention, Palace is always looking at ways to expand and offer better services to its customers. "We are constantly introducing new digital-based services and innovating in terms of how programs are created..." says Campbell. Over the next year or so, Campbell says Palace plans to grow its physical presence, as well as expand into digital motion capture, animation services and expanded audio resources. "We plan to diversify from being simply a contract production organization to an organization that creates products in which it retains an enduring financial inter- est," he said. ❑ Dennis House and Kara Sundlun WSFB's Dynamic Duo PHOTOS/COurTESY PrOFILE

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