Louisiana has gotten a lot of attention over the last 15 years for the program that transformed the Bayou State into Hollywood South. Today, the tax credits that attracted major motion pictures to studios in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Shreveport have been scaled back by the Legislature and savaged the burgeoning film business, but Baton Rouge is still very much a hotbed for the digital arts.

Long before anyone had ever heard of entertainment industry tax credits, one Baton Rouge company was building a brand in the audio side of the business. That company is PreSonus Audio Electronics. Presonus is a leading designer and manufacturer of audio-recording and live-sound software, hardware and related accessories. PreSonus’s products are used worldwide for recording, sound reinforcement, broadcast, sound design, and Internet audio, and in its 21-year history, the company has grown from a start up in the basement – that’s not just a cute PR story, these guys really did start out in a basement – to a powerhouse with revenues of some $60 million last year.

Jim Odom is PreSonus’ founder, President and Chief Strategy Officer.

While Presonus is leading the way locally on the technological side of the digital arts, on the creative side of the business Tommy’s TV  is racking up awards for its videos, advertisements, TV shows and film shorts. In its five-year existence Yommy’s TV has produced work for homegrown businesses, nonprofit organizations and national clients that include Walmart, MTV, NBC, Discovery Channel and A&E.

Tommy Talley is the Tommy behind Tommy’s TV.

Though Tommy Talley was just in high school when Jim Odom founded PreSonus Audio, these two Capitol Creators are both making waves in their respective worlds of sight and sound. 

Photos at Manurs on the Boulevard by Ken Stewart.