The mood is tense at Harris Corporation, which has annual revenues of $5.4 billion and 16,000 employees. Defense-based government contracts make up a big part of the business for the communications and information-technology company, and today a top government official is there to review a classified defense-based communications program. For security purposes, several program areas are declared off-limits to employees, and a security detail surrounds the government official as he enters the building. At the presentation, the only representatives from Harris are the corporation's president, a senior vice president, and the technical lead of the project.
When the official sits down, he learns he won't see a PowerPoint presentation. Instead, he views a five-minute animated motion picture. It explains the same complicated technical information as a slide show, but it does so with computer-generated imagery, cinematic editing, music, and professional voiceovers. Afterward, the room is quiet. Then, the official asks for a copy, saying, "That is exactly what I need to get this program approved by Congress."
David Coalter (E'98), one of Harris' mechanical engineers, created the cinematic animation. He began making digital animations not long after being hired in 1999. At first, it was just a fun way to make design presentations, but by the time the official visited, his work had become a cornerstone of company presentations.
The accolades convinced Coalter to form his own company in 2007. Beginning with a $40,000 startup loan, Coalter Digital—with Coalter as the sole employee—has averaged one $35,000 project a month.
"When you bring a Pixar-quality animation to a technical briefing, the response is amazing," says Coalter. "It's clearly the way conceptual ideas will be communicated in the future."
—Rob Cullen (HS'02)
