The Celebration of SAV Productions; 25 years of digital service to the community

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“As a black business owner, you quickly learn that you need a custom suit of armour and a diverse toolbox. It is necessary to build relationships with those who will open doors for you and will help you stand when you fall.” Cleve Sandy

For my young entrepreneurs, that means those individuals who have either just started a business or have been running a business anywhere from five to ten years. It is imperative that you take in this article.

A dream that started off as a wooden box cart, sporting a music system, and powered by car batteries, has turned into a leader in professional, high-definition webcasting throughout North America and the Caribbean.

For over twenty-five years SAV Production has been providing comprehensive, audio visual services to the: corporate, multicultural, and worship communities, producing some of the largest events and festivals in Canada.

Who is the man behind the vision? No other than Dr Cleve P. Sandy, a mind before it’s time, who saw the audio-visual world from a different lens, and grew with the industry. Very much a family business, Cleve and his brother Colin have followed in their father’s footsteps, and when speaking with Cleve, he described in detail a part of his childhood that he will never forget.

“As children, Colin and I learned how to develop film in our darkroom. We also learned how to synchronize multi projector slide shows, and splice analogue audiotapes together.

SAV commenced with my enrolment at “The Harris Institute,” in 1995. I received a lot of support from the faculty at The Harris Institute, and it served as a great incubator for new concepts and ideas. I graduated from Harris with honours and was well equipped with the theoretical and technical skills needed to start SAV Productions.”

Over the companies’ successful twenty-five years in business, they have had the opportunity of working with renowned events and organizations including:

• BBPA Harry Jerome Awards
• CARIBANA (Now known as Toronto Caribbean Carnival)
• Martin Luther King Celebration
• OBHS Black History Month Kick-Off Brunch
• King and Queen Launch
• Barbados Ball
• The Grant Morris Foundation

They have had to change and adjust to the times, but they have managed to stay a step ahead of the game and establish themselves as leaders in the digital space.

“I found working with Sandy Audio Visual to be a pleasant, easy-going experience. Our annual provincial event was flawless. Their planning was appropriate and instructive, the equipment suggested and utilized was seamless.  We look forward to a continued ‘sound’ relationship!” OBHS

“Colin Sandy, Carla Cargill Sandy, SAV is the best! You guys are awesome. Thank you once again for making the Living Legends Awards for Service to Humanity available to the world. First thing Sunday Am call came from India with accolades. Thank you again!” Doreen A.K. Hines

No one could have expected for 2020 to be the year that it was, and like many other businesses SAV was hit hard. During our dialogue, Cleve shared with me some of the challenges the company faced, and how they found ways to navigate through the pandemic.

“A lot of the work that we do is live. We have become one of the leaders in web streaming and web casting. We started web streaming about fifteen years ago when it was mostly unheard of. Since then, we have found ways to embrace the ever-changing technical industry, but this pandemic is different. We do live events, installation, and service contracts; so of course, it hit us hard because our work revolves around live events.

Now, people are looking for more professional live streaming. Yes, you can use ZOOM, or Facebook Live, but it is very low quality.  We kept communication open with our clients letting them know that we are still here if they need us. We are taking special efforts to let them know we are still here, and we are able to provide them with live streaming using our own web-streaming platform.”

One thing that I noted about Cleve during our discussion is that he is very passionate about his community. The thing that he is most proud of is the fact that he has been able to give back.

“One of the things that I am most proud of is the fact that I have employed 100’s of people. We don’t have the power to hire or fire in our community. We need more people in this position of power. I can help people, so I do. The industry does not have many black faces, so I know the importance of doing what I can do to give back.”

What is the most inspiring about Cleve and the team at SAV Productions is that they did not let the pandemic slow them down. They figured out what their customers and clients needed, and they have adjusted to meet them where they are.

The Toronto Caribbean Newspaper would like to again say congratulations to the team at SAV Productions. Thank you for being such an example for the community.