About the founder... Billy Mead

Billy grew up attending school in the Western part of the Commonwealth attending private school at Bement School in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Seeking warmer weather he went on to College in Orlando, Florida and was accepted into the Honors Program at Valencia College where Billy studied Business Management and Computer Science.

His first entertainment industry exposure was the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tour the world with bands such as heavy metal legends Judas Priest, Warrant, White Zombie and pop stars Roxette and Debbie Gibson. He eventually learned the music and entertainment business from the inside working in production management and developing general business experience which helped make the transition to film and television seamless. Billy then moved to Orlando during a time of explosive growth for film production in the state of Florida. Universal Studios and Disney Hollywood Studios established new infrastructure in the Sunshine State by building several major film studios and luring Hollywood producers to make the trip to the east coast. As a result the production industry took off in the early 90's and Billy did not miss out on the extraordinary opportunities that unfolded overnight.

During this period of economic growth in filmmaking in Florida he became a union member with IATSE 631 and began building his resume in film and television production. His efforts included work on such cinematic hits as Days of Thunder and Parenthood as well as the television prime-time series Divorce Court with Judge Wapner and the New Mickey Mouse Club featuring Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera. With this firsthand experience he founded his own commercial production company, Cameo Films, based at the Chapman Leonard Studio complex in Orlando.

But in the mid-90's, like many in his profession, he moved to California to be closer to the center of industry action in Los Angeles. Eventually, Billy made the transition to the agency side of the business while out on the West Coast. For the next several years he worked for ad agencies in LA, Las Vegas, Reno and San Francisco as Director of Print & Broadcast Production. Agency clients included the Las Vegas Tourism Board, MGM Grand Casino and Hard Rock Hotel to name just a few. With all of this experience under his belt Billy returned to Massachusetts at the end of the decade to be closer to his family. Upon arriving he took a position at Irma Mann Advertising and Marketing on Newbury Street in Downtown Boston.

In 2001 Billy founded 48hourprint.com based on a new business model incorporating fast-turnaround printing and e-commerce. Being a student of technological trends and always looking ahead for the next opportunity, Billy determined that the nascent web to print sector of consumer and commercial printing was poised to take off. New technologies enabled the transfer and proofing of print files via an internet based system. The site was an instant success.

Yearly sales grew from 1.8 Million in 2003 to about 20 Million in 2006. In two and a half years the company was listed as one of the top 400 printing companies (out of approximately 19,000) in the United States by Printing Impressions magazine, the industry watchdog publication. While growing the company he provided jobs to 95 people between three locations in Boston, Cleveland and Phoenix Arizona. Billy stepped down as president of the company in October 2006 to pursue other professional pursuits in the exploding field of New Media.

Billy's new company, aptly named Nu Media Factory, includes several ventures including the already successful Film Star Rentals, Fuel Films and the Rockstar Post-Production facility on Dorchester Avenue in South Boston. Billy's plans have also expanded to include Southie Studios, a full service production site and soundstage set to open in the summer of 2009. Part of Billy's vision is to give back to the community and create opportunities for learning and career development. He aggressively supports the growth of the local film production workforce and brings his entrepreneurial skills in film, television, music, promotion and production to the task.

Billy is newly married to his lovely wife Vanessa who works alongside him as Vice President of Nu Media Factory with partner Paul Buhl. Vanessa, Billy and the love of their lives, Alex live in South Boston.