Phantom Productions, Incorporated
Creative Entertainment & Production Since 1964
Chris & Martin Theophilus, Directors
Phantom Productions, Inc. Directors
Update May 1 2024: Phantom's UT TCDS contract ended in 2017 and the Family to Family Network's Texas Project First web contract ended in 2018 with some minor assists afterwards. The end of 2018 Chris retired from David Perkoff Music after 29 years of entertainment booking. She occasionally fills in when David is unavailable. Martin through Phantom Productions, Inc. still supports EveryChildTexas with hosting services. Otherwise Chris looks after our home and property, cares for our German Shepherd Sophie and rides Margarita when she can. I'm scanning our physical personal and Phantom Productions, Inc. scrapbooks to make them more accessible; updating the momsr.org web sites; maintaining the museum and when possible, updating the 150 videos that are available about the vintage recording collection. After five years (2012 to 2017) of working to create the MOMSR non-profit museum, the entity was dissolved due to lack of funding support. The collection was downsized to 115 reel tape recorders and all the mics were retained. I still volunteer with the Bastrop Sheriff's departments, independently patrollin in BSO vehicles, although not as often. So lots of changes. Cheers! Martin
Chris Theophilus, CEO
Chris is Phantom's CEO & Administrative Director and managed the association with David Perkoff Music. (photo right - David Perkoff and Chris Theophilus with some of the actes they booked).
From 1991 to 2018, she coordinated an annual average of over 400 events with DPM. She also shot HD video for Phantom - from entertainment events & hot air balloons, to corporate training events. She retired in December 2018, however has continued to fill in for David on some occasions.
Chris grew up in Sudbury, Suffolk, England and brings a wonderful international flavor to our services. Her love of animals includes Margarita, a Paso Fino horse, and our German Shepherd Sophie.
Chris has served in entertainment related organizations including:
Board Secretary, Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording
Board Member, Austin Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts
Board Member, Austin Music Business Association
Chairperson, International Committee, Austin Music Business Association
Advisory Committee - Austin Community College Commercial Music Program
Martin Theophilus, President
Martin is the Multimedia & Production Director for Phantom, shooting and editing video, developing web sites, and is the IT manager. Martin develops web sites, produces training videos, marketing plans and consults with Phantom Productions' clients in areas of media. Born in Marfa, Texas and raised in Alpine, Texas, Martin migrated to the Austin music scene in 1978.
Interview with NBC's Jim Swift Jim's comments
Chief Engineer - Austin Custom Records ('79 -'81)
Entertainment
Martin has been active in building Austin's entertainment and production resources including:
Board President and Executive Director, Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording
Chief Engineer - Austin Custom Records ('79 -'81)
Special Positions and Appointments
Member, Future Policy Alternatives Group - Provided input to Texas DHS Executive Staff on trends in social, political, technological and economic areas for planning purposes.
Member Austin Community College Business Management Advisory Committee - Composed of Texas Agency representatives and Austin's larger private employers (TI, IBM, UT) to help identify educational needs and recommended resources to be provided by ACC.
Chair, Austin Community College Commercial Music Management Program (1986 to 1988) Initiated and developed two year degree program that integrates music business with music performance, concert staging, audio and video engineering, promotion (development of computer based graphics), entertainment business (legal & accounting) marketing, artist management and tour coordination. Served on the creation ad-hoc committee and taught Music Marketing through 1992.
Member, Entertainment Industry Task Force, Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce - group created “Austin, Texas - the Live Music Capitol of the World”
Member, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) - GRAMMY'S (since 1988)
Member - Audio Engineering Society - (since1982) Central Texas AES Treasurer (1980 -1985) & Treasurer/Web Administrator (2004 - 2006)
Board Member, Austin Chapter of the Texas Music Association - ('87 -'89)
Chair, Austin Music Business Association
Chair of the Texas Agency Human Resource Development Network - Created by the State Agency Coordinating Council and included twenty-two of the larger state agency Training Directors who were committed to sharing resources and coordinating services.
Served as TDHS' Liaison to the State Agency Emergency Management Center - Participated in evaluating level of need and coordinating resources among all state agencies during disasters. Responsible for disaster assistance training for the Texas Department of Human resources at the Austin headquarters.
Member, International Business Advisory Committee , Austin Chamber of Commerce
Chair, Ector County Community Service Organization (1972 to 1978) Initiated and directed 25 member organization comprised of agency directors (coordinate services to the West Texas area).
Member, Board of Advisors, American Association for Children with Learning Disabilities
Secretary, International Audio Engineering Society Central U.S. (1987-89) Member since 1980
Member, Advisory Committee on Texas School Health
Member, Permian Basin Juvenile Council
Member Brewster County Rescue Squad (1962 – 1969)
Served as Brewster County's Juvenile Probation Officer (1967 – 1969)
Unique and unusual:
• Cable TV installer (Alpine, Texas) one of first wireless cable television systems in Texas
• Produced weekly radio broadcast from recording studio built into parent's home for the Alpine Ind. School District (1965)
• Shot, edited and marketed series of hot air ballooning videos, one of which is used worldwide by hot air balloon event to train new crew members.
Law Enforcement and Public Service
While attending High School in Alpine, Texas and Sul Ross State University, Martin was an Air Explorer and volunteered with the Brewster County Rescue Squad (left). Also while attending Sul Ross, Martin worked full time as a Brewster County Dispatcher for the Alpine Police Department and Brewster County Sheriff's Office Law Enforcement Dispatch Center. The center managed communications for City , County State and Federal agencies in the area. During this time, Martin was also appointed as Special Deputy and Juvenile Probation Officer by the Sheriff. Upon graduation from Sul Ross State College, Martin (right) was hired as one of the first State Police Officers assigned to the Sul Ross Police Department. He also completed graduate courses in law enforcement including Criminology, law and behavior analysis.
In 1970, Martin applied to the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Midland Police Departments, but was turned down as high risk due to his loss of a kidney from cancer at age three. Subsequently he went to work for the Texas Department of Human Services, in Odessa, Texas working 7 years in Child Protective Services, including two years in CPS investigations and then 5 years as a CPS Supervisor. Thanks to the Ector County Sheriff's Office, Martin was allowed to continue to use his law enforcement two-way radio from Alpine. This became invaluable in Martin's Child Protective Services work for 7 years. He has kept up with law enforcement communications to this day.
During the early and middle 1970's Martin taught courses on Child Abuse and Neglect at the Permian Basin Law Enforcement Academy. Incidentally Martin's mentor, from Boy Scouts through later life was the Alpine DPS Officer and and later Sheriff of Brewster County, Carl Williams. Carl left the Sheriff's Office to became one of the first employees of the newly formed Texas Commission of Law Enforcement Education and Standards in 1970 in Midland, Texas.
In 1977 Martin was promoted into the DHS Training Division in Midland and subsequently to CPS training in El Paso. In 1978, Martin was promoted and transferred to the Austin DHS Headquarters where he
was assigned DHS Disaster Assistance responsibilities, including representing DHS at the Texas Department of Public Safety State Emergency Operating Center. He participated in the Witcihta Falls tornado recovery efforts. Martin was promoted in 1982 to DHS Chief of Services Section and oversaw the statewide DHS Field Training Division with 100 trainers and three Education Orientation Centers in Arlington, Houston and Edinburg. He was also responsible for the management training of the DHS Austin executive staff. He hosted a DHS PR video, part of which was completed with the help of the Austin Police Department (right). The segment dwelt with how to interview children witnessing a crime. Martin left DHS in 1990 after completing 22 years with the State of Texas, so he and his wife Chris could pursue Phantom Productions, Inc., full time.
In 1997, when health insurance rates were increased, Martin went back to work for the State of Texas at the University of Texas at Austin to recoup his State retirement and secure health insurance. For three years at UT, Martin worked as the Multimedia Producer and IT manager for the Texas Center for Disability Studies. Upon completing his time at UT, Phantom Productions, Inc. was contracted to continue providing the services to UT that Martin had been supplying as an employee. While maintaining those UT services, Martin was asked by a friend to assist their company with their IT problems. He accepted a full time position as IT Manager & Media Producer for Cortex Interactive. During this time, Cortex had many high profile contracts including Delta Airlines for whom training was being produced on International Security. Martin managed the video production component. Unfortunately after 911, Delta was coping with the after effects of 911's impact on the airline industry and postponed the Cortex contract services. This caused Cortex to fold in July 2002.
During this time, Phantom Productions, Inc. provided media and web services for UT (for 19 years), the EveryChildTexas.org group in Austin, the Family to Family Network in Houston and the Texas Education Agency's Texas Project FIRST. Among other clients, Martin creates and maintains web services for Rick McRae, George Strait's guitarist, David Perkoff Music which Chris co-manages and several other entities including the Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording, where Martin serves as Executive Director. All these services except UT continue currently.
Having always enjoyed his time working for and interacting with law enforcement, he began looking for a way to re-connect. In 2017, Martin completed the joint Bastrop Police Department and Bastrop Sheriff's Office Citizens Police Academy. Subsequently, he volunteered as a Citizen On Patrol with both Bastrop law enforcement organizations.
More information
Since it was established in 1964, Phantom Productions' Directors, Chris & Martin Theophilus, have been active in helping build the Texas music business. Phantom provides multimedia and entertainment services including: digital video production for corporate clients, festivals and special events; web development, design and hosting; as well as entertainment services through David Perkoff Music.
Why "PHANTOM" Productions?
Phantom Productions began as an audio recording company in Alpine, Texas in 1964. Originally called Highland Sound Company (suggestion by Scottish grandmother), we produced record albums, radio shows, film audio post production and music projects across Texas.
In audio production microphones may be "phantom" powered. That is, remotely powered. We liked the "behind the scenes" image that Phantom provided. We work behind the scenes to provide you with professional services!
In order to assist artists who were not well versed in business and promotion, we added consultation and marketing services in the mid 1980's. We established a sister company in Milton Keynes, England called Phantom UK. Phantom UK included computer animation development and for awhile had offices in Hong Kong.
We managed several artists during this time including: Mark Luke Daniels; Tracie Lynn; James Hinkle and Housewives Choice; Skull Duggery, plus others ranging from Folk to Metal. Mark Luke was signed to a major publishing contract (Montie Music Group - Richie Valen's worldwide publisher) and a record deal with Gene Simmons of the rock group KISS.
Phantom's Directors founded the Austin Community College Commercial Music Degree program in the late '80's to provide additional resources in management, staging, promotion and production. The program has been very successful and is graduating students with 2 year associate degrees in Commercial Music.
In the early1990's Chris began focusing Phantom Productions more on corporate clients. In 1992, Phantom began representing David Perkoff Music, Inc. whose corporate business was growing rapidly and needed Phantom's business support services.
With our staff's background in management and training, we established ties with corporate consultants in 1993 and began providing business management and production. In early 1996, During this period, Phantom contracted with ComedySportz of Austin to provide their business management and bookings.
Phantom Video, the "in-house" video production company, supported our entertainment and has now grown into its own business. We produce video, web sites and many other types of media. In addition to housing the vintage recording collection, the Phantom studio has the latest in digital editing and post production capability. It is also available for voice over and music development clients.
Directly above - Chris with Marvin Hamlisch • Chris & Martin with Tom Pacheco • More about Chris' work with international entertainers
DIRECTORS:
Chris Theophilus, CEO
Chris is Phantom's CEO & Administrative Director and manages the association with David Perkoff Music. Since 1991 she has coordinated an annual average of over 400 events with DPM. She also shoots HD video for Phantom - from entertainment events & hot air balloons, to corporate training events.
Chris grew up in Sudbury, Suffolk, England and brings a wonderful international flavor to our services. Her love of animals includes Taffie, a Quarter horse and our German Shephard Bonnie Bracken.
Chris has served in entertainment related organizations including:
- Board Member and Secretary, Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording
- Board Member, Austin Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts ('91 -'92)
- Board Member, Austin Music Business Association ('90 -'91)
- Chairperson, International Committee, Austin Music Business Association ('90 -'91)
- Advisory Committee - Austin Community College Commercial Music Program ('88 -'91)
Martin Theophilus, Director & Multimedia Producer
Martin is the Multimedia & Production Director for Phantom, shooting and editing video, developing web sites, and is the IT manager.
Born in Marfa, Texas (the facade, left, from the filming of Giant was visible from the highway to El Paso for many years) and raised in Alpine, Texas, Martin migrated to the Austin music scene in 1978.
Martin has been active in building Austin's entertainment resources including:
- Board Member/Executive Director, Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording
- Member, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) - GRAMMY'S (1988)
• Member - Audio Engineering Society - (1982) Central Texas AES Treasurer (1980 -1985) & Treasurer/Web Administrator (2004 - 2006)
- Member, Entertainment Industry Task Force, Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce
- Chair, Austin Music Business Association
- Chair, Austin Community College Commercial Music Program ('88 -'91) - Initiated and developed two year degree program that integrates music business with music performance, concert staging, audio engineering, promotion, entertainment business, marketing, artist management, tour coordination, lighting, et al. View Video Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3
- Member, Austin Community College Business Management Advisory Board ('82 -'91)
- Board Member, Austin Chapter of the Texas Music Association - ('87 -'89)
- Member, International Business Advisory Committee, Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce ('88 -'92)
- Board President, Tongue and Groove Theatre ('95 -'97)
- Chief Engineer - Austin Custom Records ('79 -'81) (photo of studio ->)
- VP & Chief Engineer - New Generation Productions ('80 -'81)
Martin maintains Phantom's collection of vintage recording equipment. Go to collection
A Few Credits by Country
Canada • China • France • Germany • Holland • Ireland • Italy • Mexico • United Kingdom
"Phantom Productions" is the registered trademark of Phantom Productions, Inc. Copyright 2015
All pictures and content on this web site are the property of Phantom Productions, Inc.
Please visit the Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording • Hot Air Ballooning
