My husband and I knew the old furnace wasn’t doing its job heating our home. The foul smell coming through the vent outside the house finally convinced us of its impending demise. Though it was a few years shy of its 20 ‘ year expected lifespan, the time had come to replace it. So we did what most do in a similar situation: we put it off until we could afford it.

Then, during an arctic cold snap on a Sunday night (hello, overtime), it simply gave out. Twenty-four hours later, we had a new, more powerful furnace that blew hot air not just to the center, but out to the extreme interior reaches of our house. It had a few false starts and needed some fine-tuning to run efficiently, but it was the right investment at the right – albeit imposed – time.

I’ll bet you’ve got a camera, workstation or storage system you know needs upgrading. Hoping it will last for at least another year? It probably will, but if the worst happens – a deadline looms and the equipment dies – you could end up squandering your upgrade budget on rentals until you find, test and buy a replacement.

I know, I know: Since late last year, clients have drastically scaled back on their budgets, some cutting video projects altogether. Now is not the time to invest in the future of your business. Or is it? Why not force your upgrade budget into healthy maturity by cutting back, temporarily, on less fundamental necessities. For example, studio redesign and even extensive marketing plans can wait until the business is more flush. Use the money instead to get the camera you know will take your projects to the next level.

There are some things you just can’t scrimp on, however, without threatening the very existence of your facility. Production insurance is one of them. Producer and director Tom Strodel, of 24fps Productions here in New York, invests his money wisely when shopping for and buying production insurance, and he wants you to do the same (page 25). He and his broker at Film Emporium have demystified this all-too-often dismissed process, complete with a handy chart (page 26) that explains why you need various levels of insurance for different types of productions.

Don’t forget to take advantage of the print function (one click, top right of navigation bar) in this month’s digital edition, so you can keep the chart and guide nearby for easy reference.

Let’s hope, after this winter of record lows, that spring comes fast and in all kinds of abundant forms, user manuals included.

– Beth Marchant, Editor-in-Chief

bmarchant@accessintel.com