The man behind Screen Archives Entertainment

"SAE what?"

By Curt Hardaway

"Screen Archives Entertainment is one of the largest distributors of soundtracks and movie music in the world. SAE even produces exhaustive restorative film music recordings under its own label, working with major studios, composer estates, and universities to preserve music that would otherwise be lost to deteriorating celluloid."

That’s part of what I wrote last year for SAE’s Amazon information. I do go on a lot more about Craig, but it’s in an impersonal way, which gives a typically brief ‘press release’ capsule version of the man. But here’s what I should have said..."In the annals of soundtrack producing and distribution, the name of Craig Spaulding is definitely very high on the list of all-time movers and shakers. Yet he somehow maintains a mysteriously low profile."

But that’s not to say he’s aloof. I remember when I first met him back in the early 1980s, he was as amiable and friendly as you can imagine. He ran a store called Crossroads Market that had a truly eclectic inventory of merchandise for an equally eclectic clientele, and at the back of the store were bins of soundtrack LPs that no one else in the Dallas area had. No one anywhere. Believe me.

I’ll never forget walking in one day and Craig showing me his latest acquisition – the Southern Cross recording of John Barry’s BODY HEAT! It even had the John Williams’ Ladd Company logo music!!! I loved the guy from then on...

I wouldn't learn until later that Craig's reputation had already spread nationally, with collectors calling him from across the country for the latest releases.

Sadly, Crossroads Market came to an end as a music outlet when Craig sold the store and moved away to the mountains of northern Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C.. This was just about at the beginning of the CD era, so I should have known what would happen next. SAE what? (Sorry, I just had to use that gag at least once.)

"After we sold the store, I was looking for a job in D.C. when customers found me and literally demanded that I start selling film scores again," Craig says. "I called some of my old suppliers. We set up up a small space inside the house and started all over again, shipping out records and CDs one at a time. The internet was just taking off, making it easier to communicate with customers, list new releases and available titles, and exchange information.

"SAE just grew from there, first with one part-time employee and now with a huge warehouse and offices about 70 miles outside of Washington,” he said.

But what do we really know about this guy we’ve loved for all these years who gets us the film score fix we need at a price we can afford?

Craig was born on September 29, 1946, except the nurse on duty screwed up and typed ‘September 26.’ “So that’s the legal birthday and I get my presents three days early!” he says. He grew up in Monroe, Louisiana, on a bayou. (Isn't that the hardest thing in the world to imagine?) “I caught a lot of snakes, fish and turtles – and got bit more times than one can count.”

He received a commercial art degree in college, but joined the Air Force to serve in Viet Nam, of which he only says, “Great food, but a total waste of lives – and a country.” Once back, he worked as news department art director for two of the largest newspapers in the country, winning numerous awards (including some big national ones) before abruptly quitting to devote more time to collecting and selling soundtracks.

Now we zip forward to Virginia and SAE. I asked him what his primary responsibility was for the company (besides the obvious).

“I walk the dogs.”

Craig and partner William Waybourn are proud of their dogs. “One is Hank the wonder dog, who volunteers his time as an AAA/AAT (animal assistance activities/animal assisted therapy) canine at the children’s cancer ward at a local major hospital, as well as with patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in D.C.," Craig says. "Being a German shepherd, he's very popular with the soldiers.

“Then there's my dog, Wilson, a 135-lb., long-haired slug of a German Shepherd who goes to work with me – and everywhere else – and is named after the 1944 film WILSON that Alfred Newman scored and that we produced a CD of years ago for 20^th Century-Fox.” A third German shepherd (10-year old Cheyenne) stays home to guard over their mountain home.

If you don’t know, Craig has produced some of the finest Golden Age scores ever made, including Newman’s CAPTAIN FROM CASTILE, Max Steiner’s MARJORIE MORNINGSTAR and PURSUED, and Dimitri Tiomkin's THE COURT-MARTIAL OF BILLY MITCHELL and HIGH NOON. Pretty damn impressive – and that’s just the short list.

What does he really enjoy about his own company? “I like the night shift, the people, and all those new film music arrivals!”

Craig's memory of customers' tastes and buying habits is legendary, and staffers say it's not uncommon for him to remind a customer that he already owns something in his shopping cart, or that "you won't like this."

Because SAE is so much bigger now, it's hard for him to have as much contact with all the customers, but he still checks incoming orders while leaving overall operations to a dedicated crew run by Ed Dennis.

Craig's very proud of SAE's customer service record, especially since the company is considered one of the largest distributors of film scores in the world. In fact, SAE's customer list is a who's who of the film industry, and the staff frequently chats with celebrities attempting to enhance their personal collections.

An astute businessman, Craig says that SAE was always profitable, but he chooses to put a major portion of profits back into the company by buying more licenses and releases, and improving operations. Two years ago, he partnered with Lukas Kendall of Film Score Monthly to become its exclusive distributor. "That allows Lukas more time to focus on finding titles before they are lost forever," he says. Another partnership that Craig has nurtured is with John Morgan, Anna Bonn and William Stromberg and their label, Tribute Film Classics.

Composers, other labels, and even Craig's competitors speak highly of him. More than a few of them have stayed in business during rocky times thanks to his advice and/or financial support. "I treat everyone the way I would want to be treated," he says. "In all my years, I have gotten burned only once. That really speaks to the quality of the individuals of this business we're in."

And what does he like about life in general? “Food is the best part, but then there’s music and there’s so much of it. I usually just watch old movies on TV and hang out with the dogs at our mountain-top home overlooking the Shenandoah Valley. And my partner William, who likes basketball when Duke plays and a few favorite football teams – so I watch them too." Craig also enjoys maintaining their forested 40 acres -- and the cleared portion around the house keeps him busy. “I read every night, but it makes me sleepy – which is the effect I want."

Several years ago, Craig's “hobby that turned into a business” took a new turn by his amassing quite a collection of lobby cards and one-, two- and three-sheet posters from movies, including having some of them restored to their original splendor. "I collect film posters from projects we have produced, as well as others, but they are so big that most are still rolled up for lack of space to frame and hang,” he says.

I had to ask him about his favorite movies, of course. “KING KONG, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, THE MIRACLE WORKER, NETWORK, THE BIRDS, NOW, VOYAGER, THE LITTLE FOXES, HIGH NOON, PSYCHO, GONE WITH THE WIND, MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, THE SEARCHERS, and just too many more.”

(Does anyone else think that NETWORK is the oddball out on that list?)

But the big question I’m sure you all probably want to know is who his favorite composers are. Oddly enough, I’m confused myself because he listed Alfred Newman first, but then put Tiomkin in all caps with two exclamation points! So I’ll print it as he wrote it and y’all can sort it out...“Alfred Newman, TIOMKIN!!, Waxman, Rozsa, Herrmann, Friedhofer, North, Korngold, Raksin and all the other Golden Age composers. “

So there you have it. Not a Media Ventures guy in the bunch...

That doesn’t mean he won’t try to get you whatever you want in film music, regardless of the composer. As far as I know, he’s the best there ever was at that.

And I have to say that he listed his career highlight as “Just having grown up with classic scores and then having the privilege to actually produce some of them with others who love film music.”

Nuff said.

(Curt Hardaway has been a journalist, editor and writer for over 30 years and in many venues, including newspapers, national trade magazines, marketing and advertising copy, and on-line magazines and blogs. His love of film music began with Herrmann in the 1960s, but advanced to Steiner, Newman, Waxman and many others before discovering his favorite composer, Jerry Goldsmith. He lives in Dallas, Texas and recounts his first meeting with Craig Spaulding years ago.)