Click here to order the 2-disc set!

WulfTeam Productions is proud to announce that documentary producer Tom Wulf is working with Circuit City’s creator and first CEO Alan Wurtel on his forthcoming book, “Good to Great to Gone,” which should hit bookstores in late summer.   The book provides a unique, CEO’s perspective on the spectacular rise and catastrophic fall of the late-great retailer.

The book is a terrific complement to the documentary, A Tale of Two Cities:  The Circuit City Story, which is now available at a special low price from Amazon.   The acclaimed film continues to earn 5-star reviews.  It’s an exciting ride through the  60-year history of consumer electronics — a must-see for anyone who ever worked or shopped at Circuit City.

Wulf is helping with photo selection and publicity for the new book.  Here are a few illustrations:

]]> http://circuitcitystory.com/2012/03/good-to-great-to-gone-coming-soon/feed/ 0 http://circuitcitystory.com/2011/12/documentary-featured-on-wtvrs-virginia-this-morning/ http://circuitcitystory.com/2011/12/documentary-featured-on-wtvrs-virginia-this-morning/#comments Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:07:01 +0000 Tom http://circuitcitystory.com/?p=388 Click here to view the embedded video.

Producer/director Tom Wulf appears on WTVR CBS 6′s “Virginia This Morning” to discuss his documentary, “A Tale of Two Cities:  The Circuit City Story.”  The acclaimed documentary is available at a special price of  just $17.95.  Click here to order the 2-disc DVD set from Amazon.com.  The documentary tells a tale of two “Cities” — one that went from good to great, and another that went from great to gone.  Give your friends and family a slice of retail history.  It makes the perfect gift for anyone who ever worked or shopped at the late-great retailer.

Click here to view the embedded video.

1955 Wards TV ad from the Richmond Times-Dispatch

A Tale of Two Cities:  The Circuit City Story makes the perfect holiday gift for anyone who ever worked or shopped at the late-great retailer.  The acclaimed documentary chronicles the fascinating 60-year history of the “Good-to-Great” consumer electronics retailer – from its humble beginnings as the family-owned Wards TV, to its meteoric rise, to its tragic slide into bankruptcy.  And for the first time, WulfTeam Productions is offering the 2-disc Director’s cut for a special sale price of just $17.95!  Click here to purchase the DVD on Amazon.com.  

Click here to buy the 2-disc DVD set

Sale price runs now through Christmas.  Beginning in late November, look for our ads on WTVR CBS, and on wtvr.com, co-sponsored by the Market Ashland Partnership.

Click here to buy the 2-disc DVD set

WulfTeam Productions is proud to receive a “recommended” rating in the latest published review of 
A Tale of Two Cities:  The Circuit City Story. 

A Tale of Two Cities: The Circuit City Story
(2010) 2 discs. 95 min. DVD (avail. from www.amazon.com):
Combining sympathy with a healthy dose of hardheaded analysis, Tom Wulf’s documentary examines the rise and fall of Circuit City, beginning with a look at the growth of the former electronics store chain, which started with Sam Wurzel’s decision to establish a store to sell and rent televisions in Richmond, VA, in 1949. Wurzel’s canny salesmanship and commitment to developing knowledgeable staff led to swift expansion—both in number of outlets and variety of merchandise—which continued after Sam’s son Alan succeeded him as CEO. After decades of uninterrupted success, however, a new management team in the ‘90s made strategic errors, developing a proprietary DVD system that failed to catch on (the DIVX fiasco) and unwisely establishing a used-car adjunct. Circuit City also underestimated new competitor Best Buy, which emphasized low prices. By 2000, Circuit City was desperately attempting to stave off disaster, an effort that led to closures, staff and salary reductions, deteriorating customer service, vendor problems, and finally bankruptcy in 2009. Featuring interviews with employees (including a critical Alan Wurzel), outside observers, and vendors, combined with a wealth of archival material, A Tale of Two Cities offers a sad portrait of entrepreneurial spirit gone stale due to mismanagement and complacency. DVD extras include a collection of vintage commercials and orientation films. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)

To read this and other DVD reviews on the Video Librarian web site, click here.

To order A Tale of Two Cities:  The Circuit City Story 2-disc set from Amazon click here.

Look for Alan Wurtzel’s new book, Good to Great to Gone:  The Rise and Fall of Circuit City, in the near future!  The book will be a great complement to the documentary, adding some leadership lessons and social context to the company’s 60-year history.

Available through Victory Multimedia and Amazon.com

• World premiere at the Virginia Film Festival, November 2011.  Click here to see director/producer Tom Wulf’s introduction to the film. 
• Featured nationally in Dealerscope magazine, and on WTVR’s Virginia This Morning, and the PBS series Virginia Currents.  Click here to see the segment.
• Aired in prime time on Central Virginia PBS stations in February 2011; tying for first place with national PBS programming (approx. 15,000 viewers). 
• Profiled in the current “Leadership” issue of Training magazine, with international circulation. Click here to read the article.
• Released on DVD in a special edition 2-disc set by Victory Multimedia on July 12, 2011.  It is also available on Amazon.com. 

“Good to Great to Gone: Leadership Lessons from the Circuit City Story” has just been published in the June issue of Training magazine.  Click here to read it:  Training Magazine article   Writer/Director Tom Wulf has an exclusive offer for Training readers.  To see the offer on the WulfTeam Productions web site, click here:  http://wulfteamproductions.com/portfolio.

WulfTeam Productions is proud to announce it has signed an agreement with Victory Multimedia for non-exclusive distribution rights to “A Tale of Two Cities: The Circuit City Story.”  Promotional materials just went out to Barnes & Noble, Borders, Baker & Taylor, Ingram Entertainment, etc. A big thanks to the talented Adam Rosenberg who assisted with graphics once again.   The suggested retail price with Victory is 49.95, but the DVD is available through Amazon for just $44.99.   It is essential viewing for business leaders, educators, consultants, trainers and anyone who ever worked or shopped at the late-great retailer.  Click here to read more reviews on Amazon or to order the 2-disc set.

“It’s a great story that should be told to every business leader across the country.”
- Brian Keller, Director of Sales Training, McKesson

Click here to view the embedded video.

“This is a documentary for people who don’t normally watch documentaries.
It manages to keep our interest focused throughout the film, even though
we know the way the story ends…or at least we think we do.”
- Don Talley, WTVR Executive
(50-year association with Wards/Circuit City)

Click here to read reviews on Amazon

Click here to read reviews
and to order on Amazon.

The first disc includes the “Director’s cut” of the documentary, which is a fascinating ride through the company’s 60-year history featuring interviews with CEO Alan Wurtzel, CarMax CEO Austin Ligon, and a host of other long-tenured CC associates.

The second disc contains bonus interview clips that provide a deeper analysis of how and why the Fortune 500 company fell.  It also includes an archive of TV commercials and orientation/training videos.

“A Tale of Two Cities: The Circuit City Story” premiered at the Virginia Film Festival in November 2010. The documentary has been featured in Style Weekly, Richmond.com, RichmondBizSense, the Hanover Herald-Progress, and DealerScope magazine.  Writer/Director Tom Wulf has appeared on WTVR’s Virginia This Morning and on the PBS  television series ”Virginia Currents.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Your documentary delivered about 6,000 television households or about 15,000 viewers which was a tie for first-place against the PBS national programming at 8pm and 10:30pm, congratulations.”
– John Felton, Vice President and Program Director, ideastations.org

BUY IT NOW!

The documentary aired several times on Central Virginia PBS stations in February 2011, to overwhelmingly positive ratings and reviews:

“It is a great business training tool, but also shows the heart that the company and its employees had.” – Dennis Pack, University of Richmond Robins School of Business

“It’s a great story that should be told to every business leader across the country.” — Brian Keller, Director of Sales Training, McKesson

“Great job!  I am very proud to be a part of this project.”  — Alan Wurtzel, son of the company’s founder, CEO 1972-1986, and creator of the Circuit City concept

The documentary chronicles the entire 60-year history of the Richmond-based retailer – from its humble beginnings as the family-owned Wards TV, to its meteoric rise to become the nation’s largest specialty retailer of consumer electronics, to its tragic downhill slide into bankruptcy and liquidation in 2009.  The film tells the tale of two “Cities:” one that went from good to great, and the other that went from great to gone.

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“A Tale of Two Cities: The Circuit City Story” has received generous support from the Virginia Film Office, WTVR CBS 6, VCUarts Department of Kinetic Imaging, and Ellen Wulf – Edward Jones Investments.

Stay tuned for information about future screenings and film festivals.  Thanks for your interest and support!

A Tale of Two Cities: The Circuit City Story

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NOTE: ”Circuit City” and “circuitcity.com” are the registered trademarks of Systemax, Inc.  Also, please note that Circuit City, Circle logo and CircuitCity.com are registered trademarks of CircuitCity.com Inc. according to the current website. For more on the revival of the brand, see website at: www.circuitcity.com.