For Shawn Paonessa, the good news seemed to mean a little more than the thrill of winning or making a profit. It also meant the satisfaction of being right.

“When you back a horse,” he said, “it’s nice when the horse comes in.”

The “horse” in this case is Silence! The Musical, which recently celebrated its 100th performance and which Time magazine ranked No. 6 in its top 10 list of the best plays and musicals of 2011. Because of its success, Kitefliers Studios, the multimedia company headed by area theater vets Neil Gobioff and Paonessa, have something to shout about even before their first foray into film is complete.

Back in March, a producer with whom Gobioff and Paonessa had worked on other projects encouraged the pair to invest in the show. That investment earned them credit as associate producers for the Off Broadway production.

Longtime friends Gobioff and Paonessa have authored a number of acclaimed pieces for local theater, in particular the trailblazing Jobsite Theater— the Tampa professional theater company the two helped build from the ground up and producer of their 2006 play, The March of the Kitefliers, from which this nascent endeavor takes its name.

Paonessa called the opportunity “serendipitous,” as it fit into Kitefliers’ artistic philosophy. “It was definitely a project that was unique and part of our ambition to tell stories,” he said.

Beyond the show’s aesthetic allure, Gobioff and Paonessa were impressed by the production’s management.

“We were very privy to the business model and marketing approach,” Paonessa explained. “Everything that was presented to us is exactly how theater should be produced.”

The production started out doing three shows a week and has gradually worked its way up to eight. “They’re not trying to go straight to Broadway,” Paonessa said. “They’re doing it in steps.”

Talking to Paonessa and Gobioff, one realizes why Silence! held such strong appeal for them. In our previous talk about the goals of Kitefliers Studios, they'd both stressed their belief in bringing in people who are good at what they do, remembering that it's both a business and artistic venture, with the attendant "hard work" and "fun" sides. It's clear that the people behind Silence! have done just that, providing a template to emulate

As he and Gobioff explain it, that measured approach has been the key to the success of Silence!

“They weren’t putting themselves into debt and then trying to dig themselves out of a hole,” said Paonessa. “They were also targeting specific demographics so they could generate word of mouth.”

Gobioff and Paonessa were there for the show’s opening back in June at Theater 80 in New York’s East Village, an occasion they said went very well, both in performance and audience reception.

“We were very happy with how funny it was,” Gobioff said.

As for what the show’s acclaim and popularity means for Kitefliers, its founders say it validates their thorough planning approach and what they believe in. “Art can be fun,” said Paonessa. “It doesn’t have to be some deep endeavor.”

“It’s a good start,” added Gobioff. “People can say, ‘What have you done?’ and we can say we were associate producers of Silence! Time will tell in terms of opening doors.”

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Bedford Devil update

Kitefliers’ first film endeavor, The Bedford Devil, wrapped up shooting on Nov. 6. Gobioff and Paonessa have since been in the post-production phase, for which they are raising funds at bedforddevil.com, where site visitors can view a humorous teaser for the movie. The editor put all the best clips together based on a shot list that Paonessa had compiled before filming.

When its running time came back at 24 minutes, Gobioff and Paonessa were surprised and delighted, having expected it to be at least 10 minutes longer.

“We wanted it to be no more than 30,” said Paonessa. That’s because, as Gobioff explained, the more compact the film, the greater the likelihood it would be eligible for festivals.

Since festivals vary in the length of short films they accept, Paonessa said Kitefliers has the latitude to enter the whole film or just the first of Bedford Devil’s three acts. “If we wanted to, we could just do that act, and it could stand on its own,” he explained.

Right now, Kitefliers is planning on entering the film into next year’s summer/fall festivals. Before submitting to the niche and regional events, they’re focusing on festivals that qualify the winners for the Oscars.

“Obviously, that’s the caliber we think our film will be,” Gobioff said.

Tampa Bay audiences can expect to see at least one local screening of The Bedford Devil before it hits the circuit.

This article appears in Dec 15-21, 2011.