In a spacious hardwood-floored studio office along Euclid Avenue stacked high with film equipment and computers, Greg Petusky and Johnny Wu spent the last 18 months building their electronic media company from the ground up. They became business partners in 1998, with hopes of opening a photography business. When it promptly flopped, they decided to give the media business a try, tapping into Petusky's love of filmmaking and Wu's knowledge of computers. Since then, Media Design Imaging has gone the low-key, independent route. The pair recently completed an action film called "Twisted," a music video that is being delivered to homes across the nation on Media One's Road Runner high-speed cable modem and a television commerial for an undergdog Internet company.

Given MDI's independent spirit, it is iroic the company is garnering attention from a new project inspired by corporate giants such as Microsoft and Budweiser-digital business cards. The specially cut, three-inch compact discs play in any personal computer with a CD-ROM drive and can be packed with up to 50 megabytes of information - the equivalent of 9,000 simple pages of text or a dozen Web pages. Cleveland-based Paratus Inc. - an Internet technology and marketing services firm - went to MDI last year with an offer to partner on a project for Washington, D.C. mayor Anthony Villiams, asking the small firm to help develop the content for the discs. "We finished it in a week, truned it in and they loved it and wanted to do more," says Wu. "So, slowly from there, we got more business. It's a very cool concept."

The work has been a benefit for MDI, which can now sink profits form the digital business cards back into its filmmaking ventures, as well as generate awareness about the company. "We don't just want to concentrate on one target," says Wu. "But, at the same time, we don't mind outsourcing ourselves to do some work and market ourselves." So, while its main focus remains films, it appears MDI has more digital business card work heading its way, if the rising buzz about the new technology is any indication. Paratus CEO Frank Sulka says he has already heard from several local companies considering an investment in digital business cards, now that is has become a cost-effective marketing strategy. As with traditional business cards, the more you buy, the better the price. Costs also vary depending on design needs, but Sulka says most companies which want to make an investment in the digital business cards can get them for a couple of dollars each.

How to reach: MDI, (216) 623-0822; Paratus, www.paratus.com Jim Vickers (jvickers@sbnnet.com) is an associate editor at SBN