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testing waters for new studio in San Francisco
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Good advice and points all. I already use many of the studio spaces in the San Francisco area and you would be amazed at the asking prices and the very little (or too much) you get in return. You either end up with a noisy and overly reverbrant shack or the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. Even in this economy you have to get out the thumbscrews to get realistic prices out of the schmucks (over and over again). So my trick is to try and find the middle ground. 15 minutes from downtown is the coastal city of Pacifica. It is quiet, beautiful and affordable. But, sshh don’t tell anyone.
Anyway. Think I’ve obsessed over this enough for one night. Tomorrow I will be posting on how to grow petunias on your balcony for fun and profit.
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[Adrian Smith] “They are very keen on cooking shows apparently.”
And petunias.
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[Adrian Smith] “Actually I have already tapped the Pinochet clan as investors. They are very keen on cooking shows apparently.”
Oh my God, another guy with a sense a of humor the Cow. That puts you in an elite class Adrian.
BTW, I have an old friend who has a facility somewhere in the S.F. area, and I know he’s not spending great gobs of cash, so if you would like to call him and compare notes, I’ll be glad to hook you guys up. If so, just go to drwfilms dot com and you’ll see how to contact me.
David
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.
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Check out these google earth coordinates:
The Richmond district is very quiet, and it’s by the ocean and the values ain’t so bad. THere’s some nice and hidden locations reasonably accessible by public transportation, too.Here’s the google earth coordinates:
Latitude: 37°45’39.00″N
Longitude: 122°30’33.04″WThe Sunset District and the Richmond District are very quiet.
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Also I’ve got to be worried about anyone whose wish list includes “views” as a positive bonus in a green screen studio environment.
Real estate overhead costs are a HUGE, HUGE, HUGE factor in running a profitable studio operation.
If you’re thinking that views are worth spending money on each month, sorry, but you’re NOT going to make it in the studio business.
(sorry to be so harsh, but that’s just the cold hard truth.)
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Dear Mr. Harsh:
I guess you missed the Business 101 lesson that went over the first (or second rule) of business: “Location, location, oh and location!”
You’ve gotta know how important ambient factors are in any business, i.e. good parking, pleasant environment, good neighborhood cafes, etc. This is especially true when dealing with corporate clients, celebrity interviewees, politicians, etc. Funky industrial parks don’t really cut it unless you’re catering to the hipster market.
Oh and by the way you can pretty much name your price at the moment for commercial space on the peninsular.
Sorry to rain on your reality parade.
Anyway, I got money to burn… and it’s groovy to be irresponsible.
Meanwhile, cheer up. The sun is shining and the surf is up. Go outside and tend your petunias!
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I think I’m with “Mr. Harsh” in this one. The “location” term doesn’t really apply to studios. In fact you will find that the majority of successful studios are in pretty ugly industrial parts of town.
Studios aren’t helped by foot traffic whatsoever, and certainly not by the cafe next door. They are helped by good marketing and word of mouth.
On top of that, you rarely find windows in studios, so view doesn’t matter much, if at all.
Vince Becquiot
Kaptis Studios
San Francisco – Bay Area -
The window is for my benefit. I really like having window boxes. I’m a keen container gardener. On that note, has anyone had much success growing strawberries in our foggy coastal climate?
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[Adrian Smith] “I guess you missed the Business 101 lesson that went over the first (or second rule) of business: “Location, location, oh and location!” You’ve gotta know how important ambient factors are in any business, i.e. good parking, pleasant environment, good neighborhood cafes, etc. This is especially true when dealing with corporate clients, celebrity interviewees, politicians, etc. Funky industrial parks don’t really cut it unless you’re catering to the hipster market.”
We once spent the better part of $100,000 building the nicest office digs that we knew of anywhere in central California. It was all color-coordinated, with wall carpeting (to help with both light and sound dampening), fine woods, great flooring, desks, etc. It was located in Cambria, in the West Village — the ultra hip and trendy part of town — and was minutes from Hearst Castle (one of the most popular tourist traps in the State), as well as walking distance to many great restaurants, the beach, parks, etc., etc.
…and guess what?
In a year, it added only one new customer that we didn’t already have and that single new customer didn’t make us anywhere near the cost to win them over.
All the rest of our customers came from word-of-mouth customer referrals and from repeat business with the existing clients we already had.
If you already have the clients that can carry your fancy digs, go for it, and serve them well. But if you think that “location” is as important for marketing a video-related business as you seem to, then I would have to respectfully disagree.
It’s a gamble I would never take again and I have had huge websites and marketing machines to draw on that most people do not have.
In the end, it all came down to our connections, not our offices.
PS: That Business 101 class that you refer to? That was for those in retail, not for those in the service trades and crafts. It has more to do with impulse buys and walk-by traffic. These are hardly the backbone of client marketing in service industries.
Best regards,
Ron Lindeboom
Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual.
Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
– Antoine de Saint Exupéry
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