For January's Creator Spotlight, we sat down with Alex Gao and Matt Brody of Park Studio, a Brooklyn based production company founded by five friends.
Tell us about the beginnings of your company and how you got started.
We started in the summer of 2016. We all went to college together and wanted to start a production company to create our independent film projects but it ended up becoming a vehicle for us to work with creative agencies, musicians, and some of the top brands in the world.
Did everyone plan to move to New York together or was Park Studio born once you were all in NYC?
Park Studio was born in NYC. We all moved to the same area, most of us into the same five bedroom apartment on Park Street in the Bushwick area of Brooklyn, NY. Within a couple of weeks, we established an LLC. It seemed to naturally come in tandem with wanting to break into the New York market as freelancers.
You all have very complementary skill sets, could you talk about that? Was that intentional?
We do have complementary skill sets- and personalities even- which all help keep our small operation lean and balanced. This wasn’t planned but was noticed with time. From sharing administrative tasks to client work, to developing Park's brand and our body of original creative work - we balance each other out while ultimately focusing on quality story, cinematography, and editing throughout every project we work on.
How have the partners juggled their individual careers with work for Park? Has everyone’s individual growth informed how Park creates work or operates?
Our partners can come and go as they please in regards to their individual careers. We’ve encouraged this policy as we usually use outside opportunities not only to help ourselves in our individual careers and lives, but also to learn new skills and grow from these experiences as individuals who can help come back and grow our vision for Park’s future.
What is Park’s niche, or how would you describe the typical type of work you do?
For many years, our niche was in the fashion space. We’ve worked six New York Fashion Weeks and have collaborated with brands like Alo Yoga, Li-Ning and Alexander Wang. In recent years, we’ve been a production partner to ad agencies like BBDO Worldwide and have done work with brands like FedEx, Snickers and Bacardi.
We have made a good handful of music videos and short films – and have a docket of several more to go at the moment. We have spent a lot of time building a foundation to position ourselves to make original content at a higher level and pace than we’d be able to as individuals without this resource we’ve built. Event streaming, short films, episodic series, and features are all on the horizon for us, should things go according to plan.
Can you tell us about a time when having a data management strategy saved you?
Our data management strategy grows and saves us every day. We have our own server and archival system that allows us to shoot and move high volumes of data in short periods of time while still being able to actively work on other projects at the same time. Speaking of moving quickly, we've been using the Atom EV CAM as our go-to drive for recording, and it saves us tons of time at the end of a long day when copying large amounts of footage.
How has the company evolved over its lifespan?
Park Studio has been relatively consistent throughout its timeline of 8.5 years. The primary difference between our first year and our eighth year is the growth of our international network of industry professionals we can rely on to cover a massive scope of client and collaborator needs. It feels like we’re making headway into a new chapter of what we’ve started, mostly unchanged from our original goals – it just takes some ground work and a lot of luck to get there.
How has technology influenced what you do?
Access to more tools that have become cheaper over the years has allowed us to push harder and strive for higher quality images for less cost, which is essential for growth as a small business trying to break into a very saturated market. Whenever possible, we like to be on-site with our state of the art DIT station. This allows for a seamless workflow, allowing dailies and rough edits to be delivered same-day for clients and creators alike!
Where do you see Park growing over the next 5 years?
Feature film production and event streaming are major targets in our long-term scopes, though we’re open and exploring all avenues to continue paving the way forward. We all want to make work that is impactful, whether that is in social, commercial, documentary, or feature format.
What are the three most important things an aspiring filmmaker should know?
Be nice to everyone you meet, know your worth, and have a vision.
What’s the best way for people to get in touch with you?
