Sight and Sound

By Erica Williams and Jorge Casuso
Staff Writers

July 8 -- You wouldn’t know it strolling through Downtown, but tucked away behind many a nondescript façade, images and sounds are being created that will be seen and heard around the world.

On every block are chic offices teeming with creative types quietly polishing up or adding special effects to the latest blockbuster or indie movie and recording some of the biggest names in pop, along with talented unknowns hoping for that big break.

“It’s just a great location for our clients,” said Chris Eckardt, a partner in Money Shots Production, a visual effects post-production house that is currently putting the finishing touches on a Reebok commercial.

“If you have something that’s very client-oriented, then being in Santa Monica is very helpful,” Eckardt said. “It’s much better for us,” compared to Culver City or the Valley, “because nothing’s close by in those cities. Everything’s within walking distance here.”

A plentiful menu of restaurants and shopping outlets, nearby luxury beachfront hotels and a thriving nightlife that clicks with a night-owl production schedule have helped make the Bayside District a hot-bed of film and video post-production houses and sound recording studios.

All told, there were 164 businesses in the motion picture and sound recording industries in the Downtown area, according to the latest State labor statistics for the 90401 zip code, which encompasses the Bayside. Together, these businesses hired more than 700 workers and an untold number of contractors, who pumped money ‘round the clock into the Downtown economy.

“Entertainment businesses have always been attracted to the Downtown Santa Monica grid, mostly with the development of the Promenade,” said Randy Starr, a principal with Tenzer Commercial, one of the largest leasing agencies Downtown.

“Once they come, they’re hooked on the area,” Starr said. “A lot of them are stealth, but they love to operate here. They work late hours, and it’s an area where there’s a lot of foot traffic 24 hours.”

Many of the businesses are relatively small, entertainment-related companies that are filling vacancies in creative office spaces left by the demise of dot.coms, said Mark Richter, the City’s economic development manager.

“What we have seen more recently is that in the wake of the post dot.com bust, a number of vacancies have opened up that are attractive to these companies because of the size and type of space,” Richter said. “These businesses are seizing an opportunity to occupy space that was not available to them previously.”

Access to parking and other amenities is what’s attracting many companies, Richter said. And they tend to cluster because they often share staff and equipment. “There’s a tremendous amount of interchange between them,” he said.

Ryan Flegal, who specializes in selling recording studios and entertainment properties, agrees. “With MTV, Sony and other big names, a lot of smaller support companies have set up shop in Santa Monica,” Flegal said.

“All of the people who are making money in Hollywood realize they can make the same kind of money in Santa Monica by the beach,” he said. “Being in close proximity to the hotels does a lot for industry representatives, executives and artists.”

Many artists are from out of state or out of the country and typically spend four to six weeks working on their projects, said Kathleen Robinson Wirt, the owner of 4th Street Recording. So not having to be dependent on a car is a big plus.

“I’m so happy to be here,” Robinson Wirt said of her studio on the 1200 block of 4th Street. “I think this is the best place to be in Los Angeles. There’s a lovely pedestrian atmosphere here with everything that you need. You almost don’t need a car.”

Fiona Apple was an unknown when she recorded a demo at 4th Street Recording in the mid-1990s that snagged the music star’s first recording contract and launched her career. Incubus, Alien Ant Farm and Hoobastank are the latest acts to follow Apple’s lead, all blowing up after a demo recorded at the studio known for its “great vibe” landed them major record deals.

The ocean is a big draw for Brian West and the artists he works with, some so big he declines to disclose the exact location of his Track and Field production team’s Downtown studio so as not to attract undue attention.

“You’re dealing with a business where vibe is an important quality… and a vibe is hard to manufacture,” West said. “This location just suits a very relaxed mind set and puts you in a creative mood.

“I was lucky enough to find a place that wasn’t too expensive,” West said. “It’s very close to the water, which is very inspirational, versus being in a concrete box in the Valley.”

But some studio and post-production house owners are worried that the demand for creative spaces could drive up the rents that dropped with the dot.com exodus.

“The only drawback to our being here is that there are so many others coming to Santa Monica… rents are going up,” Eckardt said. “Spaces are a little more flexible (in areas like Culver City and the Valley), and your dollar goes a lot further to have the space that you wish.”

While a Downtown location is a big plus, it also takes a bite out of the bottom line, said Robinson Wirt. “It’s sort of a mixed blessing,” she said. “It’s nice to have all these amenities for our clients, but at the same time costs have soared.”

Parking, for instance, is a big expense. Robinson Wirt pays between $1,000 and $1,500 a month to use the public parking structure across the street from her studio. Although she has parking passes for a new garage on Wilshire Boulevard, it’s too far for clients weighed down by loads of equipment.

Despite the cost, Robinson Wirt has no plans to relocate the studio she and her ex-husband, Jim Wirt, acquired 14 years ago from David Epstein, who recorded such artists as George Clinton and the Beach Boys since the late 1970s.

“When I leave here, I will do something else,” she said. “I love this place. I love the neighborhood.”