Cleveland Film Space offers filmmakers place to feel at home
Northeast Ohio filmmakers and creatives have a new option when it comes to serving clients and creating content. The Film Space, located in Lakewood, Ohio, offers a convenient, safe and, most importantly, says Eric Swinderman, owner, a professional space to meet, conduct business and work on projects without the hassle of a long term lease or expensive rent.
This new venture is somewhat similar to the coworking concept. Coworking, as a trend, has quickly evolved into a way of life for 3 million business professionals. Today there are more than 19,000 coworking spaces worldwide, according to Statista, in what is now a $26 billion industry.
Swinderman may be best known for the feature film Made in Cleveland. His most recent film, The Enormity of Life, was picked up for representation by Shoreline Entertainment.We talked with Swinderman a bit about his new venture.
MMM: Tell us a bit about The Film Space. What is it, what does it have to offer?
Eric Swinderman (ES): The Film Space offers Cleveland creatives such as filmmakers, videographers, photographers, graphic designers and so forth, a convenient, safe and, most importantly, a professional space to meet with clients, conduct business and work on projects without the hassle of a long term lease or expensive rent.
The space offers a professional lobby and meeting area, a studio area with permanent green screen, an office area with iMacs, printer, scanner and copier, refrigerator, microwave and coffee.
MMM: What inspired you to launch this project?
ES: We’ve been in the space a couple years. In that time, we’ve had several studio partners that have shared the space and associated costs. We were using the space a little less frequently, but didn’t want to give it up.
We realized that so many creatives have a need for a professional space like this but may not have the budget or need for a full-time occupancy. So rather than seek one partner to share the space, we decided to open it up to multiple individuals and companies that could use the space on a part time basis without the commitment.
MMM: How important is it for independent filmmakers have access to professional space?
ES: Image is everything, and if you want to be taken seriously you can’t hold meetings in Starbucks and the local library. So a place where you show you are serious about your business is key to working with equally credible clients.
MMM: What do you hope to see develop out of The Film Space?
ES: In addition to helping small businesses grow, we hope it becomes a place of collaboration. An ideal situation would be that companies using the space are able to share projects, equipment and services with each other to create a viable network.
MMM: Give us the deets on how creatives can access the workspace? Can they one-time rent or is a monthly fee? Or both?
We would like our partners to commit to a minimum of three months. Parties can join for as little as $39 per month depending on how much time
Comments