The Studio

After years of working in and around the NYC photo district I made the move. Manhattan had lost its convenience and luster. The exorbitant rents, sleazy landlords, traffic and impossible parking made doing good creative secondary to the tactical nightmare of the day to day.
We are now located in Red Hook, Brooklyn.



The setting is spectacular. Minutes from downtown Manhattan, our studio is located on the water in one of the last remaining pier warehouses. Built in 1869, this spectacular stone structure is home to Hellerstein Studio and Red Productions Inc., as well as a host of creative services that include set designers, prop makers, wood workers and other industry support services. We totally built out a 7500 sq. ft empty loft space to comprise a state of the art facility made up of two 2000-square-foot shooting stages, a full production department, set building/wood shop and digital post facilities.



In addition to still photography, we’ve also gotten into video production. (I’ll be posting samples and talking more about this in other posts) We have outfitted the studio with full DV camera and sound equipment as well as two tricked out Final Cut edit stations.



We can get stuff done quickly and efficiently. We are surrounded by nice, like-minded people who genuinely help and support each other.


Red hook has had a colorful history dating back to when a young Al Capone was working the docks. From the mid 1800's thru the mid 1900's Red Hook was one of the country’s busiest shipping ports. When containerization shipping replaced traditional bulk shipping in the 1960's, the neighborhood’s economy underwent a rapid decline. By the 1970s and 80s, it became known as being a crime-ridden, desolate neighborhood used by the mob to discard stuff. It’s been cool watching it go through a metamorphosis of sorts. First it was “up and coming” …the next Dumbo. Then it was the “ hot” place to be, “the new Williamsburg,” and now it’s settled down, attracting mostly arty types. It will be interesting to see what the future holds. The ups and downs of Red Hook have actually coined a new term - Degentrification. If you want to know more: http://nymag.com/news/features/40648/


I’ve found Red Hook to be a diverse waterfront community filled with a lot of creative people who are either done with or can’t afford Manhattan. Walking into our local diner, it feels like the east village used to feel, ( minus the junkies ) when I originally moved to NY in the 80's.

Only in Brooklyn, kids… There is a store not too far away that has a t-shirt that reads: