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  • 240 STUDIO
  • Santa Barbara, CA
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240 STUDIO IN SANTA BARBARA

240 STUDIO LAUNCHES in SANTA BARBARA

Albert and Shannon DiPadova celebrated the grand opening Wednesday night of their commercial production company, 240 Studio at 1 N. Calle Cesar Chavez, Suite 240.

The 3,200-square-foot space is a full-service commercial photography studio that caters to photographers, videographers, caterers, makeup artists and stylists.

 “The commercial thing hasn’t taken off in Santa Barbara just yet, but I think the talent pool is here,” 240 Studio founder and former multimedia producer Albert DiPadova said. “So many creative people escaped Los Angeles and came up here who are well-established folks. I hope this place affords them a place to be. We’re hoping talented young people who need a space can find it and we can give them good student and teaching rates, and beyond the commercial use we want to do fun stuff.”

DiPadova converted a lemon packaging plant into a studio that features platforms and equipment for 360-degree photo shooting, a projector, 25-foot-high exposed beam ceilings and an open floor plan for large shoots.

The couple purchased the location about a year ago for Shannon DiPadova’s Due Maternity photo shoots. When they were looking for a studio to host them, there wasn’t one available so they created their own, she said.

“Santa Barbara is growing, too. ... There is more industry now than there used to be, like The Walking Company and Deckers,” said Shannon DiPadova, who recently sold her retail stores and e-commerce site. “They can stay here and shoot instead of going to L.A. It’s a good, open place.”

But the studio isn’t limited to commercial use. Author Jenna McCarthy will host a party celebrating her new book at 240 Studio.

 

Studio 240 was designed to offer a hip and relaxed atmosphere for photo shoots.
Studio 240 was designed to offer a hip and relaxed atmosphere for photo shoots. (Nick St.Oegger / Noozhawk photo)


 

“In Santa Barbara there’s nothing like this. I’ve been in the magazine business for 20 years, and even in huge (cities) with three or four studios none of them are as cool or as hip as this,” McCarthy said. “They are usually just white spaces with great light. What I love about this, you can use this place for a party. You have killer equipment, but you also have a fun, lofty, urban place.”

She added that the space would be well-suited for makeup artists with multiple clients, a gallery, seminars or screenings.

“We needed to find a place for our offices and to shoot, and this is somewhat of a big place,” Shannon DiPadova said. “We love this place. It’s so urban with its high ceilings and lots of light.”

But it’s not too big, Albert DiPadova said. Door 9 was a commercial studio located below them that was 12,000 square feet and had a $15,000 overhead. It closed about a year and a half ago, so the couple took advantage of the opportunity.

“Going all the way down to L.A. every time we needed to shoot our products was always unpredictable and expensive,” said Ellen Sheppard, creative director forHorny Toad Clothing. “Now we have all the resources of an L.A. production studio right here in Santa Barbara, and we could shoot more often for a fraction of the cost.”

— Noozhawk business writer Alex Kacik can be reached atakacik@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk,@NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Become a fan of Noozhawk on Facebook.





 

 

http://www.noozhawk.com/article/063011_santa_barbara_240_studio_grand_opening/

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