EASTERN EFFECTS COMING HOME TO THE GARDEN STATE

Eastern Effects, now in its 25th year, has long established itself as a premier equipment rental house in Brooklyn NY, with production studios in Gowanus and East Brooklyn. While the company has always served New Jersey productions, its founder and President, Scott Levy, a New Jersey native, and long-time Managing Partner, Chris Hayes, discusses what services Eastern Effects now offers on the Jersey side of the Hudson River.

JERSEY BOY

Scott Levy is no stranger to the film industry. His passion was ignited at an early age at Livingston High School’s television studio, and continued at Ithaca College where he studied cinema and photography. Following his education, he immediately found work in an equipment rental house, where he came to understand the complexity of rental gear and the needs of clients. He then went on to work in production and became a member of IATSE Local 728, Studio Electrical Lighting Technicians. Soon he was working on large scale feature films and music videos in a career that took him to California, Atlanta, and back. In the mid-1990’s, Scott identified a need for an equipment rental company in the Tri-State Area that could cater to smaller independent productions. “At that point, I had gotten to know many producers and I believed I could provide a better-quality product at a competitive price,” he explains.

In 1999, Levy opened Eastern Effects, Inc. with one 5-ton vehicle, a used equipment package and a 1,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Brooklyn. “It was just enough to get us started and to service my growing customer list,” he points out. The rest is history. His business grew exponentially since its founding, amassing 163,000 sq. ft. of combined warehousing for equipment, offices, production offices for customers, and film and television soundstages.

In 2006, Scott joined forces with owner/operator, Chris Hayes, who came in as a partner in the business. Chris owned Haze Lighting and worked on-set as a Gaffer on many productions. We always considered ourselves friendly competitors and inevitably joined forces to serve the industry better.

SUPERIOR SERVICE

Eastern Effects offers all kinds of equipment to its clients. Essentially a Location Lighting Equipment and Studio Rental Company for the Film and Television Industry, Scott and his team accommodate productions of all sizes, providing end-to-end solutions for lighting and grip equipment for film and television location and studio shoots. Their assortment of specialty equipment includes lighting, electrical distribution and dimming, grip and rigging equipment, and other specialty gear including camera dollies. They bundle full equipment packages, carting for all products, trucking, and generators, and offer equipment delivery and pickup as well as vehicle rentals. Most recently, they have added storage space options for production-related items.

RETURNING TO JERSEY

Always looking for ways to grow and evolve, Levy, Hayes and their team were impressed with the increased level of support from New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, and the quality of the incentives being offered. Since the financial incentives were signed into law in 2018, production numbers in the Garden State had skyrocketed, signaling the need to service productions working and operating within New Jersey.

This increase in New Jersey opportunities, along with the rising costs of their New York rental house in Brooklyn, encouraged Scott to explore other options, “We were looking to expand the business and its potential while focusing on long term, manageable operating expenses. One of the key ways to do that was considering New Jersey.”

The first part of this process was the opening of Eastern Effects 3rd Studio, 10 Basin Studios in Kearny, in 2021. “We wanted to expand our studio space offerings, and with the tax incentives in New Jersey and overall lower cost real estate and operations, it was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. With cost per square foot being lower than New York City, New Jersey was a very attractive option.”

The second part was to potentially relocate Eastern Effects main warehouse and production offices to a part of New Jersey with more affordable real estate, more space, more parking for the numerous location lighting vehicles, and easy access to New York City. “Most real estate options we viewed in New Jersey provided ample parking for our entire fleet of vehicles, negating the need for satellite parking lots, which we had been dealing with for years in New York.” Eastern Effects’ new warehouse operation and offices in Wood Ridge are all combined on one floor, simplifying operations. “Additionally, we now have the added benefit of loading docks, which allow for equipment and vehicle exchanges to be significantly easier and faster for both staff and the customer,” Levy emphasizes. Just as importantly, their new location put them near a number of New Jersey vendors with whom Eastern Effects was already working to provide sub-rented equipment.

CUSTOMER REACTIONS?

“As far as the transition for our clients, it was very smooth” said Levy. “At first it came as a surprise to those who knew us, considering our business had thrived for 25 years in Brooklyn. Once we explained the benefits of our shift and expansion to New Jersey, people got it very quickly. For our studio customers, it’s a huge advantage considering our new warehouse operations are located approximately 20 minutes from the studios. This allows customers to have quick access to our entire inventory of lighting, electrical distribution, grip, and rigging.”

“Building out this new facility in New Jersey came at the most opportune time as it has given us the ability to streamline, update, and maximize our inventory as well as our warehouse systems. Relocating this part of our business is really a prime opportunity to further expand our business into New Jersey”, said Hayes.

There are other added benefits to clients:

• New delivery and pickup program for all customers at no additional cost
• A new “Get a Truck for Under a Buck” program that allows customers to rent a vehicle with a production package for only .25¢ cents (in honor of Eastern Effects’ 25th anniversary).
• An additional 40,000 sq. ft. of available space to accommodate a production’s storage requirements for their sets, props, and more.

“These are just a few of the ways we are passing along the benefits of moving to New Jersey to our customers,” Levy adds. “And we provide the same great customer service and integrity, working with projects of all sizes and types, from student film projects to commercials, corporate, and industrials, to features of all sizes, all the way to the streaming series productions of the largest scale that film at our studios.”

Levy and Hayes are confident that treating customers well pays off in the end. “Our customers tell us they return to us because of our trustworthiness and our high level of customer service. We believe when you help a team of student filmmakers and treat them the same as a large-scale union production, in the future, when they have established themselves, they will return to rent gear knowing you had treated them well.”, says Levy. “Eastern Effects continues to pride itself on having competitive pricing and going above and beyond for our customers. Always have, always will.”, says Hayes.

ACTION!

Shortly after the opening of 10 Basin Studios, the space successfully hosted Amazon’s pilot episode of Harlan Coben’s Shelter, as well as the show’s subsequent first season. “We always enjoy seeing our facilities filled with busy production teams. The energy and excitement of a large group of creative and talented people coming together to embark on complex and challenging builds in our studios is what we love most about what we do. Supporting all of these hard-working people and being able to watch the eventual result is what keeps us going!” Levy says with a smile. They just is currently closed on a contract that is bringing a new musical feature film to New Jersey and 10 Basin Studios through the end of May.

The Wood Ridge rental house is fully operative but still receiving its finishing touches. They recently supported the New Jersey based feature film, The Strange Dark. “This project was technically our first independent feature since moving to our new NJ location,” Levy points out, and he still greatly values the opportunities to service the independent productions that inspired him to open his company.

“Eastern Effects has long been a go-to vendor for film and tv pros looking for the best lighting and grip equipment and their move to NJ couldn’t have come at a better time for our production,” explains Anthony Pettine, producer of The Strange Dark. “Our DP Teodoro Maniaci and our gaffer Curt Jentsch both have long relationships with Eastern Effects and suggested I source our gear from them for the shoot. Having NJ vendors is huge when it comes to the NJ tax credit and having them so close to our shoot in NJ, we were able to quickly add to our order as the job grew. I couldn’t be happier with the results.”

A NEW JERSEY FILM STORY

Levy and his wife now own a home in Highlands, where they are close to work and can also enjoy the Jersey shore. His family not only has ties to New Jersey, but also to the New Jersey Film and TV industry. Back in 1953, his grandfather, whom he never met, was a salesman for a company that his two brothers had owned, which provided animation and special effects. His uncle Maurice Levy revolutionized animation lenses and produced visual effects for films, including Robert Youngson’s Academy Award Winning short film This Mechanical Age. That company was called Eastern Effects. “In fact,” shares Levy, “I didn’t know of this family business’s existence until I went to start my own business and needed a name for it. My father and I thought it would make a lot of sense to pay homage to my grandfather by naming my new company Eastern Effects, Inc.”

“We’re really excited to be here in New Jersey as it gives us the opportunity to revolutionize our business while never losing what made EEI successful and sustainable for 25 years — good quality products, trusted customer service, and competitive pricing,”, says Hayes.

COME SEE EASTERN EFFECTS AND 10 BASIN STUDIOS TODAY!

Interested in seeing 10 Basin Studios or checking out their new space and selection of equipment in Wood Ridge? Check out the Eastern Effects website and give Scott and his team a call today. Also, in honor of their new location and 25th Anniversary, Eastern Effects is planning their first ever New Jersey open house. Reach out to their staff today for details:

MAIN OFFICE

150 S Main St
Wood Ridge, NJ 07075
P: (718) 855-1197 F: (888) 566-6547
Mon-Fri, 9:00am-5:00pm
rentals@easterneffects.com
www.easterneffects.com

You can find other production resources on the New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission’s Website and Production Services Directory. Reach out to the commission staff today with any questions.