Meet Jeremy and Claire Weiss of XIX Studios in Glassell Park

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeremy and Claire Weiss.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was fresh out of high school when I met Jeremy. He ran and managed a skateboard shop in N.J. called Small Empire. My best friend Bryan Sheffield skateboarded so I would frequent the shop with him. Jeremy was a couple years older than me. He was quiet and cocky. I wanted to know everything about him. I wouldn’t say that I stalked him, but he probably would. Jeremy always had a camera and picture taking looked fun so I started taking photo classes at a community college. We eventually moved to Boston to attend a photo trade school called NESOP. When school ended we headed west and in 2000 found ourselves in Los Angeles.

We lived in the moment. No plan of how we could make a living taking pictures. We were kids having fun documenting our lives. I waited tables and Jeremy had a few random jobs that didn’t last very long. One being a 3rd assistant on a shoot where he stood up for himself and was asked to leave on the first day. When I wasn’t waiting tables, I was in our backyard darkroom printing pictures to tape into my sketchbooks. Jeremy would go on tour with friend’s bands documenting their adventures and selling their merch. In 2005 Jeremy started talking to a rep. When she found out that I took pictures too she asked us why we weren’t shooting together. It never really occurred to us till then. In 2005 Natalie Flemming, who was an art buyer at the time, called in our book for a worldwide Nokia Campaign. We had no rep and no idea how to put a budget together so we called Jen Jenkins who we met while she was working at Fox Creative. She had left to start her own agency Giants Artists which was nothing but a name before we got that job. We like to think we helped grow Giant and were happy there for 7 years till we came full circle and joined Natalie Flemming’s agency This Represents.

We’ve always enjoyed bringing people together. In 2012, we started a gallery with the late Justin Van Hoy and Aaron Farely in Highland Park called This. We had no intentions on being gallerists we just wanted a space for friends and friends of friends to show art at. It was a special place that was loved by many. After Justin passed we decided to close our doors after being open for 3.5 years or so. Justin had just finished the Milk and Honey book.

He was becoming the heart and brains of the place and it didn’t feel right doing it without him.

We needed a new space and came across a building for sale. Jeremy could see the potential and with a small business loan we were able to buy the building. After 6 months of renovations we were ready to open our doors. Our space has been rented out for all kinds of fun things, dance parties, restaurant pop ups, sample sales, documentary viewings, live music shows, weddings, poker games, yoga. We thought it was going to be mainly used for photo shoots, but it’s really taken a life of its own.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I’m not a citizen so getting a small business loan took a lot longer than we had planned. Once we closed and our loan was funded we started the demo. It took us 6 months to get the space the way we wanted it. Honestly, it’s been a pretty smooth ride.

XIX Studios – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
XIX Studios (est. 2013) is a super rad photo studio on the East Side of Los Angeles. Located off the 2 Freeway at the foot of Mt. Washington, this unique and discreet location is removed from the hustle and bustle surrounding many other studios in the city, and is located just 10 minutes from downtown and 3 minutes from Silver Lake.

The studio is a generous 2,500 square feet, featuring a 30 ft. by 20 ft. corner cyc wall with a 5-ft. floor radius. Additional highlights include 6 remote-controlled skylights that can be opened for full sun or completely blacked out, 15 ft. ceilings, and an 11-ft. wide drive-in door. Next to the main studio, the space also features a 500-square foot custom-built conference/chill room with wet bar, television, coffee brewer, and two mini fridges. We also have a 230-square ft. hair and make-up room, complete with wardrobe setup and dressing room.

Additional perks include AC/heat, Wi-Fi, sound system, a ceiling-mounted projector, and three reserved parking spaces. Street parking in our neighborhood is free and easy. Delicious coffee drinks and snacks are available next door at Habitat Cafe, and we’re just a few minutes from Kitchen Mouse, Four Cafe, Town Pizza, and all the other awesomeness Highland Park, Glassell Park, and Eagle Rock have to offer!

Also available as a private/public event space, XIX Studios offers everything from easy, no-frills studio rental to full-service planning of your party or event by our staff. Our space is flexible and perfect for variety of uses: dance parties, guest speakers, pop-up shops, dog birthday parties, meetings, presentations, fundraisers, push-up contests, wedding receptions, Tupperware parties, etc.

All rates are on a sliding scale.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Since we’ve opened the space we’ve hosted some pretty fun and exciting projects from art shows to live performance pieces to movie premieres. It’s rewarding to be able to provide a space for people to use to be creative, I feel like places like this are getting harder to find as the city grows more and more expensive.

Contact Info:

• Address: 3650 Eagle Rock Blvd.
• Website: www.xixstudios.com
• Phone: 323 682 0119
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @xixstudios
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/xix-studios-los-angeles-2

Image Credit:
XIX Studios

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