Creating Cinema Quality Films And Commercials To Uplift The Community
Lot1 Productions is a film and media production company based out of Riverside that was started by five University of California, Riverside graduates. They provide a wide range of services from concept to post production. Their mission is to uplift the film community in the Inland Empire by creating cinema quality films and commercials.
It started as a film club on campus called R’Shorts that made short films. When the members of Lot1 realized that they could continue on doing what they were already doing for free as a business post college, they decided to band together and start a company. The company created this business with the intention of having creative control over their content.
The founding members are as follows: Chris Henley the CEO, Christian Hoffman the COO, Casey Jacobs the LFO, and Harley Grow the chief creative director. As the company grows they plan to expand their staff. Depending on the project they will bring in outside help if necessary. They like to give young, aspiring filmmakers and students the opportunity to learn new skills and experiences. The company strives to create diverse content, and successfully do so by welcoming clients and crew members of all races, genders, and ethnicities.
Lot1 aims to provide affordable and high quality services for their clients, while ensuring they are true to the production process. “We want to push the boundaries of what a younger film production company can do and we’re really into learning how to adopt what is new in the industry, while respecting the old ways and improving upon them,” says Chris.
The best part for them is the creativity that filmmaking allows for. It gives freedom to express themselves and their ideas. Each member has very unique ideas that give them a wide range of experience working with different types of projects. These contributions have helped Lot1 improve the company on both a creative and business level, as their success continues to progress beyond many companies who are veterans of the industry.
Currently, Lot1 is working on a few different projects including their first feature film, a music video, providing post production services for a non profit, and providing on set production services for larger companies. They have established a partnership with a company in Los Angeles to continue their production pipeline beyond the Inland Empire.
Covid has made creating and working on projects challenging. Small film companies have a tough time being able to work with the regulations in place due to financial constraints. However, Lot1 Productions has seen the pandemic as an opportunity to take a step back and restructure themselves. They are prepared for the high demand of online content that will come once restrictions are lifted and it is safe to film. They hope that the business will continue to grow when this happens.
They decided to work out of Riverside Studios because they wanted to be a part of creating a hub for creatives in the Inland Empire. “I very much believe in Kirby’s idea of not leaving the IE when there is so much talent and space here. I would love to see this area blow up into a bustling economically stable place for the arts, it has the potential and we hope to help the studio as much as they’ve helped us” says Chris.
Lot1 Productions’ goal is to create entertaining and high quality content that audiences can enjoy. They strive to uplift and encourage local filmmakers to create their own content in the competitive entertainment industry. “We are young and passionate and have very high aspirations. We want to produce content our audiences will enjoy and become a successful company doing that.”
