The office decor is almost finished and we’ve landed enough work to keep us going for the next couple of months. We’ll have a photoshoot tomorrow for a company brochure tomorrow, but in the meantime here’s the lobby. Click for a bigger pic:

As you can see, it looks like a professional office these days!

I reminded myself how much I suck at taking photos, so we’ve got a professional coming in tomorrow. More pics posted then!

I’ve not had time to update the blog lately, as we’ve been busy with the move-in. All the construction work was completed at the end of March, and we started the move-in on Friday the 4th, following the launch party on the 1st. I though April fools’ day was appropriate somewhat!

The space looked prety pristine when it was empty. We’ll soon take care of that!:

These were taken on the move-in day. Rick came along to help out, Danna started as our office assistant last week. She’s been a great help so far! We spent a day putting privacy film over all the windows, so we didn’t feel like we were working in a goldfish bowl:

Since then, the office got a new coat of paint and we’ve set up most of the furniture and the computers. Writing a $20,000 check for the computer equipment was a bit scary – I think it’s the most expensive thing I’ve bought all in one go! And there’s still more to buy – I’m looking at a 60” flatscreen for the main edit room. Maybe next month… damn, I love being the boss!

but progress is being made. As you can see, the office is taking shape:

I’ve got my own contractor starting Monday to build the internal walls.

The easter egg marketing kits have all gone out, many thanks to Zeea and Danna for their help in getting that sorted! The launch party is on and confirmed for 1st April. Is that date kind of appropriate? I thought so!

So as things stand right now the office will be open for business at the end of this month. ONly a month late!

150 squishy stress balls
100 mouse mats
200 pens
100 T-shirts

all branded.

And one open bar launch party planned for April 1st. Am I playing an April fool’s joke on myself? Ah – who can tell!

In the meantime. Balls:

Bleh! We’re delayed another week, due to the construction. Move in date is now (unofficially) the weekend of March 15th. Hope this one holds!

We’re hoping the move-in date holds for the 8th of March. Looking at the progress, they’d better get a move on and I’ve still gotta have the interior walls built too! The wall stud is in place, and we can see where the windows and doors are gonna be:

Hope it’s looking more finished next week. The pictures were taken with my phone, apologies for the quality.

 

We now have a lease and a move-in date of March 8th. The fun starts here!!

Yes, it is literally under the Manhattan bridge overpass. We are bridge trolls!

But there’s deer in the park:

The Brooklyn Bridge park, about 4 blocks from the office:

We’re still close enough to Manhattan to feel like we’re in it:

Dumbo Humor:

Here was the old ferry terminal in the pre-bridge days.You can still get a water taxi to Midtown in the summer:

today, Zeea and myself signed off on our startup loan. We have secured enough financing to fully fit out the office, pay for all the startup expenses and keep up going for a few months before the checks start to come in. I’ve felt like a fat kid in a sweet shop with his mum’s purse ordering computer and video equipment – I’m building 2 Final Cut workstations with all top-of-the-line hardware. It’s the most fun thing I’ve done in a while. Ever work in an office and the equipment isn’t quite what you’d like to work with? Well, now I’m the boss so now I get to pick everything and nobody argues with me

Next week is lease signing with a move-in date of March 1st. Hopefully we’ll be up and running within a week, as I’ve already got projects lining up. 

The walls arn’t built yet – it’s one of those spaces that gets built as people move in. We’ve got about 800 sq feet of space, which runs about as far as the wall changes colour on the left.
  

Looking the other way. Sorry ‘bout all the crap on the lens – I think it’s left over from Hawaii

more to come!