Celebrating 20 Years!

CRW’s frist Portland shoot in 1994

It’s hard to make sense of the world we live in today, especially after the events that took place at our Nation's Capitol this week, however at CRW, we hope to set aside the sobering reality of the current events and reflect back on what Sergeant Pepper once said, "It was 20 years ago today…"

On January 8th, 2001, Chris Crever made the leap from freelance camera assistant to owner and operator at Cine Rent West.  Prior to the studio’s 1994 relocation to Portland, it was originally founded in 1976 by the Snazelle Film Group in San Francisco.  We can prove it with this antique shovel, which still digs just as well as it did back then.

Chris petitioned the local community to evaluate and improve the old stage on Upshur Street, which allowed him to stay connected with the film industry, while gaining a foothold in Portland's commercial real estate market. Equipment upgrades and studio renovations began bringing in a host of new clients, but after only 7 months, that renewed optimism was halted with the September 11th attacks. 
 
However, by 2002, Portland had established itself as the infomercial capital of the world. We hosted several Bowflex shoots, (you remember those!) and we began to accommodate regular projects from R2 (now RAIN), Big Shot Pictures, Z Films and Tyee. Kroger’s purchase of Fred Meyer also brought in a lot of steady food shoots with our kitchen being in close proximity to the stage. Being at the center of the sportswear apparel industry, Nike and Adidas were no strangers to coming in and using our facility.

Studio life was prosperous and plentiful, but when the 2008 economic recession hit, all the ads dried up and we had to reinvent ourselves. Tyee had become one of our biggest clients and when their production department pulled out of Portland in 2009, we used our survival instincts to start the Cine Rent West Movie Camp. With an offering of 2 eight-week courses, we partnered with school districts and the film community to provide practical instruction on script writing, acting, producing and directing. This culminated into a fun collaboration with the School of Rock where the kids produced this amazing Bohemian Rhapsody cover.  Check it out right here!

As advertising budgets started to realign across the country at the start of the 2nd decade, the iPhone and this little thing called social media began to change the entire game. Traditional broadcast spots shifted to interactive web platforms and still shoots got booked more frequently. Wieden & Kennedy became a studio staple with their award-wining Old Spice Campaigns, while Nike and Adidas continued to keep us busy with their athletic apparel rivalry.
 
Riding that digital wave through the twenty-teens brought us some much-needed LED lighting upgrades and the hiring of our top-notch stage manager, Brynden McNew.  This was also congruent with Portland’s housing boom, which led to our 2018 studio upgrade in the Northwest industrial district of Portland.  If you haven’t seen our new location, take a virtual tour right here: https://vimeo.com/396349934

Resilience in the face of adversity has been a common thread in our studio’s history, but 2020’s unparalleled pandemic might take the cake.  Luckily, the limitations on in-person gatherings have brought a silver-lining with the production of live events. Our controlled studio environment gives companies a space to record and broadcast, without the crowds. Despite this past year’s hardship, we plan to continue to provide a vital community space for Portland production. Thank you to everyone that has planned, created, and produced with us over the years.  Here's to the next twenty years!