great comments here - lots to think about. I’ve only had a few guests- mostly production crews. Looking at hosting an event next month. @Geoffrey_B, have a question for you. You ask for insurance coverage, then you ask for a cc and take the details. Do they ask, “why get my cc info if I have just showed you I have insurance?” Is the cc in case of insurance not paying, or would you collect on the cc, and let them file with the insurance and collect their money back that way? Thanks.
I only rent out to video shoots - you have to be very careful and ask a million questions when booking them. It is pretty easy to tell who is a legit production company and who is a crew just trying to record their rap video. Rap videos are by far the most popular request we get for our space here through Peerspace so I am very familiar. Both come with their issues.
The best thing to do is insurance. ALL video productions have to insure their shoots - it is video shooting 101. If they don’t, then don’t book them… they are not professional and will damage your stuff. There is a reason why when you apply for production insurance for a video shoot the first 2 questions they always ask are ‘Are you shooting porn?’ and ‘Are you shooting gangster rap?’. Those are literal questions on every insurance form I’ve filled out.
So getting a COI from them with minimum of 1M of General Liability and Worker’s Comp is essential. It is totally standard and they shouldn’t be surprised at the request at all. If they are, run! Also, get your own insurance. We pay I think $150/mo ($1,800) per year and it covers not only our studio but our own shoots when we go on location ourselves. Absolute necessity. (If you get the insurance per shoot as a production company you’re paying like $1,500 a pop which is why BS crews might try to skate without it).
And just be firm and stick to your rules. Shut that shoot down if you have to. I know it can be intimidating when it is just you and there are 30 people in your space but trust me, the last thing rap videos want is for you to call the cops (I’ve never had to do that).
I hear a lot of stories out here about nightmare video shoots but that’s all I rent to and I don’t seem to run into many of issues. The key is ask a million questions first. I directly ask specific questions like will there be any unusual aspects to the shoot such as a smoke or fog machine? Will the music be overly loud music? What is the content of the scenes they are shooting? If they don’t answer those questions or are evasive, be skeptical. You have every right to ask those and no legit production company will be sketchy with those answers.
I recently had a very organized shoot show up with about 25 people in my studio. They came with a covid compliance officer that had previously tested everyone (except me) and made sure everyone had masked and was distancing. About an hour into the rental this guy realized I wasn’t tested and told the producer that I had to leave. Ummmm, no… that’s not happening lol. ‘Not a chance I leave 25 people unattended in my studio’ was my exact reply. I gave them the option to either figure out how to get a test for me here, get over it, or pack up and leave if this is an issue. About an hour later I had a doctor show up with a rapid test for me (negative!). So just always stand your ground on your boundaries. Renters will always try to push them.
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I’m down with having the NY attitude except that Peerspace gives them an outlet to leave you a bad review. And there’s no option to keep or deny a review on your profile.
Without that review feature, hosts wouldn’t get taken of. The whole review thing is a moral dilemma, kind of like Yelp…
Really great tips! I might implement #2 but I also do consider that a guest might worry about giving out their credit card info.
@Edgar_A I’m more worried about people breaking my stuff and trying to get away with it than I am offending someone. People give their cards to strangers every time they go to a restaurant.
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@Geoffrey_B totally agree. It’s a simple collateral that won’t get charged the vast majority of the time anyway. Most people are careful and respectful of the place so they’d probably understand.
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