Behind the Biz: Dogpatch Studios

By Kimberly Chun I Photos courtesy of Dogpatch Studios

Behind the greige exterior, Dogpatch Studios in San Francisco is more than an impressive print, film, location, and event space—the spot can also claim a place in pop culture legend, according to owner Terry Heffernan. Long before the veteran photographer bought the space, back when it went by the name Studio A and was known as the biggest studio in town, the sprawling warehouse was the epicenter of a cinematic sexual revolu- tion, as the notorious Mitchell brothers filmed scenes for the world’s first pornographic feature-length movie, 1972’s Behind the Green Door. “All the old pornos were shot here,” declares Heffernan, while showing off the studios on a sparkling, sunlit, fog-free day. “So if these walls could speak, they would moan.”

Since the photographer had his way with the space, those walls have been singing more sophisticated, albeit eclectic, tunes. Heffernan preserved the gorgeous, original weathered-wood 30-foot barrel ceiling over the central 8,500-square-foot first-floor space, while adding retractable sky- lights, a heavyweight 1800 amp-3 phase power infrastructure and, as Heffernan puts it, “enough Wi-Fi [to power] most small cities.” He worked with architect Michael Guthrie to create three 140- and 2,500-square-foot studios on the second and third floors that boast bamboo flooring and massive windows. The top floor’s 22’ x 15’ glass wall faces north to a deck and jaw-dropping views of the city, the Bay Bridge, and the rapidly-chang- ing China Basin neighborhood anchored by AT&T Park.

“We’re standing in my retirement plan,” says Heffernan, who has worked in print and film for more than twenty-five years and has shot everything from food for Minute Maid and Raley’s to historical treasures like Georgia O’Keeffe’s camping gear and collectibles from the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Major League. At Dogpatch, he’s had seen clients such as Apple, the Gap, and Williams-Sonoma come through to shoot campaigns, and the studio has been home to David LaChapelle, Eric Almas, and Andy Anderson.

Tell me about the origins of Dogpatch Studios.

I’ve always had a studio. The lease on my first studio in San Francisco in SoMa was up. The son of the landlord came to me and said, “I want to knock this down and build apartments and build retail downstairs, and of course, I want to keep you as a tenant.” I said, “Thanks,” and started looking for space.

I came out here—this was Stage A, and it had always been a photo- film studio. I used to rent it when I needed a ground-floor facility. It was probably the biggest space in town at the time. I came to realize that events would be a great way to supplement my income. I’ve not turned any work down because of events or turned any events down because of my photo work—with three spaces and control of my schedule more or less, I can make it happen.

It’s a beautiful space—are those recycled beams on the ceiling?

This is the original structure—the barrel roof went all the way to Tennessee Street. This is very normal for buildings that were built in San Francisco in probably the ‘30s and ‘40s. Most of what gets shot down here is liquid strobe or artificial lighting, but it’s nice to not have to work in a cave. I gutted the building, sandblasted everything, and upgraded the power and the entire infrastruc- ture, [including] all the bath- rooms. The only things that are original are the walls and the floor. I literally had to take the ceiling joists off the ceiling to bring it up to current earthquake proofing [standards]. The beauty of this building and the beauty of Dogpatch in and of itself is, if you look around this neighborhood, you’ll see a lot of pre-1906 earth- quake structures alive and well, and that’s because we’re on rock.

What was your ultimate goal with the renovation?

I wanted a classic north light daylight studio—just for the qual- ity of light and the aesthetics and the simplicity and the north-facing view to the city. I knew if I came up high enough and looked north I was going to get a great view.

What year was the building built?

I don’t know. I do know that one time I saw a guy walking through my corridor—he was all suited up, an older gentleman—and I said, “Can I help you?” He said, “Yeah, I sold this building; it used to be the Gallo Salame factory. It’s a very unusual building because there’s no support columns in the ground floor.” And I said, “You’re absolutely right.” You can drive in here—Cadillac has launched products here, and we’ve done car shoots.

How did you get into event production?

I built this Taj Mahal to photography to service Heffernan Films, because when I’m doing print and film I can fill the building, but there are a lot of days in a week, and there are a lot of weeks in a month, and there are a lot of months in a year.

The first party I ever threw here was for my clients when I first [opened the studio]. We were working with Melons Catering, and their account executive came in and said, “What a great event space!” I said, “What do you mean? What does ‘event’ mean?” I’m dumb, but I’m not stupid. Peo- ple want to shoot here and want to rent the space. They love the space—it’s got good wabi-sabi.

How do clients hear about the studio?

I work with APA—they do a lot of events here—so the photo com- munity is certainly aware of the facility. I also work with ASMP as far as hosting their meetings or events. As far as events are concerned, I’ve done several co-ops with various caterers or event planners. We’ve done Friday barbecues—we try to network as much as we can.

We’re the anti-hotel here—we tend to draw people who are more creative, who want to have events or weddings that are not cookie-cutter, because, really, an event is no different than a photo or film shoot. You plan for it and have to have the right elements for it, so I don’t think there was a huge learning curve for me. Hav- ing a photo and film background and understanding production and what it takes from a blank room to a finished commercial or campaign is no different than hav- ing someone like Johnnie Walker here. They’re going to get a clean, empty, well-maintained facility that allows them to have a scotch tasting for six or seven thousand people over an eight- or nine-day period.

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