I can't live in NYC anymore. I love it but in so many ways but its time has passed. As I get older, I'm 36, I just don't have patience for the bull. The big bites of real estate and taxes introduces income insecurity. I was OK with this before we had kids, now it keeps me up at night. Brooklyn Friends is $21k a year for elementary, $16k for Kindergarten. This is about average. Packer is about the same. My wife was an MUA but now stays home with the kids, so its all on me. Not enough room in our condo, either. I'm making more money now that I'm mainly working in film, but in the long run it not enough.
So I bought a large historic house in Richmond VA, where good private schools are cheap, cheap 50 minute flights to NYC leave 3 times a day, Winter isn't debilitating, and its CHEAP. Keeping the Condo in NYC to work out of. I was going to rent it out but the perception of being based in a 1 or a 9 zip is powerful. In fact, I have a client I shoot for a few times a year, the Martin Agency. They are based in Richmond, VA. I asked them if they ever hire Richmond photographers. Nope, they don't even look unless they see someone they like in an art show. I was surprised to see how many ad agencies are in Richmond, and the number of Fortune 500's.
JR, I was just in WACO yesterday location scouting. Its like the 80's never ended.
Zipcodeitius; A disease for the easily impressed. (See alternate definition Smoke and Mirrors).
Symptoms; Live in small places, pay high taxes, receive minimal city services. Everything costs double and takes twice the time. The effected tend to do a lot of one hand clapping and going to industry parties if there are free drinks.
If not treated Zipcodeitius progresses to Brokeonyourassitus, or worse, Mustliveinhugecrowditus with the complication of Takethefilthysubwaytoworkitius. Zipcodeitius is especially prevelant in 20 to 28 year old's and usually results in Emptytrustfunditius.
Cure; No known cure, though treatments include moving from 1 or 9, usually due to a financial recession.
The dirty little secret about NY is if you removed the out of state money from the two major institutions, finance and advertising, rent would be $400 a month.
Sure a million ad agencies are up and down Madison Ave, but these million ad agencies probably only work for 3 NY based clients.
There are 10,000 manufacturer offices in Manhattan (actually more, though the numbers are dropping fast), but they are usually just offices with logos, point of sale posters, one receptionist and the rest of the real business is handled in the middle of the country.
Believe it or not you don't have to live in NY to be a good photographer or make a good living, though you do have to know how to maneuver there when needed then get on a plane and leave.
Recently it's been more cost and time effective to move a few key crew members and talent to someplace other than NY which is not a big leap because the last time I counted the crew on a set only myself and my producer lived in Manhattan. Most of the crew and talent lived so far off the Island in New Jersey, Queens, Brooklyn and Philadelphia, they might as well have been in Richmond.
The few people that do get treatment for Zipcodeitius realize the middle of the country actually has W hotels, sidewalks, locations, electricity and working toilets and waiters are actually pleasant to you whether you spend $7 or $700.
As far as Wall Street. Does anyone really believe Wall Street can't be handled by a server and a laptop. Same with Advertising. I work with agencies in NY and never see the main players until the day of the shoot. It's all done from the computer.
I'm lucky, I've lived a lot of places and worked about everywhere and if I've learned anything it's to get the "local" mindset out of your head. Even NY or LA develop local minds where everything starts to look the same. The very best way to produce is bring in the best from every market.
My crew last week came from Orange Country, West Hollywood, Ft. Worth, Dallas, New York and Miami.
Nothing suffered, everything was shot on time without horrid stress, or $15 a day sand bag rentals.
I still have our NY space, but as I'm getting over Zipcodeitius I spend as little time there as possible.
When I bought this building in Dallas, everyone said I was nuts, as the economy was roaring at full tilt and but I did my research for a year, found that Dallas had 50 major building projects to revitalize the city center, the 4th largest metro area in the U.S. and had the highest per capita discretionary spending in the U.S. In other words, people were not eaten by the taxman and landlord. We were in Dallas for 2 hours when we walked into this building, I asked the price . . . heard the price and my wife said "Buy It".
I've had a blast, go to NY when I want, actually go anywhere I want when I want and the only thing I'm missing is sitting in traffic for hours . . . oh yea and a beach, though believe it or not, Dallas is building a beach.
JRR
