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6 hours ago

Lights, camera, expansion for Portland media company

An upper viewa shows a person setting up clothes on a rack against a backdrop. Photo / Courtesy Powers Media House Seen here is a Powers Media House shoot for a small Portland business called Fore & Wharf.

Powers Media House, a video and photography company, leased 1,500 square feet of industrial space at 1 Industrial Way in Portland for its new production studio, Studio120. 

Mike Anderson of Malone Commercial Brokers brokered the transaction. 

Studio120 occupies half of a space formerly occupied by a brewery. The space was converted to two units. The other half was leased earlier this year to Soma Metalwork, a blacksmith shop owned by Kiran Chapman, who Mainebiz wrote about earlier this year.

“We decided to market the space as either a single 3,000-square-foot unit or as two 1,500-square-foot units to cast the widest net possible to accommodate a variety of tenant’s needs,” said Anderson, who facilitated both transactions.

Scaling up

Powers Media House was founded by Mitchell Powers. Once an accountant, he bought his first camera in early 2020 and became a “self-taught creative” in photography and cinematography.

A person poses for a headshot.
Photo / Courtesy Powers Media House
Mitch Powers

“I started my business out of my bedroom, helping local small businesses with their content needs,” said Powers. “I fell in love with the industry and loved learning about other businesses and how they work.”

Three years ago, Powers moved the business from his home to 95 India St. The move to 1 Industrial Way was needed for a variety of reasons. 

“Our precious space was too small for the type of production we wanted to be able to film,” he said. “I also understand there is a need for other creatives around to be able to use studio space for their clients, as rent overhead can be very costly for creatives.”

The goal is to have productions of all sizes, from big production agencies to one-person teams working on portraits, product shots, podcasts and more, he said.

Videos and social media

The company consists of Powers as owner and producer and an employee, Austin Mills, as creative director.

They have dozens of clients. Projects underway at the moment include a launch campaign for a new water brand, to be launched in the fall, that involves a founder story, professional photography and social media content. 

They’re working with Associated General Contractors Maine on three separate projects. One includes 90-second video and shorter reels on the Maine Construction Academy explaining why it’s important to teach young adults about opportunities in the construction field. Another is a project for AGC's 75th anniversary, which will be a long-form video and reels for social media. 

With a Westbrook construction firm, Powers and Mills are working on an employee hiring campaign. They also have monthly clients like NxGen Fitness Center.

Cyc wall and podcasts

Mitchell discovered the opportunity to be at 1 Industrial Way after driving by and seeing the for-lease sign with Anderson’s name on it. 

An aerial view shows a long, low buliding.
Photo / Courtesy Malone Commercial Brokers
1 Industrial Way.

“One thing I really appreciated about Mike was his open communication and that he answered any questions or concerns in a timely manner,” Powers said.

No major renovations were needed, but a lot of thought went into the space. Designed as a one-stop shop for content creation, the space is available to creatives, agencies and small businesses who need a flexible, professional environment. 

The studio has a cyclorama wall, which is a seamless, curved backdrop, along with other backdrop setups for photo and video shoots. The wall is 12 feet high, 34 feet wide and 15 feet deep and has many different uses in the photography and film world, said Powers.

A room has a white backdrop and two lamps.
Photo / Courtesy Malone Commercial Brokers
Powers Media House built a cyclorama wall for photo and video shoots.

“It really allows for large scale productions to happen all in one space,”  he said.

There’s also a fully built-out podcast studio. 

“This allows to separate areas to be used without moving tons of equipment and furniture around,” he continued. “We had most of the equipment already, but plan on doing more for the production space with lighting, sound panels and overall aesthetic.”

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