Commercial Film Shoot in Mar Vista Angers Local Businesses

On Thursday morning, multiple production trucks lined the south side of Venice Boulevard between Grand View and Centinela, making it difficult for local businesses to welcome customers. 

Filming took place at the LA Brakeless Bike Store and according to notices posted in the area on Wednesday, was a commercial shoot for something called Nu Energy. However, producers at the scene Thursday refused to discuss the shoot. "I can't say anything or I could get fired," was all one person on set would say.

 Two security guards stood on opposite ends of the sidewalk, keeping passersby from getting too close to the shoot. A producer fiercely guarded the sidewalk near the entrance to the store, making it impossible to catch a glimpse of the actors inside.

An LA Brakeless employee confirmed that the commercial was shot in their store and said business was only disrupted for a couple of hours. However, other businesses in the area were not as forgiving.

"The shoot wasn't great yesterday, mainly because we didn't get any prior notice," said Elieen O'Sullivan, director of the Well Baby Center. "We have a lot of groups on Thursdays. Without having access to the meters out front, moms had to walk for blocks with their babies."

A Kid's Place also had to grapple with pick-ups and drop-offs, as the alley behind their business was blocked with film trucks.

According to Venice Grind employee Sasha Couch, they only found out about the shoot when they arrived for work Thursday morning and discovered the street had been cordoned off.  

"It was an inconvenience and we were definitely less busy because of the parking situation," she said. However, Venice Grind owner Demetrios Mavromichalis said the shoot was more than an inconvenience. 

"This was a big loss of revenue for us," he said. "I lost $1,000 because of the production taking over the entire street. We weren't properly served with notices about the shoot. My customers couldn't park out front. It was like a slap in the face."

Businesses on the north side of Venice Blvd. were also adversely affected by the shoot. A school bus carrying children was trapped in the alley behind Time Warp Music for over an hour, blocked by a large production truck. 

"I'm the unofficial mayor of this neighborhood," said Mavromichalis, who stepped in to speak to the producers on Time Warp's behalf. "Every neighborhood should serve their local community and take care of each other. That's what we do. I want to stop this from happening again."