How to Use Peerspace.com to Rent the Right Place for a Yoga Class, Quinceañera, or Even a Wedding
Raymond Ramos has been a professional photographer in San Antonio for 20 years. In the past, if he needed to book studio space for a shoot, he either had to ask for recommendations or Google “photo studio.”
But when he recently needed a place to photograph a model, he went to peerspace.com, where he found exactly what he needed.
“I needed large west-facing windows to take advantage of that great sunset lighting,” Ramos said.
Peerspace is a peer-to-peer marketplace which, like Airbnb, tutorial and Swimply, allows those who have unused property – a spare bedroom, an extra car, a rarely used swimming pool – to earn money by renting it out. In the case of Peerspace, that commodity could be a studio, a loft, a rooftop terrace, an outdoor garden – just about any attractive location. The site’s target market ranges from photoshoots, meetings, and presentations to yoga classes, birthday parties, quinceañeras, and even weddings. Spaces can be rented for virtually any purpose as long as it is legal.
Ramos said he found exactly what he was looking for in Shannon Gowen’s Southtown studio, the Photo Center. The 1,000-square-foot, loft-like space features dramatic painted red brick walls, is outfitted with photo equipment such as C-stands and boom arms, and has moveable work tables. Additionally, there are nine large windows, all facing west.
“It had everything I needed and Shannon really helped me out,” he said.
Ramos originally planned to start shooting at 6 p.m., for example, but Gowen suggested he wait until 7 a.m., when the sunset light prized by photographers would be even better.
The Peerspace site lists more than 35,000 short-term rentals in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. In San Antonio, where Peerspace has been online since 2019, there are 55 photo and video shoot listings, with prices ranging from $50 to $250 per hour, and 27 party spaces for $50 to $650 per hour. ‘hour. Many have minimums of two hours or more.
“We’ve had customers from YouTube influences to major movie studios renting our spaces,” said Matt Bendett, co-founder and senior vice president of global operations for the company.
He said brands including Apple, Google and Facebook have all rented through the site, and in June actor Jeff Goldblum was photographed for GQ magazine at a Peerspace member studio in North Hollywood.
The San Francisco-based company was founded in 2014. While the pandemic slowed growth for a while, it’s coming back strong, Bendett said. The number of residential spaces for rent has increased by 300% compared to last year, for example.
“As people are looking for extra income. This has driven a lot of our increase in supply,” he said. “Hosts also love the idea that they don’t have to do laundry, let someone else drive their car, or deal with strangers splashing around in their back pool.”
Kat Steffans is a single mother and owner of Trifecta Acting and Performance Training on the near east side. She recently signed with Peerspace and rents her studio for $50 an hour.
“I don’t use the studio all the time, so it makes sense to make money during what would otherwise be downtime,” Steffans said. “It’s a very versatile space. It can be used for anything from video shoots to yoga classes to business meetings.
The open, naturally lit space measures approximately 800 square feet, has wood floors, and is outfitted with a backdrop and stackable chairs. There is even free parking on site.
Peerspace works with hosts to increase the potential of a space.
“When I first posted on Peerspace, they helped me get my photos online and maximize the verbiage I used,” said Kerry Valderrama, CEO of the video production space. Alamo City Studios on the near east side. After working with a representative from Peerspace, for example, the online description now highlights the studio’s 1,000-square-foot cyclorama, a curved backdrop that suggests unlimited space and likely serves as catnip for photographers. and videographers.
“Within a week of posting to the site, I started getting bookings for music videos, dance troupes and other groups that wouldn’t have found us otherwise,” Valderrama said.
Peerspace makes money by taking 30% of booking fees paid by customers.
Isaac Jones, an executive with a Nashville-based marketing company, said he often books studios through Peerspace when he travels so he can build his portfolio of freelance photographers. He was in San Antonio in June and rented a studio to photograph a local model.
“It adds professionalism to do it in an indoor studio like the one I booked,” Jones said. “If it hadn’t been for Peerspace, I either would have had to photograph her outside in the heat, or I just couldn’t have done it.”
However, not all bookings go as planned. Gowen at the Photo Center said she once got a reservation on gigster, a site similar to Peerspace, from a woman in New York who wanted to host a birthday party in her space.
“But it wasn’t a very nice birthday party,” she said. “Apparently there had been an overconsumption of alcohol, and when we arrived the next day there was food splattered on the walls and trash left out.”
She said that as far as her studio goes, it’s still open for photoshoots and such, but the party’s over, even on Peerspace.
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