THE PROBLEM WITH GENTRIFICATION!…read more I set up an appointment to check out their available offices for rent. Mind you, this place is in PILSEN, a culturally diverse area that is known for its rich Mexican heritage. Well...I get there and the receptionist clearly does not know anything about pricing. She first tells me pricing is not her thing, then she says something about a credit check...I should have picked up on where she was going then...THEN she says something about it being negotiable. Turns out, the guy I was supposed to meet with, Patrick, didn't even make himself available to meet with me during my scheduled appointment to answer my questions. Then, Patrick comes in, doesn't say hello, doesn't even make eye contact but the receptionist tells me he'll be with me in a minute. So, after about 5 minutes he comes in and asks me what I do. I tell him I'm a psychotherapist...he doesn't seem to have a CLUE what that is, neither did the receptionist. I explain..."I'm a licensed clinical professional counselor. I see clients for depression and anxiety...blah blah blah". He says he still doesn't understand AND he's worried about safety! SAFETY?! He then goes on to tell me that the other tenants need to be comfortable and that tenants have access to the entire floor (kitchen, waiting room, etc.) so he's "concerned" about who will be coming in for appointments. Hmmmm.... I try to explain again...this time at a kindergarten level. I try the term "couples counseling"...he gets it. FINALLY! But, then he goes back to the safety issue. Hmmmm...THEN....THEN he goes into.."I'll have to run your credit"...of course...duh! I simply said, "Patrick, I have great credit". I thanked him, shook his hand, and got the F outta there! Now, as a black woman, I'm used to this kind of tom foolery but I would expect that in the heart of downtown NOT in Pilsen. I'm a professional...TREAT ME LIKE A PROFESSIONAL! I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THIS SPOT. Not to mention the people that I did see renting space there WERE ALL WHITE....NO DIVERSITY. THIS IS THE PROBLEM WITH GENTRIFICATION PEOPLE. SO SAD!

LUXURY AT HALF THE COST…read more I am a Hispanic female licensed real estate broker, and I am a tenant at Lobi space. My partner and I have shared a suite at Lobi for almost seven months and our experience has been excellent from the very beginning. When we first met Patrick the on site property manager and his partner Bernard we knew we were in the right place. Their professional, friendly, approachable, welcoming and in our case accommodating to the smallest detail. For example, neither my partner or I are the most tech savvy people and we can at times be "needy" when it comes to assistance with our tech issues. Both Patrick and Bernard have always come to our rescue when we have our tech meltdowns. Mind you their property managers, not IT guys or crisis prevention staff. I can't emphasize enough what helpful, kind gentlemen they are. They not only accommodate all the Lobi tenants like this but they go out of their way to create a family friendly, safe, and pleasant work environment for all. Meanwhile giving us the most beautiful space to work out of, we love showing off our office and the Lobi space to our clients. Lobi space is a perfect refection of the Pilsen neighborhood, in fact it is adorned with art work by local Pilsen artists. Additionally, their admin assistant Kathy has been a God sent since she came on board. She is right in sync with Patrick & Bernard's philosophy of creating a comfortable yet professional work space. Every client I've had come in comments on how friendly and accommodating she is. Lastly if your looking for a professional, chic, affordable, friendly and DIVERSE office space where the majority of the Lobi tenants are MINORITY OWNED BUSINESSES come visit our space. I guarantee you'll love coming to work everyday, I know I do. P.S. Our office space comes with WIFI, copier, fax and scanning services, security system, and private parking.

Video Production Chicago has worked with my company for a couple years now. We have a great…read morerelationship and have been able to help one another grow. How we started doing business... We needed a local and reliable Chicago Videographer who could shoot and edit videos for us at the drop-of-a-dime. Irwin is a skillful productions ninja, he always has the right solution. We are a local marketing company, so you see how we need someone who will make us look good. The team at Video one productions are the best of all the video editors we've worked with thus far. If you want it done right, these are your go-to!

I had Video One create a point of sale video for my company. I dealt with Irwin who was very…read morehelpful and creative offering ideas to present the products in a way that I did not think of. The process was good and the product was amazing. I was shocked as to the professional feel and look of the end product was for the price. I thought I would have spent tens of thousands for the kind of video product that I received. Very happy with them and would use them again in the future!

Update: We worked with JV studios for a second time in February 2022 to film the same type of…read morevideos we did back in July. The second time was even more seamless, fun, and successful. JV acts as true partners in making sure the day was smoothly executed - with Joey leading the helm of production, and Vince, Brendan, and John handling video and audio. -- We worked with JV Studios on a co-branded project with our client in July 2021 and the experience was simple, efficient, and quality. Pre-production went swiftly, shoot-day was one of the most fun "work days" I've had in a while, and post-production delivery was incredible. I wouldn't hesitate to work with John, Vince, and team on my next project!

Yikes. What more can I say than that these guys are green. Take this as a warning. Good work is no…read morereplacement for poor business practices and arrogant attitudes. EDIT: Jon/Jonathan reached out via Instagram to apologize on the behalf of his brother for the poor way they handled their business. I'd love to give them another opportunity for redemption in the future.

Back again! I had the pleasure of working with Tightrope Recording for my new podcast series, I…read morecouldn't be happier with the results. From start to finish, Jessi, Colin and Max went above and beyond to ensure that every aspect of the recording process was seamless and professional. First and foremost, the studio itself was top-notch. They have an amazing amount of options of microphones to choose from, I went with a Sennheiser 416. Additionally, the studio's acoustics were excellent, providing a clean and crisp sound without any unwanted background noise, we used studio A mostly. The entire recording process was enjoyable and stress-free, I was there a lot so that's saying something- Overall I can't recomend them enough. If you're looking for a recording studio that will deliver then make sure you work with them.

Tightrope Recording, and their owner Max, did not live up to their promises. They promised a great…read morerecording and finished mixes for one price of $1500. They did a great job recording, but sent us home with only the rough cut, and no finished mixes. They claimed that it took a lot of effort to set up for a multi-instrument band and they had to bring in extra help, thus extra cost. They had no more money or time to finish the mixes. Max had the audacity to say that each song would be at least another $350 to finish, even though he promised us finished mixes when we spoke on the phone. I feel that this was unscrupulous practice. Make sure you get your promises in writing from Max, or he may just try to swindle you.

I hired Couch Fire Films to record audio and video of a variety comedy show I hosted here in…read moreChicago. I couldn't have asked for a better team to work with. Their pricing was competitive, their manner professional, and the finished product is top quality. I'm really happy with what they put together for me and I look forward to working with them in the future!

From the owner: Couch Fire Films specializes in creative video production. We aim to provide a high level of…read moreproduction quality and a unique sense of style to every video we make. We have experience with many styles of video, from commercial, to corporate, to documentary, to music video.

Went to Jeena Studios for my Greek passport pictures as i did not want to travel to the north side…read morewhere most people go. I was very satisfied with the service and my photographer. She was very pleasant and professional. The pictures were accepted with no issue and my passport is complete! SouthSide Greeks - go here!!!

Went today to get our Greek passport photos taken. The requirements are very specific but our…read morephotographer was very knowledgeable and efficient and personable. We highly recommend!

Julian and the entire INDIRAP team are the best in the business! From onboarding new clients, to…read morepre/post production, INDIRAP makes the process seamless. One (of many) of my favorite things working with INDIRAP, is that they always think outside the box, and make our brokers and their listings shine. I give INDIRAP 10 stars, and approve this message .

My company, LiveData, needed an "explainer" video, and Indirap delivered an excellent video,…read moreon-time and on-budget. Our Indirap team was professional, responsive, and very open to feedback. A true pleasure to work with, and we are very happy with the results. Thank you Indirap!

We waited in line for almost 2 HOURS only to eventually be told by other ppl in line they had…read morereached/rescheduled capacity for the Smirnoff event on 5/14. I completely understand it was a free event and things can get hectic, but the lack of communication from staff really left a bad impression. We RSVP'd ahead of time and had QR codes, yet no one ever asked to check them. Meanwhile, people were being pulled from the line because they knew someone or recognized a famous person. No hate or hard feelings, I get how events work but it definitely felt frustrating for the people who actually registered and waited patiently. Better communication and organization would have made a huge difference.

Open Books holds our annual fundraising event, Make the Case, at Moonlight Studios…read more It's a unique event space with many huge rooms. I loved mixing and mingling as I worked away the night watching the teams build and decorate their bookcases, which we then stocked with books and delivered throughout Chicago to communities in need. Hooray Literacy!