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Company making videos at former Youngstown industrial site
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
Not everyone thinks Youngstown’s industrial blight is ugly.
A company that makes videos of extreme off-road racing and stunt riding thinks it makes for a beautiful location.
Mad Media of California has had a crew in the area for a week shooting at a former factory site along Albert Street on the East Side, and at other sites.
The production company is producing a video, several minutes long, that spotlights exactly what the Polaris RZR utility-terrain vehicle (UTV) can do. R.J. Anderson, a professional UTV racer from California, is doing the driving.
The video will be posted online at UTVunderground.com Nov. 3.
Mad Media and its crew of about two dozen people – about half of whom are local hires – have spent more than $100,000 on the project, said company CEO Matt Martelli. That figure includes staff compensation, hotels, catering and contractors who create ramps and other props for the video.
The temporary local hires include Youngstown State University and Trumbull Career and Technical Center students, among others.
Funding comes from Polaris, B.F. Goodrich Tires and at least a dozen other sponsors.
Martelli, his brother and business partner Josh, Joe DiGiovanni of UTV Underground and driver Anderson talked about the video – and their experience in Youngstown – at a news conference Friday at California Palms Hotel in Austintown, where they are staying. Fred D’Amico of the Youngstown Regional Film Commission, which brought the production crew to town, also was at the event.
When the film and Web company chiefs first saw the locations Youngstown had to offer, they knew they wanted to film here.
“Some people see [the rusting industrial site] as an eyesore,” said DiGiovanni. “We think it’s the coolest thing.”
The Polaris RZR is a relatively new type of off-road vehicle. Evolved from the utility trucks made by Polaris, UTVs are outfitted for speed and agility. They are equipped with a rollbar in case of a turn-over, and heavy suspensions and tires, and can hit speeds of 100 mph. They start at $24,000.
Outside of California, eastern Ohio-western Pennsylvania is the largest off-road community in the country, said DiGiovanni. Local riders are aware of the shooting being done in the area, and some have come out to watch.
“Off-roaders here will geek out when the video drops,” said DiGiovanni. “They’ll be able to recognize the locations.”
Martelli described the video being made here, like the others his company has made, as “fantasy” films.
“These are heavily modified vehicles doing stunts,” he said. “We let people see what they are capable of.”
Before it goes online, the video will be unveiled Halloween week in a live event in the Las Vegas area and sponsored by Polaris.
DiGiovanni, the Martelli brothers and Anderson all had praise for D’Amico and the work of the Youngstown film commission in finding locations, securing services for the crew, and simplifying the government permit process.
They also were impressed with the people of the Youngstown area.
“It’s rare that we travel to a place where the people are so accommodating and friendly,” said Matt Martelli. He compared Youngstown to his hometown of Kalamazoo, Mich., because of its strong and supportive population and work ethic that has endured in the wake of an economic downfall.
Anderson said this is the favorite shoot he has done with Mad Media, because of the people here. “They have been super-helpful, and I think it will show in the video,” he said.
The film crew will continue to shoot in the Youngstown area and other sites as far away as East Liverpool for about another week.