Door G Opens the Door for Creatives in Rhode Island

Door G curved LED wall.

When Steve Rosa was in his twenties, everyone told him to move to Los Angeles. The film and creative opportunities the City of Angels could provide matched Rosa’s desire to build something meaningful and imaginative in the world. There was just one problem, Rosa didn’t want to leave Rhode Island.

“I always had big dreams while growing up in the smallest state,” says Rosa. “I wanted to stay in Rhode Island but all of my friends that stayed here were in law enforcement or government. There weren’t any creative jobs for what I wanted to do. So, I eventually created a place for those creative jobs.”

That place is called Door G, a creative virtual production studio located in East Providence, just 15 minutes from Fox Point where Rosa grew up. The studio which Rosa opened two years ago with his wife Mary, welcomes creatives with projects of all scales to use the space to turn their ideas into realities.

The studio has won a variety of awards for its work, including an Environmental Media Association Green Seal award for their sustainability initiatives, being the only studio on the East Coast to receive the award. Embracing green scale productions, the studio cuts down on their carbon foot print any way they can by switching to certain light bulbs used on set, eliminating plastic water bottles and composting trash.

“When we blow up stuff in there or light things on fire, there’s no smoke, there’s no pollution and there’s no toxins,” says Rosa. “If a client wants to come in and wants an EMA green seal on their production, we take those steps to create a set that passes the green seals standards. You’re never going to be perfect with it, but you can be perfectly trying.”

Behind the scenes of recreating a military base.

Along with the EMA award, Door G has also taken home two regional Emmy’s. Despite the ability to win big, Rosa’s priority isn’t a shiny trophy, but a team that continues to want to get better.

“Our saying is you’re only as good as your last project. We’re always onto the next project,” says Rosa. “That’s not to say we don’t care when we win; it’s good for morale and it’s good for clients. We just want to prioritize getting better, whether that’s with an award or not.”

What sets Door G apart from other studios is its virtual production studio, equipped with a 56-foot wide by 14-foot tall, curved LED wall. The studio is one of only two in New England to acquire the wall, the other studio being in New Hampshire. With the help of Rosa’s team, made up of editors, producers and mixed media professionals, the wall can mimic any setting and environment – from a war-torn Afghanistan to a doctor’s office in New York City. The space also has a podcast studio, where Rosa and co-host Mary Sadlier host their podcast called Brand Slam. Companies from near and far make their way to Little Rhody to work with Rosa’s team, bringing more business to the state.

“We’re taking Rhode Island’s advantages and scaling them up. We’ve got a great airport that’s easy to get in and out of for the talent and crews,” says Rosa. “When people get here, they have great Rhode Island food, they meet great people and they want to come back. The hardest part is keeping some of the project’s secret because everybody knows everybody.”

The Real Housewives of Rhode Island cast member Kelsey Swanson filming her confessionals in the Door G studio.

The hardest secret to keep to date has been working with The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, RHORI for short. The RHORI crew and stars filmed confessionals at the studio, using the curved wall for in-home pick-up shots while the women sat in front of the screen and spilled the drama. Other businesses and people who have worked with Door G include CVS Pharmacy, influencer Ian Brownhill and Evenflo. Rosa’s personal favorite project came when James L. Brooks used the space for test shots ahead of filming his star-studded Rhode Island film Ella McCay.

“As far as the biggest highlight goes, it would definitely have to be James L. Brooks,” says Rosa. “That was such a surreal experience and one that will be hard to top.”

With an impressive lineup of projects already under Door G’s belt it begs the question, what is the studio hoping to do next? As far as dream projects go, in the far future Rosa would love to create a fully in house feature film.

“I had opportunities to work in the entertainment industry, but I would have had to move to la and now we’re bringing in studio quality shoots to Rhode Island,” says Rosa. “Doing a fully in house project I think would be good for the team to stretch our creative muscles because we never have time to do stuff for ourselves. Maybe someday we’ll do our own project. That might be my dream project.”

Whether that dream project comes to fruition or not, Rosa considers himself already living out the dreams his younger self would’ve always wanted.

“I never thought I was going to be able to work in Rhode Island with stuff that I enjoy doing,” says Rosa. “But here I am, getting to work on important stuff, creative stuff, and fun stuff. So, I’m already living the dream.”

To see more of Door G’s projects, visit their website here.