East Bay Media Center

Incredibly unprofessional.

Rude.

In the past, I took something to be copied, everything worked fine so later took three family video tapes to be copied to DVD. The man who would do the copying put them in a video player and I saw a few seconds of each on a screen. Paid 80.54. Picked them up a week or two later. One would partly play on my TV, others said something like «not formatted» to play. Called and reported. The guy said sorry, this was «unconscionable» (on his part), please bring them back. Went back, found a man in the back very busy with «preparing for a film festival,» copy guy wasn’t there, so I said I’d bring them back later. Today I found them, again, stacked on the corner of my desk where they’ve been for over a year and am writing this review. Because of my impression of disorganization the day I first left the tapes, the error in copying, and the situation when I returned, I decided not to leave my tapes again. Valid or not, to me it’s worth losing the 80. to feel comfortable leaving my videos.

Great friendly service and fast! Turned our school duplication project around in a flash! Thanks Mel!

Just got back from the Berkeley Video Festival. Wow! They have designed the viewing room to be comfortable with a good projection system and sound. I went to see a film that I had helped with (Fire Ruin Renewal) and got there early so i could see some of the student films.
Clearly the staff there inspires teenagers to unleash their creativity, and they even appear in some of the films (when they need an old actor). Providing access to cameras and editing gear to teenagers has got to be a challenge, but the final products were a joy to watch.
I have known Mel and Paul for many years, as I run a for-​profit video facility in Oakland. These guys are community-​oriented and have helped further the video craft in Berkeley.

I had the most unprofessional experience of my life at East Bay Media Center.
Yesterday, I called up to see if they could print a design onto 40 DVDs that I had already purchased. That afternoon, I made my way to the store, handed over my DVDs, and paid via credit card. (I should NOT have paid up front. First mistake.)
I went to pick up the DVDs. (I did not inspect the DVDs closely. Just glanced at them, assumed all was fine, and left. Second mistake). I made my way to the TV Lab at UC Berkeley to use their DVD burner tower. I removed the clear plastic top to the DVD spindle, and looked at the image closely. The text on the bottom left quarter of the DVD was incorrect. It looked «smudgy», and the thickness was off. Clearly a printer error. I wish I could post a picture of it here. (Should have called the store immediately upon seeing the error. Third mistake). I then inspected every DVD, which had the exact same error. Since I was already at the location where I was going to burn the DVDs, I went ahead and burned them, since nothing could be done to correct the image on the disks.
Right after I finished (same day), I returned to the store to inform him of the error. Mel, who I believe is the store owner and who I dealt with from the beginning, gave a myriad of excuses: he said, «I fucked up» with the image that I provided. He said the heat from the burner smudged the ink. (As stated, they were like this BEFORE they were burned). He said I used bad quality DVDs. He was totally unwilling to hear me, got extremely agitated and angry, and proceeded to kick me out of the store. He was incredibly defensive, saying he had three degrees, has been doing this a long time, inspected the DVDs when they were done and saw no errors, etc. Mind you, the IDENTICAL, EXACT error was on every single DVD.
BOTTOM LINE SUMMATION: Got irate when customer pointed out a printer error, unwilling to compromise, kicked customer out of store.

I have been fortunate that for the past 20 years I have actively benefited from the East Bay Media Center. The team leaders Mel Valpour and Paul Blake are always professional, helpful and go that extra mile to make everything work out well. Berkeley is lucky to have this amazing resource. Everyone should be supporting EBMC with work and donations. Hope we can make this year the one that establishes this community asset as a vital part of our community and they get beyond struggling to provide all their amazing services. The Annual Berkeley Video Festival and The Teen Video workshops and all of the other events they produce make EBMC a valued member of the artistic and educational sectors. Lucky for me they just finished dubbing and the finished DVD turned out perfectly.

Needed a camcorder for a school project. They hooked me up with a great rental deal and were very knowledgeable. Thumbs up!

I attended the camp this year and had a great time helping my peers make/​edit movies. The staff was extremely nice/​polite (Mel and Paul) as they always made me feel welcomed. The camp was a great experience and I don’t regret joining one bit! I learned lots of tips/​tricks about filming and editing aswell. I really enjoyed learning about filming, especially since the camp not only taught us but also helped us produce a short film (hands-​on) while providing all of the equipment necessary. I would definitely recommend the camp to any teens interested in filming. I guarantee you will have lots of fun and learn at the same time. I enjoyed working with both Paul and Mel, the camp directors, because they were very professional and respectful; in result they’ve been in business for over 30 years.

East Bay Media Center is an amazing resource. They can do everything from making copies of DVDs to helping you write, produce and film your first masterpiece. I’ve worked with Mel and Paul on tons of projects and their enthusiasm, dedication and talent are infectious.
Their summer media camp for kids and Berkeley Film festival is wonderful source for the next generation of Bay Area film makers and producers.
These guys live and breathe the 60’s chant «Power to the People.» Drop by and check these guys out.

Unilocalers,
I have used the EBMC several times over the years for different reasons… editing video, transferring video, mapping out a photo shoot… and the same dudes have been doing the same great work for several decades that I’ve known them. I was referred to them when i was looking for someone skilled and trustworthy in the Bay area way back. And they’re reasonable! I attended the Berkeley Film Festival that they organize a few years ago and I thought that was great too! I like them enough to donate money every year… and I ain’t got much to begin with.
R. Shalhoub
Boston, MA

I want to let parents and the community know what a great job The East Bay Media Center has been doing for years in our community. Paul-​Kealoha Blake has worked with two of my kids through the Media Camp over the years. The experience continues to resonate in their lives and we credit both Mel and Paul for their support and efforts in the Bay Area community. They have treated our family with integrity and professionalism. Thank you.

I have always felt very welcome at the media center. Its a wonderful place to get your film making questions answered and there is always some cool project going on there. The folks at the Media Center have done so much for Berkeley. Thank you.

Would not consider these guys for anything. Really bad experience dealing with the owner on the phone. Inquired about some old equipment and the guy was clearly disturbed and should not be dealing with customers or the public. His behavior was rude and offensive.