We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ray Tesi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ray, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I have been a diehard Star Trek fan since September 1966. I have been to conventions including the first in 1972, met celebrities, made costumes and models, and dreamed of one day walking on the Enterprise. I was also a watcher of Star Trek fan films: films made by fans for sometimes little or no money. In 2013, a fan film called STAR TREK CONTINUES came along and I was as hooked on this fan series just as I was in 1966. In September 2015, I made my own star Trek fan film vignette called STARSHIP REPUBLIC: SERPENT OF YESTERDAY at Starbase Studios in Oklahoma City — and wanted more! In October 2017, I had read that STAR TREK CONTINUES had stopped filming and thought perhaps I could get some of their sets to expand the sets at Starbase Studios. I sent an email to Vic Mignogna, the executive producer of STC, who I’d met at several conventions. Vic and I spoke about our visions for the studio and he invited me to come see the sets. It was amazing! I decided to purchase the studio and open it up to the public and never looked back. Today we have monthly Fan Appreciation Weekends and have filmed over 50 fan films and host weddings, parties and music videos.
Ray, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Personally, I’ve been a Star Trek fan since I was in Grammar School. Professionally, I had entered the IT industry in 1974 after college and have been in that field ever since. I am currently the Senior Vice President for a marketing company in Florida and have been there for 34 years. I’m married with 2 children and my family lives in Boca Raton. I believe my years of business experience allow me to manage our studio successfully.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
I originally funded the studio using my 401K a received a business loan from my bank. The studio is not-for-profit so we do not charge admission fees or sell products. As such, it is difficult to keep the lights on. We rely on donations from our generous fans to help cover studio costs (rent, utilities, maintenance, etc.) We also have a Patreon page where fans can make a monthly donation pledge. Patreon member have been a backbone of our continued success.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I don’t know if this qualifies as resilience, but it is a illustration of lessons learned. When I originally purchased the studio, I had no idea how the fan’s love of Star Trek would affect not only them, but myself as well. I have laughed and cried with people — people who never thought they would ever experience being a part of Star Trek: the couple who was there to honor their daughter who loved Star Trek but was tragically killed in the Parkland school shooting; a young woman who was injured in a car bombing in Iraq who had dreaming at sitting in Sulu’s chair; the WWII veteran who climbed out of his wheelchair who sat in the captain’s chair and saluted; and so many more. It has been truly humbling…
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.neutralzonestudios.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neutralzonestudios/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neutralzonestudios
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rtesi/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/tnz_studios
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXkq-pJ8ctiDS7WjxhbHO2g
- Other: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/neutralzonestudios Tales from the Neutral Zone: https://www.facebook.com/talesfromtnz PayPal: https://neutralzonestudios.com/one-time-donation/