Gabe Steinberg (Green Screen Studio)

Gabe Steinberg is the owner of Green Screen Studio, a one-stop shop for affordable, high-quality content production in St. Paul. 

From Champlin, as a kid, Steinberg wasn’t much into sports (though he admits he is a solid D-league softball player).

Golf, however, would play a role in his life. 

“My first job was at Edinburgh Golf Course in Brooklyn Park,” Steinberg recalls from one of the couches in his spacious studio. 

“I would wake up at 5 A.M. and wait for three hours in the caddyshack before getting in a five-hour round that paid me just enough so I could go buy a footlong from Subway.” 

When Steinberg wasn’t treating himself to a cold cut combo from his local sandwich shop, he was immersing himself into theater, a medium that allowed him to express himself, and his sense of humor. 

“I like entertaining people,” says Steinberg, who besides running a video production company is also a working actor.  

“And I like it when people are enjoying themselves. That drives me.”

After high school, Steinberg enrolled at the University of Minnesota, eventually earning degrees in theater and psychology, the former propelling him into the Twin Cities creative scene immediately after graduation. 

“When I was at the U, I made contacts and was able to land gigs doing commercials,” Steinberg says. 

Best Buy, Target, 3M, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Menards, to name a few. 

All massive entities, and if you have watched TV in the last several years, chances are you have seen Steinberg on your screen. 

“Who is that charming bald man? He looks so familiar,” Steinberg says his friends routinely find themselves asking. 

While Steinberg enjoys acting, the reality is that once COVID struck, the entire industry changed, in that the pandemic essentially decimated how actors traditionally secured gigs. 

“Previously, you’d go to auditions, catch up with friends, and see what projects they were working on,” Steinberg says. 

“Even though we were competing for roles, we rooted for each other.”

Since 2020, actors like Steinberg have been relegated to working from home, often taping themselves reciting lines and then sending those videos off to decision makers, a process that Steinberg and many of his contemporaries find very frustrating. 

“Now, you film yourself on your phone, in a dark corner of your basement, with a bedsheet hung up behind you for a background – imagine a very happy ransom video,” Steinberg says. 

“You have to direct yourself, play multiple characters, shoot multiple angles, edit it, upload it, and cross your fingers because 90+% of the auditions you submit go to someone else. You get zero feedback. It’s awful – we have lost our vibrant community, and it’s really sad.”  

For context, Steinberg never imagined himself starring in an action film alongside Tom Cruise, and even though he loves acting, the former Golden Gopher has always been working on ancillary projects to support himself. 

In 2016, Steinberg co-founded Underland Studios with a nonprofit called Koolabilities, designed to provide much-needed resouces for young adults with developmental disabilities.

They rented out a large 5,000 square-foot unit in one of St. Paul’s historic buildings on University Avenue.

Initially, Underland Studios was a non-profit that provided young adults with developmental disabilities a safe haven and an opportunity to grow as individuals.

“I wanted to help young adults with developmental disabilities make progress with their education and social interactions, and ultimately show them that they matter in our society,” explains Steinberg, the passion in his voice evident because he genuinely cares about groups that the mainstream marginalizes. 

But three years into Underland Studios, Steinberg was exhausted, the rigors of running a non-profit slowly depleting his energy and the sustainability of his operation. 

“Our original goal with this place was to get to the point where we could support and employ people with developmental disabilities, but it was a challenge,” Steinberg admits.

To his credit, instead of closing the doors at Underland Studios, he rebranded it as Green Screen Studio, pivoting to rent out the copious amounts of space to businesses and other creatives. 

As we tour Green Screen Studio, it should be noted just how much room there is.

Ironically enough, there is a green screen area, plus offices, a podcast studio, and a theater room filled with recliners and stadium seating. 

Prospective clients can utilize all of these amenities.

To date, big names like real estate tycoon Kris Lindahl and NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns have taken their talents to Green Screen Studio, which should give you an idea of just how useful this space is.   

“We have had household names come through here, but truthfully I have geared Green Screen Studio toward the DIY content creator because if you want to go into a big studio, it’s $1,000 just to walk in the door,” Steinberg says. 

“That’s a lot of money, so I wanted to give creatives an alternative option.”

One area where Green Screen Studio excels is in their podcast offerings.

They not only provide a production studio and a camera setup for clients, but they can also edit the podcast and deliver multiple short clips that can then be mass promoted on social media.  

“With podcasts, unless you’re Joe Rogan, it’s difficult to get people to consume your long-form content,” Steinberg mentions. 

“But if you can attract viewers with short clips, then over time, they will be more interested in your longer-form material.”

A visionary with huge ambitions, in the coming years Steinberg is working to create an artists collective that will connect talented creators with Twin Cities businesses who are looking to level up their content.

If successful, Steinberg’s collective would remove the guesswork business owners have when it comes to finding talent and producing better content. 

It would also enable creators to maintain a steady flow of work.  

“Things like graphic designers, videographers, photographers, social media specialists, and video editors. All of it would be offered as a part of this collective,” Steinberg says. 

“With this model that I’m working on, the brands are investing in the artists, and the artists are connected to a network of business owners who are craving talented professionals like them.”

Adds Steinberg:  

“Why I think this will work is because it’s more efficient for businesses. For example, if they’re looking for help with their social media strategy, they don’t have to search aimlessly online. Instead, they can tap into our network and have someone who is vetted and an expert in the field.”

The idea is still in its infancy, but don’t be surprised if soon Steinberg and Green Screen Studio become the go-to hub for content creation in the Twin Cities. QS

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