Building a Dream

41 Sets' Path to Success Begins at Hollywood Center Studios

Doug Jeffery doesn't just work behind the scenes in Hollywood. He builds the scenes. Jeffery is the founder of 41 Sets, a company that constructs sets, and just about anything else Hollywood might need.

Jeffery launched his company four years ago. He was on hiatus from The Man Show when he got the opportunity to build a set for another series. Sensing a business opportunity, he set up shop in a small space at Hollywood Center Studios and was soon off and running. Today, Jeffery's company occupies nearly 5000 square feet of Building 41. He employs a full-time crew and has recently built sets for such shows as Bravo's Shear Genius, CBS's Cold Case and Comedy Central's Mind of Mencia.

"I was in a situation where I needed to get set up quickly and Hollywood Center Studios was kind enough to create a space for me," recalls Jeffery. "I started out in one little bay and now I have half the building. Each year, we've been busier and busier and this year it's been literally non-stop."

Normally, Jeffery's work occurs well outside the limelight, but recently his company has found its way into a couple of on-camera roles. 41 Sets was contracted by the Discovery series Where Did It Come From? to build replicas of several ancient pieces of technology including Archimedes' legendary screw and an earlyodometer invented by Leonardo da Vinci. The series' production crew shot demonstrations of the archaic tools inside Jeffery's workshop. Jeffery himself was on the series as a regular guiding the show's host into the mechanics of rebuilding the ancient technology.

Similarly, Jeffery's workshop was used as a "set" for a recent episode of the CW series Beauty and the Geek . "The female contestants were tasked with building dog houses and that was done in my shop," Jeffery notes. "Then, I got to judge the outcome." The "beauties" on the show judged Jeffery and noted on national television that he is "cute."

Although his work takes him all over Southern California (and occasionally beyond), Jeffery said that having his home base on the lot has been crucial to his success. "It's very difficult to launch a start up company in California, but being located on a major lot has been a big help," he says. "If it wasn't for Hollywood Center Studios, I wouldn't be where I am today."