New York City is not known for large, spacious homes and condos. It’s the quintessential compact shoe box apartments that give the city its character and ability to house millions of people.
When New York based film, tv, and production pro Daniel Scarpati was looking for a storage solution for his expansive DVD collection, he turned to Modern Shelving. With only a few hundred feet of space to work with, Scarpati wanted to create separate sections with different feels for each, despite the limited space. Scarpati worked closely with the Modern Shelving design team to make his vision a reality and he couldn’t be more pleased with the results. Read on to learn about his experience.
When did you first start collecting movies?
Best I can remember, my physical media fascination began by being gifted the Jurassic Park Adventure Pack in 2005. Jurassic Park will forever be my favorite film because it’s the one that I remember inspiring me to become a filmmaker.
At a young age, it made me wonder how I could get involved with telling audiovisual stories and capturing people’s imaginations. Holding that awesome tri-fold DVD set after popping it out from behind two cardboard doors, simulating the iconic Jurassic Park gates from the film, inspired me on a whole new level. If the physical media made possible by the digital media could be this cool, how could I not collect, display and share it with others?
How many movies do you have in your collection?
Somewhere in the neighborhood of 250. As that number has grown, I’ve adopted a strict policy of only collecting copies of films, TV shows, and media that hold a special meaning to me — or are particularly hard to find elsewhere. Either they’re movies that affected me deeply when I watched them, TV shows I’ve worked on over the years, films produced by friends of mine, etc.
I don’t collect only for the sake of collecting, because my collection would 100% overflow my studio apartment if I did! I also don’t discriminate between standard-definition DVDs and ultra-HD 4K Blu-rays because some of the discs in my collection were only available in one format. Collectors can’t always be choosers.
How does your job tie into your collecting hobby?
I’m very lucky to work in the industry behind the physical media I collect: film and TV production. I started out as a production assistant (“PA” for short, a.k.a. “gofer” because they “go for” things) and rose through the ranks as a crewmember on everything from studio features to broadcast television and corporate video. I ended up writing my own non-fiction book all about my unique career: Gofers On the Front Line of Film and Television.
Nowadays, I work mostly as senior studio technician who supports audio/video infrastructure and design. In my spare time, I love watching things I haven’t seen before, including all the special features on the dozens and dozens of discs in my collection. When people ask why not just stream everything, I always go back to those special features — they’re often only available in physical media form!
What were you in the market for when you were first looking for shelves?
When I moved into my studio apartment a little over a year ago, I knew I needed vertical shelf space to fit all my things. My video collection plays a massive part in telling the story of who I am, but it had been stored in under-bed boxes and closets as I grew up.
As an adult, I started looking for ways to display my collection so others could spend time, peruse it, borrow copies, and enjoy themselves. Although I had aspirations for a whole movie “man cave” room in a basement, I ended up only being able to secure a studio apartment here in New York City. So, I had to pivot a bit and find a solution to display my discs in a much more compact, vertical way.
How did you find Modern Shelving and what drew you to our shelves?
After some search engine wizardry, I happened to enter the correct combination of “DVD media shelves” and ended up on Modern Shelving’s website. I immediately fell in love with the aluminum wall mounted shelves, specifically in the standard grey color. They’re such a unique mix between modern, industrial, and old-school, backroom video store! Plus, the ability to customize the shelf width was a major draw.
What was your experience like working with the design team to bring your custom shelves to life?
I worked with the very kind and supportive Ezra Gamboa during my design process. She was my very first point of contact with Modern Shelving. A terrific design consultant, Ezra was patient through all my questions, and helped point me in the right direction when I asked if I might be able to exchange social media content for a slight reduction in pricing (since I was conscious of how I could balance the beauty of the Modern Shelving system with my overall apartment-design budget). After one video call and two or three emails, I had a design proposal, purchase order for the WAL shelving system, and tracking info all sent and sorted. Such a pleasant experience!
Did you install the shelves yourself or hire an installer?
I decided to handle the installation myself after seeing just how easy the process was in Modern Shelving’s online videos. I also felt a bit brave because I was limited to a small, 26” portion of wall and only had to install two tracks. That was the most challenging part, making sure the tracks were properly aligned and evenly spaced. The sliding on of the shelf support brackets and the shelves themselves was easy peasy — and screwing on the small locks to keep in shelf in place was what tied the whole system together. All in all, I was mounted, spaced out, and alphabetizing my collection on the shelves in about a day.
Where in your home are your shelves?
My shelves are in the home office area of my apartment. With only a few hundred square feet to work with, I wanted to created separate sections with different feels. My work space has mostly computer tech, all black and aluminum-colored. These wall-mounted shelves help create a divide between my office and my living room area, where there’s a darker brown-greyish couch and pop-up coffee table. They’re the perfect solution for what I needed: slim, compact, vertical, and visible in the least intrusive of ways.
Are you happy with your shelves?
If nothing I’ve said so far has made it clear, I love my Modern Shelving system! The company was a breeze to communicate and work with, I appreciated their technical support and willingness to work with me on pricing out a system specific to my needs, and I have already recommended them to multiple New Yorker friends who also would like to display their physical media collections in tiny spaces.
Anything else?
Special thanks John Clark : not just for co-founding Modern Shelving, but for creating his own video content in reaction to mine! I was so surprised, happy, and humbled when he personally thanked me for the video piece I produced for his company. It really shows me how close-knit of a team they must be at Modern Shelving’s headquarters. I wish their entire gang all the best as they continue to grow and help others organize their own spaces!
Daniel’s experience working with Ezra made the design process smooth, creative, and completely customized to his space. Together, they found the perfect shelving solution to display his impressive DVD collection while maximizing every inch of his New York apartment. His story shows how the right design support can turn small spaces into inspiring, functional environments. If you’re ready to create your own custom setup, book a design consultation with Ezra today: Schedule with Ezra
