The Office of Cable Television, Film, Music and Entertainment (OCTFME) recognizes Pitmasters Back Alley BBQ as the April 2018 Location of the Month. Pitmasters Back Alley BBQ is a filmmaker-friendly location that offers a restaurant backdrop for narrative or non-fiction projects.
Pitmasters, located at 4818 Yuma Street, NW, Washington, D.C. in Ward 3’s Spring Valley neighborhood, is a distinctive production location featuring a “standing room only” interior rustically-styled with Burled-wooden flooring, rippled aluminum walls, industrial pipes running along the ceiling, and chalkboard menus.
Co-owner of Pitmasters, Bill Fuchs is excited to inspire filmmakers looking for a place to film and points out his very own motivation and inspiration for the design, look and feel of Pitmasters. “The fictional restaurant from NETFLIX "House of Cards”, “Freddy's BBQ Joint was the inspiration for our own layout. In fact, as a homage to the show we have one table with special reserved seating, just like Freddy’s BBQ Joint in the show. Filmmakers should also know that in addition to the unique interiors, we have a lot of available parking that can accommodate large productions.”
D.C.-based location manager Matthew Noonan discovered Pitmasters serendipitously one day.
“I remember I was scouting locations for VEEP! Season 5 and we were looking for a house that could serve as a location for one of the show’s characters. The challenge was staging one of the camera trucks during set-up of the scene. As the day wore on, we became hungry and literally stumbled down the alleyway finding [Pitmasters]” laughed Noonan. “We originally started going for crew meals, but ended up falling in love with Pitmasters and used the site in one of our scenes -- returning for exterior B-Roll.”
During Noonan’s time with the Emmy-winning HBO comedy and filming at Pitmasters, he recalls the Pitmasters staff was “extremely helpful and accommodating when production approached them. We came in with a request and they were quick with a response, extremely film-friendly,” added Noonan. “The show’s star, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, even pointed out she grew up nearby!”
Pitmasters offers an excellent opportunity for commercial photography and filming. If you are interested in learning more about Pitmasters Back Alley BBQ, please contact the Bill Fuchs at the restaurant, 202-350-9791, or at https://www.pitmastersbackalleybbq.com. You can also find more information at Pitmasters Back Alley BBQ.
The “Location of the Month” initiative is part of the agency’s mission to market and support District locales as media production locations, and to bring attention to the wide range of cinematically compelling locations that are available to film and television productions.
If you own or manage a business, venue or location you would like to be featured as a “Location of the Month” or if you are a filmmaker or a fan of local filmmaking with a suggestion for a unique DC location OCTFME could feature in the future “Location of the Month” please use this nomination form and tell us all about it.
About OCTFME: The mission of the Office of Cable Television, Film, Music and Entertainment is to produce and broadcast programming for the District of Columbia’s public, educational, and government access (PEG) cable channels; regulate the District of Columbia’s cable television service providers; provide customer service for cable subscribers; and support a sustainable creative economy and job market in the District of Columbia.
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