by Olivia Young

The cofounders of TR Production Studios — a space on Henry Hudson Parkway with a podcast room, stage and content creation area for creatives that launched in March — said they were determined to set themselves apart. So far, they believe it’s been working.

Antoly Rodriguez, a Latin-pop and R&B musician who goes by the stage name Toly Rod, and William Grusel, a photographer and celebrity hairstylist, met a few years ago while Grusel was giving Rod a trim. Grusel offered to help Rod with his social media, and their collaboration evolved from there. When Rod pitched his idea for TR Production Studios last summer, Grusel was all in.

Since The Press’ last visit in December 2025 — when the studio was only cement floors and miscellaneous construction materials — Rod and Grusel have been fully immersed in their project. Due to a tight budget, most of the studio was built by the men themselves, with “blood, sweat and tears,” Rod said. The pair worked to lay down flooring, paint and install equipment such as a cyclorama wall for photos and soundproof panels in the podcast studio. They also handled all the other design finishes, they said.

Their hard work resulted in a welcoming space for those looking to create something memorable. Over the past month, the pair said the studio’s clients have included a woman commemorating her 50th birthday celebration with a video, a metal band from Harlem that filmed a music video and an actress who shot an audition tape at the studio’s prop bar. Grusel referred to the space as a “one-production-stop shop.”

But the studio is  just getting started, the pair said. The team has been pushing content on social media and making an effort to connect with other creatives in the area. In the process, they’ve discovered the artistic community in the northwest Bronx is vaster than they expected.

“From artists to photographers to designers, we’re meeting just so many more people,” Grusel said. “I knew they were here, but I didn’t know to what extent.”

Soon after opening, Rod reconnected with Eduardo Reséndiz, a Kingsbridge Heights-based photographer he met at a play a few years prior. Reséndiz got involved with the studio as a client, but his background in audio engineering led him to start helping Rod and Grusel with production. The three now work as business partners.

Reséndiz was born in Mexico, and immigrated to the Bronx at 15 years old. The Lehman College graduate said part of the reason he was drawn to the arts was he figured most creative jobs wouldn’t require a work permit. At the time, Reséndiz shared he was undocumented. But through that inclination, he built a career. He is now a freelance photographer that shoots nightclubs and concerts, as well as portraits.

Reséndiz said many artists lack access to spaces like TR Production Studios, and most have to commute into the city to find them. He wants the studio to become a central spot for creatives.

“I’m hoping to see a flourishing and bigger community now that kind of connects with each other from one specific hub,” Reséndiz said. “I think that’s very needed.”

When it comes to fostering that community, Grusel said the team is planning networking events that bring together photographers, painters and poets in the neighborhood — either as a collective, or separately based on their field. According to Grusel, they envision an intimate atmosphere, where 20 or so people can gather near the stage for a poetry or stand-up comedy night.

However, building a creative space comes at a cost. Grusel added the studio is “doing okay” financially, and unexpectedly broke even in its first month. The team is looking into grants and other avenues for income as a small business until things pick up more, Reséndiz said.

Rod shared he’s been so wrapped up in pulling the studio together for the last four months he’s hardly had time for his own work. The singer-songwriter’s own career is what pushed him to help launch TR Production Studios, as he felt other spaces were either too pricey or not comprehensive enough. That’s part of why he said he is so driven to make TR Production Studios succeed — the other part is pure  passion.

“I don’t picture myself doing anything else,” Rod said. “If it’s not me singing, at least let me be the one behind the camera … I will never want to stop creating.”

For Grusel, the launch of TR Production Studios is the start of realizing a creative vision he and his partners believe in wholeheartedly — and they have no doubt it will come to fruition.

Keywords

TR Production Studios,

Bronx creative studio,

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