Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Local Entertainment Permits topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Entertainment Commission approves extended-hours permit for private ‘Human Video Game’ with amended police conditions
Summary
The Entertainment Commission approved an extended-hours, invitation-only place-of-entertainment permit for Human Video Game at 550 15th Street after discussions about neighborhood outreach, sound limits and police access to production footage. Commissioners struck a clause that would have required automatic immediate release of footage to SFPD and added reporting and queue-management conditions.
The San Francisco Entertainment Commission voted unanimously to approve an extended-hours place-of-entertainment permit for Human Video Game LLC, the private interactive-production venture at 550 Fifteenth Street, after amending several police conditions.
The applicant, Jeff Fogarty, told the commission the project is a streaming, invite-only reality-style production that combines live contestants and a global online audience. "We don't plan to serve liquor, are not going after a liquor license," Fogarty said, and described the venue as a private event space and studio that could hold about 200 people after minor improvements.
Commissioners focused on neighborhood outreach, crowd-control and audio limits. A recording engineer for the project said admission will be controlled: contestants and audience members must pre-register and be approved for a single show. "Tell me the number, the dB, and then I'll make it so it doesn't bounce out across everywhere," the engineer said, offering to tune sound to a police/commission-set threshold.
Members also debated a proposed permit condition that would have required the venue to make video footage available directly to SFPD. Commissioner Hyde argued against a mandatory handover, saying the police already have "every available tool" to obtain footage, including subpoenas, and warned a mandatory clause could impinge on event operators. "I don't think that it should be mandatory," Hyde said. The commission removed the mandatory-access language but kept a 14-day retention requirement for footage and added a condition that the Entertainment Commission receive monthly event updates.
The motion to approve the permit with the amended police conditions carried on a recorded vote: Commissioners Hyde, Lee, Campagnoli and President Tan voted aye.
The permit includes requirements that the applicant provide a calendar of non-private events to Mission Station, maintain video surveillance and follow the specified crowd-management practices (the commission removed prescriptive language about stanchions/ropes). The applicant said participants will sign waivers acknowledging on-camera participation.
The commission did not record any public comment on the matter. The permit is approved with the set conditions; staff will monitor compliance and the commission asked for clearer neighborhood contact lists on future applications.
