Hollywood Stunts NYC Stunt Training Center

Great adrenaline rush! Too much fun! If you want your heart to start beating a little faster safely count on this to do that! Baby steps and then leaps and bounds! Do this– don’t hesitate!

Hollywood stunts NYC is a dream come true for me. I’ve always believed becoming a stunt person was a dream job until I came here. After attending college for a year I knew that wasn’t where I was meant to be and I looked into becoming a stunt person and found Hollywood stunts. I attended the three week intensive and it was the greatest experience getting my first taste of the stunt world. The training was intense and tiring but I never dreaded going there a single day and fell more in love with it each time I went back. I went from being clueless and inexperienced to almost professional thanks to my amazing instructors and their drive to see me succeed. Hollywood Stunts is a home away from home to me and the other stunt people are my family. They are all so genuine and only look out for the best for everyone especially Bob Cotter. I have never not felt safe at any point during my training and learning to trust myself and what my body can do was absolutely fascinating. This place has helped shape me into the person I want to be and it is an unforgettable thing to endure. Hollywood Stunts is a five star facility in my eyes and I recommend it to anyone and everyone who has ever been interested to any amount in all of the stunts offered.

In brief, I know someone who left here with permanent brain damage, I personally left with an injury, I’ve been told by professional stunt coordinators that the equipment is not up to standard, and the owner, Bob, does bad business.
If you bought a Groupon or want to take a one-​off class there, go for it, it’s probably worth it — you will have fun, face your fears for an afternoon and there is little chance for injury.
However, if you’re at all interested in taking the 1, 2 or 3 week intensive courses for ridiculous prices, please reconsider and read this review in its entirety.
I decided to take this course when I met a couple professional stunt coordinators from LA on a job. They were telling me they had checked out Hollywood Stunts and were stunned that most things were not up to code (although Bob swears they are.)
Despite that warning, because I enjoyed the high fall class and really wanted to get a few gigs doing stunt work, I decided to enroll in the 3 week course.
The thing about stunts is you’re not supposed to actually do the move, which for most people wasn’t too much of an issue. But there was one guy in my class who definitely didn’t get that aspect. So one day he gave me a bloody nose, and then 2 days later, he took my knee out to the point where at the end of the first week I couldn’t go anymore because I couldn’t walk (for a month.)
Now, I am very familiar with risk and understand there’s a risk of taking things like stunt courses. But with a repeat offender who had injured someone more than once, I would think there would be more schooling, especially to that person. And I’m almost happy I was taken out when I was. Because I later found out that during the second week, he threw her off one of the platforms into a column and she sustained a head injury, which left her in major recovery for a few months and she lost her sense of smell. I don’t think that is doing a very good job of controlling and educating your students very well.
I later talked to Bob about getting a partial refund for only being able to attend one of the three weeks of the class. He told me, «no refunds» over and over. My only option was to come back to finish the course, which at that point I wasn’t interested in doing.
Even if I did, I can tell you for a fact that those three weeks also wouldn’t be worth $ 3500.
If you’re really interested in pursuing a stunt career, I was told there are actually free stunt classes in LA. And if you can’t find any of those, I can tell you for sure you’ll be able to find something better and cheaper than this ripoff, including the flights and hotels you’d take to get out there.

Came here for the rappelling. The instructor was sweet and patient. I found that my shoes slipped a bunch of times but I think had I controlled my body weight more, that would have been a non-​issue Overall super fun experience.

I bought my boyfriend a deal from Living Social for the high fall class. Therefore this review is mostly from his perspective.
When we drove to the location, we were able to find park immediately (Saturday at 12:50pm). The actual location of the place is down the «alley» and it’s located on the right hand side. There a few signs that will point you to the right direction. Once inside, my boyfriend was shown the waivers and he took his time reading it. We waited 5 minutes after 1pm to ensure that the entire class was there.
There were 3 people in the class, including my boyfriend, which gave them the opportunity to fall many times. The first fall was about a foot high and it was done a few times to practice the proper way to fall. Then they were taken to the scaffold to do the 30ft and 40ft falls. My boyfriend did the suicide fall and the back drop. He said that it was a bit nerve wrecking at first because of the height. However, the staff was very patient, helpful and calming so he became confident and calm in his attempts. The staff, especially Calvin (I think that is his name, sorry if I messed it up) provided constructive and positive feedback of my boyfriend’s fall.
Overall, my boyfriend enjoyed his experience and he would come back. Next time we come, I will do the high fall class – after I saw it done and how great the staff is, I would feel confident in attempting it.

It was the best experience/​gift ever! The instructor was cool, calm and the complete proffesional. Do it!

Got my friend a good deal on a high fall and a rappelling class. It looked scary as heck from my vantage point on the ground, but he said it was the best gift he had ever received. The instructors were calming, funny, and very knowledgeable. There were a bunch of people here… about 15 on the trampoline, 8 or so for the high fall, and 5 were rappelling… and they all looked to be enjoying themselves. Got some great shots of my friend doing the «Spider-​Man» upside down on the rappelling line. The entrance being in the middle of an alley was odd at first, but you forget 5 minutes later. Great time, you won’t be disappointed!

I took my girlfriend on a date here. It was really great. I can’t say much more-​we both enjoyed it, and the staff was really caring, friendly and nice. What more can you ask for?

I never actually got to go to the stunts course, but these guys suck. I bought 4 groupons for me and my friends to use. About a month before my groupon expired I tried making a reservation. They didn’t have any available spots within the month, and wouldn’t honor the groupon past the expiration date. That was annoying, but the reason they suck is how rude they were to me about it. Sounds super fun, but terrible customer service experience.

I never realized I had a fear of heights until I was standing multiple stories above the ground about to catapult myself out into the air. Did you know that your knees ACTUALLY shake?! I thought that was only in cartoons! It took every ounce of willpower I had to peel my fingers from the scaffolding, step to the edge of the platform and throw myself off… BUT I DID IT!!!
For about one third of the class, we were on the ground on wrestling mat platforms, as we learned the correct way to fall. You have to jump while kicking your legs out in front of you, with the goal being to land flat on your back.
From there, you climb a huge five story scaffolding and take turns jumping off levels landing on a HUGE inflated surface. All in all, it’s a rad class, with rad instructors, adn you’ll feel like a bad-​ass afterwards (but also SO glad that you don’t have to do it again!).

I bought a Unilocal deal for this place last year. My boyfriend and I tried the high fall class and had a very good time despite our crippling fear of heights. We were also the oldest people in the class by several years, which was humorous. These kids were so fearless! I made it up to the third story, but had to stop after that. I let my nerves get to me. Either way, it fulfilled my «do something every day that scares you» requirement, and my boyfriend and I agreed it was a super memorable time. The team here is great, and very accommodating. They never rush you or make you feel silly, even if you scream like a little girl (which I did).

Only did the 2 hour introductory class — but I really enjoyed it!
A great introduction to stunt work in the film business. As an actor, it was very valuable knowledge to have. Also — these guys are SUPER attentive when it comes to safety. If you are athletic, the introductory class will no doubt move a little slow for you — but it’s fun none the less.

Craziest experience ever. We took the high fall class and the instructors were very understanding and patient with each individual person.
At no point did I feel rushed or pressured into anything. Climbing up the ladder and having to swing myself around to the platform terrified me and the instructor was kind enough to come over and put his arm around me every single time, just to add that extra comfort of knowing he was right there in case I slipped (which I never did).
I wonderful place!

I tried this with a deal last year and it was a fun date. You start off learning the basics of jumping and landing safely from one platform to a small inflatable. Everyone takes turns until the experts deem you ready, where you then move on to the actual 20, 30, 40+ ft platforms. You learn how to jump and roll off an inflatable bigger than some houses. The scariest part was climbing up the platform…
The staff was REALLY helpful, funny and friendly. It was really impressive to see them jump off the highest platform and do 360s too. The space is cold, and just looks like a warehouse, but a place like this does not need frills. It’s kind of hard to find — it’s in an alley.
Fun experience! Great staff!

Jennifer C. of 2011 seemed to have been a lot more adventurous than Jennifer C. of 2012. Once I heard the words «suicide fall» I rued the very moment I had falsely given myself credit for the heroism that I actually don’t possess. I don’t know what compelled me to purchase the Unilocal deal on Hollywood Stunts last year, but I did it and there was no looking back.
Having said that, I’m happy to report that I’m glad I was able to experience the sheer exhilaration of propelling myself through a high-​fall and actually surviving it multiple times!
We had procrastinated making use of our deal for many months. When we finally made an appointment, Hurricane Irene forced us to change our plans. And with an inflexible schedule thereafter, I didn’t think we would be able to get an appointment in. Luckily however, Bob was nice enough to pencil us in even after our vouchers had expired. (What a sweet man.)
As we arrived 30 minutes before our time slot, Jimmy and I caught the tail-​end of the class before us. I was so nervous watching all these folks jump off these ridiculous heights, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do it. My fear was not so much the height, but having to climb the ladder to get to the platform, freaked me the ‘bleep’ out!
To our benefit, we had a great instructor in Calvin who taught us the proper technique to doing suicide stunt falls. He noticed early on that I was going to be a «special needs» student, and gave me some extra TLC in the practice rounds. This was much appreciated as I needed all the help I could get, surriously! I felt much more at ease knowing he was paying attention to how I was falling and giving me the proper criticism to correct my form. His partner, William, who was our safety instructor made sure no one got injured while doing these dangerous moves. They were both really helpful in all aspects of the training session.
Though, I couldn’t bring myself to do the stunt from the highest peak like the rest of the class (again, I blame the menacing ladder), I did enjoy falling off the lower plank and landing into that enormous air bubble mat. I also had a great time watching the rest of the class do their jumps multiple times and a few of them even did head-​dives as they got more comfortable. We met a lot of interesting and fun people during our session. There was the beautiful model/​actress girl from Woodside, then, there was the adrenaline junkie, Hannah, who was a daredevil down to the core, along with the dude everyone called «Montana man», flanked by his posse, who came to celebrate the tall Indian guy’s birthday. His girlfriend, was a petite blonde who was a gymnast when she was younger, and obviously rocked the high-​fall. And their friend, who wore flip-​flops, was equally as fearless as the rest of that group. Everyone was really on point.
This was definitely not the typical run-​of-​the-​mill weekend activity, but it was certainly memorable. The Unilocal deal was fantastic, at $ 30, we spent two hours at Hollywood stunts and left a little beat up and bruised from all the falls, but also scored a nice refrigerator dry-​erase magnet, FTW!
ANOTHER POINT OF INTEREST: This place is located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. And literally, around the corner at 60 Greenpoint Ave, is the very best pizzeria you’ll ever go to. If you decide you need to treat yourself after a high-​fall, please grab a delicious pie at Paulie Gee’s. You can thank me for the tip later!

OMG I’m only writing this review, because Unilocal keeps reminding me to do so.
The ad was misleading. It said I would jump off 5 stories and do trampoline work. In actuality, we never went near the trampoline and they said you’d have to come back to go over 3 stories.
That being said, it was still a ton of fun and a great date with my husband. I would totally go again if the deal presented itself.

I came here with a friend after purchasing a Zozi deal for a two hour high falls class. As others have mentioned, the alleyway to enter this place looks like a movie set, where the movie in question is about an apocalypse.
Our class was very small so the instructors (Aaron and Alexa) got right to it. They spent a few minutes discussing the three main rules for falling (always land on your back, always land flat, and let the air out of your lungs). We then spent 15 minutes practicing our falls on two mats at ground level.
From there, it was go time. There’s a giant 50+ foot platform with a small metal ladder on the side. Every ten feet there’s a platform so you choose how high you want to fall from.
It’s kind of nerve racking the first time, but the instructors were great. They made everyone feel comfortable, but also moved things along enough that no one had time to over think things.
The highest jump we did was 30 feet but it was still a big rush. In looking over other Unilocal reviews, it seems we were lucky to have a small class, since I did almost 20 jumps. I could see a long wait between falls being annoying. We did the 3 – 5 PM class… maybe that helped (the other is 11 – 1)
Other highlights included:
— Sitting on a bucket, then realizing it was full of movie fire gel and rushing to wash off my hands
— One girl getting scared and climbing down a tiny ladder rather than jump onto the biggest cushion of all time
— Re-​living my childhood by spending five minutes playing on the trampoline at the end
A great way to spend an afternoon, and it was under $ 40!

I never thought I’d say this in life, but I can now scratch «leap off a 3 story platform without injury» off my to-​do list in life. Thanks to this training center, I did so several times in fact!
Anthony F. and I, being members of that subset of the population who thinks leaping off of tall things is a lot of fun, opted to purchase the Unilocal deal that gave us 50% off the regular price of a 2-​hour long free fall class (I think it was $ 35 for a $ 70 class). We finally got around to using the deal this past Saturday, and I’m glad we did!
Things I learned during those two hours:
— when landing, resist the urge to hold your head up on impact… this is actually really hard
— the sensation of falling from 3 stories is nearly identical to the sensation of falling from just 1 story; my fiancée later reminded me «that’s gravity stupid, duh!»
— I never, ever want to live in Greenpoint. Ever. The street/​alley that this training center is located on looks identical to the backdrop of every zombie horror flick ever made.
— jumping from high places is FUN (well, I knew that one already)
My only complaint is that the class size. The group we were in was HUGE, and consequently, there was a LOT of downtime in between jumps. I think I only managed three of the «big» jumps, which was disappointing. I will say, though, that everyone in our group, whether they were afraid of heights or not (and there were a few who looked a little anxious) jumped over and over again. There was no time wasted on the person coming to the edge, then backing off, then coming up, then backing off, etc. So that was nice!
However, after the class was over the main instructor came over to me and said «that was good stuff, you should definitely come back.» Talk about an ego-​booster. I know how to fall from great heights! ;) All 3 instructors were great, good-​humored, and clearly knew their stuff.
Too bad I have no immediate plans to become a stunt person in the movies anytime soon.

«How was your weekend?»
«Oh you know, a little busy. Let’s see, I painted a room, ran a 10k, had some fun with friends, performed a suicide jump from a 3 story platform a couple times, OH and had some DELICIOUS pizza!!! Let me tell you, the pizza was damned good. Wait. Why are you staring at me like I’m crazy?»
Ok ok I’ll explain! No, I’m not mentally unstable (well…) or depressed, but yes I did execute a suicide jump. It’s ok though! I had professionals teach me how!: D
Yes indeed, thanks to the great discounts that are Unilocal Deals, Shea D. and I nabbed ourselves a $ 30 2 hour high fall training session at Hollywood Stunts in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. I’ve been stoked to try this out ever since Outdoor Bound Adventures utilized it when it was up in the Bronx.
Shea and I met up and walked to this very hidden location in Ghastly Greenpoint (seriously. I never come to Brooklyn. The one time I do and I see this zombie post apocalyptic landscape around West St).
After arrival, we locked up our goods and as soon as the rest of the group arrived we began. First up, some stretching. Next, the suicide jump practice. This took place on a platform about 4 feet off the ground, with mat about a foot below. While this was helpful in learning how to fall properly, the sheer size of the class limited everyone to 3 trial runs. I see other reviews got in 5 – 6, so we were limited on that.
After everyone had a go, they inflated the airbag, and it was time to leap from 20 and 30 foot platforms. Remembering the three rules about falling, I climbed up and took the plunge. It was like landing on a pillow. Such a blast!
Again, due to the size of the class, we were all limited to about 3 jumps. Ultimately this was ok because after landing on your head several times, you start to feel it. I developed a bit of a headache, which went away pretty soon after we left. I gotta say, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to land on your back (back of everything from your head to your feet). Natural instincts kick in and you want to hold your head forward. This results in whiplash, which both sucks and blows at the same exact time.
All in all, we had a fantastic time! The staff were extremely professional and very funny. Our group, while large, were all good people looking for a good time. Nobody wimped out or held everyone up when on the platform!
A few things to note, and this may be either Unilocal’s or Hollywood Stunts’
mistake, but what is advertised on the Unilocal deal and on the Stunt site isn’t entirely what you get.
For one, the Unilocal deal states you will be jumping from as high as 5 stories. This isn’t true. You get to 3 and that’s it. 5 is too high and too close to the ceiling for even some of the staff. Secondly, you don’t practice footfalls as the Stunt website says. It starts right from the suicide jump practice. This isn’t a problem since you get into it right away, but it’s harder to practice landing on your flat back with just 3 rounds. No trampoline work as stated in the Unilocal ad. Lastly, the stunt site says groups of up to 10, but there were easily 13 – 15 of us.
I would love to come back one day, but it would definitely have to be with another Unilocal or groupon deal. $ 70 is a bit steep for what we were given. $ 30 was perfect.

Hollywood Stunts is set on a shady lookin’ street in a shady lookin’ alley with a bunch of shuttered storage units, at least one onion purveyor, a lot of mud and quite a few stunt cars. And although I have balls of steel, I maneuvered the journey with the idea firmly planted in my mind that at any minute, some gungslingin’ comic book mobsters would erupt from one of the storage units… turns out, this particular day, they decided to stay in their secret hideouts… WHEW!
The high-​fall class was quite enjoyable. Held in a large warehouse, the three high fall classes I observed ranged in size from 6 to 15. Naturally, if you are in a smaller class, you’ll get more jumps! Keep that in mind when you’re booking!
In the beginning of the class, would-​be baller fallers practice landing flat on their backs on a low mat. After ~30 minutes, the class graduates to the first high-​fall platform, and the real fun begins. Adept fallers will even get to go up another level to the next platform, but this depends on how each participant is doing. The facility takes safety very seriously, even checking and adjusting the mats between each fall, so rest assured!
PARTING THOUGHT: In addition to offering fun and novel weekend afternoon activities, Hollywood Stunts happens to be located in Greenpoint, a famous Polish neighborhood, so going to class is great excuse to sample some authentic pierogies, kielbasa and borscht!