Renting Gear

[Footer]

Being in the midwest (chicago area), the company's we have aren't anywhere else. We have PRG, but the really don't do all that much in this area, I don't think that have that large of a shop here. Upstaging will give you great prices if they don't have a ton of tours out (they practically give stuff away if the warehouse is full. ILC is great if you need short term rentals, their gear is in great shape.

 

[soundman]

PRG's shop in Chicago is just an office, no real shop.

 

[Footer]

PRG's shop in Chicago is just an office, no real shop.

Thats what I thought, I couldn't remember.

 

[Kelite]

<Think about it, if I owned a small but growing interior design, or painting, or wall papering, etc.... what great advertising it would be to wall paper the set, or decorate it, or paint it, and have thousands of people see it. Place a nice ad in the playbill, or at least an insert, and everyone will know it is your work. >

This is truly 'Marketing 101' at it's finest and most original form, Tom. I would however steer away from any notion that this is 'free' labor, as your time/gear traded for advertising has dollar value. (Please forgive me if this sounds 'preachy', but your time and expertise has solid value, and we don't want anyone to get a hint this is 'free'.)




Great direction to go with your advertising Tom-

 

[Pie4Weebl]

<Think about it, if I owned a small but growing interior design, or painting, or wall papering, etc.... what great advertising it would be to wall paper the set, or decorate it, or paint it, and have thousands of people see it. Place a nice ad in the playbill, or at least an insert, and everyone will know it is your work. >
This is truly 'Marketing 101' at it's finest and most original form, Tom. I would however steer away from any notion that this is 'free' labor, as your time/gear traded for advertising has dollar value. (Please forgive me if this sounds 'preachy', but your time and expertise has solid value, and we don't want anyone to get a hint this is 'free'.)

Great direction to go with your advertising Tom-

Reminds me of an american dad episode where Stan gets a guy with a recking ball to crush some kids trailer and stan asks how much he owes and the guy claims he is just doing it for the advertising and to tell his friends. To which stan responds well how are you ever going to make any money?

 

[stantonsound]

Ok, we are officially WAY off topic, but I like where this is going.

I agree that a person's labor is not "free". When the money that you bring home depends on how well your business does, labor is unfortunately a commodity that is parted with at a small cost. The start up of a business means that you must work long and hard or it will not be successful. You trade time now, when it is starting, for time later when the business is more established. An established business still requires work and time, but I know very few established business owners that spend weekend nights 40' off the stage rigging truss for someone else's show to make a few extra dollars. I spent HOURS this past holiday weekend sitting on my back porch putting more than 200 stage pin connectors on 1,200 feet of SO cable to get it ready for a 6 month rental. (48 twofers!!!).

Yes, the labor is not free, but it is required. If I can spend 10-12 hours working for half price, and get at least $1,000 worth of good advertising....in my opinion it is worth it. It makes it even more sweet when I do get 3 or 4 more jobs because of that one and am able to make a good income.

I was talking to the owner of a lighting shop that I know and we were discussing how we got started. He does about, well...a lot of money..., in rental a year, plus sales, installs, tours, etc.... He was saying that he started in NYC where he rented a small warehouse space and slept on a mattress on a shelf in the back for over two years. He got jobs putting plugs on cables, soldering socapex, and cutting color for other companies and would do that after the shop closed for the night to try to make his business successful.

I agree that labor is not free, but it doesn't cost me anything. When it coses $2,800 to advertise in the yellow pages, $1000 to be listed on a playbill in town, Google advertising costs at least $300 a month, $1000 to be a member of the chamber of commerce, etc.... me working for 10 hours or so doesn't cost me anything out of my pocket.

 

[Logos]

I'm with you on this one. I don't do jobs for free I do them for goodwill and exposure, and I don't necessarily count the hours I spend making sure that every piece of equipment that goes into a job is working, safe, and clean.

 

[ship]

Wow...
I understand that cost and availability are factors, but if you were to need them right now, how do you get them?

That's where a large calling list and letting one's fingers do the walking comes in handy. Have a full timer where I work that in addition to just buying gear where it's most cost effective, spends most of his time calling anyone from PRG thru a Ma and Pa operation in securing what gear is needed. He will call anyone around the country if not even world in securing what's necessary for a show and ensuring it's where it needs to be on-time and in operating condition. This is in addition to any number of three or four others where I work including me that will contact our sources and get what's needed. Believe me, at times it gets frustrating in at times not even even able to find a simple lamp base locally, but it's part of what makes you in doing your job worth your pay in making that show go on. You do what you need even to the extent of going to the top of where ever you need in if not this time, next time having a contact that can get somewhere with a potential supplier.

You as such a person that secures the gear certain first places your call. Than your place the next call and the next as often more efficient than E-Mail. This or you IM those you know will instantly respond. You find your gear necessary hopefully local, if not you get it anyway. That's your job, welcome to the newest challange of your career. Sitting at a desk can be fun even if at times more frustrating.

Prior Planning Presents Piss Poor Preformance dont' help at times but will in the long run once your efforts have results get you better into the loop of planning such stuff. Until than, more work on your part will with time be recognized as long as you have results. Stick with it in getting them.

Sorry that at times unless with a known company you don't get much attention. Way too many problems with those that don't know what they are doing abusing the gear in it now costing more to loan out than sit on if available. Where I work, unless we know of the company or even the specific tech person using the gear, often that company looking will also get turned down or at very least initially get a not so nice price in compensating for this lack of knowing them.

Having accounts all over the place helps, as does Corporate American Express card or what ever is the latest in getting what you want absolutely paid for. Beyond this, just contacts similar to what you established on the job site will within the industry often get you hints while calling about as to who has what, and or recommendations to others that you are trusted.

With time it no doubt will be easier.

On the other hand, in what you get don't trust any of it unless as with you in renting from them establish a reputation, you also establish a reputation from those you rent from. IN other words, plan extra time into prepping what gear you rent into your schedule beyond what time you plan into prepping your own gear. Beyond cob webs inside Lekos that really realistically will be at times sent out at some places, at other times there will be even more major problems such as say a moving light that beyond just having a snowballed lamp to be replaced, will need a major service call and parts replaced so as to make it function.

Also controllers in general could mean many things and in some plalces gear suitible from one supplier might not be suitible in places that strictly follow the NEC. Could happen in planning for getting stuff not just on time but early.

 

[ship]

Ok, we are officially WAY off topic, but I like where this is going.
I agree that a person's labor is not "free". When the money that you bring home depends on how well your business does, labor is unfortunately a commodity that is parted with at a small cost. The start up of a business means that you must work long and hard or it will not be successful. You trade time now, when it is starting, for time later when the business is more established. An established business still requires work and time, but I know very few established business owners that spend weekend nights 40' off the stage rigging truss for someone else's show to make a few extra dollars. I spent HOURS this past holiday weekend sitting on my back porch putting more than 200 stage pin connectors on 1,200 feet of SO cable to get it ready for a 6 month rental. (48 twofers!!!).
Yes, the labor is not free, but it is required. If I can spend 10-12 hours working for half price, and get at least $1,000 worth of good advertising....in my opinion it is worth it. It makes it even more sweet when I do get 3 or 4 more jobs because of that one and am able to make a good income.
I was talking to the owner of a lighting shop that I know and we were discussing how we got started. He does about, well...a lot of money..., in rental a year, plus sales, installs, tours, etc.... He was saying that he started in NYC where he rented a small warehouse space and slept on a mattress on a shelf in the back for over two years. He got jobs putting plugs on cables, soldering socapex, and cutting color for other companies and would do that after the shop closed for the night to try to make his business successful.
I agree that labor is not free, but it doesn't cost me anything. When it coses $2,800 to advertise in the yellow pages, $1000 to be listed on a playbill in town, Google advertising costs at least $300 a month, $1000 to be a member of the chamber of commerce, etc.... me working for 10 hours or so doesn't cost me anything out of my pocket.

Well stated and put! Effort put out however at some point no matter if free or reasonable gets back to you in this general concept of establishing your name. After that, it's all your reputation and that of the company you establish in it's future reputation. Screwed up cable no matter how cheap won't go far, nor will screwed up cable no matter how expensive. Reputation in those doing things to ge establishd or those already dependable are a factor.

In calling, it can be a question of if you are building your cables this weekend (sorry, been there done that) or if you already have them in stock as per a capital investment. Even as per a theater, a rental of 10x more platforms than we owned at one point became a question of cost effectiveness in saying no verses the overall rental in it being cost effective to build them given money coming in, and future use for them. This given labor was for free initially as a concept but did get paid for in production use with time. As per reasonable cost of the cable, the rental one might expect will not loose money, it is just the concept of startup costs in expanding the inventory now verses later.