45 Years of Cinelease Cinelease has served the Film and Television Industry for over 40 years, since 1977. The company was established as a mom-and-pop operation that quickly expanded into a nationwide company with multiple locations and is now owned by a fortune 1000 company, Herc Rentals. Cinelease provides the highest level of service, best quality of products and relentless support to their customers. Our rich history is due in part to our incredible team and leadership including Joe Ball, who has been instrumental in the Cinelease heritage and legacy.
history of Cinelease since ‘77
1977
1990
Establishment Read More
1985
1997
1992
2007
Chris Rogers Hired
The King of Lighting
Hollywood Star Program
Audax Equity
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1991
1994
2006
Herc Entertainment Services
First TV Show: 90210
Owners Handoff
Purchase of Canadian Company
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history of Cinelease since ‘77
2012
2015
Herc Rentals Acquired CL Partnership Read More
2009
2021
2019
Community
Herc Rentals Purchased Cinelease
HES Acquires Dwight Crane & LRX
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2014
Headquarters Established
Safety For Sarah
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2016 Herc Rentals Becomes an Independent Company Read More
2020 Launched Cinelease Studios Read More
2022
45 Years of Cinelease Read More
establishment of cinelease
1977 Cinelease was born through the humble beginnings of a small lighting and grip company founded in the garage of a mom-and-pop business, operating with eight employees.
Chris Rogers was Hired
1990 Chris started as a driver with Cinelease, serving the set of Beverly Hills 90210. It didn’t take long for his talents and knowledge of the industry to enable him grow into a leadership role at Cinelease. His relationships and foresight have helped position Cinelease where it is today, as the gold standard for lighting and grip.
Herc Entertainment Services
Served the First TV Show
1985
1991
The majority of film sets were served by heavy equipment painted bright orange or yellow because the equipment providers primarily served the construction industry. A pivotal moment was when Herc Rentals began tailoring their heavy equipment to directly serve the film and entertainment market. Herc Entertainment Services made a critical change to their inventory for the film, Back to the Future. This was the first time a film was supplied with matte black heavy equipment for the production. Historically a gaffer was hired to tape up the bright orange herc equipment so light wouldn’t get reflected on set.
Serving 90210 represented a major pivotal moment for cinelease because rather than just serving movies, they began to service shows that had multiple seasons. This recurring work let to major growth of their business, inventory, and was a key growth strategy.
Introducing the King of Lighting
1992 Acquiring the talented Joe Ball and bringing him onto the Cinelease team was a gamechanger for the company. With extensive connections within the industry, Cinelease was able to increase its client base and build new relationships and expand its network.
Owner’s Handoff
1994 Historical earthquake disrupted business and led to a restructuring of the company. Cinelease decided it was finally time to make a big leap forward by bringing on more staff, a sales team, and more gear and equipment.
Hollywood star program for staff legacy
1997 Any Cinelease staff member that worked at the company for more than 20 years received an authentic Hollywood star - the same type that are on the Hollywood walk of fame! (pics)
Purchase of Canadian company
2006 In 2006, Cinelease acquired a Canadian company which doubled the inventory stock and enabled the company to continue growing.
Audax Equity
Herc Rentals acquired CL partnership
2007 Cinelease was propelled into an industry leader, expanding from supplying a handful of television shows at a time, to supplying more than 30 shows during a single pilot season.
HQ was established
2009 Cinelease’s inventory outgrew their space, pushing the company to relocate to where they are today, beneath their iconic sign that can be seen from miles away.
2012 There were massive changes in the industry and new players in the lighting and grip world began entering the scene. With new competition entering the market Cinelease had to make some strategic changes to how they did business.
Safety for Sarah
2014 In the wake of a tragedy on set, a robust foundation was created: The Sarah Jones Foundation raises https://www.safetyforsarah.com/the-foundation, also known as Safety for Sarah.
Community
Herc Rentals Purchased Cinelease
2015 • • •
Cinelease Influences in Film Schools and University programs Involvement in the ASC Donations to filmmakers
Herc Rentals Becomes an Independent Company
2016 Historically, Hertz owned Herc Rentals, but in 2016 the two companies split, enabling Herc Rentals to become its own company. This critical moment paved the way for the future of Herc Rentals and Herc Entertainment Services, positioning it to become Cinelease’s parent company.
2019 Herc Rentals became the parent company for Cinelease after years of the two companies working side by side. This acquisition was a mutually beneficial, transformative decision that set the tone for the future of the collective company and the communities they serve.
Launched Cinelease Studios
2020 Cinelease combined their decades of lighting and grip experience with the heavy equipment and pro solutions from their new parent company Herc Entertainment Services, and began also offering purpose-built studio spaces for creatives to participate in a full service filmmaking experience.
hes acquires dwight crane & lrx
2021 In late 2021, Herc Entertainment Services purchased Dwight Crane and LRX leaders in the heavy equipment and lighting industries in Canada. This acquisition expands the inventory of specialty lighting and grip equipment it can offer to clients in the United States, along with safety equipment and specialty assets specifically designed for the film and entertainment industry.
45 years of cinelease
2022 This year marks Cinelease’s 45th anniversary! It’s a proud moment to have served the industry and grown from humble beginnings of a mom-and-pop shop to being owned by a Fortune 1000 company with over X employees in X states. Amidst all the changes one thing has remained the same: a culture of being a family-oriented business with a strong sense of community. The Cinelease team is more than just co-workers, it’s a family that loves to serve the filmmaking and entertainment industry.
our heritage
cinelease culture
our values
From our inception, we’ve prided ourselves on the knowledge, commitment, and service of all our team members. The average Cinelease employee has a decade of experience with the company so you’re sure to be dealing with not only highly-trained professionals, but experts in their fields. We continue to show up for our community through our ongoing presence in industry events including film festivals, live events, Professional Associations, and awarding production grants to up and coming filmmakers around the world.
At Cinelease, we pride ourselves on being exemplary in providing the highest level of service, best quality of products, and exceptional support to our customers. Our number one priority is ensuring that each and every customer has the best possible experience with our expert team. After more than 40 years of servicing thousands of feature films, television productions, commercials, music videos and pilots, we’ve earned our place as the choice for the top independent studios across the country.
JOE BALL THE KING OF LIGHTING
valued members of cinelease
“We’ve built the business on giving great service and that’s what I’ve always focused on more than anything.”
CHRIS RODGERS HEAD OF MARKETING “Cinelease has been in the fabric of the film community for 40-plus years. Our brand has always been based on our commitment to our clients. You don’t get the kind of sustainable growth Cinelease has experienced without the type of reputation we’ve built. We’re always helping our customers the best we possibly can.”
STEVE SPALDING DIRECTOR OF EAST COAST SALES “I love that Cinelease is a family operation. One of the coolest things I will brag about is that we have second generation warehouse managers. I remember some of these kids riding around on tricycles, so I’m super proud of that.”
MIKE NUDGE ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE “TBD”
CRYSTAL MARSHALL
GARY PAZ
TITLE
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
“Even though we’ve grown beyond a mom-and-pop business, we’re still a family company.
“Our employees have such a devotion and commitment to the company. We have such
We’re still the same people, that if you’ve been in the industry for decades, you’ve dealt with forever.”
STEVE ORTIZ GENERAL MANAGER “We stand alone in the fact that we can provide more services than any of our competitors. With Herc Entertainment, we can offer the full gamut of services. You come to us and we can take care of it all. No one else in the industry can do that.”
longevity with our employees. We have a tremendous amount of trust, skill, and ability that brings us all together and why Cinelease is such a great company.”
DANNY PAZ TITLE “We’re a tight-knit group that always provides the absolute best for our customers. Yes we do lighting, but it’s truly much more than that.”