Production gear rental clearinghouse ShareGrid is adding a new Pro tier to its formerly indie-focused offering, allowing large commercial and studio productions to solicit bids on gear packages from more than 20 rental houses.
The company said a new centralized bidding and booking system will allow production managers to fill out a short form including a list of the equipment they need to rent for a show. A project dashboard will display incoming bids in real time and allow follow-up communication and booking with rental houses. Bud requests can be made anonymously.
Check-out takes place online via credit card or PO, with additional communication handled directly with the rental house. Users can upload their own insurance documents, or will have the option to buy insurance through ShareGrid. ShareGrid serves as a single agent for all of the represented rental houses, eliminating the need to set up a separate account with each new vendor.
ShareGrid Pro marketing video
ShareGrid, which bills itself as a “peer-to-peer rental service” for smaller productions, said it found common ground with vendors as it developed a sophisticated, centralized platform for equipment rentals. “The past year has brought ShareGrid and rental houses together because we need each other,” said James Keblas, ShareGrid’s director of business development, in a prepared statement. “ShareGrid knows how to build the best digital marketplace, while rental houses know how to provide the best gear service. This partnership was inevitable.”
ShareGrid Pro is available now with a minimum order of $2,000. Participating rental houses include Brainbox Cameras, CFG, CinemaWorks, Death Grip Electric, Deck Hand Camera, EVS, F22 Studios, Freestyle Filmworks, Lightstone Rentals, On the Mark, Pro HD Rentals, Rare Breeds, Spekilor, and Stray Angel Films in Los Angeles and Du-All Camera, Cinema-Vision, CSI Rentals, Focus Gear, JMR, K&M Rentals, and Production Junction in New York.
ShareGrid Pro: www.sharegrid.com
