ShareGrid, a company that three years ago made its name in the film gear business with its indie style peer-to-peer rental service, is shaking things up again with a radical new approach to sourcing gear. They are calling it ShareGrid PRO and this time it’s aimed at serving large commercial and studio productions.
“This is very different kind of gear rental experience,” said ShareGrid’s CEO Marius Ciocirlan. “This new tool is designed specifically for the gear needs of large productions.”
The magic of ShareGrid PRO comes from the company joining forces with over twenty rental houses who will give quotes in a real-time bidding platform to supply all the gear for a company’s upcoming production.
“PRO is a producer’s dream tool” said Brett Blake, a Los Angeles based freelance producer. “It removes so many steps in the process of getting rental quotes and shopping around to work with new rental houses. I loved using it.”
Producers save time and money
ShareGrid PRO is a new patent-pending, centralized bidding and booking system. Production managers can submit their gear requests in under two minutes at www.sharegrid.com/pro. Each request is automatically turned into a project dashboard to view the returning bids, message rental agents, make changes, share with their team, and instantly book the gear. No more email threads.
Once a bid is selected, the client can checkout with their insurance and credit card or purchase-order already on file. Productions then communicate directly with the rental house by phone, sms, email or through the web to arrange pickup and prep. No additional payment authorization forms, contracts, or separate communications are needed. No need to manage multiple accounts since ShareGrid serves as the agent for all the rental houses.
An unrivaled value proposition
Production companies benefit from ShareGrid PRO because they get the combination of one-stop digital convenience, choice, and the reliable service of a brick-and-mortar rental house. ShareGrid PRO does not require any fees, contracts, or disclosure of the project and company details. Production companies only pay the price of the bid they select.
“ShareGrid PRO ensures productions are getting the best deal,” said Ciocirlan.
Through ShareGrid PRO, a rental house’s service, price, available gear, location, and reputation are compared and evaluated so production managers can easily choose the best deal for their projects. Once they find what they like, they can book it with a click.
“ShareGrid PRO was born out of necessity,” said Ciocirlan. “This is what producers have consistently asked us for. Many industries are changing rapidly with new tools and services, it’s important for all of us who supply film gear to change too.”
Rental houses get new business
Once seen as unlikely allies, ShareGrid and rental houses have more recently found a symbiotic relationship. “The past year has brought ShareGrid and rental houses together because we need each other,” says James Keblas, ShareGrid’s Director of Business Development. “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 has done a great job evolving their platform to benefit professional rental houses, specifically in the growing marketplace” said Suren Seron, owner of Stray Angel Films, an integrated rental house in West LA. “They have added badges, filters, fraud detection and other services that give us much more visibility to the community. PRO is the culmination of years of marketplace experience and was the logical outcome for a true online rental platform and professional rental house partnership. We view it as a promising and very valuable sales tool for growing rental houses like ours. This brings in more business and gives us a competitive advantage through increased visibility to key decision makers at established production companies, MCNs, studios, and major content platforms.”
Brent Barbano, Los Angeles based cinematographer and ShareGrid Co-Founder described ShareGrid PRO as, “giving rental houses the ability to focus on service. Great service is the differentiator in this business. Most of the gear is the same, what rental houses provide that is special is service; being there when equipment goes down, taking proper care of their gear, and being the best at their craft.” Brent jokingly added, “We are forming the Justice League of gear rentals.”
