Expanding into the US market, UK-based rental facility Procam has bought camera rental house HotCam New York.
Making claims to be the UK’s largest camera rental facility, Procam plans to offer expanded products and more extensive services out of Hotcam NY’s W. 37th St. offices. Procam says the deal immediately expands the services they can offer UK customers shooting in the states. Meanwhile, producers in New York who plan to shoot in the UK can quickly setup rentals in Procam’s houses in Britain and Scotland.
Procam has embarked on rapid expansion: beside plans to expand HotCam New York’s offerings in the US, Procam will move into “new territories” through further acquisitions over the next 12 to 24 months.
“HotCam New York is an established business, with a great team and a solid base of camera equipment, that will now benefit from significant investment by Procam,” says Procam Group CEO John Brennan.
Targeting the New York television production community, Brennan went on to state that HotCam NY would be adding on significant amounts of gear, including digital cinema cameras that (have) traditionally been reserved for moviemakers. Other enhancements will enable the company to expand further into supporting more high-end dramas and feature productions, according to Brennan.
An extensive range of services to be offered by HotCam New York will mirror that provided by Procam’s UK offices. New capabilities will include camera system and crew rental, project management, workflow consultancy and training for TV drama, features, commercials, branded and VoD content.
HotCam NY has recently provided camera systems to The Tonight Show and Dynamo : Magician Impossible among other productions.
The Procam UK team shooting ‘Made In Chelsea’ about that other Chelsea across the pond.
Procam has been expanding in the UK with purchases of Hammerhead TV and the lens service and manufacturing facility True Lens Services. The company’s rental houses are in London, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Procam looks to be responding in part to the surge in UK production over the past year. Since the UK put in place more expansive tax credits for film, high-end television, and animation in 2013, production jumped some 35% in 2014 to $2.2 billion US, the highest recorded figure ever.
Commenting on the sale of HotCam NY, former Hotcam US founders and owners Ali Grapes and Trevor Hotz commented, “We are both extremely proud of our US legacy and agree that it’s now time for us to evolve a new work dynamic.”
