Lightnin

What Lightnin does

Lightnin Production Rentals, Inc. (DBA Lightnin/Lightnin') is a privately held, family-owned equipment rental company that supplies specialized trailers, trucks, and power generation to film and television productions across the United States. Founded by the Lewis family in Atlanta in 1975 as a truck rental business, the company entered the motion picture industry in 1979 and has since accumulated IMDB credits on more than 1,200 films. Its core product lines include honeywagons (mobile restroom/changing facilities), hair/makeup and wardrobe trailers, star trailers for talent accommodations, camera department trucks and trailers, support trucks (stakebeds, tractors, box trucks), and generators ranging from 500 to 1800 AMP. A proprietary Thunderbolt Solar Hybrid line integrates solar panels, large battery banks, energy-efficient appliances, and split-unit air conditioning to reduce on-set generator use. Star trailers are custom-designed in-house and manufactured under an exclusive arrangement with a leading U.S. trailer manufacturer, while hair/makeup/wardrobe units are designed and built in-house.

The company operates a direct-to-production rental motion, with equipment delivered, set up, and supported on location by full-time mobile service technicians — a capability it identifies as unique in the industry. Three offices anchor the geographic footprint: a 25,000-square-foot headquarters and maintenance facility in Lawrenceville, Georgia; a New York office in College Point (Queens); and a West Coast office in Santa Clarita, California. Pricing is quote-based and varies by equipment type and rental duration (3 days to 3 months), with no publicly disclosed rate sheet. Headcount is stated at 80+ staff across locations, and revenue, fleet size, and rental utilization are not disclosed in the source material.

Customer focus is concentrated in the film and television production vertical, with commercial and video productions as a secondary segment. Marketing relies on industry reputation, direct relationships, the IMDB company page, and on-site 360 virtual equipment tours. Lightnin has not raised institutional funding, made acquisitions, or disclosed any AI/ML capability, software platform, or data-driven offering; the competitive position rests on a specialized capital-intensive fleet, brand longevity, exclusive manufacturing partnership, and on-location service depth rather than software or AI differentiation.

Name

Lightnin

Legal name

Lightnin Production Rentals, Inc.

Website

https://lightnin.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Lightnin Production Rentals is a privately held, family-owned U.S. company that rents specialized trailers, camera trucks, generators, and production support vehicles to film, television, and commercial productions from offices in Atlanta, New York, and Los Angeles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film and Television Production Equipment Rental

NAICS

Other Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment Rental and Leasing (532490)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819), Truck Trailers (3715)

akta.pro primary industry

Production Vehicles & Transportation (Trucks, Trailers, Drivers) (MPADAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Set Operations & Facilities Support (Power, Generators, Site Services) (MPADAFAF), Camera, Grip & Lighting Equipment Rental (MPADAFAB)

Keywords

• Production equipment rental
• Film industry trailers
• Honeywagon rental
• Star trailer rental
• Camera truck rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Lawrenceville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Equipment Rental: Rental of production equipment including honeywagons, star trailers, camera trucks, generators, trucks, makeup/wardrobe trailers, and other production support vehicles. Equipment is rented for varying durations from days to months.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Lightnin Production Rentals rents a specialized fleet of trailers, trucks, and power generation equipment directly to film and television production companies for use on location. Offerings include honeywagons (mobile restrooms/offices), hair/makeup and wardrobe trailers, star trailers, camera trucks (8–10 ton), production/office trailers, support vehicles (stakebeds, tractors, box trucks), and generators (500–1800 AMP), along with full-service delivery, setup, preventative maintenance, and 24/7 mobile field technician support.

Product overview

Lightnin Production Rentals is a film and television production equipment rental company offering a comprehensive fleet of rental trailers and trucks. The portfolio consists of multiple product categories: Honeywagons (mobile restroom/changing facilities), Hair/Makeup & Wardrobe Trailers (professional styling stations), Star Trailers (luxury talent accommodations including the flagship Tempest Solar Hybrid), Camera Department equipment (camera trucks and trailers from 28' to 48'), Trucks & Generators (support vehicles and power equipment from 500-1800 AMP), Thunderbolt Solar Hybrid series (eco-friendly solar-powered variants of their star trailers), and Production/Office Trailers. The company manufactures custom-designed trailers through exclusive arrangements with leading trailer manufacturers. Service offerings include full-time mobile service units, metal fabrication, and detailing. The product line ranges from affordable standard configurations to luxurious top-tier options, with solar/eco-friendly technology as a differentiating feature in their Thunderbolt Solar Hybrid series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Honeywagons

Quantifiable outcome

• 35+ years of continuous operation serving the film industry
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Nation's Leading Trailer Manufacturer (Unnamed)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLightnin's star trailers are custom designed by Lightnin and manufactured by one of the nation's leading trailer manufacturers through an exclusive arrangement with Lightnin. This exclusive manufacturing partnership enables Lightnin to maintain quality control while leveraging specialized manufacturing capabilities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Panavision: Largest provider of camera, lens, and production equipment to the motion picture industry. While primarily camera-focused, Panavision's full-service production support model overlaps with Lightnin's premium service positioning for major studio productions.
• Bexel (Clair Global): Broad-based broadcast and film production equipment rental provider (now part of Clair Global) offering cameras, audio, and production support. Overlaps with Lightnin in production rentals but operates at much larger scale across multiple equipment categories.
• ARRI Rental: Global camera and lighting equipment rental arm of ARRI serving major film and episodic productions. Overlaps with Lightnin's camera-truck and production-support offering at the high end of the market.
• Keslow Camera: Major camera and production equipment rental house serving film and television. Competes for the same high-end production customers as Lightnin, though focused on camera systems rather than talent/support trailers.

Direct peers

• Sticks and Stones: Production support equipment rental company serving film/TV productions with a comparable fleet of specialty trailers and support vehicles. Directly competes with Lightnin for production rental contracts.
• Cinequipt: Film and television equipment rental company based in Minneapolis serving productions across the Midwest and beyond. Comparable production equipment rental offerings including cameras, lighting, and support gear for feature and episodic work.
• MBS Equipment Company: Long-established West Coast film production equipment rental company offering camera trucks, production trailers, and support vehicles. Direct competitor to Lightnin's core camera-truck and trailer rental business, especially across LA productions.
• Otto Nemenz: Camera and production equipment rental house in Los Angeles serving major film and television productions. Direct competitor in the production rental space with overlapping high-end customer base.

Emerging players

• Hand-Held Films: Specialty camera and stabilization rental provider serving feature film and television productions. Niche overlap with Lightnin's camera-department offering, particularly for productions seeking smaller-format or specialty camera packages.

Regional players

• East Coast Lighting & Grip: East Coast-based lighting and grip rental company serving film and television productions in the Northeast corridor. Geographic overlap with Lightnin's New York operations and adjacent equipment categories.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Lightnin-Production-Rentals-311364545562

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lightnin