First Call Crew

Entertainment Production Servicesfirstcall.co.uk

First Call Crew provides skilled freelance technicians, in-house scenic construction with CAD design, and secure container storage to the UK entertainment and event industries from its 10,000 sqft Northamptonshire workshop, serving theatre, film, television, and live event clients.

Company typePrivate
Founded2017
HeadquartersWeedon Beck, United Kingdom
Headcount101–250
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What First Call Crew does

First Call Crew is a UK-based private limited company founded in 2017 that provides integrated production support services to the entertainment and event industries. The company operates three interconnected service lines: crew provision (skilled technicians and production carpenters, primarily on a freelance basis), scenic production (full-service set design, fabrication, and installation), and secure container storage for sets and equipment. Its client base spans theatre companies, film and television productions, live event organisers, and experiential projects, with a geographic focus on England and self-claimed UK-wide reach.

The company's technical capability is anchored by a 10,000 sqft fully equipped workshop at its Eastcote, Northamptonshire headquarters, supporting in-house metal fabrication, carpentry, electrical integration, and specialist scenic finishes, complemented by 2D and 3D CAD design workflows. A small core team of approximately eight named staff - including the founder, General Manager, Workshop Manager, Operations Manager, and technicians - is augmented by a network of freelance technicians. Notable delivered projects include the Imagination scenic build for Cunard's Queen Anne cruise ship, the Cable Street set at Southwark Playhouse (2024), The Government Inspector at Marylebone Theatre, and a clinical-precision white stage box for The White Factory (2023-2024).

First Call Crew generates revenue through professional services engagements (crew and scenic production, project-based pricing) and storage rentals (from £35 per week for 20ft containers). The company pursues a direct B2B sales model targeting production managers and event coordinators via phone, email, and website inquiry, supplemented by organic social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. The business is founder-owned by Oli (Oliver Patterson), with no external investors, private equity, or parent company identified in the source material.

First Call Crew firmographics

Firmographics

Name: First Call Crew
Legal name: First Call Crew Ltd.
Website: https://firstcall.co.uk
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2017
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 101–250 employees
Short description: First Call Crew provides skilled freelance technicians, in-house scenic construction with CAD design, and secure container storage to the UK entertainment and event industries from its 10,000 sqft Northamptonshire workshop, serving theatre, film, television, and live event clients.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

First Call Crew industry classification

Industry

Product category: Entertainment Production Services
NAICS: Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)
SIC: Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
akta.pro primary industry: Event Technical Production Management & Crew (MPAGAKAH)
akta.pro secondary industries: Crew & Labor Services (Production Staff, Unions, Payroll) (MPADAFAA), Set Construction Shops & Millwork Facilities (MPADAIAE), Event Stagehands & Production Support Crew (HSACAEAJ)

Keywords

Event production services
Scenic construction
Theatre crew staffing
Set fabrication
Live event technicians

Where First Call Crew is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Weedon Beck
HQ country: United Kingdom
HQ region: Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

First Call Crew business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Crew Services: Providing skilled technicians/crew for theatre, film, television, live events, and experiential projects. Crew work on freelance basis.
Scenic Production: Full-service set and scenery construction from concept through installation, including metal fabrication, carpentry, electrical integration, and scenic finishes.
Storage Services: Secure storage facility with bespoke locking system for sets and equipment. Pricing from £35 per week for 20ft containers.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Unit Pricing	Weekly	20ft Storage Container

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

First Call Crew product offering

Product offering

Core offering

First Call Crew provides an all-in-one solution for the entertainment and event industries, supplying skilled freelance technicians and production carpenters, full-service set and scenery construction using 2D/3D CAD design and an in-house 10,000 sqft fabrication workshop, and secure container storage for sets and equipment. The company delivers production support from concept to completion for theatre, film, television, and live event clients across the UK.

Product overview

First Call Crew is an all-in-one entertainment and event production services company founded in 2017, offering three interconnected services: Crew (skilled technicians and production carpenters), Scenery (custom set construction with CAD design and in-house fabrication), and Storage (secure container storage). The company serves film, television, live events, and experiential projects, providing production support from concept to completion with a 10,000 sqft workshop enabling comprehensive in-house scenery production and fabrication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Crew
Scenery
Storage

Quantifiable outcome

2017 crewing debut successful, industry recognised by 2019

Companies that use First Call Crew

Customer profile

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

First Call Crew technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

First Call Crew partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

First Call Crew competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Hawthorn: UK event production services company providing crew, technical equipment, and production support for corporate events, live experiences, and theatrical productions. Directly comparable in B2B event crew and production services, though larger scale and broader corporate event focus.
Brilliant Stages: UK scenic/set construction company serving theatre, film, television, and live events. Operates in-house fabrication facilities for sets and scenic elements, directly overlapping with First Call Crew's workshop-based scenic production offering.
Stage One: UK scenic construction company building sets and structures for theatre, opera, and live events. Directly comparable to First Call Crew's scenery division — both provide fabricated scenic builds for major UK productions and operate in-house workshops for design and fabrication.
SFL Group: UK provider of audio, lighting, video, and staging services for events and entertainment productions. Comparable in delivering technical crew and production infrastructure to live events, with overlap in corporate event and theatrical client base.
Unusual Rigging: UK rigging, lifting, and engineering services company for the entertainment industry. Comparable to First Call Crew in serving theatre, live events, and broadcast clients with technical production support, though specialized in rigging rather than general crew or scenic construction.
Set Can Do: UK scenic construction company building custom sets for theatre, television, and live events. Directly comparable to First Call Crew's scenic and set construction division, serving similar UK production clients.

Broad incumbents

Neg Earth Lights: UK-based lighting and rigging rental company serving live events, concerts, theatre, and broadcast. Comparable in providing production crew and technical services for live entertainment, with deeper specialization in lighting rental.
White Light: Established UK provider of lighting, audio, video, and production services for theatre, live events, and broadcast. Larger and broader portfolio than First Call Crew, but overlapping significantly in theatre and live-event production support — a key competitive incumbent in the same customer base.
PRG (Production Resource Group): Global entertainment production services company with UK operations, providing crew, equipment, and scenic support across theatre, film, broadcast, and live events. A much larger incumbent with broader geographic footprint that competes for the same enterprise customer relationships.

Regional players

Total Event Solutions: UK event production services company providing crew, equipment, and staging for corporate events and exhibitions. Comparable in the crew-for-events segment, with a corporate event focus that overlaps with First Call Crew's live events and experiential customer segment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

First Call Crew financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

First Call Crew leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

First Call Crew funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

First Call Crew M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about First Call Crew

What does First Call Crew do?

Is First Call Crew a public or private company?

First Call Crew is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was First Call Crew founded?

First Call Crew was founded in 2017. It employs 101 to 250 people.

Where is First Call Crew based?

First Call Crew is headquartered in Weedon Beck, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.

How does First Call Crew make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Crew Services are the primary driver. The others are scenic Production and storage Services.

Who are First Call Crew's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Hawthorn, Brilliant Stages, Stage One, SFL Group, Unusual Rigging and Set Can Do. Broad incumbents are Neg Earth Lights, White Light and PRG (Production Resource Group). Total Event Solutions is listed as a regional player.

Does First Call Crew have an API?

No public API is recorded for First Call Crew.

What industry is First Call Crew in?

First Call Crew's product category is Entertainment Production Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAKAH, Event Technical Production Management & Crew, with a secondary code of MPADAFAA, Crew & Labor Services (Production Staff, Unions, Payroll). Its NAICS code is 51211 and its SIC code is 7812.