Big City Sets

What Big City Sets does

Big City Sets is a Chicago-based scenic and production shop founded in 1999 that provides full-sized set construction, carpentry, scenic painting, and prop fabrication for the entertainment production industry. The company serves feature films, television shows, commercials, live events, photoshoots, and music videos, with a documented portfolio spanning high-profile clients including Lady Gaga, Lowe's, Home Depot, State Farm, NBA, NHL, Facebook, Hyundai, and the feature film Trial of the Chicago 7. Operations are conducted from a single facility at 1020 N Kolmar Ave, Chicago, IL, with a headcount of 11-50 employees and over 25 years of continuous operation.

The business operates on a project-based professional services model, generating revenue through custom set construction fees that vary by project scope, materials, and complexity. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. In 2021, the company expanded its offering by acquiring and rebranding Tamara Backdrops as Big City Backdrops, a separate sub-brand operating through BigCityBackdrops.com that rents hundreds of pre-built backdrops — including landscapes, interiors, and artistic mottled colors — providing a recurring rental revenue stream alongside the core project-based services. Distribution is regional, focused on the Chicago and broader Midwest production market, with direct sales and customer acquisition driven by industry reputation, portfolio work, and referrals within the entertainment production community.

The company is privately held with no disclosed parent company, institutional investors, or external funding. The contact infrastructure is owner-led (a single personal email address and phone number), suggesting a small, founder-operated business. The communications strategy is primarily website-based, featuring a portfolio gallery and links to the backdrop rental platform, with no formal digital marketing, social media presence, or app-based operations documented. No AI/ML capabilities, software products, or technology platforms are part of the offering — the value proposition centers on physical craftsmanship and production experience.

Name

Big City Sets

Legal name

Big City Sets

Website

https://www.bigcitysets.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Big City Sets is a Chicago-based set builder founded in 1999 that provides full-sized carpentry, scenic painting, and prop fabrication for films, television, commercials, live events, photoshoots, and music videos, and also rents backdrops through its Big City Backdrops sub-brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scenic Set Construction and Production Services

SIC

Miscellaneous Furniture & Fixtures (2590)

akta.pro primary industry

Set Construction Shops & Millwork Facilities (MPADAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Scenic Fabrication & Set/Stage Carpentry (MPAGAKAG)

Keywords

• Scenic set construction
• Film set building
• Backdrop rentals
• Commercial production services
• Television set fabrication

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Set Construction Services: Custom full-sized set construction for films, television, commercials, live events, photoshoots, and music videos. Revenue generated through project-based service fees for carpentry, scenic painting, and prop fabrication.
2. Backdrop Rentals: Rental of pre-built backdrops including landscapes, interiors, and artistic mottled colors. Operated through BigCityBackdrops.com as a separate inventory platform.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Big City Sets is a Chicago-based scenic and production shop that builds full-sized physical sets through in-house carpentry and scenic painting for films, television shows, commercials, live events, photoshoots, and music videos. The company also fabricates custom props and rents pre-built scenic backdrops via its Big City Backdrops sub-brand (formerly Tamara Backdrops), which maintains an inventory of hundreds of landscapes, interiors, and artistic mottled-color backdrops listed through BigCityBackdrops.com.

Product overview

Big City Sets is a Chicago-based full-service scenic and production shop offering physical set construction and backdrop rental services. The core offering consists of set construction services featuring full-sized carpentry and paint shop capabilities for films, television shows, commercials, live events, photoshoots, and music videos. This is complemented by Big City Backdrops, a sub-brand specializing in backdrop rentals with hundreds of inventory items including landscapes, interiors, and artistic color options, formerly operating as Tamara Backdrops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Big City Backdrops: Backdrop rental division of Big City Sets, formerly Tamara Backdrops, offering hundreds of backdrops including landscapes, interiors, and artistic mottled colors.

Products and services

• Set Construction Services Custom full-sized scenic set construction service for film, television, commercial, live event, photoshoot, and music video productions, combining in-house carpentry, scenic painting, and prop fabrication at the company's Chicago production shop.
• Big City Backdrops (Backdrop Rentals) Backdrop rental service (sub-brand formerly known as Tamara Backdrops) offering hundreds of pre-built scenic backdrops for rent, including landscapes, interiors, and artistic mottled colors in various hues, with inventory accessed through BigCityBackdrops.com and intended for film, television, photography, and other production shoots.

Named customers29 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Tamara BackdropsminorOthersBig City Backdrops is the new home of Tamara Backdrops. This represents an acquisition/integration of backdrop inventory and brand, expanding Big City Sets' rental offerings with hundreds of additional backdrops including landscapes, interiors, and artistic mottled colors in various hues.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Chicago Scenic Studios: Chicago-based scenic fabrication and set construction shop serving film, television, commercials, and live events. Most directly comparable peer given overlapping geography, full-service carpentry and paint capabilities, and similar customer mix in the Midwest production market.
• Global Scenic Services: Major U.S. scenic fabrication and set construction company serving Broadway, television, film, and live events. Directly comparable in offering custom scenic construction, with broader geographic reach and larger-scale project capability.
• Belair Studios: California-based set construction and scenic fabrication shop serving film, television, and commercials. Closely comparable in offering custom-built physical sets with full carpentry and paint capabilities for the entertainment production industry.
• Stufish Entertainment Architects: International entertainment architecture and scenic fabrication firm specializing in live events, concerts, theatrical productions, and immersive experiences. Comparable in providing custom-built scenic structures and sets for entertainment and event productions.
• Lavender Studios: UK-based set construction and scenic fabrication company serving film, television, and live events. Directly comparable in providing custom-built sets, props, and scenic elements for entertainment production with strong trade-craft heritage.
• Show Business Inc. Long-established New York-based scenic fabrication and set construction company serving Broadway, television, film, and commercials. Comparable in core set construction offering with adjacent scenic carpentry and prop fabrication services.
• Albert Entertainment Services (AES): Canadian scenic fabrication and event production services company serving live events, theatrical productions, and broadcast. Comparable in providing custom scenic builds and set construction for entertainment industry clients.
• Set Construction LA: Los Angeles-based set construction firm serving film, television, and commercial production. Directly comparable in core offering of physical set construction for the entertainment industry, though based in the larger LA production market.

Broad incumbents

• PRG (Production Resource Group): Global entertainment technology and production services company offering scenic fabrication, lighting, staging, and rigging for live events, film, and television. Overlaps with Big City Sets on scenic/build services but serves a much broader portfolio of entertainment production needs.

Emerging players

• JMR Scenic Design: Regional scenic fabrication and set construction shop serving commercial and event production. Comparable in core offering but smaller scale and likely narrower geographic footprint than Big City Sets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Big-City-Sets-Inc-773388902755876
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/big-city-sets-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Big City Sets