MP&E Cameras & Lighting

What MP&E Cameras & Lighting does

MP&E Cameras & Lighting is a professional motion picture equipment rental company founded in 1995 and headquartered in Carrollton, Texas, operating under three trade names: MP&E Cameras and Lighting, MP&E Camera Lens and Lighting Rental, and HD Gear (hdgear.tv). The company rents cameras, lenses, lighting, grip, and electric equipment to film, broadcast television, and commercial production clients from four physical locations in Austin, Dallas, Denver, and Phoenix, covering the Texas, Colorado, and Arizona markets. Its inventory spans approximately 72 cameras, 175 lenses, 150 lighting fixtures, and 88 grip items from top-tier manufacturers including ARRI, Sony, RED, Canon, Blackmagic, Fujifilm, Cooke, Zeiss, Angenieux, Aputure, Kino Flo, and Mole Richardson, alongside specialty vintage glass rehoused by TLS, GL Optics, and IronGlass. Fully-equipped grip trucks operate from the Austin, Dallas, and Denver branches for on-location support.

The company operates a direct-to-consumer rental model in which customers browse its equipment catalog online, create accounts, complete a credit card authorization, and pick up gear at branch locations. Rental pricing is quote-based rather than publicly listed, with rates varying by equipment and duration. The primary customer segment is professional film and television production companies, supplemented by commercial and corporate production, broadcast news organizations, and independent filmmakers. Customer testimonials on its website reference small-to-mid-market film production outfits (After Eden Pictures, individual cinematographers such as Brandon R and Alden R), suggesting a meaningful long tail of smaller production accounts rather than reliance on a few large enterprise anchors. The company positions itself as a one-stop shop emphasizing well-maintained gear, continuously updated inventory reflecting the latest camera and lighting technology, and service-oriented staff.

The source data contains no disclosures regarding ownership structure, management team composition, institutional funding rounds, regulatory actions, or formal partnerships. Recent catalog additions (Sony Burano in 2024, IronGlass MK II Primes in 2024, Phenix 28-70mm Zoom in 2025, Fujifilm GFX Eterna 55 in 2025) indicate ongoing inventory investment to keep pace with current production technology and to serve high-end feature and series cinematography, including specialty vintage aesthetics. The company operates as a privately-held entity with no public-company indicators and no disclosed parent company.

Name

MP&E Cameras & Lighting

Legal name

MP&E Cameras and Lighting

Website

https://hdgear.tv

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MP&E Cameras & Lighting (dba HD Gear) is a regional professional motion picture equipment rental company operating four locations across Texas, Colorado, and Arizona, serving film, television, commercial, and independent production clients with cameras, lenses, lighting, and grip equipment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film & Broadcast Production Equipment Rental

NAICS

Other Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment Rental and Leasing (532490), Other Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment Rental and Leasing (53249)

SIC

Photographic Equipment & Supplies (3861), Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPADAFAB

Camera, Grip & Lighting Equipment Rental

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Production Services (Crew, Equipment Rental, Locations)

SECONDARYMPADAFAC

Audio & Communications Equipment Rental

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Production Services (Crew, Equipment Rental, Locations)

Keywords

• Production equipment rental
• Camera lens rental
• Lighting grip rental
• Film equipment rental
• Broadcast equipment rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Carrollton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Equipment Rental: MP&E generates revenue through renting professional motion picture production equipment to film productions, broadcast television crews, and commercial clients. Customers pay rental fees for cameras, lenses, lighting, grip, and electric equipment on a daily or project basis.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

MP&E Cameras & Lighting rents professional motion picture production equipment to film, broadcast television, and commercial production clients. The rental inventory spans digital cinema and broadcast cameras, prime/zoom/anamorphic lenses, lighting fixtures, grip and electric equipment, audio gear, and camera support systems. Customers browse the equipment catalog online, create accounts, and pick up gear at physical rental locations across Texas, Colorado, and Arizona.

Product overview

MP&E Cameras & Lighting is a professional motion picture production equipment rental company operating across Arizona, Colorado, and Texas (Austin, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix locations). The company offers a comprehensive rental portfolio of cameras, lenses, lighting, grip, and electric equipment for film, broadcast, and commercial productions. Their equipment catalog includes digital cinema cameras (ARRI, Sony, RED, Blackmagic, Fujifilm), cinema prime and zoom lenses (Zeiss, Cooke, Canon, Angenieux, Fujinon), anamorphic lenses, broadcast equipment, camera support systems, audio gear, professional lighting (LED, HMI, tungsten, fluorescent), grip equipment, and grip trucks. Featured products include specialty vintage lenses like Canon K35, Canon FD, and IronGlass MK II Primes used in major productions. The company positions itself as a one-stop shop for production equipment with emphasis on well-maintained gear and top-notch service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digital Cinema Cameras Rental of professional digital cinema cameras including ARRI Alexa Mini LF, Sony Burano, Sony Venice 2, RED V-Raptor, Blackmagic, and Fujifilm GFX Eterna 55 for high-end film and television production.
• Broadcast Cameras Rental of professional broadcast camcorders including Sony PXW-FX9, Sony PDW-F800, and Canon C300 series for news, documentary, and broadcast television production.
• Cinema Prime Lenses Rental of high-quality cinema prime lenses including Zeiss Supreme Primes, ARRI Zeiss Master Primes, Cooke S4/i, Canon K35, Canon CN-E, Angenieux, and vintage glass for various cinematic aesthetics.
• Cinema Zoom Lenses Rental of professional cinema zoom lenses including Angenieux Optimo 24-290, Angenieux Optimo Ultra 12X, Canon Cine-Servo, Fujinon Premista, and Angenieux EZ series with various sensor format coverage.
• Anamorphic Lenses Rental of anamorphic prime and zoom lenses including Cooke Anamorphic/i, Atlas Orion, and specialty adapters for cinematic widescreen effects with characteristic lens flares and oval bokeh.
• Broadcast Zoom Lenses Rental of professional broadcast zoom lenses including Fujinon Cabrio, HA series, and Canon HJ series with B4 mount for ENG and broadcast production.
• Still Photo Lenses Rental of professional still photography lenses including Canon L Series and Sony G Master series for hybrid shooting and adapted use on cinema productions.
• Camera Support Equipment Rental of professional camera support including OConnor fluid heads, tripods, JL Fisher camera dollies, jibs, sliders, DJI Ronin gimbals, and camera mounts for stable shooting solutions.
• Audio Equipment Rental of professional audio equipment including Sennheiser wireless lavalier microphones, Mackie audio mixers, Sound Devices recorders, and Tentacle Sync timecode generators.
• Lighting Equipment Rental of professional lighting including Aputure LED panels, ARRI M40 HMI lights, Mole Richardson tungsten, Kino Flo fluorescent, Profoto strobes, and various lighting modifiers and grips.
• Grip Equipment Rental of professional grip equipment including stands, nets, flags, frames, reflectors, butterfly overheads, backdrops, apple boxes, hardware, and expendables for set rigging and light control.
• Grip Trucks Rental of fully-equipped grip trucks based in Austin, Dallas, and Denver locations for on-location production support with all necessary grip equipment.
• Electric/Distro Equipment Rental of electrical distribution equipment including 500 Amp generators, Cam-Lok snakebite splitters, and distro boxes for powering productions on location.
• Lens Accessories Rental of professional lens accessories including ARRI matte boxes (MB-14, MB-20, LMB-25), follow focus systems, wireless lens controls (ARRI WCU-4, Hi-5), Preston FIZ, and optical accessories like diopters and filters.
• Camera Accessories Rental of camera accessories including Gold Mount batteries, Blackmagic ATEM switchers, monitors (SmallHD, Panasonic), Teradek wireless video transmitters (Bolt series), and recording media.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Keslow Camera: Major US cinema equipment rental house operating in LA, Atlanta, and New Mexico with cameras, lenses, lighting, and grip. Direct competitor in the high-end cinema rental category with national-scale logistics MP&E lacks.
• Panavision: The dominant global motion picture equipment rental company, offering cameras (including proprietary Panavision systems), lenses, lighting, and grip. Directly comparable as a full-stack cinema rental house, but at far greater scale and with proprietary technology MP&E cannot match.
• Hand Held Films: Camera and lens rental house with locations in LA, Atlanta, and New Orleans. Comparable as a cinema equipment renter with broad camera/lens catalog, though anchored in coastal/SE markets.
• Rule Boston Camera: Northeast US camera, lens, and lighting rental house serving Boston/New York film production. Comparable in product mix and mid-market positioning, though with opposite geographic focus.
• Otto Nemenz: Long-established Hollywood camera and lens rental house specializing in cinema cameras, anamorphic lenses, and specialty optics. Comparable as a curated, high-end rental counterpart to MP&E's premium lens offerings.
• AbelCine: US cinema and broadcast equipment rental house with locations on both coasts, offering cameras, lenses, lighting, and grip. Directly comparable full-stack rental competitor with broader geographic reach.
• Birns & Sawyer: Hollywood-based camera, lens, and lighting rental house serving film and broadcast productions. Comparable in product scope (premium cinema cameras, lenses, lighting) but anchored in LA rather than the Southwest.
• Cinequipt: Regional cinema and broadcast equipment rental house based in Minneapolis. Comparable in scope (cameras, lenses, lighting, grip, audio) and as a multi-state regional operator, though serving the Upper Midwest rather than the Southwest.
• ARRI Rental: ARRI's rental division offering Alexa cinema cameras, signature primes (Master Anamorphic, Signature Prime), and lighting. Directly competes for the same high-end film/TV productions MP&E serves, with deeper ARRI-specific inventory.

Broad incumbents

• RED Digital Cinema: Camera manufacturer whose RED V-Raptor appears in MP&E's catalog. Not a direct rental competitor, but a key OEM whose product roadmap and pricing directly shape MP&E's capex decisions and rental demand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BeyondTheRental
• Facebookfacebook.com/BeyondTheRental

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 MP&E Cameras & Lighting