Charron Custom Props & FX

What Charron Custom Props & FX does

Charron Custom Props & FX Company Ltd. is a Burnaby, British Columbia-based custom prop fabrication house serving the film and television industry. Founded in 2003 by Peter Charron as a one-man shop and formally incorporated in 2008, the company designs, sculpts, molds, casts, and finishes physical props, weapons, armor, and specialty costume components for screen productions. It operates a facility with one of the largest firearm mold inventories in Canada and reports throughput of approximately 7,000 props per year, supported by a multidisciplinary team of 11-13 specialist artists including sculptors, painters, mold-makers, and armor/costume technicians.

The company's products are physical, custom-built artifacts delivered on project terms: clients specify the look, function, and finish required for a production, and Charron delivers finished or finish-ready props within production schedules. Underlying capabilities include CNC-assisted fabrication, silicone/prosthetic work, life-casting, paint and finish shops, and weapon/armor mockup, with the mold library serving as a reusable asset base across projects. The client Services Portal exposes portions of this inventory to production buyers.

Revenue is generated on a project-based, custom fabrication services model: B2B contracts negotiated directly with productions, props masters, costume departments, and studios, predominantly in the Vancouver/Western Canada production corridor but extending to productions shot elsewhere (e.g., The Revenant in Alberta). Go-to-market is relationship-driven and reputation-based, with no disclosed marketing or channel intermediaries. Ownership transferred from founder Peter Charron to JP Mass in 2015; the company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds or external investors.

Name

Charron Custom Props & FX

Legal name

Charron Custom Props & FX Company Ltd.

Website

https://charronprops.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Charron Custom Props & FX is a Burnaby, British Columbia-based custom prop fabrication house that designs, sculpts, and finishes physical props, weapons, and armor for film and television productions across Western Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Prop Fabrication for Film & Television

akta.pro primary industry

Scenic Fabrication & Set/Stage Carpentry (MPAGAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Theatre Services & Design (Scenic/Costume/Props/Stage Management) (MPAGABAO)

Keywords

• Custom prop fabrication
• Film television props
• Stunt-safe weapons
• Creature fx fabrication
• Costume armour construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Burnaby

HQ country

Canada

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. Custom Prop Fabrication Services: Project-based custom fabrication of props, weapons, costumes, armour, creature FX, and set dec pieces for film and TV productions. Revenue derived from billable fabrication projects with pricing based on complexity, materials, and timelines.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Charron Custom Props & FX is a boutique prop fabrication laboratory in Burnaby, British Columbia that designs, fabricates, and finishes custom props, stunt-safe weapons, costumes and armour, creature FX, sci-fi/fantasy artifacts, and set decoration pieces for film and television productions across North America. Each piece is built to client specifications using in-house mold making, rubber and resin casting, sculpting, painting, and aging/distressing techniques, with the shop maintaining one of the largest firearm mold inventories in Canada.

Product overview

Charron Custom Props & FX operates as a boutique custom prop fabrication laboratory serving the North American entertainment industry. The company produces approximately 7,000 props annually across its six core product categories: Firearms (stunt-safe weapons from antique to modern), Weapons (medieval to futuristic combat props), Costumes & Armour (custom supplements from cuffs to full suits), Creature FX (practical gore, prosthetics, and creature fabrication), Sci-Fi/Fantasy Props (otherworldly artifacts), and Curio (unusual specialty items). The company maintains one of Canada's largest firearm mold inventories and offers client access to its mold library through a dedicated services portal. Set decoration pieces and practical FX round out the service portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Stunt-Safe Firearms

Quantifiable outcome

• Producing approximately 7,000 props per year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Aaron HarrisoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSuit designer and constructor for DC Legends of Tomorrow. Aaron Harrison designs and constructs suits while Charron provides paint finishing, distressing, and aging services. Collaborated on Cronos suits, bounty hunter suits, and medieval costumes.
• Ken PalkowminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal prop designer whose designs Charron adapts and fabricates into stunt-safe versions. Ken Palkow designed original Deadpool 2 desert eagle guns and Cable's gun, which Charron refined into rubber stunt-safe versions.
• Unlimited DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProp design studio whose products Charron paints, distresses, and ages. Collaborated on futuristic masks and shields, and Captain Cool gun for DC Legends of Tomorrow.
• Lem LemercierminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal designer of neck shackles for the TV series Supernatural. Charron fabricated actor-safe versions of Lem Lemercier's original prop design.
• Emma and Elliot Montello (Daxam)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Daxam spears for the Supergirl TV series, working alongside Charron on costume and prop elements for the production.
• Little Big WorkshopminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkshop partner contributing Daxam spears for Supergirl alongside Charron's work on belts and staffs for the same production.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Independent Studio Services (ISS): Los Angeles-based prop house and rental operation serving Hollywood productions with an extensive inventory of furniture, set dressing, and custom builds. Directly comparable business model (custom fabrication and rental to film/TV), but larger scale, broader inventory focus, and located in LA rather than Vancouver.
• Gentle Giant Studios: Collectibles, statues, and prop replica manufacturer serving entertainment IP holders and fan markets. Adjacent rather than directly competitive - overlaps with Charron's prop fabrication capability but focuses on consumer collectibles rather than live-production stunt-safe props.
• Jim Henson Creature Shop: Legendary creature and puppet effects facility producing animatronics, prosthetics, and practical effects for film and TV. Overlaps with Charron's Creature FX category but operates at much larger scale with deeper creature/puppet specialization and broader IP.
• Industrial Light & Magic (ILM): Lucasfilm's VFX and practical effects division producing digital effects, props, models, and virtual production (StageCraft) for major film and streaming productions. Adjacent incumbent - competes for the same production budgets but on the digital/VFX side and with a much broader service portfolio than Charron.
• Weta Workshop: New Zealand-based design and fabrication studio producing props, weapons, armour, creatures, and miniatures for film, TV, and interactive entertainment (Lord of the Rings, Avatar, etc.). Direct activity overlap with Charron's prop/weapons/armour/creature work, but at a vastly larger scale and integrated design-to-manufacturing model.

Direct peers

• Legacy Effects: Los Angeles-based practical effects studio specializing in creature design, animatronics, prosthetics, suits, and custom props for film and TV (Jurassic World, Pacific Rim, Avengers). Closely aligned with Charron's creature FX, costume/armour, and prop fabrication work, with a comparable boutique-services posture.
• Alterian, Inc. Creature and special effects design/build studio focused on animatronics, prosthetics, and practical creature work for film, TV, and themed entertainment. Directly comparable to Charron's creature FX and prosthetics work and competes for similar practical-effects budgets.
• Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc. (ADI): Long-established creature and animatronics effects studio serving major film and TV productions (Jurassic Park, Stranger Things, Avatar). Directly comparable to Charron's Creature FX category - practical effects, dummies, prosthetics - and competes for similar creature/prop work on Hollywood productions.
• MastersFX: Boutique creature, prosthetic, and special effects studio serving film and TV productions. Directly comparable to Charron's Creature FX and prosthetics offerings, with a similar scale of operation and client base among Props Masters and Production Designers.
• Steve Johnson's Edge FX (XFX): Burbank-based creature and special effects studio focused on animatronics, prosthetics, and practical creature work for film, TV, and theme parks. Closely mirrors Charron's creature FX, dummies, and prosthetics offerings and competes for similar creature/practical-effects budgets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/charroncustomprops
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/charron-custom-props-fx

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Charron Custom Props & FX