Rare Breeds
Rare Breeds is a Culver City-based cinema camera and lens rental house founded in 2016, serving film, television, and commercial productions in Los Angeles. It rents premium ARRI, Sony, RED, and Cooke equipment with in-house technician maintenance and collaborative client services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersCulver City, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Rare Breeds does
Rare Breeds is a privately held cinema camera and lens rental house headquartered in Culver City, California, founded in 2016 by three principals with backgrounds in documentary filmmaking, camera house operations, and fashion. The company rents professional-grade digital cinema cameras (ARRI Alexa 35, Sony Venice 2, RED V-Raptor, Canon C500 MKII, plus film cameras and specialty formats), an extensive lens inventory spanning vintage-rehoused glass, modern cinema primes (Cooke S8/i, Cooke S4/i, Zeiss Supreme, ARRI Master Primes), cinematic zooms (Cooke Varotal FF, Angenieux Optimo, Fujinon Cabrio), anamorphics (Atlas Orion, Atlas Mercury, ARRI Master Anamorphics, Laowa Nanomorphs), and probe/specialty lenses (Laowa Pro2be series). The value proposition rests on in-house technician-maintained inventory with explicit set-ready quality control, combined with a collaborative (rather than transactional) service model, on-site testing facilities, and company-owned delivery vehicles.
The firm's revenue model is equipment rental on a quote-based, per-job basis, with optional consignment of personal gear. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; rentals require property and liability insurance, signed agreements, and credit card authorization. GTM is sales-led and direct: customers reach the rental team via email, phone, or the website, and the firm emphasizes transparent, collaborative relationships rather than transactional ones. Marketing is concentrated on Instagram and the "Rare Views" blog, which feature filmmaker stories and behind-the-scenes content.
Rare Breeds serves a horizontal mix of enterprise and mid-market customers across film and television production (Universal, Apple, Netflix, HBO, Disney, Amazon, ABC, ESPN, MGM, Hulu), commercial production (Nike, Adidas, Walmart, Honda, Ford, Lincoln), and independent filmmaking. Operating geography is limited to the Los Angeles market, and the company has grown through sequential facility moves within LA — Venice (2016), Santa Monica (2017), La Cienega (2018), and Jefferson Blvd in Culver City (2022-2023). Ownership remains with founders and early stakeholders; no institutional funding or parent company is disclosed.
Rare Breeds firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rare Breeds
- Legal name
- Rare Breeds Camera Rentals
- Website
- https://rarebreedswest.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Rare Breeds is a Culver City-based cinema camera and lens rental house founded in 2016, serving film, television, and commercial productions in Los Angeles. It rents premium ARRI, Sony, RED, and Cooke equipment with in-house technician maintenance and collaborative client services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Rare Breeds is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Culver City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Rare Breeds business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Equipment rental: Rental of cinema cameras, lenses, and accessories to film productions. Pricing is quote-based and determined per job. They also offer consignment opportunities for personal gear.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels2 records
Rare Breeds product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rare Breeds is a camera rental house based in Culver City, California, founded in 2016, that rents cinema cameras, cinema lenses, and production accessories to film and television productions. The company supports major studio and streaming clients including Universal, Netflix, Apple, HBO, Amazon, and Disney, providing maintained gear for active productions.
Product overview
Rare Breeds is a cinema camera rental house based in Culver City, CA, offering a comprehensive rental fleet of professional filmmaking equipment. The company's core offerings span cinema cameras (ARRI Alexa 35, Sony Venice 2, RED V-Raptor XL, Canon C500 MKII, and others), cinema prime lenses (Cooke S8/i, Cooke S4/i, Zeiss Supreme Primes, ARRI/Zeiss Master Primes, Angenieux Optimo Primes, and many vintage-rehoused lens sets), cinematic zoom lenses (Cooke Varotal FF, Angenieux Optimo Zooms, Angenieux EZ Zooms, Fujinon Cabrio Zooms, and vintage zooms), anamorphic lenses (Atlas Orion, Atlas Mercury, ARRI Master Anamorphics, TLS Lomo Round Front, Laowa Nanomorphs), specialty/probe lenses (Laowa Specialty Lenses including 15mm, 24mm Probe, 24mm Periprobe, 24mm Pro2be, Aurogon FF), and camera accessories/lighting (SmallHD monitors, Teradek Bolt wireless video, DJI Ronin gimbals, Aputure lighting fixtures, O'Connor fluid heads). Additional services include gear delivery via company vehicles, outdoor/indoor camera and lens testing spaces, and consignment opportunities for personal gear.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cinema Camera Rentals
Quantifiable outcome
- Every piece of gear is set-ready due to in-house quality control
Companies that use Rare Breeds
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Rare Breeds technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Rare Breeds partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Rare Breeds competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Panavision: Panavision is the dominant Hollywood camera rental house, providing cameras, lenses, and post-production services to major studio and streaming productions globally. It is the most direct competitor to Rare Breeds in the LA premium rental market, with a substantially larger inventory and longstanding studio affiliations.
- Sim Video International: Sim Video is a North American camera and lens rental house with locations in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, and Vancouver serving feature, episodic, and commercial production. It is a direct competitor to Rare Breeds with broader geographic reach across major North American production hubs.
- Cinelease: Cinelease (now part of PRG/Production Resource Group) provides camera, lighting, and grip equipment rentals to film, television, and commercial productions across North America. It competes with Rare Breeds in the broader production rental ecosystem, particularly on commercial and episodic work.
- Keslow Camera: Keslow Camera is a major Los Angeles-based cinema equipment rental house serving film, television, and commercial productions across multiple US locations. It is a direct competitor to Rare Breeds in the same LA premium rental segment, with a similarly broad camera and lens fleet.
- Otto Nemenz International: Otto Nemenz is a long-established Hollywood camera and lens rental house specializing in high-end cinematography equipment for film and television productions. It is a direct LA peer competing for the same premium cinematography clientele as Rare Breeds.
- Hand Held Films: Hand Held Films is a camera and lens rental house serving film, television, and commercial productions, with a focus on cinematography-driven projects. It is a direct LA peer to Rare Breeds, competing for indie, documentary, and prestige television work.
- ARRI Rental: ARRI Rental is the rental arm of ARRI, offering premium Alexa and large-format camera systems and lenses to feature, episodic, and commercial productions worldwide. It directly competes with Rare Breeds for high-end digital cinema work, particularly on ARRI-heavy productions.
Emerging players
- J.L. Fisher: J.L. Fisher is a long-established motion picture camera support and dollies manufacturer whose products are ubiquitous in film and television production. While not a direct rental competitor, it is an adjacent equipment vendor whose customers (DPs and rental houses including Rare Breeds) overlap heavily in the cinematography ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Rare Breeds social profiles
Digital presenceRare Breeds financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rare Breeds leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Rare Breeds funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rare Breeds M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Rare Breeds
What does Rare Breeds do?
Rare Breeds is a camera rental house based in Culver City, California, founded in 2016, that rents cinema cameras, cinema lenses, and production accessories to film and television productions. The company supports major studio and streaming clients including Universal, Netflix, Apple, HBO, Amazon, and Disney, providing maintained gear for active productions.
Is Rare Breeds a public or private company?
Rare Breeds is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Rare Breeds founded?
Rare Breeds was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Rare Breeds based?
Rare Breeds is headquartered in Culver City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Rare Breeds make money?
One revenue line is on record: equipment rental.
Who are Rare Breeds's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Panavision, Sim Video International, Cinelease, Keslow Camera, Otto Nemenz International, Hand Held Films and ARRI Rental. J.L. Fisher is listed as an emerging player.
Does Rare Breeds have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rare Breeds.