Express Media, Inc.

What Express Media, Inc. does

Express Media, Inc. is a privately held video production equipment rental house headquartered at 2225 Palou Avenue in San Francisco, California, serving the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California film and video communities since 1990. The company was formed by consolidating two predecessor brands, Rental Express and Dub Express, into a single operation. Its core inventory spans high-end cameras (DSLR, mirrorless, cinema), professional audio gear (microphones, mixers, recorders), lighting solutions (LED panels, softboxes, modifiers), streaming equipment, and four HD digital flypacks designed in-house by President Steven Barger for live multicam events.

The business operates a usage-based rental revenue model with quote-based pricing, supplemented by full-service production support covering preproduction planning, crew selection, on-site technical direction, webcasting, and postproduction editing. Customers include filmmakers, video producers, photographers, and content creators requiring professional-grade equipment without capital outlay. The company is sales-led, with inquiries routed through a website rental request form, direct phone, and email; a small executive team (President, VP, CFO) handles client engagement end-to-end.

Express Media is independently owned with no disclosed external investment, parent company, or M&A activity. The leadership team carries decades of combined tenure at the firm, and the company has maintained continuous operations for over 35 years with a single Bay Area location, a narrow regional geographic footprint, and no documented expansion into adjacent markets. There is no evidence of venture funding, technology platform development, or AI/ML capability integration; the business is fundamentally an asset-and-expertise rental operation.

Name

Express Media, Inc.

Legal name

Express Media

Website

https://expressmedia.tv

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Express Media is a privately held San Francisco-based video production equipment rental house, founded in 1990, serving Bay Area and Northern California film, video, and live-event professionals with cameras, audio, lighting, streaming gear, and full-service production support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Video Production Equipment Rental & Crew Services

NAICS

Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (512199), Postproduction Services and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (51219)

SIC

Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819), Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350)

akta.pro primary industry

Camera, Grip & Lighting Equipment Rental (MPADAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Audio & Communications Equipment Rental (MPADAFAC), Crew & Labor Services (Production Staff, Unions, Payroll) (MPADAFAA)

Keywords

• Video equipment rentals
• Production crew services
• Camera rental
• Audio gear rental
• Live event webcasting

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Inventory and equipment (capital-intensive video gear, audio, lighting, flypacks), Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Equipment Rentals: Rental of video production equipment including cameras, audio, and lighting gear for short-term and long-term periods. Customers pay rental fees for equipment usage.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Express Media rents high-end video production equipment — including cinema, DSLR, and mirrorless cameras, professional audio gear, and lighting setups — to filmmakers, video producers, and event organizers in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to equipment rentals, the company supplies production crews for field shoots and live multicam events, live webcasting/streaming services, and post-production editing support, with flexible short- and long-term rental terms.

Product overview

Express Media is a video production equipment rental house offering a unified portfolio of rental equipment and services. The core offerings include Camera Rentals (DSLRs, mirrorless, and cinema cameras), Audio Equipment Rentals (microphones, mixers, recording gear), Lighting Equipment Rentals (LED panels, softboxes, modifiers), and Full-Service Production Support (preproduction planning, on-site support, postproduction guidance). The company serves the San Francisco Bay Area film and video communities, providing both equipment rentals and expert technical support throughout all production phases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Camera Rentals Rental of high-end cameras for productions, including DSLRs, mirrorless systems, and professional cinema cameras, available for short or long-term rental periods. Targeted at filmmakers, video producers, and content creators in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• Audio Equipment Rentals Rental of professional audio gear including microphones, mixers, and recording equipment to ensure crystal-clear sound for productions of all types. Targeted at video production teams needing broadcast-quality sound capture.
• Lighting Equipment Rentals Rental of versatile lighting solutions including LED panels, softboxes, and reflective modifiers for creating optimal atmosphere and visual storytelling across varied production environments.
• Full-Service Production Support Comprehensive production support spanning equipment guidance, crew selection, project management, field production, and postproduction editing — provided alongside equipment rentals. Serves production teams needing turnkey assistance across all phases of a shoot, including directing and technical-directing live multicam events using the company's HD digital flypacks.

Named customers4 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

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Panavision: Dominant industry-wide cinema camera and lens rental company serving major film and television productions globally — overlaps with Express Media on camera and lens rental but operates at vastly larger scale and primarily serves theatrical/high-end productions.
• ARRI Rental: Global rental arm of ARRI offering cinema cameras, lenses, and lighting to professional film and television productions — overlaps with Express Media's camera and lighting rental core but at a vastly larger international scale and tied to ARRI's proprietary camera platforms.
• B&H Photo Video: Large-scale U.S. retailer of cameras, audio, and lighting equipment with an in-house rental department serving professional productions — competes with Express Media on equipment access but as part of a much broader retail and used-gear business.
• Keslow Camera: High-end cinema camera, lens, and lighting rental house serving film, television, and commercial productions, headquartered in Los Angeles with additional U.S. locations — comparable specialty cinema rental model but at materially larger scale.

Emerging players

• Hand-Held Films: Regional camera and audio equipment rental house serving independent filmmakers and production companies — comparable specialty rental model to Express Media but smaller scale and more transactional in nature.

Direct peers

• BorrowLenses: Online camera and lens rental platform serving photographers and videographers across the U.S. — competes with Express Media on transactional rental of cameras and lenses but lacks the local hands-on production support service.
• Adorama Rental Co. Professional camera, audio, and lighting rental house based in New York City, serving film, TV, and event productions nationally — same core product category (camera, audio, lighting rental) as Express Media, with a broader national footprint.
• LensRentals: Online-first camera, lens, and lighting rental company shipping nationwide to professional and prosumer customers — directly comparable equipment rental model to Express Media but operating at much larger scale via a self-serve e-commerce platform.
• AbelCine: Film and broadcast equipment rental, sales, and integration house serving professional cinematographers and broadcasters on both coasts — closely comparable business model to Express Media combining rentals with technical support and crew services.
• Rule Broadcast: Boston-based broadcast and professional video equipment rental house serving corporate, educational, and event productions — directly comparable regional rental house model to Express Media with similar focus on broadcast/event flypack services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/expressmediainc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Express Media, Inc.