Today we’d like to introduce you to Carey Hall.
The idea for Action Artwork Rental came about in the mid-2000s, when co-owner Joey Sisson saw a need for local and affordable cleared artwork in Atlanta, Georgia. Joey spent the next few years sharing his idea with his wife and a few close friends. As the film industry continued to grow in the Southeast, Joey knew he needed to turn his idea into reality. In 2013, he asked his friend, co-worker, and artist Laurence Laufer to partner with him. A few months later Joey’s wife, Carey Hall, joined the team and by March of 2014 they had formed their LLC. They have been working hard ever since to secure highly talented artists and ensure their business model is one that services the film industry, but also protects the artist and his/her artwork. Each owner brings their unique abilities to the company and AAR wouldn’t be where it is today without each of them!
As of today, AAR has over 6,000 cleared art images on their website and represents over 60 artists, both local to Atlanta and across the country. AAR has worked with several local productions to provide cleared artwork, including FX’s “Atlanta,” “Stan Against Evil,” “The Originals,” “Sleepy Hollow,” “Table 19,” “Miracles From Heaven,” and “Star” to name a few.
Has it been a smooth road?
We have been surprised at how many artists want to work with us! We are proud to represent such a diverse number of artists and their artwork. However, starting up a business is always challenging, even with the support we have received. Since we started in 2013, we have seen more and more businesses offering cleared artwork, in addition to their normal services. While competition is healthy, it can be frustrating for a small business such as ours, which focuses exclusively on cleared artwork. We hope that our model, which splits profits evenly with artists, and our diverse collection of artwork is enough to maintain us as competition grows.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Action Artwork Rental story. Tell us more about the business.
We rent cleared artwork to the film industry! We mostly rent or sell prints to our clients, which allows for a more affordable product, and allows our artists to keep their originals. Because we are owned by union members and people who have intimate knowledge of how the film industry works, we are able to work well with productions to meet their deadlines and needs in a timely manner.
I’m most proud of how quickly we’ve grown and how many artists we represent. We started AAR as a way to easily provide cleared artwork to the industry, but also to ensure that artists are fairly represented and compensated for their artwork. I believe we achieve both of these goals in every rental we make. We take pride in every check we send out to an artist, and are always excited about new rentals and productions filming in Georgia.
The fact that we can print artwork at a variety of sizes for our clients is what sets us apart. Original artwork is amazing, but is limited to whatever size it was originally created at. We have the ability to offer artwork at custom sizes, to best fit our client’s needs. Plus, if anything should ever happen to our artwork on set, it’s easy to print a replacement vs trying to repair or even having to purchase a damaged piece of artwork. Prints are also a more affordable option for our clients, allowing them to rent more pieces for a fraction of the cost.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Georgia’s film industry has grown so much in the last ten years. Thanks to the tax incentive, more movies and television shows are filming in Georgia, which means that more local workers and business are benefitting from the influx of filming. Tyler Perry Studios, which was around before the boom, Screen Gems, and Pinewoods have all built permanent studios here in Georgia. Hopefully this means that they’ll be around for a long time and Georgia’s film industry can continue to grow. However, as the local industry grows, more outside businesses relocate here, which is why it’s more important than ever for local productions to support the prop houses and other film-related businesses that were started here in Georgia. If we want to keep the money local, we have to support local businesses.
Contact Info:
- Address: Action Artwork Rental
5475 Tulane Dr. SW
Atlanta, GA 30336 - Website: www.actionartworkrental.com
- Phone: (404) 622-3044
- Email: hello@actionartworkrental.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actionartworkrental
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actionartworkrental
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ActionArtwork
Image Credit:
Picture of Carey Hall was taken by Kelley Raye.
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