For Immediate Release: April 8, 2008
Contact: Annemarie Lewis KerwinPraxis Communications Strategies
617-571-4322
Rule Broadcast Systems and Boston Camera Rental Merge, Creating New England’s Largest Source for Production Equipment Sales, Rentals and Services
Boston, MA - - - Rule Broadcast Systems (Rule) and Boston Camera Rental Company (Boston Camera) will merge operations this month. The move joins Boston’s two leading professional video and film equipment sales, rental and service companies. With a combined 44 years of experience, both companies have built solid reputations among production companies on both the East and West Coasts.
“Merging Rule and Boston Camera allows us to provide our customers, and the entire production community, with unprecedented access to the latest technology and the best know-how, ” says John Rule, founder and president of Rule. “It’s a case of the sum being greater than the parts. For example, this merger unites 30 of the most highly-skilled and experienced specialists from every production discipline. Now on the same team, they’re comparing techniques and refining best practices. Each is growing his or her already sizable base of knowledge from which they serve clients.”
With equipment, it’s the same merge and expand story. “Combining our inventories is just the start,” says Boston Camera’s Brian Malcolm, who takes on the role of general manager. “We’re also pooling our purchasing power which enables us to take our equipment offerings to a whole new level. The plan is to add high-end units like Sony F23/F35 camera systems to our rental menu. We’ll have solutions to meet any challenge from production and post-production through final project deliverables. For filmmakers and videographers who are into gear, Rule will be like a candy store.”
“It’s very important that the loyal clients of both companies understand that this merger isn’t about downsizing, it’s about growing,” says Rule. “Customers will see a lot of continuity – familiar faces, their favorite cameras and gear – but they’ll also see a lot of new offerings that will help them do what they do even better.”
Rule is an authorized dealer for all four of the industry’s major solution providers: Panasonic and Sony (production equipment), Apple and Avid (post production systems). “These relationships truly set us apart,” says Rule. “We can help our clients build a complete workflow from start to finish, or if they want a specific technology added to their process, we can handpick exactly the right solution and integrate it seamlessly. Our decades of experience in the hard-knocks environment of equipment rental has taught us invaluable lessons in creating solutions you can count on in the real world. Then we stand behind them with the highest level of technical support.”
John Rule, a 25-year broadcast equipment veteran, founded Rule Broadcast Systems in 1990. Rule has earned a national reputation for providing clients with rental and sales solutions as well as consulting services through all phases of production. Rule Broadcast clients include: ABC Television, Frontline, BBC Network Television, Bose Corporation, Cramer Productions, Element Productions, Engine Room, Fidelity Images, Hearst Argyle TV Productions, John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance, MTV, New England Sports Network’s Sox Appeal, Scout Productions, The Troupe, and Zona Design, as well as Boston’s leading television stations.
Established in 1982, Boston Camera Rental grew to be one of the largest camera rental companies on the East Coast, and the unofficial hub of the motion picture and television arts production community. Boston Camera supplied three recent Hollywood productions in the area, adding to a client list that includes Picture Park Productions, Redtree Productions, Anonymous Content, Radical Media, NFL Films, Florentine Films, New England Sports Network’s Sox Appeal, and Disney.
The two companies have a shared history. Prior to founding Rule, John Rule was general manager of Boston Camera. “Funny, it was John who first hired me at Boston Camera 20 years ago,” says Malcolm. “I’m glad we’re working together again. We’ve both put so much of ourselves into this business, and to take what we’ve built and move it forward is very exciting.”
Over the years, both companies have made a point to support the Boston film- and video-making community. They sponsor visual arts organizations and film festivals, offer technical support to amateur filmmakers, and provide comprehensive internships to college students and career-changers exploring the production business. “These things won’t change. Both Brian and I are fully vested in developing the Boston production community.”
The timing of the merger couldn’t be better. Newly-created industry tax incentives have sparked a renaissance in motion picture and video production in Boston. Recent Hollywood productions include The Departed, Bachelor No.2, The Women, and The Pink Panther Deux. “It’s such an important moment for production in Boston, and an extremely evolutionary period in imaging technology,” says Malcolm. “This merger enhances our ability to offer the local production community the latest and greatest in this technology to take full advantage of all the new opportunities that are out there.”
Following the merger, Boston-based Boston Camera and Watertown-based Rule Broadcast will join operations in a single facility, which is currently in the planning and design phase.
For more information about Rule Broadcast Systems, please see: http://www.rule.com/.
For more information about Boston Camera Rental Company, please see: http://www.bostoncamera.com/.
For more details on the Rule-Boston Camera Merger, please click here to see our FAQ's.
And help us update this list with your questions! Thank you.