About Hot Rod Cameras
When it comes to lenses and cameras it’s not too hard to find a company that can sell you equipment. There are fewer places that can repair a broken camera or lens, and even fewer can use, train you to use, and successfully integrate the products they sell.
There are few companies that will sell equipment and also create original products. But the absolute rarest of the rare, is a company that does all of the above, and also influences the industries they serve. In just 11-years Hot Rod Cameras has become one of those outlying companies.
Hot Rod Cameras Showroom in Burbank, CA
Hot Rod is a premiere dealer for every major brand of camera, lens, lighting and all related equipment covering production and post. Hot Rod is the exclusive home of several brands and enjoys a reputation for concierge level sales, service, training, custom solutions and support to the most diverse customer base in the world; including Hollywood and foreign studios, individual industry professionals, production companies, corporations, government organizations, academia, and students.
Hot Rod Cameras Founder, Illya Friedman
Founded in 2009 by Illya Friedman, Hot Rod Cameras started off as a manufacturer of original industry-changing products that became adopted by mainstream Hollywood and is widely credited with kicking off a movement of professional productions using small cameras. Hot Rod quickly grew and diversified offerings and is now a high-end and unique retail experience with a policy of price matching competitors and specializing in extreme technical competence.
“We are often asked to do something very complex, like building a 4K multi-camera studio from scratch, lights, sound, everything. And sometimes it’s something very simple. What makes Hot Rod different is that we treat every request the same and help our clients with earnest consideration. It’s probably the main reason Hot Rod’s clients are fiercely loyal.”
This kind of customer experience has proven to be so popular that Hot Rod recently moved into a 7,000 square foot retail space in the heart of the Burbank’s production district. Hot Rod’s new building also contains a 4K screening room and podcasting studio where CinePod – The Cinematography Podcast is recorded every week.
As part of the Sigma social media takeover, a special mini-episode of the podcast was created and shared on Sigma’s Facebook page. You can watch/listen to it right now and hear Michael FitzMaurice, who served as an Aerial Director of Photography on the new Top Gun: Maverick talk about working with Sigma Cinema lenses.
Cinematographer Michael FitzMaurice
