The Beginning
In 1980, a film production in Austin, TX approached a small recreational vehicle rental company owned by C.P. “Phil” Schriber with a need to rent a motorhome. That first relatively small transaction turned out to be the beginning of a wonderful new enterprise. The film industry in Austin was on the rise, and Phil rented more and more equipment, all the while trying to find out how to better meet their needs.
The motorhome rental business slowly went by the way side – fuel cost kept rising, Austin became a high tech town and the new locals began to fly to New York and the likes for entertainment. Phil’s vast experience in recreational vehicles and trailers gained him notice and in 1985 he was offered a job as a Driver/Operator of various dressing room trailers on the set of the Willie Nelson movie “The Red Headed Stranger”. When film production wrapped, Phil was quickly offered other jobs in transportation on film productions.
The First Purchase
In 1988, Phil purchased a 35′ motorhome and remodeled it for use on small local productions (i.e. commercials, print shoots, music videos). This was the birth of FBC & Associates Production Services. Phil continued to work on various productions, and in 1990 Phil was offered the job as Transportation Coordinator on a Steven Soderbergh film, “The Underneath”. The following years saw film production in Texas grow at a steady pace. As filming increased so did the demands for equipment ala Hollywood.
The Fleet Begins To Roll
As vehicle inventory grew, it became clear that the company needed to have a name that was synonymous with the type of business. In early 1994, Film Fleet was born. As the years flew by Phil continued working as a Transportation Coordinator on numerous feature films and Film Fleet grew right along with them. Phil was hired in 2001 to oversee the transportation aspects of The Alamo, a $100 million feature film shot entirely on location in the Austin area. The Alamo may have fallen, but Film Fleet was just hitting its stride.
The Fleet Today
Today, Film Fleet can fully outfit every department’s need. As the needs of the industry evolve, so does our equipment. From our exclusive Shorty 40™ to our customizable selection of trailers, Film Fleet boasts an inventory of 200-plus pieces of equipment. Our on-site repair/maintenance shop and an outstanding staff continue to help us raise the standards in motion picture equipment.