Austin, TX. Bangor, ME. Dayton, OH. Manassas, VA. Stafford County, VA. Washington, D.C. Albany, GA. Atlanta, GA. Athens, GA. New Bern, NC. Siler City, NC. Laurinburg, NC. Chapel Hill, NC. Raleigh, NC. Durham, NC. Garner, NC. Greenville, NC. Greensboro, NC. Sanford, NC. Outer Banks, NC. Charleston, SC. Cape Town, South Africa.
These are all the places Triad has taken us to for filming in the past three years. What started as a small operation in 2018 has evolved into a monster of a process today. As we've accumulated more and more gear over the years, flying to shoots with all of our equipment became impractical. Unfortunately, using Daniel's mom's Honda Odyssey did too.
When we realized we needed to upgrade our travel + storage capabilities for shoots that were further away, we quickly agreed we needed something that would accommodate our current needs and be future-proof for long-term expansion. After extensive research, we decided on the Mercedes Sprinter 2500 High Roof Passenger Van.
After becoming aware of these vans' limited and competitive resale market, we made an offer to purchase one in New York very shortly after finding the perfect one. Within 24 hours, Mikey and I landed in New York City to buy the car. It was beautiful and exactly what we were looking for.
Utilitarianally, the van is massively valuable. For context, a typical video shoot for us today means 3-4 crew members and 5-6 large pelican cases filled with cameras, lenses, drones, lighting, tripods, stabilization / gimbals, hard drives, audio, lighting stands, c-stands, and so on. All of this equipment and personnel fits comfortably in the van.
Financially, the van is a large company investment and a substantial tax deduction in the form of a business expense.
Culturally, the van means a lot. It signifies everything we've worked to build over the past three years: the equipment we've invested in and accumulated over time, the breadth of the clientele we've expanded to, and the extraordinary team-oriented nature of our business. The sprinter van is a testament to all these things and a physical reminder of how far we've come. We can't wait to take it to so many new places in 2021 and beyond.