Owned and operated by Brandon Jones, Filthy Grip Co. supplies all your grip equipment needs, when you need it.
Can you tell us how and why you started your business?
I started my business when I saw a desire for more equipment to be available in Oklahoma. While I had down time during COVID, I took the risk and bought my first truck and grip package. I ended up having just enough time to set everything up before my first show with the gear, “Reagan.”
What services do you provide within the film/music industry?
I am a grip. I’ve gone back and forth from BB to Grip, but in the last few years, I have started keying more shows/features and doing dolly in between when needed. Working in Oklahoma in this role is what led me to start my business. Filthy Grip Co. is a grip company. I currently have a 10 ton grip truck and a five ton grip truck. My grip trucks are pre-loaded with gear and are a specialty package. Meaning they have specialty items readily available on the truck that you wouldn’t be getting renting from a standard rental house. From camera support to types/sizes of rags, all the way to safety equipment.
How has your company grown to meet the needs of Oklahoma’s film and/or music industries over the last 3-5 years?
Acquiring more gear to have available.
I started with a five ton truck and noticed after the first two shows I needed something bigger. So I got my 10 ton. Now I have two trucks set up to work. The 10 ton I keep for myself, as an owner/operator, or for the bigger shows that come into the Oklahoma market. I think the five ton is the perfect sized truck for some of the smaller shows to have available and it could also be emptied to use as a props/art/set dec etc. truck if needed. Having more equipment in this market just helps facilitate everything that wants to film here, especially when multiple shows want to film at the same time.
What are the benefits of basing your company’s operations in Oklahoma?
I think the biggest benefit is the expense. It is cheaper here than in most film industry markets. I’m able to store my gear and trucks in a place I own rather than rent. Also, having a business here, especially as busy at it gets, in what in actuality is a very small market, gives more opportunity for productions to receive the incentive by using in-state businesses, when our small amount of rental houses are tapped out.
What would you consider your business’s greatest accomplishment to date?
My businesses greatest accomplishment to date is ongoing. The ability to stay busy and working in a slower market.
Are there any recent successes your company would like to highlight related to work within the Oklahoma film and music industries?
A few of the most recent shows Filthy Grip Co. has helped facilitate equipment on are “Reservation Dogs,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Tulsa King,” “Reagan,” “Unbreakable Boy,” and “American Underdog.”
What are you working on now/next?
I recently finished up “Reservation Dogs” season 2 and “Tulsa King” in Oklahoma City. The truck has been brought on for some second unit days. Next, well I guess we will find out soon enough.
What is your goal/vision for the future of your company?
I plan to expand to facilitate more local productions simultaneously, and hopefully, extend to some other production hubs as well as acquire some other specialty equipment I see a need for having here in Oklahoma.
What advice do you have for others who are considering starting a film or music business in Oklahoma?
Go for it. If there is a risk you are contemplating, plan it out the best you can, and go for it. Yes, it is scary to take risks. But, you have to take risks to get where you want to be.
What opportunities do you believe await Oklahoma’s film/music industry in the future?
I think the Oklahoma film industry has the potential to grow into a pretty large production hub. I think there are a lot of things that need to happen to get us there, and I am not sure how long that will take, but the potential is there. If the right decisions are made, I think Oklahoma has a chance to bring in more crew, and more large-scale shows/features, which will only build up the economy. Bringing more local businesses and manpower will help productions coming in to cut down on the need to rent from other states and fly in crew from everywhere else.
Each featured individual or business is given the provided questions to answer in their own voice. Other than formatting and grammar, the answers are personal to each featured voice, and are not provided by the Oklahoma Film + Music Office.