Sim Video Los Angeles is ‘a boutique facility,’ says Jim Martin, Sim Video’s VP of U.S. operations and new business developments. ‘We’re not a massive rental house, so we’re able to offer a more personal touch when dealing with our clients.

‘Our niche is that you can come here and be treated like a ‘somebody’,’ Martin notes. ‘You also get the cutting-edge equipment you need, because we have it.’

Increasingly, the hottest demand is for high-definition equipment, which Sim Video L.A. committed to in 2000/01. ‘Over 80% of what we rent and post is HD these days,’ Martin explains. ‘We keep a full range of HD cameras in stock, everything from the Viper to HDX.’

With 10,000 square feet of equipment rental and post space, Sim Video LA focuses on video-related production technology, specialized products, and ‘personalized services,’ according to Martin.

‘We… are able to offer the very latest equipment, thanks to our ties to [Toronto-based] Sim Video, and being small enough to give personal service, even if you don’t have a $100-million budget,’ he adds.

Sim Video opened its L.A. office in 1999, with a 3,000-square-foot space rented from Raleigh Studios. ‘We were doing a lot of work in post that would start in our Canadian facilities, then move south of the border,’ says Martin.

The supplier decided to provide a North American conduit for its clients.

‘That is why we opened an office in L.A. As well, we opened a modest office in San Francisco last year,’ he explains. ‘There’s room for growth there, since the local players aren’t fully serving the market.’

Mindful of its split approach to the production industry, Sim Video LA houses its equipment rental division on the first floor of 738 N. Cahuenga Blvd., and its post facility on the second.

Over the years, it has racked up some notable credits, including two years’ post on Starz Media’s Masters of Horror and Masters of Science Fiction. ‘We’ve also done a lot of promo work for American Idol,’ says Martin. ‘Promos have proven to be an important part of our business.’