Matthews Studio Equipment is a true American success story that helped shape the modern film set. For 55 years, family owned and operated, Matthews has served the motion picture, television, still photographic, broadcast, and theatrical industries by providing the fines grip hardware, lighting and camera rig support equipment manufactured in the world.
It all began in a garage in Burbank, California when Hollywood was still a wild west for broadcast and filmmaking. It was an era without recognized gear standards – grip hardware required to hold lighting and cameras varied depending on the manufacturer or studio lot. The field was ripe for the two young men who rolled up their sleeves and worked out of their garage to come up with better solutions. With sweat and ingenuity, they opened a machine shop to develop their ideas. Eventually, Matthews established an official ANSI standardization for the 5/8” Baby Pin and the 1-1/8” Junior Receiver for hardware, clamp and stands; revolutionizing the grip industry worldwide. These standards were accepted by SMPTE and remain in effect today.
From the start, they listened to the production community. As location work proliferated, portability became key. Matthews responded with the first foldable and collapsible C-Stand that’s become the single most-used support gear worldwide. So began a constant flow of practical production solutions from hardware to dollies.
Founder Ed Phillips encouraged partnering with filmmakers whose inventions were created from first-hand experience. Together these partnerships created Tulip Crane, Cam Remote, MAX Menace Arm, Matthews Slider, Matthellini Clamps, and dozens more. Along the way, they garnered three Scientific and Technical Awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, numerous other honors, and perpetual accolades from filmmakers worldwide. Today’s Matthews catalog offers 1500+ products – still manufactured in Burbank, California.
Ed Phillips’ focus on quality, safety, technological innovation, and customer service built a proud reputation of contribution to the craft. When Ed’s son, Tyler, joined the family business in 2010, he rolled up his sleeves, working in every aspect of the company – from machine shop to shipping to sales. Tyler’s upbringing revolved around the family business, where he spent summers in the factory, or assisting with tradeshows, learning the ropes alongside his dad. After five years or so working in the banking industry while earning his degree, he pivoted to an internship at NBC/Universal before Ed hired him in 2010. Today, as President/CEO, Tyler Phillips continues to raise the bar on innovation, respecting the credo of building and maintaining a business that supports the production community and fostering a healthy working environment for its team.
Matthews’ philosophy has always been to retain as much control of their product quality as possible, which includes manufacturing at home, int eh USA. From the first few staffers to today’s greatly expanded team, Matthews has always recognized the contributions of its employees. It’s no wonder so many of its staff, from marketing to machine shop, to shipping and receiving; enjoy lifelong careers at Matthews.
Today Matthews continues to innovate, constantly adding game-changing new tools to empower creativity. Its equipment is being used on entertainment productions and in major studios in 99% of the world. The company has been honored with two Presidential “E” Awards for outstanding contributions to growing U.S. exports, strengthening the economy and creating American jobs. Matthews has been honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for Technical Achievement and has earned countless awards from the industry.
After 5 decades, Matthews, “The Original Hollywood Grip Company" is still grateful and proud to serve the worldwide motion picture community.
