See below for Expressway Cinema Rentals’s full statement on re-opening and updated rental procedures, we appreciate you taking the time to read it all the way through, but please feel free to skip to the cliff notes.
Dear Creative Community,
During this complicated and difficult time, Expressway has worked tirelessly to stay ahead of the evolving nature of this pandemic and its impact on our company and the community. It has also been very important to us that we continue to make ourselves available as a resource and a support system throughout this crisis. A big shout out to our employees for their perseverance and their continued efforts to lift up the company and the community. To our customers and crew, we want you to know that we miss you very much, you are in our thoughts and prayers and we are here for you if you need us. We are continuously impressed at the level of camaraderie, generosity and compassion that our industry has conveyed toward one another. We are prouder now more than ever to serve this community and we take that responsibility very seriously.
Understandably, there is a lot of anxiety surrounding the idea of going back to work and reopening business. These are unprecedented times and there is a lot of uncertainty. Behind the scenes, our staff has spent all of its time researching, assessing and preparing our precautionary measures, facilities, technology and operations to make Expressway safe for our employees and customers when the time comes to re-open our doors.
Included in their work is a complete spatial reimagining of our facilities and the flow of traffic through them. Both in Philadelphia and Rochester, extensive measures have been taken to provide a safe, comfortable and efficient experience throughout the space. We have installed hand sanitization at all access points to and through the shop. Daily temperature testing and PPE supplies for all employees are being provided. A restructured lobby and reception area including appropriate waiting areas for customers have been installed. Hands-free payment processing, regular surface cleanings, clear signage to enforce safety protocols, and an overhaul of our client rental procedures are all parts of our re-opening strategy. These new processes have been integrated company-wide and documented for your review on our website. You can find more information about this on our COVID-19 Rental Procedures page.
Equipment sanitization, handling, and accessibility have obviously been of the utmost concern and has garnered a great deal of attention and detail. The facilities have been retrofitted for a combination of UV, quarantine, and manual disinfecting treatments for incoming and outgoing equipment. Every package will be treated with the most effective method on a case by case basis. DELIVERY and CURBSIDE PICKUP are immediately available and our fleet of vans and trucks are clean and ready to go. We are committed to providing the resources our customers need, when they need them, in the most efficient and safest way possible. Our staff has been preparing and have developed new processes for pickup, checkout, delivery and set work to protect both our employees and customers and to ensure safety and quality of service. Pickups and checkouts will be done by appointment to limit the number of people in the facility at any given time and strict adherence to our new processes and procedures will ensure a comfortable and safe space without sacrificing the efficiencies and quality that are necessary to operate in our industry. All orders will be handled with the utmost care and consideration toward safety.
Camera checkouts are a specifically intensive process that require customers to be in the shop and to interact with our staff. Recognizing that challenge, Expressway has upgraded our camera checkout facilities to provide more space and separation from the back of the house operations. It is essential for ACs and DPs to be able to maintain comfortable and efficient workspaces while also maintaining responsible proximity from other customers and staff. Rental Techs and resources will safely be available and at your service as needed. The largest facilities update will be our entirely new checkout room in Philadelphia; purpose-built to accommodate the unique needs of the industry while simultaneously adhering to CDC guidelines on distancing and disinfecting. Expressway Philly will have a whole new look for those of us that are familiar. We are very excited to show you.
Another area of particular concern is returning to work on set and SET SAFETY. This will be a very challenging time for all production personnel tasked with navigating the intricacies of operation during COVID-19. We are doing everything we can to help in those efforts by facilitating regular and ongoing discussions within the community and reaching out to production companies to gather and disseminate information for a more seamless and safe return to work. We are really proud of how proactive the creative community has been and how seriously we are all taking this. We want to thank this network of production companies for taking the time to speak with us about these subjects and keeping the lines of communication open. Through these conversations, we have identified specific concerns and needs that have been addressed, both in our operations and in our inventory. We have added a number of essential production supplies and expendables including hand sanitizer stations, hands-free thermal temperature stations for production staff, remote capabilities for shooting and monitoring, and a gamut of new sanitary expendables aimed at maintaining safe, efficient and creative work environments.
Expressway is developing our new policies and procedures around standards set by leading industry organizations including AICP (Association of Independent Commercial Producers) and PERG (Production Equipment Rental Group) as well as adhering strictly to the guidance of the CDC and OSHA. We are also closely monitoring announcements from IATSE and our federal, state and local governments. This crisis will forever change Expressway, but we will always remain committed to providing the highest quality of service and resources and to safely building better infrastructure. That mission is more important now than ever. We are very excited to get back to work and can’t wait to see you all again.
Love,
Expressway
Expressway is committed to the following during the re-opening of our facilities and rental services:
- Complete spatial reimagining of our facilities and the flow of traffic through them
- Installed hand sanitization at all access points to and through the shop
- Daily temperature testing and PPE supplies for all employees
- Restructured lobby and reception area including appropriate waiting areas for customers
- Hands-free payment processing
- Regular surface cleanings
- Clear signage to enforce safety protocols
- Overhaul of our client rental procedures
- Combination of UV, quarantine, and manual disinfecting treatments for incoming and outgoing equipment
- DELIVERY and CURBSIDE PICKUP are immediately available and our fleet of vans and trucks are clean and ready to go
- Pickups and checkouts will be done by appointment to limit the number of people in the facility at any given time
- Upgraded our camera checkout facilities to provide more space and separation from the back of the house operations. Entirely new checkout room in Philadelphia
- Facilitating regular and ongoing discussions within the community and reaching out to production companies to gather and disseminate information for a more seamless and safe return to work
- Added a number of essential production supplies and expendables including hand sanitizer stations, hands-free thermal temperature stations for production staff, remote capabilities for shooting / monitoring and a gamut of new sanitary expendables
- Developing new policies and procedures around standards set by leading industry organizations including AICP (Association of Independent Commercial Producers) and PERG (Production Equipment Rental Group) as well as adhering strictly to the guidance of the CDC and OSHA
If you are looking for information on Bud’s Studio, we have been retooling our safety procedures over there as well. Please visit their COVID response page for more info. We would also be happy to answer any questions or requests directly: [email protected].