Equipment Emporium

About Equipment Emporium

Published: 08/18/09

Production Sound Mixing is the complex craft of recording live dialogue and sound effects on the set during principal production of a motion picture or video.

So important to the quality of the finished show, yet sound is so often taken for granted. Remember, they're called "talking pictures!"

Equipment Emporium was a highly regarded supplier of professional equipment for Production Sound Recording for the film and video industry. Founded in the early nineties by soundmixers Fred Ginsburg, Philip Silver, and Blake Wilcox - the sales company was an offshoot of Hollywood’s venerable Skyline Productions (Motion Picture Sound), which later became Wilcox Sound & Communications.

Partnerships don’t always last, and several years later the Equipment Emporium separated from Wilcox Sound and relocated to Mission Hills, California (Los Angeles vicinity). The company continued to thrive under the management of Fred Ginsburg, president, and Tom Hamilton, sales manager.

Equipment Emporium Inc. continued to specialize in providing gear for production sound recording, workshops & training, and a little bit of rentals. Their client base gradually changed from Hollywood studios to smaller independents, as well as the corporate, educational, government, and law enforcement communities. Equipment Emporium’s strength was their ability to not just sell, but to explain. Good old fashioned handholding without the attitude.

But the nature of business changed. It became harder and harder for the smaller, service driven operations to compete against the big box houses. Customers would pick our brains to find out the best product for their needs, only to rush onto the internet to place their orders with some discount house.

But Equipment Emporium Inc. still managed to hold its own, especially in markets that appreciated good service, technical support, and advice. Namely -- universities, large corporations, municipal government, law enforcement, and smaller independents.

However, the great economic collapse of 2008 really took its toll on the company. Budgets were shaved to the bone, pending contracts were cancelled or put on indefinite hold, and the big orders ceased coming.

In May of 2009, the Equipment Emporium Inc. finally closed its doors! After nearly two decades in business, we had to shut down the company and ceased pro audio equipment sales/rentals.

For a short time, we will continue to sell off any existing inventory, but essentially we are out of the retail business.

Instead, we will continue to do what we have always done best. Advise, explain, and share our knowledge.

Fred Ginsburg C.A.S. Ph.D. MBKS is the president and CEO of Equipment Emporium Inc. His background as a professional mixer includes over 15 years of work in features, episodic TV series, national TV commercials, corporate, and government. He is a member of the Cinema Audio Society, Univ Film & Video Assoc, WEVA, Law Enforcement Video Assoc., British Kinematograph Sound & Television Society (aka The Moving Image Society), and served as co-Executive Director of the National Association of Forensic Video.

Fred holds doctorate, graduate, and undergraduate degrees in filmmaking; has published more than 90 articles; and wrote the "Guide to the Nagra 4.2 and Production Sound Recording" which is used as a text by many universities. He currently instructs at California State University Northridge (CSUN); and has conducted seminars/workshops for over 90 organizations worldwide.

Vince Ginsburg manages our eBay store (Equipment Emporium Outlet) and serves as the EquipmentEmporium.com webmaster.  He is currently enrolled in the Multimedia Division of the Cinema-TV Arts Department at California State University Northridge.

Tom Hamilton is currently freelancing as a Production Sound Mixer.

Philip Silver C.A.S., is currently retired.