Wet-hire · For out-of-town producers

Flying into Atlanta?
Crew + gear are waiting.

I'm David Robertson: Atlanta DP and gaffer, owner operator of a 1-ton grip and lighting van that comes with every booking. Fly in with your team; the grip and electric (G&E) is already here. A person with a van, not a company.

Gaffer + Grip Van $1,750/day · Docu DP Day $2,500/day · DP + Gaffer Day $3,500/day. The van comes with every booking.

Send your dates See the day rates

The 1-ton grip van with its side door open: slide-out trays of metal clamps and arms, crates, a wooden box, and shelved cases packed to the roof

Wet-hire gear and crew in one

Insured $1M/$2M GL + workers comp + auto

COI + W-9 same day as booking

Owner operator you work with me

Sets I've shot and lit

Delta Chick-fil-A NCR Zoom Grady Georgia Pacific Fire-Dex

This already happened

A producer in Ohio found me through ChatGPT.

Josh needed crew and G&E in Atlanta and was pricing out flying gear in. Instead he booked the gaffer day for 2.5 days: one person, one van, everything in it. Here's what he said afterward:

Five stars on Google

David was an absolute rock star to work with. I was coming in from out of state and needed to hire a local gaffer for the production, so I was a little nervous about bringing someone onto the team that I had never worked with before. David and I talked on the phone beforehand, and I immediately felt like he was going to be a great guy to work with.
He did a fantastic job and was a huge asset to our production team. His lighting was top-notch, my client loved working with him, and he brought great creative input whenever I asked for his thoughts. He was professional, talented, humble, easy to work with, and genuinely made the entire production better.
I would absolutely work with David again and highly recommend him, especially to any production company coming in from out of town and looking for a great local gaffer.

Josh Fronduti · Google review

An interview setup inside a fire station: a large soft light and a black overhead shade rigged beside a fire engine, a boom mic overhead, and the fire chief standing by the monitor

The production monitor showing a framed interview of a firefighter in uniform, a fire engine soft in the background

Filming on the plant floor: the camera operator at the tripod, a worker laying out protective gear on a steel table, and a large soft light raised over the scene

The production monitor showing a masked worker in an apron inspecting protective gear on a steel table in the plant

From those shoot days · behind the scenes

What about all the gear I can't fly with?

The van replaces the cases you'd have to check.

The van comes with every booking prepped in advance. Fly with your essentials and I'll bring the heavy stuff.

The full itemized manifest is on the equipment page

Light Fixtures

9 COB heads, 80W RGB to 1,200W bicolor
10 panel and mat lights, 1x1 to 4x2
4 RGB tubes, 2ft and 4ft
10 RGB practicals: bulbs and minis

Shaping

13 Bowens mods: domes, lanterns, fresnels
8x8 and 6x6 frames with full rag sets
Flags, floppies, and bounce
Grids, ultrabounce, magic cloth, diff

Grip

24 stands: C-stands, combos, beefy babies
8 arms, 16 grip heads and cardellinis
18 sandbags, rigging clamps, apple boxes
Rolling shelf carts, wedges, wall plates

Power

2kW battery generator built into the van, 1,200W of light for 6+ hours
12 stingers, 25ft to 100ft
Distro: cube taps and dimming

Need something that isn't in the van? Additional crew and equipment are available, quoted per job. A sound mixer and a grip are added for the Full Crew Day at $5,000, four crew on one invoice.

The full equipment page

The alternative · A national crew broker

You book the person you see, not a roster.

The broker route

Booking through a national crew broker adds a dispatcher layer: you brief a coordinator, the coordinator briefs a crew you have never seen, and you meet that crew for the first time when they walk onto your set.

One booking

Owner operator

Here you book the exact person and the exact van you see. The gaffer you email is the one who answers, quotes, invoices, and loads in. One name, one number, one invoice.

Simple day rates. The van comes with every booking.

Gaffer + Grip Van

$1,750 /day

Me as your gaffer with the full G&E package in the van.

Docu DP Day

$2,500 /day

Me solo on camera for documentary-style days: interviews and b-roll, interview sound included, lighting kept simple.

DP + Gaffer Day

$3,500 /day

The fully lit day: camera and the full G&E package, with a dedicated gaffer on the lighting. Add a sound mixer and a grip for the Full Crew Day, $5,000: four crew on one invoice.

Book four days, the fifth day is 50% off · meals provided by production or billed · Tech Scout / Prep Day $500 · free cancellation 48+ hours out, inside 48 hours reschedule within two weeks of the original date or the fee is the first day of the booking. The full equipment page →

Who am I booking, sight unseen?

A named person, on paper before you land.

David Robertson: Atlanta DP and gaffer, 20+ years on set, owner operator, no union affiliation.

Insurance, stated plainly

$1M/$2M general liability
Workers comp
Auto coverage on the van
COI naming your production, the same day you book

Paperwork, same day

W-9 the day you book
Vendor paperwork the day you book
25% deposit before the first shoot day, then net 30
ACH, check, or card (card adds 3%)
No union affiliation. For a union production, I can point you to the right local resources.

How does booking work from out of town?

Two steps, both of them from your desk.

Send the dates

Email the dates, call or text 678-371-5715, or book a 20-min call on Calendly.

Paper lands the day you book

COI naming your production, W-9, and vendor paperwork, all the same day you book. 25% deposit before the first shoot day; the balance is net 30. ACH, check, or card (card adds 3%).

Send the dates before you book the flights.

Same-day answer, usually within the hour. You get me, not a coordinator.

Email the dates Call or text 678-371-5715 Book a 20-min call

david@robertsonproduction.com · Atlanta, GA

Flying into Atlanta? Crew + gear are waiting.