Modern Props became one of the largest prop houses in Hollywood, employing 50 people in its heyday in the late 1990s. But the business has eroded through much of the last decade, squeezed by the growing use of digital effects; the growth of reality television, which spends little on props; and especially the departure of shows to other locales.
"We know how to do what we do very well," Zabrucky said, "but we can't fight the fact that everything is just being sold right from underneath us."
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday, July 16, 2009 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 4 National Desk 1 inches; 54 words Type of Material: Correction
Hollywood production drop: An article in Sunday's Section A about the struggles facing small businesses that serve the film and TV industries said that James Cella, president of Culver Studios, previously ran Steiner Studios in New York. Cella served as a senior consultant for Steiner and lobbied for tax credits that helped launch it.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday, July 19, 2009 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 4 National Desk 1 inches; 56 words Type of Material: Correction
Hollywood production drop: An article in the July 12 Section A about the struggles facing small businesses that serve the film and TV industries said that James Cella, president of Culver Studios, previously ran Steiner Studios in New York. Cella served as a senior consultant for Steiner and lobbied for tax credits that helped launch it.
Last summer, Modern Props lost one of its clients, the ABC series "Ugly Betty," to New York. "Their set decorator was in every week placing orders. That's $14,000 a month we lost," lamented Ken Sharp, vice president of sales and operations for Modern Props.
To highlight the plight facing his business and others, Zabrucky recently designed skateboard decks that show a pictograph of the country, with California highlighted, and distributed them to hundreds of Hollywood executives as well as city and state politicians. The deck shows arrows pointing away from the state and the words "don't run away."
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richard.verrier@latimes.com
