Phillip Covell

The Lightweight Equipment Co. (Era II)

A camera hire, production, personnel, creative services, and sales company.

Established & Scaled Operations: Locating in Park Royal, West London, setting strategic direction for equipment rental and sales, delivering 47% rental revenue growth over two years, securing sales contracts across broadcast and film, including a £155K production equipment contract for the Sydney Olympics, and elevating the company’s brand profile through a $250K investment in the Aerocrane Camera Crane System, supported by the “Stability to its Credit” marketing campaign.

Won Prestigious Production Contracts: Supplying camera equipment and creative crew and services to the BBC, Channel 4, IMAX, ITV, NHK, and Sky, spanning TV drama, documentaries, TV comedy, music videos and concerts, motorsport (F1, FIA Drag Racing), sport (football, tennis, rugby), commercials, and corporate projects.

Secured $500K in Strategic Partnerships: Collaborating with VFG Group management teams in the UK, US, and Australia across equipment hire, sales, manufacturing (Formatt Filters), and finance (European Broadcast Finance), strengthening supplier relationships and expanding cross-border commercial opportunities.

Conducted Due Diligence on £7.4M Acquisition: Reviewing documentation for VFG’s proposed purchase of 36 local television broadcasting licences through the Local Broadcasting Group subsidiary, assessing risks and delivering recommendations against adoption, aligned with CEO Tony Covell’s position to reject the proposal.

£1M+ in U.S. Procurement & Disposals: Successfully negotiated over £1M of technology procurement and disposals for VFG in the U.S. marketplace. Sourced and evaluated high-value motion picture equipment through supplier outreach and in-person scouting during business visits to Los Angeles, assessing suitability on-site. Negotiated purchase and sale terms, accepted long-lease equipment from U.S. suppliers on behalf of VFG, and built trusted industry relationships, generating exclusive equipment offers.

Births Marriages & Deaths • Hunting Venus • London Bridge • Animal Hospital • Grand Designs • Robert Winston’s Frontiers of Medicine & Superhuman • The Divine Comedy • V Festival • FIA Drag Racing Championships and many more.

Hoover • The Lawn Tennis Association • Mercedes McLaren West • The Premier League • The Rugby Union • Woolwich.

Alibi • BBC • C4 • Carlton TV • ITN • NHK • Sky • Talkback • Thames • Tiger Aspect • TWI • Zenith and many more.

Vistavision 35mm Cameras • Fries 4-35mm High Speed Cameras • Nikon • Digi Betacam • Steadicam • Cartoni • O’Connor • Ronford • Sachtler • Lens Controls • Cine Power Batteries • Chapman Peewee Dollies • Premier Pup Dollies • Elemack Spyder Dollies • Matthews Equipment • ABC Lightweight Jibs • Ultra Crane • SSE Car Mounts • Aerocrane • Jimmy Jibs • Power Pod Classic Remote Heads • LEQ ATB Tracking Base.