To most people, the movie and TV business seems like nothing but glamour and excitement.
But anyone who has worked in the industry – which generates some $10 billion in Georgia – knows it’s long hours and hard work, often at remote locations.
People in show business, they say, are just like the rest of us.
And that means they need portable toilets on location, too.
“Everybody’s gotta go,” says Jody Tinsley, owner-manager of Event Services of Georgia, which has provided sanitation services and portable toilets for more than 100 productions in seven years.
“If they gotta go, I’d like for them to go in one of mine.”
Jody and his dad worked in the portable-toilet industry previously.
When Jody saw a developing need in the marketplace, he moved to fill it. From their first TV series, “The Vampire Diaries,” the company has grown to six employees, with productions counting for 60 percent of their revenue.
Event Services has about 200 portable restrooms, and 10 climate-controlled trailers to dispatch around Atlanta and in North Georgia. In addition to movie and TV productions on location, the company also provides portable toilets, trailers, hand sanitizing stations, portable showers and other sanitation services for events like concerts and festivals.
That part of the business can be more seasonal, and the Hollywood connections round out the business all year.
“It keeps us consistent throughout the winter and summer months,” Jody says. “The production side really keeps a steady income and steady workload.”
Event Services of Georgia has worked on locations for “Furious 7,” “Taken 3” and “The Hunger Games” movies, as well as “Stranger Things” and the upcoming “Dynasty” reboot.
“The production business here is huge,” Jody says. “I’ve had people in the business tell me face to face, ‘We want to do business with the little guy – we like spending our money with local companies vs. some big corporate deal.’
“I know it’s affected our business tremendously.”