Question: What do the cast and crew of film and television productions need when they’re working in the Georgia heat – just like everybody else does?
Answer: Ice, and lots of it.
Whether in the air-conditioned studios of Atlanta or out somewhere on location within a 50-mile radius of the city, many of the state’s studios get their ice from Crystal Cubes Ice of Mableton.
The 20-year-old business started by working with catering companies that provide service for productions, and soon studios started calling Crystal Cubes Ice directly, said company president Vishal Patel.
The company has provided ice for a range of productions, including some of the “Fast & Furious” franchise, Tyler Perry productions, “The Hunger Games” movies and “The Walking Dead” TV series.
“I get a kick out of it,” Patel says about working on the various shows, knowing that his product might’ve passed the lips of Tinseltown stars working on exciting productions – while bringing in revenue to the company. “It’s been good for us.”
The production industry provided a big boost to Crystal Cubes Ice sales before the pandemic slowed down productions and the need for frozen water. Now things are beginning to pick back up again for Patel and his 20 employees.
The company, though, is so diversified that it has been able to ride out the peaks and valleys with its other steady customers – gas stations, other stores, catering companies, and special events, he says.
“Before the movie industry, we were running OK,” Patel says. “But as soon as the movie industry came along, it picked up steam, it picked up workload, it picked up demand across the board.”
Turns out everybody needs ice. Even Vin Diesel and Katniss Everdeen.