We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Props Metropolis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Props below.

Hi Props, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

We have multiple missions:
Our first mission is to support independent filmmakers. This includes having and sourcing props and set decor appropriate for a given project. This may mean collaboration with local Builders and makers to create the perfect prop. But for an ultra-low budget, it may also mean mentoring and teaching someone how to do their own special effects or create their own props.

We also believe in mentoring new filmmakers and students so that they can learn the art portion of filmmaking. Sometimes this is done through internships with Props Metropolis, by giving class presentations, and by connecting new filmmakers to people in the field.

We also operate Queen of Props in Chisholm, Minnesota. This is based at Lost 40 Studios. We support film and theater on Minnesota’s Iron Range.

One of our future goals is to collaborate with more filmmakers and theater professionals.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Props Metropolis is owned by Melissa Pritchett and Cheri Anderson. We both have a love for art and creation. We realized through working in the Art Department we needed a storehouse to pull from for our own gigs, and knew this was something that many people would appreciate as well.

Melissa attended Moorhead State University where she was a painting major. She transferred to Minneapolis College of Art and Design’s Filmmaking program where she received her BFA in filmmaking. The 1940’s period piece Two Faced Beauty was decorated by Melissa. She was the Production Designer for Features including: Undone and Ultimate Redemption. She was Art Director for her most recent project Death to Prom.

Cheri enjoys various roles in the art department. She has designed and art directed films for the last 20 years. She art directed the indy feature Dear White People and the drama Blood Stripe. Her production design credits include: Paulie Go! And Merry Kiss Cam. She has a degree in business management from the University of Minnesota.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

The Props Rental business requires space. We started our business out of garages. We knew we needed space to grow. Our first warehouse location was in Minneapolis, MN and we started buying shelving from Craigslist ads. when the owner of our building decided it was time to sell we negotiated staying an additional 6 to 9 months in the building (with the owner and the new people acquiring). This gave us a little time to find a better space. We looked at lots of options and found a great leasing agent to help us in our search. We ended up subletting in a suburb. The move was intense with truckloads to move. Here we grew our inventory and acquired additional industrial shelving and more inventory. The business we were subletting from decided to leave before the end of our sublet period. We again worked with our leasing agent and decided to stay in the same building but had a different unit built out for us. This required another move. Much bigger than the last one.

At Lost 40 Studios in Chisholm Queen of Props has a large collection and looks forward to finding more shelving.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

There are great resources in Minnesota – The Springboard for the Arts is a great non-profit. Various Small Business programs have also helped us lately. Finding the right people to network with definitely helps: Film North, Minnesota Women in Film and TV, The Upper Midwest Film Office, and MN Film & TV / Explore Minnesota Film.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://propsmetropolis.com/ and https://www.queenofprops.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/propsmetropolis/ and https://www.instagram.com/queenof.props/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/propsmetropolis and https://www.facebook.com/propsmetropolis
• Other: https://propsmetropolis.com/ and https://www.queenofprops.com/
  https://www.facebook.com/propsmetropolis and https://www.facebook.com/propsmetropolishttps://www.instagram.com/propsmetropolis/ and https://www.instagram.com/queenof.props/included here in case the above slots don’t accept multiple entries