The leading marketplace and application suite for creatives broadens its offerings to further democratize access to the creator economy

Backstage, the leading freelancer marketplace and application suite for creators, announced that it has acquired ShareGrid, the largest and most trusted marketplace for high-quality, on-demand equipment rental for content creation. This acquisition further expands Backstage’s suite of content creation tools, following a high-quality and large group of acquisitions in 2021.

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In line with Backstage’s mission to provide equal opportunity to all creators, ShareGrid aims to democratize access to the creator economy by equipping creatives with the equipment necessary to create content at the quality and speed expected today. ShareGrid is the world’s leading high-end source for production rentals, allowing its community of over 150,000 members to rent, buy, and sell professional film and camera gear, lighting, vehicles, spaces, and even drones from local individual owners and companies for over 100 cities across the U.S.

“As content creation accelerates outside of major hubs like New York City and Los Angeles, more creators are in need of access to quality, on-demand equipment,” said Josh Ellstein, CEO of Backstage. “With ShareGrid’s already strong user base of both renters and leasers, we’re able to open up a full suite of tools for creators to make great content, while also providing our users with the ability to rent the highest quality equipment available.”

“As the creator economy continues to grow at a record pace, so does the demand for top-of-the-line production gear,” said Marius Ciocirlan, Co-Founder and CEO of ShareGrid.

“By joining forces with Backstage, we can grow our client base alongside theirs and create a full suite of secure and high-quality tools to help creatives attain their personal and professional goals,” said Arash Shiva, Co-Founder and CPO of ShareGrid.

The acquisition of ShareGrid marks Backstage’s expansion into the $10 billion production rentals business in the United States. The acquisition was supported by TA Associates, a leading global growth and private equity firm, which provides continued strategic investment guidance and leadership.

“With the growing size of the gig and creator economies, a crucial piece of the puzzle that so many young creatives lack is access to equipment,” said Jason Mironov, a Managing Director at TA Associates and Backstage Board Member. “This acquisition will provide Backstage a clear opportunity to unlock that access, while simultaneously allowing ShareGrid to fill a much-needed space in the creator economy and expand the Backstage platform to truly encompass all aspects of the creative process.”

The acquisition of ShareGrid is Backstage’s first of 2022. In 2021, Backstage acquired FilmFreeway, Coverfly, and Voice 123, along with StarNow and Mandy Network, which significantly expanded its suite of content creation tools, as well as its talent pool of creative professionals.

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