JR Reid’s lights star in Las Vegas Valley film projects
Lights from JR Reid have illuminated most major film projects in the Las Vegas Valley.
From the gangsters of “Casino” to the hijinks in the second “Paul Blart” movie, production heads in the valley usually find their way to the warehouse of Reid’s company, JR Lighting.
“We’re a big part of infrastructure for the film industry,” said Reid, 65.
Come April 11, Reidwill upgrade from his 7,500-square-foot North Las Vegas warehouse, filled to the brim with lights, cranes and other film equipment.
He will move to a location about 13 miles southeast, near Russell Road and Decatur Boulevard. Reid expects to spend about $5.5 million on the building.
Electrician to advocate
Reid started in the film business about 45 years ago as an electrician before becoming a gaffer, the chief electrician on a production.
While working as a chief assistant on the 1980s TV series “Crime Story,” he bought a truck full of gear from a retiring electrician.
“I got a good deal,” Reid said.
He started JR Lighting in 1991. He since has amassed $7 million worth of inventory and has about 10 employees.
In recent years, Reid has advocated on behalf of growing a film industry in Nevada. In June, Gov. Brian Sandoval signed into law a $10 million budget per fiscal year of tax credits for film and other productions.
The law revived a tax-incentive program that hadn’t been funded since 2014, when an initial $80 million budget for the credits got slashed to $10 million. The rest of the money went toward a tax break for carmaker Tesla.
The number of film permits issued by the city of Las Vegas and Clark County grew from 602 in 2011 to 755 in 2017, according to records.
Projects approved for fiscal year 2018 include two independent films, “Smiley Face Killers” and “Mustang,” and two TV shows, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” and “Vegas Cakes,” Nevada Film Office director Eric Preiss said.
New location
Reid’s journey to a different location has given him new experience in government permitting and time taken for utility hookups.
He said he’s ready to offer clients more room and a larger parking lot.
Contact Wade Tyler Millward at wmillward@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4602. Follow @wademillward on Twitter.
