Snow Business Hollywood

About Us...

The Early Years

In 1982 a UK special effects company contacted David G Crownshaw for a very special type of paper, for a very particular special effect - a type of paper the company he worked for just happened to have in stock!

After that first chance encounter, the next three years saw a wider range of cellulose based products being supplied to the special effects industry. These included 'Moondust', 'Spray Lawn', 'Spray Foliage', 'Spray Jungle', 'Wash-away Soot', 'Sandblast-free Sand', and the first 100% biodegradable, eco-friendly, purpose made 'Artificial Snow' for motion pictures. This product 'Snowcel - Full Size - cellulose based snow' was first used in Neil Jordan's motion picture 'Company of Wolves'.

As the range of products became ever more widely used on locations, the company designed and supplied equipment for laying the materials more quickly over ever-larger areas. Later, as the equipment and materials became more sophisticated, the company supplied specialist technicians to operate and supervise contracts.

'Snowcel Artificial Snow' quickly emerged as the main product line and a range of artificial snow was developed and refined. A new company, Snow Business, was incorporated with the sole aim of supplying 'Snow and Winter effects' to the motion picture industry.

The company quickly earned the trust and respect of people within the motion picture industry and was welcomed into the BECTU in the 1980's. Snow became an obsession for David whose aim was to make Snow Business the world leader for Snow and Winter effects.

The International Years

In 1996 Snow Business expanded its operations by incorporating in the USA establishing offices in Los Angeles and South Carolina. With an ever-expanding workforce, year 2000 saw the company become a signatory to IATSE (branch 44). Snow Business can now supply fully unionised facilities to all American filmmakers.

In 1997 a third Snow Business company, Snow Business Deutschland was conceived. It took two years to work through all the German legislation and company law. Trading started in 1999 and the German film community have made Snow Business Deutschland very welcome with trading exceeding all our expectations.

'Snow Business Systems' are supplied to many countries through a growing network of fully trained agents. We currently have agents in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Canada, New Zealand, Spain, Belgium, Holland, Denmark and Portugal.

In year 2000 Snow Business opened its 'International Sales' department, headed by Rebecca Binns. This department is currently based in the UK and is dedicated to offering the best possible service anywhere in the world through its international links and contacts.

Today

Snow Business is the world leader in the supply of artificial snow for motion pictures. Although it is the largest company of its kind in the world it actually offers its services via a series of small units each employing local full time staff, this allows the service to be very 'one to one' i.e. 'personal'. The company's open management structure means your telephone call may as easily be answered by the President of the company as by any other employee.

Snow Business is truly Internationally and is able to provide snow anywhere in the world. With an impressive number of friendly world-wide contacts the company can draw on local knowledge and expertise, something that is essential when large budget movies have so much money invested and so little time to produce.

Snow Business is constantly researching, testing, and developing new snow materials and equipment. We test and evaluated every variety of snow and every type of snow machine we ever encounter, then we meet the manufacturers in order to refine and customise their wares for our specific use. This ongoing development completed with the backing of product manufacturers, is what keeps Snow Business ahead of all of its rivals

Snow Business is involved on a winter film set somewhere in the world, every single working day of the year. The experience this gives, coupled with our range of over 140 types of snow, frost and ice materials, allows us to offer the most competent advice and supply the best winter effect for any scene, anywhere in the world.