| PERG News: September 2026 |
Camera Ambassador: A Rental House Built Around the Filmmaker
Camera Ambassador, based in Chicago, has re-joined PERG with a philosophy that puts relationships, technical expertise, and service at the center of the rental experience. Founded and led by Erica Duffy, the company has grown from an unexpected start in used-camera sales into a full-service rental house serving commercial productions and independent features out of Chicago and across the broader Midwest.
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| Erica Duffy |
Duffy’s path into the rental business was unconventional. Growing up in New Hampshire, she had little exposure to the production industry. After moving to San Francisco, she operated an e-commerce business buying and selling used camera equipment, including Hasselblads and Leicas. While she enjoyed the equipment side of the business, she found herself missing the connection to the people and projects using the gear. In 2013, she moved to Chicago with the intention of creating a mixed-media artist collective. Friends began asking if they could borrow cameras from her inventory for their shoots, and those informal rentals gradually revealed an opportunity.
Camera Ambassador launched its formal rental division in 2014, built from the filmmaker’s perspective. As Duffy explains, the company’s philosophy has remained consistent: “The gear was never the hard part. The hard part, and the whole point, was staying connected to what people make with it and who those people are.”
Today, Camera Ambassador is a full-service rental house offering camera, lens, grip and electric packages, including 2-ton and 3-ton trucks. The company is particularly known for its emphasis on preparation, technical expertise, accessibility, and participation in the broader production community. Duffy notes that the company is also, by its count, one of a very small number of woman-owned and operated rental houses in the country and the only one in the Midwest.
Preparation is a major part of Camera Ambassador’s identity. The company has four automated MYT Works prep bays equipped with digital distance readouts, calibration-free film plane encoders, and motor systems. The facility was intentionally designed to give camera teams the space and infrastructure they need to thoroughly prepare equipment before a shoot. For Camera Ambassador, prep is not simply a step before production—it is an essential way of protecting the shooting day.
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| Camera Ambassador Team (Left to Right: Nate Wilke, Matt Carroll, Erica Duffy, and Ellen Partain) |
The company’s optical capabilities are equally important. Lens Technician Nate Wilke oversees lens service and evaluation, supported by a dedicated projection room equipped with a Chrosziel projector, MYT Works Reticle System, and Prêt à Tourner charts. Lenses are regularly serviced and tested daily. This technical depth allows the team to help cinematographers translate a desired visual look into the specific lenses and equipment needed to achieve it.
Camera Ambassador’s leadership team reflects that combination of technical knowledge and customer service. Duffy oversees major feature-film relationships, business operations, inventory, and the company’s overall direction. Operations Director Matt Carroll is also a working cinematographer whose credits include projects for Wilco, Iron & Wine, Fender, NPR, and Fontaines D.C. Rentals Manager Ellen Partain serves as the primary point of contact for many clients and specializes in finding workable equipment solutions within challenging budgets. Wilke provides the company’s optical expertise.
The company currently has four full-time employees, with two additional team members scheduled to join soon. Camera Ambassador also maintains an internship program, reflecting Duffy’s belief that bringing new people into the industry is an important part of sustaining the production community.
In June 2025, Camera Ambassador moved into a new facility inside CineCity Studios at 1414 S. Western Avenue in Chicago. CineCity’s roughly 140,000-square-foot facility places the rental house directly alongside active production. The new shop was designed by Duffy after eleven years of experience operating the company’s previous location. It includes prep bays, technical workspaces, a lens projection room, conference room, offices, a fully stocked expendables store, kitchen, makers space, lounge, and client area. The facility is designed to make equipment preparation efficient while also creating a welcoming environment where crews naturally want to spend time.
That community orientation extends beyond the rental counter. Camera Ambassador has hosted workshops, feedback sessions, screenings, and interns, and for five years funded and hosted the Community Builders Grant. Duffy also previously served as Executive Director of the Midwest Film Festival. The company emphasizes collaboration with other rental houses as well, including sharing equipment, solutions, and referrals when another shop is better positioned for a particular project.
The shop’s community-minded design includes one especially personal touch: Camera Ambassador is building an actual bar inside the rental house. The bar will not be open to the public or treated as a revenue line; instead, Duffy describes it as a place for crews and collaborators to gather after long days, with Nate Wilke curating an industry-inspired cocktail menu that reflects the same patience and attention to detail he brings to lens work.
Looking ahead, Camera Ambassador plans to continue investing in preparation infrastructure and technical services, particularly optics. The company is also continuing to modernize its inventory by retiring equipment that no longer meets its standards. At the same time, Duffy intends to maintain the company’s role as a community resource through workshops, screenings, grants, and internships.
Ultimately, Camera Ambassador’s mission is straightforward: to be “the Midwest rental partner crews trust when the project really matters.” For Duffy and her team, achieving that goal means combining well-maintained equipment and sophisticated technical capabilities with something equally important—a willingness to answer difficult questions, solve problems quickly, support filmmakers, and build lasting relationships throughout the production community.
Camera Ambassador social media links:
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