Film crew hire/New York/Runner
Hire a runner in New York. The coffee, the van and the run to the rental house, before anyone asks.
Runners for shoots across the five boroughs; on a New York set, the set PA. They do the runs to the rental house, ride with the van, keep the unit base going, hold the sidewalk with the ADs and keep the coffee coming, so everyone else can do their job. From $250 a day, paid to the runner in full.
- 54 five-star Google reviews
- 2 hrs for our team to read your brief, in working hours
- 10 hrs a New York crew day, plus a meal break
- 500+ productions, filmed in sixteen countries
Photos: Omotayo Kofoworola, patsanannnn, Erwi, sippakorn yamkasikorn and Jakob Owens
The role
What a runner does on your shoot
A runner does whatever the shoot needs next: a run to a rental house in Long Island City for a forgotten cable, the coffee order at six, the van to meet, the unit base to set up, a door held, the public kept out of shot. In New York the job is called set PA, and it’s where most crew start.
Set PAs work to the ADs on the floor, or to the producer at base; on a small shoot one runner does both. The paperwork (call sheets, releases, the building’s crew list) sits with the production PA.
- Runs done fast. The subway when it’s quicker, the van when it isn’t, and back before anyone notices.
- Kit carried and minded. Never left alone on a sidewalk, in a lobby or in a van with the doors open.
- The base running. Coffee, water, snacks and the bins, all day.
- On the books. On payroll, with New York workers’ compensation, like everyone else on the crew.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- A 10-hour day, plus a meal break
- Runs to rental houses, stores and couriers
- Loading in and out, and the freight elevator
- The unit base: coffee, water and snacks
- Meeting the van and minding it
- Holding the sidewalk, with the ADs or the producer
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee, on the whole quote
- Payroll and insurance for the job, at cost
- A van or a car, fuel, tolls and parking, at cost, if the runner drives
- Catering and the coffee order, at cost
- Travel outside the five boroughs, and any cars or vans, at cost
How our rates work, and the two ways to book: crew rates in New York.
Two ways to book
Crew hire or full production: who’s the producer of record?
One question sets the price: who’s the producer of record? Book a runner for your own shoot, or have us take the production on.
Crew hire
You run the shoot.
10% booking fee, on everything we book for you: crew, kit and travel. Payroll and insurance at cost, on their own line.
We do
- Find, book and brief the New York crew
- Every crew member employed for the job: payroll, workers’ compensation and COIs
- Book kit, vans and travel too, if you want them
- Send the full price, in dollars, before anything is booked
- One person to call all day
You do
- Run the shoot, or your producer does
- The plan, the schedule and the call sheet
- The location, its COI and any Mayor’s Office permit
- Responsibility for the production: you’re the producer of record
Payroll and insurance are their own line on the quote, at cost: payroll for each crew member, the insurance they need for the job, New York workers’ compensation included, and the certificates of insurance your location asks for.
Full production
We’re the producer of record.
From $20,000 for a New York production; most land between that and $75,000. One quote, in dollars, every line shown.
We do
- Our producer plans it with you and runs the job
- Locations, permits, kit, studio and travel, booked in the production’s name
- The production’s insurance, the COIs and the Mayor’s Office permit
- One quote and one contract with us, wherever you’re based
You do
- The creative calls
- Signing off the plan and the budget
The production’s insurance, the crew’s payroll and any permits are lines in the quote, so you see each one before you sign.
Not sure which you need? If your own producer or director will run the day, it’s crew hire. If you want us to take the production on, it’s a full production quote.
On the day
A day with a runner, call to wrap
A brand film in a Brooklyn loft, with the van parked outside on a Mayor’s Office permit. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 06:30 Before call The coffee order collected, the van met at the loading door, and the base set up with water and snacks before the crew arrives.
- 07:00 Load in Floor protection down first, because the loft asked for it, then cases up the freight elevator and stacked where the crew want them.
- 09:00 On set Doors held, the neighbours kept in the loop, and the next set-up’s kit staged by the door.
- 11:00 A run Gaffer tape and batteries from a rental house in Long Island City: by subway if it fits in a bag, in the van if it doesn’t.
- 13:00 Meal break Collected, laid out and cleared, with a plate kept back for whoever’s still on set.
- 15:00 Sidewalk shots With the ADs on the street outside: passers-by asked to wait for the take, then let through.
- 17:30 Wrap Last out: the floor protection up, the bins gone, the van loaded, and the loft handed back as it was found.
Which kind
Which runner do you need?
On a New York crew, runners are PAs, and PAs do different jobs.
Set PA Runs, the base and the sidewalk From $250 a day
Works to the ADs or the producer: runs, deliveries, coffee, the base and holding the public.
Best on any shoot with a unit base, a cast or a public street.
PA with a van Pick-ups and returns From $250 a day, plus the van
Collects kit from a rental house in Long Island City or Brooklyn and props from wherever they’re hired, then returns it all after wrap, with a cargo van on the quote.
Best when the kit and the location are in different boroughs.
Key set PA Runs the set PAs Quoted on the brief
The senior set PA on a bigger unit: places the others, works the radio with the ADs and keeps the base in order. See 2nd ADs in New York.
Best on commercials and shoots with background.
Production PA Call sheets, releases and contributors From $250 a day
More of the paperwork: the call sheet, the building lists and the releases. See production assistants in New York.
Best when the producer needs someone on the people and the paperwork.
What it’s for
What people book a runner for in New York
Brand films and commercials
A unit base, lots of kit, a van to meet and a set that needs minding.
Busy public locations
SoHo, the Village and Midtown sidewalks, where someone has to keep the public moving.
Studio days
Coffee, deliveries and runs between a stage in Brooklyn or Long Island City and the rental houses.
Shoots with a cast
Set PAs for the AD team, walking cast to set and holding the background.
Pick-ups and returns
A PA with a van for kit, props and a monitor cart across the boroughs.
Recent work
How runners fit our New York crews
How we crew it · New York
The van, the permit and the curb
Parking for a production in New York comes with the permit, or not at all. A Mayor’s Office permit brings free parking privileges for the production vehicles listed on it, one permit per shoot day, at $500 for each 14-day period; personal cars, minivans, SUVs and pick-ups don’t get them (checked October 2026). Without a permit, the van drops the kit and keeps moving, or goes in a garage, and the runner minds the cases on the sidewalk until they’re upstairs. With one, the runner meets each listed vehicle and walks it in to its spot. Either way, the van and the parking go on the quote at cost.
How we crew it · New York
Subway or van?
Most New York crew get to set by subway, and so do a lot of runs: a box of batteries, a cable, a hard drive for the producer. Anything bigger moves by cargo van or a grip and lighting truck. A stand bag, a frame or a case from a rental house in Long Island City goes in the van, with the fuel, tolls and parking on the quote. A good runner knows which is quicker at four in the afternoon, and it isn’t always the van.
Before you book
Things to know
The day
- 10 hours, plus a meal break.
- Any overtime is agreed with you before it happens.
Vans, parking and the subway
- Tell us if the runner needs a van or a car: the vehicle, fuel, tolls and parking go on the quote at cost.
- Parking privileges come only with a Mayor’s Office permit, for the production vehicles listed on it.
- By subway they take what they can carry; anything bigger goes in the van.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the runner.
- 50% when you book, 50% on receipt of the final rushes.
- Every line on the quote: day rate, booking fee, payroll and insurance, kit, travel.
- Cancellation terms are on every quote.
Employment and insurance
- Every runner we book is employed for the job, on payroll, with New York workers’ compensation.
- Certificates of insurance (COIs) for your location or permit, naming whoever needs naming, on request.
- On a crew hire the location, its COI, the permit and your own general liability stay with you. When we’re the producer of record, the production carries them.
- In New York, Here Now Films books its crews through established New York production companies, so every crew member is employed, on payroll and fully insured for the job.
$250 a day
No published union scale for a runner or set PA in New York.
| Day rate, 10 hours | $250 |
| Booking fee, 10% | $25 |
| One day, before payroll, kit and travel | $275 |
Every runner we book in New York is employed and insured for the job. Payroll and insurance are their own line on the quote. What that covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the runner.
- Every crew member employed and insured for the job
- 50% at booking, 50% on the final rushes
- Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours
Or call us on +44 7412 543822.
Reviews
What clients say about our crews
Straight from our Google Business Profile.
Book a runner in New York.
Tell us the date, the place, and whether the runner needs a van. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on +44 7412 543822.
Check availability
The whole crew
Every role in New York, booked the same way
One brief, one quote in dollars, every role on its own line. Our day rates in New York, paid to the crew member in full:
Production 06
- Director From $1,500
- Producer From $750
- Production manager $650
- 2nd AD $600
- Production assistant $250
- Runner This page $250
Camera 07
- DP From $1,200
- Camera operator $750
- 1st AC $700
- 2nd AC $550
- Steadicam operator From $1,500
- Gimbal operator $750
- Drone operator From $1,000
Data and playback 02
- DIT $750
- Video playback $650
Sound 01
- Sound mixer $850
Hair, make-up and costume 02
- Hair and make-up $650
- Costume $700
Art department 02
- Art director $750
- Set builders $550
Post-production 01
- Editor From $600
How our rates work: crew rates in New York. Or start from a set-up: interview crews and units in New York.
Questions
Hiring a runner in New York: questions
How much does a runner cost in New York?
Our New York runners start at $250 for a 10-hour day, and the runner is paid all of it. There’s no published union scale for a set PA. On top goes our 10% booking fee, so one day comes to $275, before payroll and insurance (at cost, on the quote), and any van, fuel, tolls and parking if they drive.
Who employs the crew, and are they insured?
Every crew member we book in New York is employed for the job and fully insured: payroll, New York workers’ compensation, and certificates of insurance for your location or permit. Payroll and insurance show as their own line on the quote, at cost. On a crew hire, the location, its COI and the permit stay with you, because you’re the producer of record. If you’d rather we were, it’s quoted as a full production.
What’s the difference between a runner and a PA in New York?
In New York they’re the same job under a different name: a runner on a New York set is a set PA. The set PA does the runs, the base, the van and the sidewalk, working to the ADs or the producer. A production PA works closer to the producer, on call sheets, releases and contributors. On a small shoot one person does both.
Can a runner park the van outside the location?
Only with a permit. Parking privileges for production vehicles come with a Mayor’s Office permit, which lists every vehicle, costs $500 for each 14-day period and is processed 48 to 72 business hours before the shoot; personal cars, minivans, SUVs and pick-ups don’t qualify (checked October 2026). Without one, the van drops the kit and moves on, or goes in a garage, and the runner minds the cases until they’re in the building.
Can a runner take kit on the subway?
Small kit, yes, and for a lot of runs the subway is quicker than a van in traffic. A box of batteries, a cable or a hard drive goes by subway. A stand bag, a case of grip kit or anything long goes in the van, and so does anything you wouldn’t want carried up and down station stairs. Tell us when you book if the runs need a van, and it goes on the quote at cost with the fuel and tolls.
Do I need a runner on a small New York shoot?
Usually, as soon as there’s a van or more than a few cases. In New York the van can’t wait at the curb without a permit, kit can’t be left on a sidewalk, and the nearest rental house may be a borough away. A runner meets the van, minds the kit, does the runs and keeps the base going, so the crew isn’t doing it between set-ups. On an interview with two crew and a backpack, the producer can cover it.
How far ahead should I book a runner in New York?
Book a runner when you book the crew. Our latest New York shoot, Nevis × Focus, was filmed twelve days after the first email. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. If the runner is meeting vans on a permit, the permit sets the date: the Film Office processes most permits 48 to 72 business hours before the shoot, and the COI has to reach it 48 business hours before the application (checked October 2026).