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 At five ton monkey

We convert ideas into things.

Our ideas, yours, or the ones we develop together. We create the big, small, complex, beautiful, and surprising things that make a visual environment succeed.

We love making things and solving puzzles. We love inventing and refining elegant systems to accomplish complex tasks. We love making things you can see, and touch. We are at home thinking about space and composition, materials and textures, scale and proportions, structure and engineering.


There is a lot we can do. In over 11,000 sq ft of shop space, we work in wood, metal, plastics, foam, and many other materials. We do fabrication, foam carving, foam assembly and coating, mold-making and casting, and scenic finishes. We cut wood, foam, other plastics and aluminum on a 60” x 100” x13z” CNC machine. We spray finishes in a commercial spray booth. We provide contract design services.


We also collaborate with other high-level fabricators, artists, technicians and crafts-people. We can incorporate powder-coating, waterjet-cutting, and many other services into our work. While we don’t do everything, we can get it all done.

We are a young company, going out on our own in late 2019, but since then we have weathered COVID (and participated in the response) and provided work to over thirty feature films, television shows, and commercials and over thirty-five other clients including the National Civil Rights Museum (Memphis, TN), the Electric Daisy Carnival, Route 66 Casino, the Center for Contemporary Arts (CCA, SFNM), Desert Aerospace, Meta-Facebook, Nike, and Wunderkind. (See "OUR CLIENTS" below for a longer list)
 

OUR AIM IS TO

•    Be the go-to source of design and fabrication for film and the larger world, in New Mexico and far beyond


•    Continue developing a reputation for being creative, hard-working problem-solvers who are fun and easy to work with, who deliver on time, stand by our work, and act with integrity in our industry and the world


•    Provide a great work environment for people who make things


•    Create and maintain the most highly functional workshop we’ve ever worked in—a safe, organized, well-lit room with the right equipment, work spaces and mojo


•    Improve, every single day, our skills, our range, and our operations

And we are well on our way.

our team

Our team is comprised of a full-time crew of four in the shop, a designer/production manager, our office manager, and a number of part-time and project-basis fabricators, artists, and technicians. We have had as many as fourteen people in the shop on a project, but keeping a small, tight core-crew lets us absorb the ups and downs of growing our way forward. It also creates space to try folks out, to assure that there is the right alignment of skills, energy, and chemistry. And our film industry connection opens the door to experienced project-basis help when needed.

our extended team

What People Who Have Worked with Five Ton Monkey Have to Say

Jay Sheets

Wunderkind

Adam and the team at 5 Ton Monkey were an absolute pleasure to work with. When I first reached out I wasn't sure I would be able to find anyone to accommodate my request - but not only did 5 Ton Monkey jump at the opportunity they also took my idea ramblings and random photos of inspiration and turned them into the perfect set. I've never worked with a creative design team that was able to so easily and seamlessly bring a vision of mine to life quite like 5 Ton Monkey did.

In-house Studio Interview Sets
Santa Fe, NM and NYC (2022), Austin, Tx (2023)

Karen Zabarsky Blashek

Principal, Ground Up Ideas

Editor in Chief, Austin Home

Working with Adam and the entire FiveTonMonkey team was an absolute joy. We handed them a very unusual design brief, had some unanswered questions, and came with many cooks in the kitchen (between our architects, GC, and landlord) that they would need to collaborate with. Adam not only worked with everyone to execute an impeccable final product for our space, but he also brainstormed with me on my open questions and helped come up with solutions. He and his team were detail-oriented and engaged through and through, and were able to transform our vision into a very special reality. They left my client giving standing ovations for the end product. Cannot wait to work with Adam again!

Roadrunner Venture Studios
ABQ, NM (2023)

Calli Beck

Co-Owner of Stark-Raven Fabrication

Artist, Fabricator and Designer

Adam and his team are easily one of the most competent fabrication shops in Albuquerque. They've beautifully produced every prop and strange design I've brought to them. They're a best combination of practical fabricators and wild dreamers and I love working with them.

Various Far-Flung and Beautiful Projects
(2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

Nick Taylor

Owner of Masterminds Studios

Interactive Entertainment, Sound, Light and Programming

We've had the pleasure of working with Five Ton Monkey on a few projects and the experience has been unparalleled. The level of creativity and the understanding of the project aesthetic made it really easy to achieve our goals. Working with Adam through the design and build process was seamless and delightful. We look forward to continuing to work with the team at Five Ton Monkey!

Sky Railway - Lamy, NM (2021)
Andersson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum - ABQ, NM (2022)

RA Arrancio-Parrain

Production Designer, Art Director


Adam is a freethinker, and he’s a professional businessman with a very strong, creative and original thought process. He’s got skills.

Thom Browne Commercial - Las Vegas, NM (2021)
"Dead for a Dollar" Feature Film - Various Locations NM (2021)

Nan Masland

Director, Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum

Working with 5 Ton Monkey is a dream. Their team of highly skilled designers, fabricators and finishers are top notch. Our project required museum quality work and they delivered. I highly recommend 5 Ton Monkey for your fabrication needs.

Multiple new exhibitions, Balloon Museum
ABQ, NM (2022)

Amy Stephens

(formerly with) Power Ford

My experience with Adam and Kirk was nothing short of exceptional! I reached out with a project proposal to bring some creativity and life to a showroom display at the local car dealership I worked for - and they far exceeded my expectations. From the moment Adam sat down with me to dream and plan for the project to the time of execution and assembly, every step was detailed, excellent, and professional. Adam, Kirk, and the entire team at Five Ton Monkey are the real deal and create incredible pieces of art. They love what they do, and that is evident simply by talking to them! If you ever get a chance to see their warehouse, you’ll see for yourself how true that is. Great work, great people!

Power Ford Truck of Gold, Giant Rainbow, and Cloud
ABQ, NM (2021)

OUR CLIENTS

Selected Non-Film Clients

and Project Destinations

The National Civil Rights Museum - Memphis, TN

The New Mexico Museum of Natural History
The Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum

The Santa Fe Children's Museum

The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

The Albuquerque River of Lights

The Albuquerque Biopark

The Maxwell Museum, ABQNM
Wunderkind, NYNY

Kerecis, Reykjavik, Iceland

Caesar's Palace, LVNV

Cesium Astro

The UP.Summit, Bentonville, AR
IMC
The Electric Daisy Carnival, LVNV
Nike
Meta-Facebook

Sightworks

Interfusion Gallery - Santa Fe, NM
The Center for Contemporary Arts (CCA) - Santa Fe, NM

The New Mexico Film Expo

New Mexico Film and TV Hall of Fame
Route 66 Casino
Desert Aerospace
Quickbeam

Ideum
Masterminds Studios - ABQ, NM
Calli Beck - Artist, Owner of Stark-Raven Fabrication

Fish Theory Design
Paula Castillo - Artist

Launa Eddy - Artist
Boyd and Allister Furniture Studio
New Mexico Escape Room
Bust Out Escape Room

Blake's Lotaburger

Sagebrush Church

Montgomery Church of Christ
Sky Railway
Power Ford

Thom Browne (Commercial)

Louis Vuitton (Print Ad)
 

Selected Production Companies to whose shows we have contributed work

Netflix
A24 Films
Disney
Nickelodeon

Paramount
NBC / Universal
Warner Brothers
Disney
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Amazon
Broadway Video
AMC
 

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