FIVE TON MONKEY
Design and Fabrication for Film and the Larger World
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
(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!
OUR CLIENTS
Selected Non-Film Clients
New Mexico Film and TV Hall of Fame
The National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis, TN
The Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum
Wunderkind
IMC
The Electric Daisy Carnival
Nike
Meta-Facebook
The Center for Contemporary Arts (CCA)--Santa Fe, NM
Route 66 Casino
Desert Aerospace
Quickbeam
Masterminds Studios–ABQ, NM
Calli Beck—Artist, Co-Owner of Stark-Raven Fabrication
Paula Castillo–Artist
Boyd and Allister Furniture Studio
New Mexico Escape Room
Bust Out Escape Room
Sky Railway
Power Ford
Selected Production Companies to whose shows we have contributed work
Netflix
A24 Films
Disney
Nickelodeon
NBC / Universal
Warner Brothers
Disney
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Amazon
Broadway Video
AMC