Make money with your old truck, classic car or hot rod
by JOSEPH CESCHIN
Did you know that your classic truck may become a star in the movies or TV commercials?
Owners of old trucks would never deny permission for somebody to take a
picture of their vehicle. Do you want to take a picture of my truck? Go ahead.
Next time don't even ask!
Let's suppose I came up to you and asked for permission to take a picture of
your classic truck to publish it at we-love-old-trucks.com. Would you refuse?
Of course not. You're proud of your truck and you want the whole world to see
it.
Now let's suppose you had a chance of having your truck filmed for a TV
commercial or, better yet, for a movie! How great would that be? Let's also
suppose that some TV producer decided to create a new series based on the
1940's, 1950's or 1960's. Wouldn't he(she) need a lot of cars from those eras?
And if the series became a hit the vehicles would be used again and again,
right?
Yeah. It it possible and it's not even too hard. You just have to promote
your vehicle in the right places. There are companies out there looking for
vehicles exactly like yours. Many companies in fact. They look for classic
trucks for sale and they buy them. They look for classic cars of all types
and they pay rent to the car owners in order to film the cars. There are
companies that go after owners of classic cars, old trucks and hot rods in
order to list these vehicles in large databases. Advertising agencies put ads
in the papers when they need an old car or pickup truck for a TV commercial.
Keep your eyes open because your big chance may come from that direction.
If you have a good set of pictures of your little jewel you're one step
closer to fame and fortune. Well, may be not fortune but fame is possible...
A movie production company may need classic trucks just like yours. They
might need your truck to spend, say, three days in Hollywood and a week on
location in New York. They would make the arrangements to have the vehicle
transported to both places and might even be willing to pay for your expenses
to go along. You would see how a movie is made and you could even end up
meeting a couple of famous movie stars just because you own an antique truck.
The producer of a movie or a TV commercial may be looking for a beautifully
restored old car, one that looks like it came out of the showroom a couple of
days ago. But directors want their films to look real. Therefore they may
need a regular classic vehicle, one that shows it's been used. And they might
even need a real wreck, a rust bucket so to speak. Your chances are real, no
matter what condition your truck is in. Don't be ashamed of it. Go ahead and
try.
But how does this thing work? First you have to find an agent, a company that
has the contacts and knows where to go with your truck pictures. Get listed
on their databases and be patient. You might get a call the following morning
but it could also take a couple of years.
Here are a few suggestions of sites you can visit to learn more about this:
MovieVehicles.com
OldCarLocator.com
Cornwell & Sheridan Motor Cars
TVParty.com
Classic-Chassis.com
If you're really committed to the idea of having your vehicle on a movie or a
TV commercial you may do what actors do. Have a professional photographer
take a series of shots of the vehicle and send them to advertising agencies
or talent agencies. Or have a nice video produced, send it to talent agencies
and upload it to YouTube, Google Video, Yahoo Video and so on. Even wedding
planners may be interested in your old truck or classic car. Promote it well
and one day you'll get your big break.
And here's another very important thing to keep in mind: don't hide your
prized possession in your garage. Take it to shows, go to swap meets and take
your chances at show prizes. You may win a simple trophy and you may also get
some prize money. But you'll have to make sure your truck is in show
