Hidden Gems: Meet Elisha Anderson of At Home Outdoor Movies and Events

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elisha Anderson.

Hi Elisha, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
In July 2019 our son turned 15 years old and we had a thought to do a “dive-in movie” birthday party for him. We stayed at a local resort the year before and one of the fun events they offered was a dive-in movie where you float along in the swimming pool and watch a movie on a movie screen located right next to the pool. We loved it! So we wanted to do that at our house.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a local vendor that had what we were looking for. We didn’t want to rent a jumbo inflatable screen because our backyard isn’t that big and also it was expensive. The jumbo screens could only be rented for specific time blocks and you had to have an attendant available. We just wanted something small and simple. We ended up borrowing a friend’s projector and her outdoor movie screen. I set it up myself next to the pool and the entire time I was setting it up I wished for a service that I could hire to come to do all this for me.

We spent the next year researching outdoor movie systems. We bought A LOT of different kinds of screens, projectors, and speakers. Some worked out and some did not. We only kept what would work for the vast majority of families in the valley. In October 2020 we launched At Home Outdoor Movies and Events and the community welcomed us and supported us. We served about 50 families that the first year. The following October we added seating and styling options and upgraded our movie screens

It was well-received by the community and in only 4 months’ time, we already surpassed the number of families we serviced all of last year. We will probably serve 200 families by the end of 2022.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road the entire time, especially with pandemic issues.

When cases spiked, we were able to offer contactless setup and delivery. We did have some cancellations and reschedules due to customer illness, which affected our business. We also had some issues with our booking system and one time we booked one too many events for the same day by accident. It was an expensive mistake!

We learned a lot though and we have strong processes and procedures in place now to make sure that doesn’t happen again. Our motto is “you grow through what you go through” so we have been able to weather through most challenges.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are East Valley’s original “residential only” outdoor movie rental service. We are proud to offer our families the ability to take advantage of Arizona’s beautiful weather and move their movie entertainment outside into their own backyards without the hassle.

We offer curated equipment that is only the best. We have flat, high-definition movie screens that fit into most backyards – even the smallest ones. Our stereo sound is able to drown out any residential noises like passing cars and our projectors have crisp, clear images as you would expect at the movie theater.

Best of all, we let our customers keep the equipment overnight. We did not want to put a time limit on any family fun! We arrange to drop off the day of the movie night and we pick up the next day. We are proud to be 100% family-owned and operated.

Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Every business owner has become comfortable taking risks whether they know it or not.

Anytime you put yourself out there you are taking a risk. We were the first in the valley to offer seating and styling with our movie packages. The seating was a huge investment for us and it could have completely flopped. Luckily, our customers love it and it worked out but we have invested in other offerings that did not work out as well.

Risk-taking is just a part of owning a business.

Pricing:

• Classic Outdoor Movie Night $200
• Outdoor Movie Party starts at $400

Contact Info:

• Email: hello@athomeoutdoormovies.com
• Website: www.athomeoutdoormovies.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/athomeoutdoormovies/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/athomeoutdoormovies/