Luis Martinez

Luis Martinez was born and raised in Los Angeles. He grew up around lowriders on the boulevard, Sunday fútbol in the park, the paletero coming down the block, boxing gyms, '70s, '80s and '90s hip hop, sneaker culture and the graffiti that covers half the city. That world is still his, and it shows in his work.

He's also a retired firefighter. He walks onto a set the way a firefighter walks into a building: he finds the exits, checks the extinguishers and knows what every candle and flame bar will do. And when the script calls for a firehouse, he knows what belongs on the walls.

His company, 247 Sets, is a full-service art department based in Hollywood. Luis designs, builds, dresses, delivers, installs and strikes sets for film, TV, commercials and music videos. His experience also includes casting, so he can help find the real people, cars and crews that make a scene feel lived in. His credits run from Severance and The Studio to the Super Bowl and the Grammys, for Warner Bros., Universal, Paramount, Apple, Adidas, Hyundai and more. The full list lives at 247sets.com.

The prop house came out of that work. It's built around what he knows best: cars, motorcycles, sports, athletics, sneakers, hip hop, LA street culture and fire gear. What he doesn't have on his shelves, he goes and finds, including picture cars through LA car clubs and private owners, and graffiti artists who can paint a wall or a set piece on the day. He'll walk you through all of it in English or Spanish.