About us
Discover our executive team
Briony Marler
Office Manager
Hippo
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Alexander Marler
Director/Engineer
The Story Behind Hippo Carts
Built From Real On Set Experience
Hippo Carts was founded by Alex Marler, combining a lifetime of engineering, fabrication, and problem solving with real experience working around live film and TV productions.
After studying Product Design at De Montfort University, Alex began his career at a precision metal fabrication company specialising in CAD design and engineering. He later launched his own business, Marler Engineering, building a reputation for high quality CAD design, metal fabrication, and bespoke engineering solutions.
Alongside engineering, Alex has always had a passion for robotics, competing in Robot Wars and continuing to tour with Extreme Robots today. That same mindset of building strong, reliable machines would later become the foundation of Hippo Carts.
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Where Hippo Carts Began
Through his engineering and robotics work, Alex was lucky enough to spend time on a variety of film and TV sets. While working alongside lighting engineers, sparks, grips, camera assistants, DITs, sound operators, and production crew, one thing became obvious, crews were constantly battling poorly designed production carts.
People were reinforcing weak frames, modifying cheap carts, or creating makeshift fixes just to keep essential kit moving safely around set. From lighting rigs and battery charging stations to monitors, wireless systems, tools, and camera equipment, crews needed stronger, smarter solutions that actually worked in the fast paced world of film and TV production.
Everything changed when a lighting engineer friend asked Alex one simple question:
"Can you build a folding production cart that’s sturdy, reliable, and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg?"
That cart became the very first Hippo Cart.
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Designed With Crew, Not For Crew
What started as one folding cart quickly grew into something much bigger. More and more crew members began approaching Alex with problems they needed solving, bespoke charging carts, compact camera carts, mobile DIT workstations, lighting carts, sound department carts, and custom storage solutions built around specific workflows and equipment.
Today, Hippo Carts specialises in high quality film and TV production carts, including bespoke charging carts and custom built solutions tailored to the needs of working crew.
Every cart is designed and hand built in house using Alex’s experience in CAD, engineering, and fabrication. We focus on durability, practicality, and reliability, creating carts that survive the realities of life on set.
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A Family Business with Professional Standards
As a small independent manufacturer, we take genuine pride in every film and TV production cart that leaves our workshop. Keeping everything in house allows us to stay hands on, detail focused, and committed to quality at every stage. From CAD design and fabrication to laser welding and final assembly, every cart is built in the UK to meet the demands of professional film and TV crews.
Whether you need a ready made lighting cart, a modular production cart, or a fully bespoke solution built around your exact kit and workflow, we create heavy duty Film and Tv carts designed to make life easier on set. Every product we build is rooted in the same philosophy that started Hippo Carts in the first place, solving real on set problems with practical, reliable engineering.
Alex’s Experience Before Founding Hippo Carts
Here are a few images from Alex’s life before Hippo Carts, from film and TV projects to robotics, CAD design, and bespoke metal fabrication. His background in engineering, fabrication, and problem solving is what helped shape the practical, heavy duty carts we build today.
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Whether you’re looking for a bespoke cart or simply have a question, we’d love to hear from you. Tell us about your kit, workflow, and any on-set challenges you want to solve. The more detail you provide, the better we can help create a cart tailored to your needs.