The facilities were used extensively for the production of the television show MythBusters, with the M5 Industries workshop used as the primary shooting location for the first season. During the second season, when a second team of MythBusters was introduced, a second space located at 2200 Jerrold Avenue in San Francisco,[a] dubbed "M7" was leased for them.[3][7][8] Many of the people who appear on MythBusters were originally employees of M5, notably Kari Byron and Tory Belleci.[9][10]
Since the end of production for Mythbusters, the company no longer does special effects for movies and television, now focusing on research and development,[11] such as engineering a tank which can be used to fight wildfires.[6] The workshop does not offer tours or allow visits from the public because of insurance issues.[12][13]
The company's name was suggested by Adam Savage. He intended to suggest the name of either the branch of the British secret service which built gadgets in James Bond fiction (Q Branch) or British secret service itself (MI6), but was mistaken as to the correct name, and suggested M5.[14] Savage alleges that Hyneman never paid him the promised $50 prize for having his suggestion selected.[2]
Grant Imahara also explained that he asked Jamie Hyneman what the "M" stood for in M5 to which he replied "Movies, Monsters, Mechanics, Machining..." and Imahara was thinking that the final M comically stood for Mustache.[15] M5 Industries' website from 2000 says "M5 stands for Models, Machines, Miniatures, Manufacturing... and yes, at least a little bit of Magic."[16]
^Ask Adam Savage: The Origin of M5, M6 and M7 (Plus, Their Neighbors), retrieved 13 May 2022, ...and then he [Jamie Hyneman] had a little contest among his employees to name the company, and I was thinking you should name it after the British Secret Service. But because the internet barely existed at this point...we weren't googling everything...so I thought that the British Secret Service was called 'M5', not 'MI6', and so I suggested calling the company 'M5' and Jamie did.
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