I Am Me
Celebrating people and their passions because nobody can do it like you can.
I love that everyone has a story that is unique to them. Our journeys are all different, but we can still learn so much from one another. I am grateful that through my own journey as an actor I have had the opportunity to meet so many incredible people.
On my podcast you will get to hear their stories. This podcast is for the dreamers and the inspired. For the people who love people and are completely uninterested in living life by the status quo. Every person is unique to who they are. So look in the mirror and say it loud:
I AM ME!!!
I Am Me
I Am J. Monson - Capturing the Art of Location Management, On-Set Challenges, and Crafting Authentic Stories Behind the Camera
Venture into the reality of film production where stakes are high and the unexpected becomes the norm. Jay recounts tales of uninvited "bogies," homeowners navigating the invasion of their personal space, and the art of keeping cool when tempers flare. We reflect on the personal evolution found in the face of on-set trials, the satisfaction of scouting the perfect location, and the delicate balance required to weave the work we love with the lives we live—reminding us that the accolades and the action are but fleeting compared to the relationships we forge and the experiences we cherish.
Welcome to.
Speaker 1:I Am Me Podcast. I'm your host, liz Bachman, and on this podcast I want to celebrate you for being you. I'm super excited to sit down with my guests each week and talk about their journey, their experiences and where they came from. So, without further ado, let's dive into this week's episode. Hey everybody, welcome back to I Am Me Podcast. Today, I'm excited I'm sitting down with Jay Monson. He is a locations manager, so he primarily does locations for commercials. So if you're interested in hearing what's going on behind the scenes of the camera, if you're curious about how kind of locations works, I think this will be a great episode for you. But, with that being said, how are you doing today, jay?
Speaker 2:I'm doing great. How are you?
Speaker 1:I'm good, I can't complain. It's a really pretty day and I'm going to go for a nice nature walk after this.
Speaker 2:Oh fantastic. My partner and I were thinking about doing the same thing.
Speaker 1:Do y'all have any dogs or anything like that?
Speaker 2:We have four cats.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay, cats. I met Jay through his really good friend, john, and John is a cat person also, so cats are great. I don't have any issues with cats. I've always had dogs.
Speaker 2:I was raised with dogs and then I met her and I was introduced to cats and they act like dogs. They come and cuddle with you, they come to the door when you get home from work.
Speaker 1:Okay, all about how you raise them, but yeah, yeah, I like cats that have a dog energy about them. We've had a couple cats, but we've always had more dogs, so but dive in right in, tell me about your journey. We're here to talk about you. So tell me how you got into locations or film in general, how that happened for you.
Speaker 2:Sure, yeah, it's kind of a long and winding story, but that's what we're here for. So my father was a big influence. He is a photographer and a architect, builder just kind of artsy in general and I remember in high school I was taking this art class and they were like, okay, we want you to take some photos. I was like, I'll do you one better. I've got all my dad's equipment for a dark room. So I built a dark room and I had so much fun just kind of like taking photos, developing the film, and it was a great experience and I thought, hey, this is a way, because I never really mess with cameras before. I mean, I did, but not on a that kind of level. So I found it a great way to express myself as an angsty teenager or whatever.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And so after that, so that was like okay, my introduction into oh, you can take photos and go anywhere, and so I am a location manager, but I'm also a location scout and so that is one of the main as a scout, that's one of your main jobs is to take great photos of places right, right, and then really make sure you're, you know, doing the location justice.
Speaker 2:That's right. And you got to sell it to the, to the client and to the director and the executive producer, who are all looking at your photos. So, that being said, kind of took off on that journey. But my parents got divorced so I went to live with my grandfather and he lives on well, he used to live on Lake Lanier, which is in North Georgia, and so I got to live with him and he would go out of town a lot and I would throw a wild and crazy parties and this and this Viking in this Norse Viking Hall that my dad and his father and his brothers built. It's like this big, great meat hall, you know.
Speaker 2:So, like every football game, I would invite everyone back to my place to party, and I didn't know it at the time, but I told the story a few times on set. They're like well, what got you into it? I'm like I was actually being a location manager without even knowing it, because I would check every room, make sure everyone was cool. They were kind of like you can do what you do, but just don't do crazy stuff, don't break anything, don't hurt anyone, right? And I would constantly be going from room to room in different social groups, because we'd have the jocks, we'd have the nerves, we'd have the skaters, we'd have everyone kind of brought together as a peaceful zone Anyway. So that's part of my job as a location manager. Once we find the location and we do the permitting and hire all the people, I have to take care of the location with big, heavy hot lights. We've got a hundred people in the house for a day or two and so I have to maintain.
Speaker 1:I was going to ask you so is that really stressful for you having to make sure that a location is staying you know how you found it essentially, or it's going to return to how you found it?
Speaker 2:It will return to how we found it and if it doesn't, then we remedy that problem through insurance, or I think it's up to $5,000. The production has to pay for it. It's rarely gotten to that point where insurance takes over, but we have them sign a paperwork that basically says hey, we'll cover anything that you know. Sometimes things get scuffed, you know, but everyone on set is very professional. They don't mean to do it, it's just you have a lot of people, things are going to happen, and we warn the homeowner, we try to tell them a little bit about it before we enter, if they're brand new. We've had some new people but we have like over 350 homes in the Metroland area and locations and they've had shoots at their house so they know what to expect. But if they don't, we give them a heads up like, hey, we got you covered if anything were to happen. And they're like, okay, great, so no, in the beginning it was when I first I've been doing this for about nine years, locations, that is. But at first I was like, oh, don't touch this, don't do it. But then I realized we're a team. Production is a whole, in front of the camera, behind the camera. We're a team, we have a goal, we want to get the shot completed, whether it is removing stuff or adding stuff like big furniture. So I kind of relaxed a little bit and was like, hey, these people know what they're doing for the most part, and if they don't, then we remedy it. So there were some mistakes in the beginning where I'm like you can't do that and they were like whoa, yes, we can, and so it was a learning process. But now it's kind of everyone kind of knows me in that world and I found that as a location manager you're juggling a lot of balls.
Speaker 2:You have to make production happy. You have to make the homeowner happy. You have to make the neighbors happy. You have to make the police or city officials if you're shooting on the street happy. You have to make everyone kind of happy, and someone's not going to be happy. And the way you deal with that is to be respectful and kind and practice a term that I learned on set by a police officer that I had hired because I had this guy screaming at me. He was a neighbor, he's like I'm the city's royalty. I was like, oh, should I curtsy? I don't. I've never been in front of royalty before. And so he was cussing me up and down and the police officer saw it. So he started walking towards me and he was about to fight our second AD like fist fight.
Speaker 2:I got out of lunch and he was squaring off with a second AD from LA. I was like whoa, whoa, whoa, what's going on? And someone had parked in front of this man's house like a truck on accident. I was like but I deescalated and I use this, this wordage or this, this terminology, from a book called verbal judo. And so with judo, the martial arts, you take someone's attacking momentum and you use it against them to push them away or get them subdued. And verbal judo is the same concept, but you're using words rather than actions.
Speaker 2:And so, going back to that situation, I got the guy calm down. He actually apologized to me and the other guy and once he had left and I calmed down the situation, the cop looks at me and goes you know what you just did? I was like calm down the situation. He's like I deescalated. He's like well, you use verbal judo. And I was like what is that? He's like read this book. They used to teach it. So it was a nonviolent tactic that the police would use, and I wish they still taught it. But yeah, another subject.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:But they would. They would teach it in recruitment school for police. And so I read the book. It's kind of outdated, it uses a lot of stupid terms, but for police, but they keep. They teach it in the corporate world. They teach it in just how to make sure the person that is really heated gets calmed down. But you both get kind of your way and you walk away in a peaceful manner.
Speaker 1:Well, I bet too, because you're right, you're juggling a lot of balls, but you're also juggling a lot of people and a lot of emotions, because everybody in their opinions, everybody has their thoughts, opinions. And then you add that extra layer of putting yourself in a neighborhood, and I just think about just being in a neighborhood with an HOA how that is crazy. So then you have an entire film crew trying to get a job done in somebody's neighborhood residential. So it sounds like you definitely have a good, even tone and you're able to handle those situations.
Speaker 2:And you're absolutely correct about that, because we do shoot in a lot of high-end neighborhoods with HOAs and even without. But you'll get angry, angry, wealthy people that think that they you know the HOA president of the universe and they're going to call the governor and everyone's going to, you know they're going to end it right now. It's like, well, we've actually already paid all those people. So I'm talking to you now.
Speaker 1:Do you ever have anybody who tries to get on set, Like they think, because they're in the neighborhood if they want to see what's going on? Do you ever have anyone that's like oh, I know such and such, Let me.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, they walk right on to set. If I like, if I'm not there, I'm handling some other putting out some other fire, they'll walk right on set. And they were like Jay, you're like what? Who was this?
Speaker 1:person.
Speaker 2:I'm like, oh yeah, so I got to go talk. I'm like, no, no, no cameras. Like you can't, yeah, because a lot of these things we have to sign NDAs for because they are, you know, for these companies that have, you know, famous talent or they have a, they have a product that hasn't come out yet. So if someone were to take a picture and then put it on social media, that would be devastating to the whole production.
Speaker 1:Yeah, most film sets are. You know you have to have NDAs on them. Anything that's legit. I've always had to sign an NDA to be on that set.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. So yeah, I have had. We call them bogies. Just wander up out of nowhere like oh, I know the homeowner like. Well, the homeowner's not here.
Speaker 1:They're at Airbnb.
Speaker 2:You're not allowed on this property, right, like please leave, and most of the time they're pretty chill. We've had a few unstable characters walk up and if you just I've noticed whether you're rich or you're poor or middle class or whatever, when you appeal to people in a chill mode, they react calmly. And I say that I am a six foot kind of big guy, that you know that I put off a aura like don't mess with me, please. I'm peaceful, but you don't want to mess with me. So it might be different for other people.
Speaker 1:I'm trying to think of myself. So I usually meet people pretty even killed. I think what I get in trouble with is a lot of times I'm a little too over nice, over smiley, and that can get me in trouble, because then it's like, oh, we can take advantage of her, but then I have no BS filter about me where I'll take and take and take, but once my fuse runs out, like I'm done, and so I think it's funny for me People see when that switch gets flipped.
Speaker 2:I had the same thing my partner she calls it the Viking eyes Like when I turn, like from hey, it's all good until, like, you need to leave now.
Speaker 1:Oh, you do. You have the Viking eyes. Yeah, you got the Viking eyes, the Viking hair. You're tall, you're blonde, like you got the whole vibe going on Like Thor's brother.
Speaker 2:Play with the axes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was going to ask you so just as acting, I've had some experiences on set where people who own the property run the property. Most recently, it was a church that they had the location. At a church that I we were shooting on, I'd got cast in something and I was wondering if you ever have people who own the location, if they work with you, to stay and see what's going on like want to watch it, because a lot of people get excited by that.
Speaker 2:That's pre COVID. That was one of my favorite parts. They would be like, hey, my kid loves this NBA star that's going to be at my house. Can you, can you get like, can we get a meet and greet? I'm like got you. So, like you know, that was really cool and I would show like kids that are interested, like their teenage kids or even smaller. They'd be like well, what does it look like? I'm like, all right, she's got to be quiet because we're rolling.
Speaker 2:So, we'd sneak up behind one of the monitors and they'd watch it and they're like this is so cool, this is so cool. That was. That was really a highlight. But during COVID and I mean COVID is still going on, but, like they now generally put the homeowner and the homeowner's kids or family up in a hotel or Airbnb because for safety, for you know, we had COVID officers- and in all that, and so they wouldn't allow everyone had to be tested, etc.
Speaker 2:Etc. Like rigorous, you know, background. All that to make sure no one would get sick, especially the talent that's their. Their massive concern is talent gets sick, you know, I'm sure.
Speaker 1:Hence the sag strike right now. You know, actors are on strike and now everything is stopped.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you can't do it without talent. It's imperative, but now it's. They're letting some people in and I'll generally. If a location really wants to see the production, I will give them a small tour. I'll let everyone know and I'll make them wear a mask if that's what production wants, If we're inside, but they generally don't stay the whole time.
Speaker 1:They burn out too. I, anyone I've ever seen on set that is excited to be on set, that has no idea what it is. They're there for like 30 minutes tops. And then there the shoot that I was talking about, the guy that I guess he was the pastor of the church or whatever and they had worked out where he could kind of see what was going on that day.
Speaker 1:And he came to set and he came like in the middle of one of the scenes that I was doing and he just, like you know, pulled them in, put them behind camera, behind monitors, just kind of watch us act. And we did, I think we did like four takes and then they're moving the cameras next setup to do the next. But after he's seen like two or three, he was like, okay, all right. And then you know, I, if you have that edge of like and you know I'm not famous but by any means, and the actors I was working with weren't either wonderful people, but none of us were famous, and so I think if you have that edge of like having famous people there, it's more exciting. But if you just see these actors, these people you don't know, in this crew performance, kind of like ah, okay, so that's what that is.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, they get bored real. It's not what they imagine ever you know, they think it's all excitement and explosions and it's like nope, all right, that's not a circle. Take, do it again. Yeah, do it again.
Speaker 1:Exactly One more Moving on. Yeah, circle it moving on, yeah, all right, sorry, it's so fun to talk to you. I love how this is going all over the place. What I was going to say is I interrupted you. I know we were talking about your start, but so when did the transition happen where you actually started doing locations, or how did you actually get your foot in that door?
Speaker 2:So, yeah, to finish up that story through parties love photography and then traveled the world a little bit didn't go immediately to university and I got to experience life outside of North American suburban culture and that was an eye opener. I lived on a lot of off the grid islands. I was building like sustainable homes and tree houses and stuff for like people, because my dad is a builder, so I would, I would join him and experienced a lot of people with wealth but experience a lot of poverty, like at one point in time. I know one of your other guests. He said he was homeless.
Speaker 2:I was living out of my car for a while working construction or being a bartender, whatever. And then I was like, all right, I need to go back to school. Oh, I need to go to school. And so I was like, but what for? I'm like? Oh, film, I'll do film. And so I got a mass communications to go back, a four year degree, a mass comm at a private university in North Georgia. And then I met people there. Some were part of the program, some were not, but they knew people here in Atlanta and so I got brought into a small feature, like super small feature, and I was working pro bono. So I was a PA getting people coffee and setting up tables and stuff like that, and I went from a PA to a key grip in one month.
Speaker 1:That's really cool. I was going to sit, throw in real quick PA. I know you mentioned AD earlier, second AD, so that's your second assistant director. And then PA if anybody's listening doesn't know is your production assistant. I'm trying to catch when the show. I feel like most people who listen to this are in the industry, so they'll know. But yeah, I've done that too. I've been a production assistant. I've worked behind the camera too. So, yep, getting coffee, getting gear, breaking it down, setting it up, all that jazz.
Speaker 2:Yep and so, and then I made a lot of friends in the first AD, which is the first assistant director. He was like hey, you want to do this for money? I'm like yeah resound them. Yes, he was the one I did school for and he's like OK, cool, we'll get you on. So I started PA-ing and I worked a lot of jobs with him and I remember this one. I'm full of stories, so I love it.
Speaker 2:I remember that we were shooting in South Georgia, in South of Atlanta, in this big place where they shoot a lot of features and it's a big grassy, they got barns and it's like a bed and breakfast and we were doing this thing for this TV show and this photographer from LA. There's one gravel road. In one gravel road, it's one way. So we had all these trucks lined up and I'm kind of, if anyone doesn't know, and this kind of feeds into one of your other questions later on- like how would.
Speaker 2:If someone wants to get into locations, this is how you do it, or any department behind the camera. As a PA, you help out that department, whether you want to work camera locations directing. You buddy up with them, you make friends with them, you chat it up and then you're like, hey, I'm interested in doing what you do. And they're like, ok, let's see what you got, and you'll usually do it on set. That's my experience. So I was hanging out with the location manager who was the first AD on that feature way back when and this guy, he stopped his truck when there was a bunch of tractor trailers behind him and everyone's honking it's very obvious like hey, don't stop in the middle of the one lane gravel road. He's like man, go tell that guy to move his truck. I was like all right, cool, I didn't think anything about it. So go out in the field.
Speaker 2:And this photographer I didn't know at the time was a photographer. He was talking to someone else and I let him get down with their little talk. I was like, hey, is that your truck? He's like who the eff is asking? I'm like, well, you hear all that honking like kind of blocking up the only road in and out. He's like eff, you Just laced me up and down with a bunch of curse words, like you know who I am, you know how much money I make a day. I make $80,000 a day. I don't give an eff about you. And I just took it.
Speaker 2:I was like huh, my future boss was watching this from the bed and breakfast and he was just like very animated, waving his arms, screaming, stomping up down. I just took it. I was like still going to need you to move that truck though. And he was like ah, he stomped off and he moved the truck. And later on that day, my future employer was like how do you feel about location? So that's how I got into it and I am freelance, but I generally work with one company for the most part when it comes to locations, and yeah, that's kind of like the origin stories of me as a location manager.
Speaker 1:So what about you getting cussed out and being chill about it Made your boss think he'll probably be good at locations. What do you think of that? What is it about you being able to be calm when someone else is? I guess kind of what you explained earlier about having to handle a lot of people. But what do you think it was specifically that your boss saw you and saw you getting cussed out and you were just relaxed and like, OK, I still need you to do this thing. What about that makes you make it like locations?
Speaker 2:A lot of people when they're getting cussed out or yelled at, in general they fight or flight, right.
Speaker 2:So oh are you going to cuss me out? I'm going to cuss you out, ok, and you don't get the results that you want. Or you just freak out and leave. You still don't get the results you want. So the other option is to calmly just reintroduce the idea of what you want and why you want it, and in a manner of hey, I'm not going to back down, I don't care how much money you make, we're all in this together.
Speaker 2:And you're blocking all the other trucks that need to get to the site, so you need to do your job and move that truck.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:So results and not freaking out on someone because a lot of people have told me and I thought they were being facetious or just kind of sucking up to me but directors have come up to me and producers throughout the years and they're like you, jay, you have the hardest job on set. I'm like that here and I still don't believe I do have the hardest job. You will get screamed at for something that is not your fault, that you didn't create this issue. But this issue is being presented to you in a very verbally violent way and you need, as a location manager, you need to calm that down and then get to solving that problem. And so it's like rolling with the issues that arise, which I really really like because it's problem solving on your feet. You got to get it now because the sun's going down, we don't have the money to do another day at this location, et cetera, et cetera. It's not in the budget, so how do you fix this now? And all of these problem solving skills kick into play immediately.
Speaker 1:Right, you seem like. So you seem like a person who obviously is very good under pressure, and I'm curious if it was always that way. If you've learned more as you've gone on with this job, or if you've been a person like even if you think back to your teenage years or young adolescents if you were just someone who could, because some people just naturally have that in them that in crisis situation, or if there's any type of TIF or argument whatever, they just are good at remaining calm and handling it. So I'm curious if that's grown for you through being in this job or also it's just something that's naturally within you.
Speaker 2:You know, I would like to say it's naturally within me, but I've been in high stress situations before, like with accidents on job sites where you had to make a turn a kid because someone's bleeding out. There have been in my life like really crazy times where people have gotten into fist fights and so you learn it through life experience not to freak out because it makes other people freak out.
Speaker 2:So I think it's life that generally made me Because you're anyone maybe you've met other people, but anyone that's getting screamed at your initial reaction, my initial reaction is to scream back, but that's not helpful.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It's not so, I would say, on the job, training and life training.
Speaker 1:Life training. We talked about some of the hard moments and the rough stuff. What's some of your favorite stuff about doing locations?
Speaker 2:So I like that question, basically my favorite part about location management and scouting I like the freedom of that, this framework of the freedom of scouting. They're like go find this. If you don't have it in your repertoire, ok, cool, well, I know this place and this place and this place, maybe they'll like it. All right, go out there. You have a whole day just to go snap photos. You have the freedom to roam and find it, finding really odd locations, not just house and bucket or something like that. But they want something really weird and like OK, this is fun. You get to do urban exploring, you're getting paid for it and you're taking awesome pictures and just having a day, and a lot of times you're outside when the weather is beautiful.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And that's my. I really enjoy that and everyone that wants to do locations. They just see the scouting aspect. They're like, oh, I'd love to drive around and photograph that and it's like that's one aspect of it.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:As my dad says, that's a sexy job. The not so sexy part is the stuff we just discussed where you have to deal with irate people. What was the second part of the question?
Speaker 1:I was just asking you what the good parts, the favorite parts, of being a location manager is, but I was going to say every job that, especially when people have a job that they love, there's the fun part, and then there's the not so fun part. So this podcast I love sitting down and talking to people like you. The not so fun part is the eight hours of editing that I have to do per each episode. Acting love acting. Love getting to be in an acting class. Love, love, love, love, love. Getting to work with my scene partners, as the best freaking thing in the world Not always excited to sit down and read a 100 page script In one night.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Or if it's an episode of 40 page script, whatever it is. So there's the research and the homework, but everybody's got that Every thing that you end up turning into a job is going to have things that you just parts of it that you don't love Of course, and then so that's a scouting aspect that I really like the management aspect.
Speaker 2:It is difficult Long hours. I work like generally I work 16 to 17 hours a day. When I'm on set I'm the first to there, the last to leave, and if there's anything that goes wrong you have to deal with that afterwards.
Speaker 2:But when everything is flowing and everyone's getting along on set and you just I get like a feeling of success, a feeling of accomplishment, like this is what I was made for, because everyone's like oh, my goodness, this location is so beautiful and you're taking care of it and you're helping other teams out, and it's like, yep, that's what I do, and I derive a great feeling of accomplishment when the job is just flowing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that flow that you're talking about, when you get on a set that has that where the people are just everything's working together the crew, the cast, everything, the environment it is. I mean, it is so much fun Because it doesn't matter if, for me, if I'm in front of the camera or if I'm behind hanging with a crew member, we're just having a good time and that's wonderful. I was going to ask you. So you talked about going and finding weird locations. What is the weirdest or the most weird location? Not the weirdest, craziest or location that you remember? Just being like this is so exciting. This is really cool that you found.
Speaker 2:I don't get to do that often. I would say that's more the feature location scouts or television, but when I have been there was this there's this one place called the Gnome home.
Speaker 2:It's in like near Milton, alpharetta area, and I was asked to go scout that. So it's this castle with a moat. There's gnomes all over it. That was interesting. The guy that owns it is a recluse. He just made it in the 90s His odd, odd character Fascinating.
Speaker 2:I love meeting odd characters, but that was an interesting one. Some let's see what else you know, seeing how the other half lives when they're like we need you to go and shoot this like $20 million mansion, like to photograph it for production, for the location scout. And then I go in and the people are generally very, very cool, very chill, relaxed and just like I take notes in my head of like oh, I like that or I don't like that. You know of what they have, the aesthetic of their house. That's really fun to go into those homes that you normally I would never go into if I didn't have this job. And then going into massive warehouses where they have just really odd things that you wouldn't think that they have in an industrial warehouse Because other productions have been there. So they'll build like some kind of crazy set and just leave it because it costs too much to deconstruct it. They'll just leave it.
Speaker 1:That's crazy. That's going to ask you to. I know you primarily do commercial locations over film and television, but we talked prior to doing this interview. I think it's worth mentioning because if people are interested in doing this, commercial keeps you closer to home, yeah.
Speaker 2:So we did discuss that and I'll repeat it because it's worth repeating. So I realized early on in my career I call it the cool kid card and everyone's working on Marvel or they're working on Walking Dead. They were. And I was like but I noticed their lifestyle because you need everyone talks about a work life balance but they don't practice it that often in our industry they just grind and they hustle because they're trying to make it and I get that and no shade on that. But I realized I have a partner and I do like my sleep when I can get it. And I realized I saw all these people. They had social lives, like after the rap and all that, but they would never keep like a steady partner going on or they both be in the industry and they'd always break up in a horrible way.
Speaker 2:And I saw that in the feature world and the TV world and I was like, okay, commercial is a balance. You work really hard while you're doing it but then you have a little rest period and half the time I work from home so I'm able to cook dinner for my partner and I'm able to like you know when we want to go to the high museum of art or go on a nature walk. We can, because I can work remotely. A lot of the people in the feature world that are location managers, that's their life, so it's not a balance. But they're like oh well, I'm going to make my millions and then get out. I'm like, huh, and how long you've been doing this? 20 years, when are you?
Speaker 1:getting out. Yeah, I think that it is interesting that you kind of become a part of that world and I'm grateful for people who do that. But it does become your entire life and it makes it hard to have, I would say, primarily friends and family balance outside of it. That becomes very challenging and that's a big sacrifice because friends and family and those parts of life are important. So I wanted to mention that because I think there are ways for you to be able to be in this industry and still have some type of similar I don't know if I'm saying that word right whatever of you know normal life and having you know a partner, kids and stuff like that outside of it.
Speaker 2:And I have seen some people that are both in the industry. They have children. I don't know how they do it. They have family taking care of the kids, because if they're both on set for 12 hours, like who's taking care of the kids? But they do it. But it's rare and whether you want to become famous or rich or both, there's nothing wrong with that. But I think to me what is most important is experience. So you know and they've done studies I was just reading a CBS Nobel Prize winning economist talking earlier this year like in America, if you make more than 75k, your happiness level does not go up.
Speaker 2:If you have all your bases covered and you're a multimillionaire. It actually adds more stress, and I'm not. I'm not beating up people who want to become rich and famous that's your goal than more power to you. But my goal is life experience and going places, traveling, enjoying this life that we have, because a lot of people squander it by getting into the quote, unquote rat race and just I've met so many bitter people that are a bit older than me and all they did was work. They didn't get to see their kids. You know ballet or or like travel, and now their body is so from this industry. Their body is your body gets beaten up. Those long hours heavy lifting, especially behind the camera.
Speaker 1:Of course.
Speaker 2:Parties. You know it, it takes a toll on you. And then they get older and they have a little bit of money saved up, but they're too broken to go and do the things they want to do.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:I say do it right now.
Speaker 1:I think it's so important and I love what you said. I'm going to butcher this quote, but the Jim Carrey quote about I wish everybody's dreams could come true so they see it still wouldn't make you happy or something. It's a he said it. Google some version of that and the right quote will come up. But it's so true.
Speaker 1:And I think when I started acting I just so desperately wanted to be famous and be seen and really having to learn and grow through that and recognize that it wasn't going to matter what part I booked, how big it was, the, the emptiness that I was trying to fill with this idea, which I am not famous but that I was trying to fill with, that was just wasn't going to happen.
Speaker 1:So I think then shifting to actually just enjoying what I'm doing, and then I've had a lot of actors and mentors just say you got to find happiness outside of acting. It can't. And a lot of actors and I'm sure behind the camera it's the same because it's not an easy world to get into and then you're always grinding to get your next job but they were just like you have to find something outside of this. Acting is not who you are, it's a thing that you do and there's got to be more to you than just acting. And so then trying to find that balance of okay, and I really felt like I lost myself for a while just thinking like I'm Liz, I'm an actor, you know. Anyway, sidebar diving into me not talking about you.
Speaker 2:No, you're absolutely right, because when we work in the same industry, you're in front of the camera, I'm behind the camera, but it's that same mentality. And there's a quote by someone that says have you ever seen a hearse with a trailer sketch?
Speaker 1:That's okay, can't take that stuff with you. Yeah, you can't.
Speaker 2:You know, no, you can leave it to your kids. You have kids, but I don't have kids. Yeah, no plan on having them. And I understand, you know, once again I understand the other side because I, early on in my career, I was desperate to. I was trying not to be a PA, a production assistant, the lowest guy on the totem pole. Yeah, you know, I was trying to. You know, do what? Do a bunch of different things and locations is one of them. But I had to.
Speaker 2:Once I was somewhat set, I had to tell people. You know what? No, I need a break because I go from job to job to job, sometimes two jobs at once, then the next job, no break, Just burning the candle at both ends and you get worn out, you get stressed out, you get worn out. No sleep, coffee through the roof, just like go, go, go, go go. And you will get burnt out real quick if you don't give yourself time for yourself, for your family and your friends, like you know you will. You will hurt relationships if you just work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work.
Speaker 1:And I had to learn to say you know what?
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly. So I had to say you know what, even though this is a big job right after my other big job, I'm good. Give me like a few days. I need to decompress.
Speaker 1:And I think there's this fear that if you say no, something else won't come, but it does, it comes. I had a I still she's still a mentor, but I won't say her name, but she, she's doing very well right now Well, not right now because of the strike, but she's doing. She's doing very well in her acting career. And I was so surprised because I was talking to her one day and she's someone that I'm like man, if I could have success like you, that'd be amazing. And she was like, yeah, I took she's in her fifties, I think she took a seven year break from acting, I think in her thirties or late twenties.
Speaker 1:And I was just shocked and I was like seven years and and I and I've had a couple of friends or actor acquaintances that take breaks and they're like you can, you can take a break. I don't know if it works. That's a good question. I don't know if it works the same on the backside as a person on the crew. That's actually a good question. For me it's like I can stop and I can take a break and I might lose my agent in the process. But the skill of acting is there and I know I've gotten an agent before I know how to get one again. I don't know if that would be the same for you.
Speaker 2:No, that fear is still the same, that you will become irrelevant because someone will replace you, which the fear is legitimate, because if you don't continuously show yourself on set, they're like where did so? And so go, I don't know, but I've got someone else to replace them, so that's there. It's just once again finding that balance. And then people know when you're just, you know completely just tired and need a break, and I would say take. I've seen people take a month or two off, but after that they will replace you, because it never stops. The show must go on.
Speaker 1:Of course, and yeah, and the show will go on. Yeah, I am curious about kind of a completely different topic, but still about you. What was the time that you just really failed or just messed up Cause I'm sure that that has happened and how did you recover from that? What did you do to overcome that?
Speaker 2:Right, so early on in my career I think it was like my first or second job. I remember this vividly and I still shake my head like, oh, that was so dumb. They put me out on my own and it was early in the morning. We were at a house somewhere in Alpharetta and it was for a big company and I was nervous, you know, I hadn't had all this experience. So whenever you go into a new job, you're always kind of like trepidatious, like oh, okay, how do I do this? How are this? You're in your head a lot. So I get there and I it's like six o'clock in the morning and I knock on the homeowner's door and she answers in like an eye count. I'm like, hey, we're supposed to be filming at your house. And then trucks are pulling up like right now, like right now, and she's like, oh, okay, that's fine, but you can't come into my house. I'm like, well, well, we're supposed to be shooting in your house, filming in your house, so we need to talk about that and she would not let us in.
Speaker 2:And I told the, told the production manager, who's like kind of, she is higher than me, she was higher than me in the hierarchy of of it and she was like what are you? She didn't know me for anyone and we're really good friends now. But she was like what are you talking about? She's like get out of my way. And she walked into this woman's house and this woman's like screaming, like what are you doing in my house? She's like we rented your house for the day. We are going to film here.
Speaker 2:And I didn't, I didn't take charge like she did, and I told her no, you can't do this, because the homeowner told me that and I had gotten bad information we were allowed to film in our house and we did film in our house, but it was so embarrassing for me, you know, because communications had gotten mixed up and then, like my mentor he was, he's the one that got me the job and he was on a different location at the same job and he's like man, don't sweat that stuff. He's like he's like, yeah, it's a rookie mistake, but we're doing what you thought at the time was correct Like the homeowner shows up in her nightgown just like, blurry eyed, like what are you doing in my house? Well, we just gave you a lot of money to be here for the day. You knew about it.
Speaker 2:You know, I wasn't on the, I wasn't on the tech scouter or the previous scouts to to tell her, to to kind of meet her and tell her what was going on. So no one did because I was thrown on this job Just like well, all right, you go do your onset location manager. And so that that's where I screwed up.
Speaker 1:I am curious about that. Real quick, Ask a further question. Well, I have two. One, why was this lady at her house or not letting y'all in at six AM? And then the other question I have is I mean, people sign contracts and then are paid when you, when you are using their house, Like it's a pretty big thing to be, like I mean I, it's just so explained and usually in my well, I don't do locations, but just what I've witnessed and seen, there's a contract, it's explained, they're usually compensated very well. So I'm very like, does that happen? Often where someone's like, actually no, you can't come into my house, and it's like, well, we have a contract that says otherwise. And if they refuse, how does that work? Did the cops get involved?
Speaker 2:or Well, they're breaking the contract and they the production company could sue them. At the time I did not have the contract. Like I said, I was on another job and I got someone got sick, so I got thrown into this the last moment. So she had already got home on her head, you already got paid. She already had the check. Usually I come with the check on the morning of like if we have a prep day, I'll give them the check.
Speaker 2:or if we, if we just have a straight up shoot day, I'm the first person there with the check and I have the contract, but that no one that that incident has never occurred again, because usually I'm I go from prep the pre-pro, just like pre-production, all the way through to the, to the rap and so, I'm in communications with the homeowner and everyone else like, hey, this is what you're, because a lot of times they don't read the contract.
Speaker 1:They hear the money.
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah exactly, and a lot of people just don't like legalese. I get it, you know. But if they say, hey, you can't do this, I'm like, well, according to the contract we can, and they don't like that, I don't try. I'm like I try to make it a little bit more soft, like, well, you know, we had conversations that this is what we were gonna do, and I'd hate to go back to production and say that we're not gonna do this, so let's try to work something out right and usually there they get it pretty quickly.
Speaker 2:I didn't have the contract in, I didn't have money, she had already gotten paid, and so she was just Sending like mixed messages to everyone and she finally calmed down like, oh yeah, that's right, I did have books. You know this production here this day, like I was telling, I was telling the production manager she had to set up her production office outside in the cold, and she was looking at me like I was the craziest person on earth.
Speaker 1:She was like I think not, sir. That's funny. So this is not this professional all but I always think about, because I just think about different jobs and people and I promise I will circle this back. But I think about nurses dealing with the general population and what you know I. I know how I handle myself, like how I Keep myself clean, how I come into a hospital, even an emergency. There's just a level. But I like me trying to be somewhat respectful, kind, whatever. I know everybody does not approach life that way. And To circle it back to locations I'm sure people Get excited about they're gonna get their house use. They're also gonna get some nice money for having their house use, but you're also dealing with general population in their home. So I imagine that there's different stories of that and working with people like that Is that the craziest one? You would say.
Speaker 2:No, I've got a crazier one, and it was. It's somewhat of a mistake on my part too. This was further on in my career. We were doing this commercial for a shoe company and a famous hip-hop artist, and so we generally we discussed with the art department or the production designer what's gonna happen that day and we get the okay. We're like, okay, you want to do this. So it was in this.
Speaker 2:It's like 12 million dollar mansion in Buckhead and they had a motorbike on a spinning Pedestal in the middle of this mahogany three-story library and you could go on to the railing, the walkway of the Stories of the library and look down, and we had cameras pointing down and cameras pointing at the floor level at the motorcycle and the the artist the hip-hop artist was the talent was supposed to pretend to start the motorcycle and when it came down to it, they had Boxed me out. His people had boxed me out from going into the library because they were gonna start it and I told them they couldn't Because there would be repercussions if you do. And then they did start it in this really nice library with really old books and then they dumped a 50 gallon Barrel of glitter from the second story on to, and this is these are mahogany for wooden floors, with cracks on them right Like right wooden floors. So the glitter got you know.
Speaker 2:Oh, my god, yeah and I was pretty Upset about that, that they wouldn't let me in and until afterwards and the homeowner was upset, my boss was upset, everyone was very upset. But you know, I kind of explained the situation like they wouldn't let me in. That that never happens anymore. I'm just like now I'm going in. This is my location right.
Speaker 1:I don't care how famous you are, you know, yeah. Yeah, I imagine dealing with very talented people, not to, hmm, not necessarily very talented, but very famous. You know, I don't know who you're talking about. You don't have to reveal, but sometimes very famous people are not the most, always the most talented. But I don't meant that can come with that and I'm gonna do whatever the hell I want because I'm such and such.
Speaker 2:You know, yeah well, the way that we deal with that is okay. You can do whatever as long as we get okay from the homeowner. And if the homeowner school with it Wildest dreams, whatever I want to do. And if not, let's come to some kind of agreement you know, Everyone hates the in the in the film world, behind the camera.
Speaker 2:Everyone hates let's fix it in post, which means a lot of work, yeah, so, and we rarely say that. Let's say, but they're like, okay, how can we remedy this? Because we still want you to get your beautiful dreams out. We're not trying to block you from Getting that shot right, but how can we, you know, judge it where you don't start a motorcycle in this mansion and you don't put glitter everywhere, like how can we come to an agreement and that's, and we will have a conversation about a quick conversation and if it's a must-do, well then you know, well, we'll cross that bridge when we do cross it. I think it's it's a mistake when they try to lie to you or Deceive you. When it comes me, when it comes to what they're going to do, and they always get caught, it's like you see the, see what happens, and it's like, well, this is gonna cost production a lot of money in the end, a lot of money that's not really budgeted.
Speaker 2:Yeah think about that. I hate to pull that. Well, it's gonna cost more money card, but we've had to do that on some occasions where people just wanted to do not discuss it with us first.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I also think I've thought. But just be respectful, I've been humbled a lot and I've worked in the camera and I, you know I have my dreams of success that I want as an actor. But I hope, no matter what opportunities, dreams whatever come my way, that I will stay A humble and respectful to everybody that I'm working with.
Speaker 2:Yeah, playing the devil's advocate on that one. You know, when I'm sure you've reached a certain level of Celebrity being an actress or actor where kind of forget, you know About other people's emotions, feeling their desire for whatever is happening in the production, and and I get it because you have so much stuff thrown at you as an, as a, as talent, that you just it's not that you forget, but you just you're not thinking about it. And that's another thing everyone in the film world is in their own head because they have their Own responsibilities. So when someone does something, I Try not that's another thing where I've made mistakes, I try not to internalize it and go. You did this on purpose. Yeah, you drew into this to hurt. You know it's like. No, you were in your own head, you weren't thinking you made a mistake and let's just remedy it. You know, because once again.
Speaker 2:We're here to do a job and to make this production occur.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think it's on in that vein. I agree, because Talent, a lot of times once you reach a certain level of success, you have so many people around you to just Take care of all your like little needs. Like you want a cup of coffee? Here's, let me go get you a cup of coffee you want. You know just just little things, and so I Under.
Speaker 1:I don't understand on a personal level, but I could see how that would just start changing things where you're just not thinking necessarily as much about things outside that. Also, like you said, you know one of the One of the moments first moments I was kind of like humbled as an actor and like oh, it's not all about me, was I am? You realize I'm hired to do a job. Like production didn't hire me to stroke my ego, they hired me to come in and be an actor, you know. So when I get cast it's like be prepared, show up and do your job. They're not like you know, this isn't your 15 minutes of Fame, having your Hollywood moment. Like we have a job that everybody's got, a job we're trying to do. So come and do your job too, and I think that's real about me.
Speaker 2:But people make you feel your. You know your assistance or whoever's helping you on set. They make you feel it, and they should, because you're an integral part of it, One of the most important parts of it.
Speaker 1:And it's hard because you're like that balance of like the emotions in trying to okay, let's not mess with them, let's, you know, let's keep it as simple as possible, as low stress as possible, so they can prep for their scene or whatever. So it's really hard, that balance. But I mean it is as soon as you step on set, what do we could call actors talent, like it already gives us like this air, oh, talents here, and it's like but you're talented at your job, you know. You know I just I think it's funny, I think about all that stuff, but I you know my experience and said it's like do you want anything to drink? Can I get you anything?
Speaker 1:This is where you're going to be. You know we'll come and get you. We'll have like makeup, whatever it is, and it's like so, from the moment I step on set, check in, I'm being taken care of, I'm being showed where to go, which is how it has to be. Understandably, I get why it's that way, but it's easy to let it go to your head and I am in for a fortunate that I have had my ego checked and I try to keep it like hey, you're, you were hired to do a job, so like show up and do your job.
Speaker 2:I met many actors in my life and you know you get all walks of life.
Speaker 1:But there are some that just don't.
Speaker 2:Ego is and they have, they're full of it. And then there are some that are just amazing. You know some of the some of the famous people that I've met on set that are like big time, you know big time.
Speaker 2:Or some of those down down to earth chill people that I've ever met because they work on their ego and they work because they realize, just like what you just said, like, okay, it is a job at the end of the day, yes, I'm super famous, yes, I'm super wealthy, but at the end of the day, I'm here to be professional and to do this. You know what I love, what I've been doing? All my life I've been honing this, this skill, and the ones that check in with themselves really are very, very cool to work with.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. Yeah, and I obviously I am an actor, I love actors, I don't have any qualms with actors, I just think it's. It's an interesting dynamic, the actor crew dynamic on set. I've always found it very fascinating Kind of rounding, just rounding everything out. I know I've held you a little bit longer than an hour, but oh, you're fine.
Speaker 2:I enjoy this process. It's really nice.
Speaker 1:Okay, great, do you have. I know you talked about it a little bit, but if anybody wants to do locations whether scouting manager, not locations just getting to do any type of crew work getting behind the camera what advice would you have for people that are trying to get into that?
Speaker 2:Right, I get pulled aside a lot by PAs or you know, like, hey, can I talk to you about locations? I'm like, yeah, sure, let's. You know, let's grab some lunch together and chat. It's generally PAs who are trying to move up, which I have no problem with. But when I kind of explain the whole process, very realistic and not sugar coated, I'm like that's a lot of hard work. It's not kind of your perception of what I do, cause if you look at me on set, a lot of times I'm just standing around and they don't see me working hard. Now some people have seen me, you know, get screamed at or you know, get threatened or work crazy hard and they get it. But these people are generally newer, so they haven't seen.
Speaker 2:And a lot of my work is pre-production and scouting and everyone wants to, like I said, everyone wants to scout because it's it's really cool and then it is a lot of work. It's a lot of stress, a lot of driving, a lot of traffic, but it's very rewarding. But then I tell them, with the outfit that I run with, you have to be both a scout and a manager. Now, that's now. That's different. Probably in the future You're just a scout and that's what you do, but with us it's all inclusive package and so and it makes you, you know, more valuable as a, as a manager and a scout and you get more time, you know. But I would say, and and one of your other interviews I forgot his name, but he said the same thing at the end of the day, it's a business and I completely, 100%, have to remind everyone that cause, generally when people are trying to get into locations, they're kind of trying to round out their resume, cause they want to be a director and with locations you do a lot of preparations that a director would, and so they're trying to hit every department so that they can become a better director or a first assistant director or a producer.
Speaker 2:Everyone has read or heard of these famous directors, producers that did a stint in locations, and I get that. That's cool. But at the end of the day and the producers get it it is a business. You can be creative, you can be beautiful, you can do all of that, but you have to keep it within the realm of. It's not all art. A lot of it is money and it's money driven. And I hate to say that because I don't and I and I preface this to the kids that come up to me, the people that come up to me I'm like man follow your dreams, live your dreams. It's not all about life, is not all about money, but this business, at the end of the day, it is so wrap that into your dream.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Don't let it control your dream of whatever you're trying to do, but just realize it's a large aspect. And when you tell someone your dream of whatever you're trying to create, figure that into the equation and it's very eye-opening. A lot of people are like, oh well, and it's like it's sobering, because it kind of puts some kind of constraints on a lot of people. I'm like, no, don't do that, just budget it. Budget for your dream.
Speaker 2:You know, Well, if you want to make something magical and crazy, go for it. That's why we're in this industry. Yeah, that's what we got into this industry, but also gauge that and make.
Speaker 1:I think too, like with what you said if you have something big and magical and that you want to create, you might not be making that in a year. It might take a little bit. Sometimes dreams take a longer time and for us to get to it takes some. Trying to think of the name of the movie. Oh, a movie just came out recently called Bottoms and it was hilarious.
Speaker 1:I loved it and I started looking into it and I do not remember the director or the lead, but basically they had a short called Shiva Baby that ended up getting turned into a feature. Because I was like this director just had like a movie in theaters. Bottoms was in theaters and I was like she doesn't have a huge like list, like her credentials are, but she had made a short that did really well and won a at a film festival or something and then got turned into a feature. But the feature took, like I think she because I was then I'm doing like the Instagram deep dive, you know but it took her like seven, seven years to make this feature same title, shiva Baby. And then the girl who starred in that feature also starred in her new movie, bottoms. But it was just it was. You can have these huge, crazy dreams, but that's just. Sometimes they take time.
Speaker 1:Yes, anyway, but I do like what you said about that, because it is a business.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. And I would say don't give up on your dreams, have patience and, basically, don't let this cold world of money and bickering destroy your dreams. Continue to follow them, but acknowledge the obstacles that are presented to you and make preparations to knock those obstacles out so that you can fulfill your dreams.
Speaker 1:Sure, jay, do you have anything else you want to say in closing?
Speaker 2:No, that's pretty much it. It's been a great experience chatting with you.
Speaker 1:The same you are. I am so excited that John connected us. You're very insightful. I feel like you've given great life advice honestly, not just anything film advice. I love your demeanor. You have a very calm demeanor, so I really enjoyed getting to talk to you. Taster, yeah, I love everybody so much for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, if you'll just rate, review the podcast, follow the Instagram. It helps me do what I'm doing and I look forward to who I talk to next.