About us

WHAT I DO: I respond to briefs from clients. Before co-founding Fresh I spent years as a designer/stylist both booking and shooting on location as part of a crew. This has been invaluable for understanding the different requirements of the client, crew and location owner. It means I can immediately identify the most suitable properties to match the needs and budgets of busy producers working to tight deadlines.

HOW I GOT HERE: I trained in fashion at St Martins School of Art and became a designer/stylist working internationally, on everything from movies and music videos to editorial shoots and advertising campaigns. Clients varied from Agent Provocateur to M&S, Stanley Kubrick to Kylie Minogue. On all these shoots, whether commercial or editorial, stills or movies, the location was always one of the most important factors in making the end result a success. 

WHAT I’VE LEARNED ABOUT LOCATIONS: Size does matter! Aside from allowing the client to get the best images, the location needs to provide an enormous amount off-camera too – easy access, plenty of parking and enough bins and loos to facilitate the needs of a sizeable crew. As a result, sometimes, the perfect-looking location might not work, but we can work with our client to find the very best shoot locations for their needs.

CRAZIEST LOCATION REQUEST: I’m not often surprised in this business, but a call came in one day asking for a house with owners who don’t mind a few animals on a shoot. It turned out that they were talking about three horses, a flamingo, a llama and a tiger!

WHAT I DO: I handle shoot location bookings. I build relationships both with clients and homeowners and liaise with everyone in advance of, during and after a shoot making sure everything goes to plan and that everyone concerned is happy. I also stay on top of social media trends to get the word out about any exciting new locations we’ve taken on.

HOW I GOT HERE: Having managed a studio for several years I then used my shoot experience within a well-known style agency. As this is a small industry I regularly talk to the same producers and art directors that I’ve known for years. 

WHAT I’VE LEARNED ABOUT LOCATIONS:
Ordinary is good! We’ve got some amazing properties on our books, but it isn’t always one of those that fits the bill for a brief. One of our most successful and regularly used shoot locations is an ordinary family home owned by a retired couple.

CRAZIEST LOCATION REQUEST:
Recently we were asked for an isolated rural property that could pass as a farmhouse, with dry stone walls on its land……but it had to be inside the M25! 

WHAT I DO: As a founding partner in the business, I have a comprehensive knowledge of our extensive collection of shoot locations and am always looking for interesting new properties. I take client briefs for filming, photography or events and match them up with a selection of the right locations quickly and efficiently. I understand the pressures clients are working to and that time is always tight. In my years of experience, there is little I haven’t dealt with and remaining calm and unflappable at all times is my speciality!

HOW I GOT HERE: Before setting up Fresh Locations, I worked for many years at one of the UK’s other best-known and established location libraries. But I felt there was a need for a more individually tailored style of agency offering original shoot locations and exceptional, personalised service. We pride ourselves on getting to know all our location owners and our clients really well so we can swiftly match them up with one another. Clients come to us to make their lives easier and we often find that, even if a property is listed with another library, they choose us because of our unique relationship with the location owner.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED ABOUT LOCATIONS: Knowing the property owner well is vital: it allows us to book quickly for a client and also to be aware of any issues such as tricky neighbours so we can smooth the way if difficulties arise during the shoot. And a good owner will be prepped and ready in advance, flexible at all times and offer a warm welcome when a crew arrives.

CRAZIEST LOCATION REQUEST: One of the most challenging requests we’ve ever had was for “a historic wooden theatre where we can film a fire-eater”. The health and safety on that shoot was an absolute nightmare!

WHAT I DO: As well as handling bookings I am the first port of call for any homeowners wanting to register as one of our shoot locations. Once their property is selected for our website, I get to know all about the owner, run them through what happens on locations for filming, photography and events and give them advice, for example, if they are a family with four young children, I’ll suggest they avoid large scale filming as it can be pretty disruptive. I commission the photography for all our locations and oversee the upload of the images , so they look their absolute best on the website and clients can easily search for what each property has to offer.

HOW I GOT HERE: I originally trained as a photographer and for several years managed a busy well-known London studio complex. I joined the Fresh Locations team in 2010 as I wanted to use my organisational and creative skills in a different way. I love being part of a smaller team where I can get directly involved in all aspects of the work on locations for filming and photography.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED ABOUT LOCATIONS: There aren’t enough warehouses! We receive so many requests from clients who want to shoot in an old industrial building and we are constantly on the lookout for more. If you know of any great disused factories or warehouses, I’m the person to contact!

CRAZIEST LOCATION REQUEST: We were a little foxed when asked for an “ordinary two-bedroomed semi with room for a 40 strong crew and a crane” – but we found one in the end!