I am Charles Danek

As a Location Scout, I am often asked “What is the most amazing location you have ever seen?”  What leaps to mind is not so much any one place, but rather the adventures I have finding them!  

There was the time I hung myself over the edge of the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles because a client wanted to see city traffic from 20 floors up.  Or the job where I got to ride up and down every ski chair lift within a 2 hour radius of Los Angeles.  Then there was the day I spent photographing every accessible inch of the Queen Mary.  Driving the track at Willow Springs Raceway.  Probing around in the abandoned Cerro Gordo Silver Mine.  And routinely, I find myself standing in some of the most spectacular houses on earth.

My job takes me all over Southern California, but mostly I am asked to work within the thirty-mile zone around Los Angeles.  Inside these boundaries exists all manner of environments.  Iconic Los Angeles includes the Hollywood Sign, the Santa Monica Pier, or maybe the LA River.  This city also offers urban streets and industrial centers, as well as suburbs and college campuses that can look in-camera like anywhere in the country.  In terms of natural elements, there are deserts, beaches, lakes, alpine climates, and wilderness zones, sometimes minutes apart from each other.  And the architecture of Los Angeles spans from Spanish-Style and Victorian to mid-century and ultra-modern, with everything in between.  Los Angeles is such an infinite city, that no matter how much of it I see, I feel like it is still always taking me to school.

Prior to being a scout, I worked as a producer.  As such, I am able to see locations both in terms of creativity and production logistics.  Usually when I am hired to find locations, I am also asked to help facilitate permits, devise plot plans, find parking options, and consult on scheduling.

As a Location Manager, I strive to be the first one to set so I can help with crew arrival.  Typically I am the last one to leave so I can ensure that we depart our locations in good standing.  And throughout the day I work with our crew and our location to ensure that our shoot goes as smoothly as possible. 

Do you have a project coming up?  I’d love to help you find a location to match your vision!

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