On Location with Julian Newby

In this edition of the podcast we're looking back at one of the great moments in pop history – George Michael's legendary Faith Tour.It was captured on film back in 1988, on the Paris leg of the tour – and released now, almost 40 years later, as a full-length llive concert movie. Capturing the energy and atmosphere of a live concert on film is not an easy thing to do, particularly when it comes to recording the music itself. So how do you preserve the magic of a performance to make the cinema audience feel like they are actually there?For the On Location podcast this time, we’re joined by Andy Morahan, one of the two directors of the George Michael The Faith Tour movie, to talk about the challenges of recording live music in a restricted location, surrounded by a live audience, and to hear some of the stories behind the bringing of this extraordinary concert to the big screen…

A change in style for the On Location podcast this time around, as this edition was recorded live on stage in Cannes on the final day of MIPCOM. MIPCOM is the annual international content marketplace that attracts over 10,000 people to that famous city. Stars, executives, producers and the world’s press gather to buy and sell content, form partnerships and discuss the future of the industry. This MIPCOM marked the first international appearance of David Decker, the newly appointed CEO of Skydance, the mega-studio formed by the merging of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery. He gave us his first interview in that role, for an edition of the MIPCOM Daily News, the daily magazine that Boutique Media International publishes during the event.During this live session, we talk to that publication’s senior reporter, Andy Fry, about Skydance, another mega-merger between production giants all3media and Banijay, and some key industry developments in the fields of AI, microdramas and the role of brands in the funding of content…

In this edition of On Location, we welcome back a friend of the podcast, Billy Nash,  the Florida-based luxury real-estate broker and presenter of the series Passport Properties With Billy Nash.When we were last speaking with Billy on the podcast, the series had not seen daylight. But in the year since Billy and distributor, Blue Ant Media, first took the show to the international content market MIPCOM in Cannes, a lot has changed. Outside of the US, the series has been licensed to networks in Poland, Portugal and Latvia and there are talks going on with other countries around the world.  On the podcast this time, Billy talks about how he and his team choose the properties that feature in the series; about the problems a film crew can face when entering a luxurious or historic building; and about what it feels like to walk up to the mansion once lived in by the actual Mona Lisa, along a path most probably trodden by Leonardo DaVinci.As Billy stresses, this nine-part series is not all about stunning real estate; it’s also about culture and history and how those elements are reflected in some of the architecture he visits for the series…

In this episode of the On Location podcast, Julian Newby talks to LA-based location manager Jason Wisch about everything from Bill & Ted to J-Lo.Of all his achievements in a career spanning directing, producing and location managing in film, video and commercials, what impressed us the most was the revelation that Jason played the back of Bill’s (Alex Winter) head in the Circle K scene in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure!Born and raised in Los Angeles, he has been in the entertainment industry for most of his adult life. He started out as an actor, but I quickly realised he liked being behind the camera better. He has worked in almost every aspect of the business, but has spent most of his time  location managing and directing – working with some of the biggest names in Hollywood.Among his many projects, he was location manager on the stunning Jennifer Lopez commercial for Dolby; and he shot and produced his own commercial for Mercedes… which they loved so much they bought it from him. Our friends the California Film Commercial loved it too andadapted it for use on their website.

In this edition of the On Location podcast, Julian Newby meets Alfred Cervantes, vice-president and executive director of the Houston Film Commission.In his pre-film commission days Cervantes worked on a number of productions that featured Houston as a location, including 1995’s Apollo 13, directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks. In the podcast he explains how the Howard achieved the weightless scenes in the movie – using NASA's KC-135 aircraft, famously nicknamed the Vomit Comet by cast and crew.Cervantes also explains how, by stacking a 31% state grant with a new 10% local incentive (capped at $100K per project), the city provides a dual-incentive structure that is putting more cash back into producer’s pockets than ever before. The incentives mean that more TV, feature films are being attracted to the city and surrounding areas, including two features shot there in 2025:Mattress Mack, starring Billy Magnussen; and Eleven Days, an upcomingthriller directed by Peter Landesman and co-written by Kevin Sheridan andbased on the 2004 book Eleven Days in Hell: The 1974 Carrasco Prison Siege at Huntsville, Texas by William T. Harper.The hit Netflix TV series Mo is also set in Houston, where Mo – played by Mo Amer – straddles the line between two cultures, three languages and a pending asylum request while hustling to support his Palestinian family.In the podcast Julian and Alfred discuss why some of us don’t automatically recognise Houston in Film, TV and commercials, and how this is gradually changing as productions become aware of the varied architecture, the sophisticated infrastructure and the favourable economics of shooting in the area.Among the many past productions shot in and around the Houston area include 1970’s  Brewster McCloud; 1984’s Blood Simple; 1990’s RoboCop 2; the aforementioned Apollo 13; 1998’s Armageddon; and 2011’s Sean Penn and Brad Pitt starrer Tree of Life…

As the series has finally come to our screens, we revisit the On Location podcast in which we spoke with Walking With Dinosaurs creator Tim Haines about his latest series Surviving Earth. He explains how technology has moved on since his epic Dinosaurs series, enabling him and his crew to film wildlife that existed thousands or millions of years ago, in real-life locations around the world. With over 20 scientists working on each episode, the series visits parts of the world where plants and physical formation are close to those that existed thousands and even millions of years ago.

In this edition of the On Location podcast, we meet Colleen Bell, director of the California Film Commission.She speaks with Julian Newby about her role at the Hollywood-based Film Commission, the impact of the six-Oscar-winning film One Battle After Another, and how the film industry across the Golden State is experiencing a revival after strikes and wildfires contributed to a downturn. She also talks about filming on location in California, which she describes as a “whole continent of locations in one state”. California was in high profile at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where American Pavilion held a special California Day highlighting the Golden State’s status as the world’s movie capital. At the event, Colleen Bell spoke about the newly extended California Film & Television Tax Credit Program, credited as playing a big part in the film industry’s revival there, following a tough few years. Since its introduction in 2009 – a year after the global financial crash – the Program has generated some $27bn of economic activity and supported over 210,000 cast and crew jobs across the state. For every dollar awarded through the Program, California has seen $24.40 in economic output, $16.14 in GDP and $8.60 in wages. This edition of the On Location podcast was recorded during the Cannes Film Festival at the landmark Carlton hotel.Issues raised during the podcast are discussed in depth in the latest edition of Location California magazine, which is edited by Julian Newby and published in partnership with the California Film Commission.

In this edition of the On Location podcast, we go to Amsterdam to meet Sil Geurtsen and Daan Moonen, two key figures in the development of two of the latest entertainment shows to come out of formats giant EndemolShine Nederland, part of Banijay Benelux – Let’s Play Ball and The Bicycle Race.In Let’s Play Ball, two rival teams of comedians go head-to-head in a race to transport a gigantic ball across urban and rural locations; in The Bicycle Race, six celebrities team up with a partner, friend, or family member to compete in an epic adventure, completed entirely by bike; the first race takes place across India.How do they choose the locations for these shows? Do local authorities or law enforcement ever say ‘No’? What size of crew is needed to follow these crazy races through towns, cities, forests and fields? What kinds of problem do the teams face while on-the-move, competing against rival celebrities?Both shows have been created for Dutch channel SBS6 and are now being developed internationally.At EndemolShine Nederland, Sil Geurtsen, head of programme development and Daan Moonen, executive producer, answer these questions and more … Let’s Play Ball… see the trailer herehttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DNalPThqAdH/ 

In this edition of the On Location podcast, Julian Newby meets director Paul Negoescu and Location Manager Andrei Stehan to discuss the Romanian-Bulgarian coproduction Atlas of the Universe,  which tells the story of 10-year-old Filip travels with his father to a nearby town to buy new football boots. When his father gets sidetracked by an old friend, Filip, played by Matei Donciu, has to make his way on his own. A mistake at the shoe shop – Filip was given two right shoes – triggers an unexpected adventure as he walks through the countryside to the big city in search of the left shoe. Along the way, he befriends a stray dog, who he names after his favourite football player; and he meets a young girl, Edith – played by Johanna Mild – who helps him to feel less alone in his quest. As he attempts to fix the error made at the shoe shop, Filip takes his first steps toward independence and growing up.The film was shot in and around the Romanian town of Vălenii de Munte. It was produced by deFilm (Romania), in co-production with Screening Emotions (Bulgaria) and Avanpost Media (Romania). The production is supported by the Romanian Film Center, Romanian Government, Eurimages, the Bulgarian National Film Center, Magic Lab, CinemaCity, Magic Shop, Romanian Television and Upfar Argoa. International sales are with international agency Pluto Film.  See the film’s trailer here

In this edition of the On Location podcast we meet veteran Location Manager, LA-based Robert Foulkes, who tells us how some of Crime 101s locations were chosen. In the movie, Mike Davis (Chris Hemsworth) is a master jewel thief who specialises in meticulously targeted robberies, which take place along the 101 freeway in Los Angeles. Ahead of what could be his biggest-ever heist, he teams up with disillusioned insurance broker Sharon (Halle Berry). Detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo) has spotted a connection to the 101 robberies and is determined to prevent the big one from happening.  The film’s star-studded cast also includes Barry Keoghan as the psychotic biker Ormon; and Nick Nolte as the underworld fence, Money. Crime 101 is based on the 2020 Don Winslow novella of the same name, adapted by director Bart Layton – who chose both the super-wealthy areas of Los Angeles, as well as the gritty side of the city, as backdrops to the story – from Echo Park and West Hollywood, to the coastal areas of Venicee and Santa Monica. Watch this tour of Los Angeles with Robert Foulkes hereAnd see the film’s trailer hereCrime 101 is a production from Amazon MGM Studios, Raw, Working Title Films and The Story Factory, directed by Bart Layton. Hemsworth produces alongside Ben Grayson; who he worked with on 2025’s Chris Hemsworth: a Road Trip to remember.