9th June 2017
Written on 9th June 2017
TAG talks with Kay Lawrence – General Manager of activeTV's operations across the Asia-Pacific
ActiveTV, an internationally renowned independent production company based in Australia and Asia, recently used the Melbourne and LA offices at TAG whilst facilitating the production of a US dating reality series in Australia. Kay Lawrence (KL), General Manager of activeTV's operations across the Asia-Pacific, gives us a further insight on the often demanding schedule and how a little assistance from a global travel specialist can go a long a way.
TAG: Tell us a little bit about the production?
KL: We were contacted by the producers of a long-running US dating reality series considering Australia as a location for a 10 episode spin-off series with their most popular couples.
TAG: What locations did the production take place in and what lead you to choose these locations?
KL: This is a house based reality series so the challenge was to find a location that suited a dual purpose both as the main set for the series with room for production offices, control rooms and the cast to live in but also close enough to a major city to give the urban feel the producers were looking for. Melbourne was their favoured location and we were able to secure a great property that worked perfectly to their brief. Melbourne city and Victorian rural locations were also used in each episode and international audiences will get to see a great slice of Australian life.
TAG: You must have faced a few challenges along the way?
KL: This was a challenge to produce, lead time was very short and we needed to secure a lot of local crew and locations during a very busy time. Additionally, the production was bringing out a large crew and cast of their own. Whilst the cast were happily living in the house, the challenge of accommodating the US team was not something we could tackle on our own, their requirements over the long shoot and their need for flexibility on dates was daunting. With a constantly changing crew and cast flight schedule and an entire fleet of rental cars, the logistics were enormous and challenging.
TAG: You mentioned travel logistics, how did TAG assist you?
KL: This was not something we could handle on our own, just securing the local accommodation on a restricted budget to the US Producer’s standard was complex. Everyone needed to be in the same location with flexibility on arrival and departure times but at a discount rate. TAG was brilliant in securing a great deal within budget and TAG representatives were on the ground to show the producer’s the different options. Same goes for the rental vehicles, cars, trucks, buses we had them all and TAG was able to fulfil our needs no matter how difficult and last minute. However, the most important service they provided was the ability to use their international offices to not only secure competitive flight deals but to work directly with the production in their time zone. It’s not just a matter of being available 24 hours a day, its having someone on the ground during the business day who understands the local market.
TAG: What do you feel was the greatest achievement on this production?
KL: Pulling it all together in such a short time and having a client leave very happy with the services we were able to provide. I have to say TAG was there to support us all the way.
We welcome the opportunity to further discuss your production travel requirements and from there become an extension of your team, assisting with the travel from the pre-planning of the project.
Contact Alli Pratt, General Manager of TAG Global Film & Media Asia Pacific, for a confidential discussion around your next project: Alli.Pratt@appointmentgroup.com or +61 413 743 183.
