Q & A with Orin Kennedy

Location Guild Q & A with Orin Kennedy

By Stevie Nelson
The Chairman Emeritus of the Location Manager’s Guild of America is a 27 yr. veteran Location Manager. His many past credits include the Television series “L.A. Law”, “Ally McBeal”, “The Practice”, “Chicago Hope”, “Picket Fences”, “The Twilight Zone” (1985), “The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire” and the TV MOWs “And Your Name is Jonah”, “ Shakedown on the Sunset Strip” and “The Defiant Ones”.

Right, Orin Kennedy on the set of Picket Fences in West LA. Where permission was granted from an entire residential block for Wisconsin snowfall

What was your first show & how did you get into the business?
Interesting story …. I was out of work after a mixed bag of careers as an interior designer in NYC (graduate of the NY School of Interior Design), actor and indoor plant celebrity…….when a producer girl friend of mine asked if I would be interested in doing research for the writer of an upcoming mini series based on the life of Howard Hughes starring unknown Tommy Lee Jones (TV trivia). I accepted and when the show went into production I asked if I could have a production job. The only available position was a PA. Done…although I might have been the oldest PA to date. After three more TV movies for the same producer an AD asked if I could handle the location managing for a new TV series Spiderman (more TV trivia-ran 12 episodes). I said” of course”.
I gradually realized that here was the career I’d been looking for …where I could use my interior design and architectural background as well. Guess I could have opted for Production Designer, but I preferred the freedom of location scouting and managing. That’s it!

Who are some of the Location Managers you worked with when you were starting off?
I assisted only one LM….. wonderful Ed Duffy and then was mentor to some of the best assistants, most of whom have gone on to successful careers as Location Managers and/or related location business activities like Ira Rosenstein, George Larson and Kevin McAteer.

Approx how old were you when you got in the business?
Late twenties!

I noticed several acting credits on your resume. Did you want to be an actor or did you act in those projects just for fun?
I left a very successful interior design career with the legendary Dorothy Draper to become a serious actor. I studied with Lee Strasberg and Sanford Meisner in NYC.
Made my theatrical debut in the National Company of “A Lion in Winter” and spent a season doing repertory at the Playhouse in the Park in Cincinnati. It was my acting that took me from NYC to Hollywood.

You have a heavy Television background. Did you have a preference as to the kind of work you did (film, TV, commercial). If so, why?
I never had a choice. Started in TV where I remained for 27 years. Loved every minute of it! (L to R)
Orin Kennedy-Location Manager, Jeff Goldstein-Production Designer, James Frawley- Director, Allen DiGioia-1st AD



How did you become David E. Kelley’s main Location Manager?
It actually began when another A.D., who I had worked with on the TV series Paper Dolls at MGM two years prior, called and asked me to interview as a replacement for a new hit TV Series LA Law. I got the job where I remained for (7) seasons.

David E. Kelley was then a writer/ producer for LA Law. When he started his own production company at Fox he took me along on his first project Picket Fences (4 seasons). From there it was Chicago Hope (6 seasons), The Practice (1 Season) and Ally McBeal (2 Seasons). It was a production family …many of us working alongside one another for 15 years or more...hit after hit. I was able to lead a fairly normal life and looked forward to hiatus/vacation once a year and returning for another season of work. Dream job!

What would you say was one of your toughest challenges as a Location Manager? Can you give an example/show?
It wasn’t any individual project…I always gained the respect of my production designers and directors who trusted my location knowledge so I never had any challenge problems in those areas. I think my greatest challenge came with my ambition to supervise more than one TV series. At one point I had four shows going at the same time and that responsibility became somewhat overwhelming.

How to actually manage a DEPARTMENT is something that I would love to see covered in the Location Manager’s old dog new tricks class. We all know good Location Managers who are great individually but are not very good at running a department & keeping their assistants motivated & happy. What advice would give a new manager who has stepped up & suddenly has a department (or several) to run?
I loved running a location department which, in addition to Kelley Productions, I did for Charles Fries Productions for seven years. For me the thrill of the job is in the scouting…..……the excitement of the search and find and the final gratification when your locations are accepted with praise. I was able to go from one project to another…and was constantly involved in a creative collaboration.
Having the proper staff to assist with the pre-production details and the daily filming activities is of prime importance and being able to hire and depend upon the right people can make or break you. You must create, administrate and manage and let go with confidence...but, always keep track of what’s happening on location.

What did you love about Location Managing? Dislike?
I love the creative end, the breaking down of a script, interpreting the vision of the director and or production designer and ultimately the sense of accomplishment when my location choices are accepted and appear on the screen.

Dislike……………hanging directional sign in downtown LA at 3AM when I worked without an assistant. Troubleshooting with citizens that under no circumstances want filming in their neighborhoods.

What would you tell or advise someone who thinks they want to get into locations? Where should they start or should they just run like hell?
It’s not as glamorous a job as it sounds .Be prepared to work long hours, sometimes in strange locations, sometimes all night long and be willing to leave home for periods of time thus sacrificing your personal life. Be self assured in your ability to find and sell locations, be able to take rejection, negotiate contracts, wrangle a couple of hundred people and troubleshoot daily as problems arise….If you can handle all that…and with some luck in forming alliances with working producers…..then you can have a long and successful career.

What kind of tech gear are you currently using? i.e. cameras, computers. Gadgets of any kind etc.
When I work I use a Canon digital camera and or camcorder and transfer my work to an Imac computer.

What kind of car do you drive & what would we find if we looked in your trunk?
I drive the original Lexus ES250 from 1990 with 60, 000 miles on it. Not much for a location manager who worked 9 months out of every career year. But that’s another story! My trunk…is currently filled with boxes of old location files that I have been saving and using over most of my career. You never know when they might come in handy. I really have to divest myself of these historical mementos.

What have you seen as the biggest changes to the industry since you started?
Technology. I started before pagers (I think) but definitely before cell phones, digital cameras and computers. Very few TV shows went out of town and there were so many more hours of MOW’s which required locations.

Let’s talk about the Location Manager’s Guild….. You are one of the founders of the Guild - Why the need for a Guild? Why should a Manager/Scout get involved & join?
Most careers, crafts and trades have professional organizations separate from union affiliations in which like minded people come together to promote and educate themselves and the public to the creative process of their work as well as to engage in philanthropic and creative projects. Personally I felt, that as Location Managers, we were not accorded equal recognition from our industry peers in that we have yet to be recognized by the TV and Motion Picture Academies for our creative contributions…..although……

I am pleased to report that the TV Academy is considering Location Manager membership as we speak.

Why should a LM/Scout join the LMGA? So much can be accomplished as a joint force in so many areas of interest and importance, which can promote our name recognition in the industry. But the LMGA only works if members participate. The LMGA hopes to inspire our members, through its various projects such as LAST LOOKS: THE AMBASSADOR HOTEL…..to the reality of our creative contributions in collaboration with our peers and through such projects create pride in our chosen professional careers.

Can you define what your duties as Chairman of the Board?
Listen with a sensitive mind to the differing opinions of our membership and try to find compromise without sacrificing our mutual mission, oversee the Board and Executive Committee as well as consult with all committee chairs, make sure board resolutions are carried out, assist in preparing agendas, recruiting new members, fundraising, and act as an alternate spokesperson.

What do you see as the greatest issues or challenges to our industry in the coming years? What would you like to see the Guild do in response to these challenges/issues?
Run away production for one. We need to establish better financial incentives for production companies in this country and especially in California.
We need to reach out to communities with the mutual understanding of the importance the film industry is to the economy and work on problems related to location filming in neighborhoods in conjunction with our union affiliates and the various governmental filming offices.


Do you have any specific suggestions or thoughts on how the Guild might reach out to the communities & convey the importance of our industry to everyone’s economic health?
It’s a complex question ……the proper answers to which I have been perplexed by… but members of the LMGA wish to address and perhaps could answer better than myself. It’s a difficult task trying to positively convince certain people of the economic benefits of location filming when their perception is one of inconvenience and the invasion of privacy. Only through thoughtful and proper conduct on location can we try to gain neighborhood trust .If we can meet and start a positive dialogue with established neighborhood groups and show our willingness to understand their concerns ….then hopefully we can achieve a better understanding.

I have heard that the Location Manager’s Guild is the first new Guild in Hollywood to be formed in many years. In the brief time since it’s inception the Guild has been going through the natural struggles of the birth process. What has pleased you the most about the Guild’s progress so far? Any surprises?
The first 6 months seemed like an endless organizational meeting. Try as we might to start a “creative project” we were consumed with insurance matters, logo and website design, membership drive, budgeting, protocol, etc. and although we had a generic mission in our bylaws upwards of 21 Board members came to the table with personal agendas. Some items fit easily into our mission while others were controversial.

Surprises?
That most of the 21 Board members with differing personal agendas, and unknown to one another, were able to eventually come to the table in agreement on most matters.

Are there areas where you would like to see Guild improvement?
Membership participation is my uppermost concern. It amazes me that so many of our Board members can find the time to work on the LMGA Board as well as individual committees and projects and also hold a job. Yet it always seems to be the same dedicated people who rise to the occasion. We need serious commitment from our membership. When called upon to volunteer…please…please come forward. The membership must take an active role in order for the LMGA to reach its goals and mission.

The Location Guild keeps you very busy, Orin. What do you do in your “down” time? What’s your idea of fun? Any hobbies or other interests?
“Down time” doesn’t exist for me aside from sleeping which I consider a “waste of time”.
Fun and interests? I like to dine out, travel, collect autographs, compose poetry and create videos on my computer. But above all I enjoy the comfort of my home and family and friends.

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

Either ON or IN Location at Hollywood Forever Cemetery!

Thank you, Orin Kennedy!

See also Stevie Nelson's previous Q & A with David Berthiaume

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