Dear Scouting NY Reader! It’s been a while! I’ve been working on something new and wanted to share it with you… On sale now is the first issue of Scout Stories, a 32-page digest-sized (5.5″ x 8.5″) full-color periodical consisting of personal stories and pictures taken from my long career as a movie location scout. …
I happened to read that disease-themed movies like Outbreak and Contagion are soaring in streaming viewership, which, honestly, strikes me as kinda nuts. Watching any remotely realistic portrayal of a virus ravaging the world is pretty much the last thing I’m interested in at the moment (though no judgement if you are!). If anything, I’d…
Rocky is so damn big of a movie, its title doesn’t even fit in one frame. For THE film that literally defined Philadelphia on the silver screen, let’s, er, get the first location out of the way quickly. The movie opens, and we find Rocky fighting in a grungy, down-and-out Philly gym… …that was actually…
In the past few weeks, we’ve had a non-stop surge of shitty surprises, to the point that it’s as though each new crappy surprise is trying to outdo the previous one. The world really feels like it needs all the good surprises it can get, so what the hell, here’s a super tiny tiny one:…
Dear Scouting NY reader, About a decade ago, I was hired to work on my first movie. Yep, that’s me on set in my very first job in locations, and though I look quite elated to be wearing that ridiculous hardhat, I was actually feeling extremely scared when this picture was taken, for one simple…
Last week, in the midst of packing for a pretty big move, I decided to take a break and do something I’ve always wanted to: ride the A train from start to finish. The A train is New York City’s longest subway line. For just the standard fare of $2.75, it will take you more…
There’s a saying when it comes to location scouting in New York City: if you can’t find it anywhere, try Staten Island. While Staten Island often fights for recognition amongst the boroughs that don’t require a ferry for access, it nonetheless features some of the most interesting and unique filming locations anywhere in the city….
This week, I’m taking a break from the usual Scouting NY fare to introduce you to an extremely talented and as-yet unrecognized artist named Andrew Carr (who also happens to be my brother). An artist in formal training since early childhood, Andrew has spent the last decade building up his portfolio, producing literally thousands of…
Some time ago, I was walking down West 55th Street in midtown when I happened to notice a peculiar building near Seventh Avenue… This three-story structure, nestled in between the towering brick pre-war apartments that line the block. There was almost an abandoned feel to it, with flaking paint giving way to the brick underneath……
This past week, I was heading to a show at Madison Square Garden when I happened to notice a building on West 31st Street that has always intrigued me… The granite behemoth at 242 West 31st: When you first see it, you might assume it to be just an old bank building, or perhaps a…