Award-Winning Location Managers Share the Spotlight

Award-Winning Location Managers Share the Spotlight

Tony Holley and Kyle Carey are co-workers with really cool jobs. They’re the location masterminds for Stranger Things and their combined experience includes work on the Marvel films, Season 5 of Cobra Kai, and a string of other television series and films. Both Atlanta-based, Holley is a supervising location manager while Carey’s title is location manager.

Recently, they were recognized side-by-side with a Location Manager of the Year award at the first annual Behind the Lens Awards ceremony on Feb. 23, 2025, at Atlanta Marriot Perimeter Center. The awards show for below-the-line film professionals was sponsored by Assembly Atlanta, NBC Universal, Marriott International, Georgia Entertainment, and Discover Dunwoody. Proceeds benefitted nonprofit RE:IMAGINE, provider of programs for underrepresented youth entering the entertainment industry.

The veteran pair – Holley, with nearly 25 years in the industry, and Carey with 13 -- sat down to talk about their work and its impact on the communities where filming takes place.

Tell us about your individual roles in location management.

Holley: A supervising location manager does effectively the same thing that a location manager will do, the only difference being I have to have the added capacity or knowledge skill base to manage multiple areas, regions, states, and countries, and I have another location manager underneath me.

Carey: It’s a lot of the same responsibilities, but while Tony’s responsibility as supervising manager is largely to manage up and deal directly with the showrunners, producers, things like that, I’m very much tasked with managing down within the department and kind of the more day-to-day operations. So, seeing the big picture of the entire department and making sure that our personnel are staffed appropriately at various locations to make sure we can do the job well.

What does your work day typically look like – Tony as a supervising location manager and Kyle as a location manager?

Holley: Where we are in the process is determinative of what that day looks like. In the first few days and weeks on the job, the beginning of any location manager’s [work] is creative -- on the ground scouting, breaking down the script, then working with venues and locations.

Then, once you get into the script, my job is always looking ahead with the other adults in the room, the director, production supervisor, etc., to get the company to the next day or episode or block, and I’m working with people above the line to get us there.

I’m in charge of budget and tracking it with the accounting team. So my day to day is usually always in the future.

Carey: With Tony’s role being months in advance, mine is days in advance in terms of the day-to-day operations and entirety of the crew – so, paint, construction, greens, grip and electric, [etc.] – we’re coordinating internally with all these departments and simultaneously coordinating with the real world, the communities we’re working in.

There are a lot of logistics after the creative side of it is communicated. The … crew needs to know the limitations of locations (maybe can’t use a certain kind of lift in an area, for instance), knowing that information in advance means more efficiency. And it’s the same with the local community -- they need to know the impact on day-to-day life. People need to know what to expect, and then [you have a] seamless project. And we [might be] managing multiple large-scale events, with 4-5 other locations being prepped at the same time.

You’re using other people’s space and affecting their lives during filming. How does that add even more responsibility to your roles?

Carey: As a location manager, I feel like we have a strong responsibility to the communities that we work within to do the job well. And I think that the film industry is nothing but an amazing boost to our local economy. But there’s a caveat -- that it needs to be done properly. And having a hand in that is something that I take very seriously.

[There’s a strong] work ethic that Tony and I both try and put into the job, in terms of making sure that the [production] is able to get the footage they need and tell the story that they’re trying to on-camera, while simultaneously [making sure] it’s a positive experience for the local communities -- so that everyone can see the benefits of the industry and [of] the tax incentives here in Georgia.

In a big-picture way, what did it mean to you to win Behind the Lens Location Manager of the Year awards and to share the recognition?

Holley: I think the recognition … has a greater community benefit. Not that anyone needs to look up to myself or Kyle, but we try to set an example for how this department should be run and how it should be recognized. And I think the award system gives [the role] a little bit of credence, as well. We can always strive for continuing education [for] those people in our craft, but it certainly helps to give them acknowledgement when awards like this are given out.

Carey: When you think about the film industry, we’re used to the biggest stars getting the recognition, and rightfully so. So for someone to put together an award show that emphasizes [below-the-line crew] is important. And I think especially so since the past couple of years have been really challenging for a lot of people, with various strikes happening [and] we also had the pandemic.

I think working in film has been a difficult job, on top of the demanding work hours, just seeing what it takes to make a life and a career in this industry. So, to put a spotlight on that means a lot, because we really do work hard.