It’s with a big smile on me and a Diet Coke beside me that I press the “Go Live” button on our 150th shoot location today. This neat-and-complete round number is marking a key milestone for Farm Locations in its business journey.
I started on the path back in 2015 with just five farms straddling the Kent and East Sussex border, firstly testing the waters with the film industry: would it find a specialist in farms a useful addition to the other string of agencies out there? whilst also testing the waters in the farming industry: would landowners be more likely to offer their farm for filming if there was a specialist agency for farms out there? YES then YES. And so we grew.
As of now, January 2023, our heartland continues to be farmland in the South East. We represent a diverse range of farmers and landowners offering a multitude of location types and looks – from barren landscapes to lush rolling hills, from modern industrial yards to ancient, abandoned farmsteads. We’ve enjoyed arranging a vast range of productions, from unprecedented animal stunts for Travis Scott and The Grand Tour, to supporting film students in their university projects.
We do though now have a new ambition, one that keeps farms firmly at our core, and continues to help all budgets, but one that pushes us to promote the wider offering of Britain’s countryside, be it on a farm or plot.
Our 150th location to go live today is a case in point. Forest Acres in Surrey is not a farm in the dictionary-sense of the word. It doesn’t rear animals or produce crops. But it is 70 acres of natural, unspoilt landscape, privately owned, and with an impressive pine forest to share. We are delighted to be adding it to our portfolio, it’s a prime rural location that helps us add more breadth to our showcase for Britain’s countryside.
So we have now reached 150 shoot locations. What’s the next milestone? It’s not about quantity so much, as our small team of 3 must remain heavily invested and knowledgeable in every location we represent. We do however plan to add more locations this year, we have capacity to do so. They all will be hand selected, deeply understood and very well promoted and served. That way, we will continue to strengthen our difference, and make an even bigger claim to being uniquely useful, for clients and landowners alike.
Thank you industry (film, photo, farm) for the support and encouragement along the way.
Jo
Founder, Farm Locations