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LMGI COMPASS
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Fall 2026
Keeper of the Vision
For SLM Dustin Daniels/LMGI, this is exactly the kind of highly
specific challenge that has come to define his work across
Sheridan's ever-expanding television universe. With multiple
series in various stages of production prepping, filming or striking
at the same time, location professionals in his orbit are often
shuffled from one project to another as a situation demands.
Daniels describes what he does with a borrowed phrase from
famed Lakers coach Phil Jackson: "My job is to be 'the keeper of
the vision,'" he explains, "so that even when the team is scattered
across multiple cities or states, simultaneously scouting,
Photos by Dustin Daniels/LMGI
permitting, negotiating and managing active sets or even leaving
or returning from other shows, I can keep all of those efforts
aligned with the creative vision that started it all."
He likens staffing a new show to an NFL draft—but also having
access to every crew on every Sheridan show. "One supervisor
needs a scout with a particular eye. Another needs a logistics
specialist. People, information on various locations, and hard-won
local knowledge move continuously among the productions."
During one particularly busy period, The Madison, Lioness and
Dutton Ranch were all filming in the same area at the same time.
The teams coordinated downtown base camps, shared recent
scouting photos and intel, personnel to each other. When The
Madison struggled to find a hospital it could control for a week,
the Lioness team helped scout. A master location list now tracks
what the related shows have used, while full-time scouts continue
seeking places the audience has not already seen.
"Essentially, we operate on a system where my files are their
files, my notes are their notes and we get the same treatment
back," Daniels says. "It feels like a family."
That continuity matters because Sheridan's system is fast and
unusually centralized. Scripts often arrive during production,
sometimes only a few weeks before filming. A warning may come
ahead of a major convention, action sequence or aircraft stunt,
but the specifics arrive when the script does. Meanwhile, the
location teams continue scouting through the final day of principal
photography, often supporting main, second and additional units
at once.
Each Sheridan series has its own specific look, but they share a
