The Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) is the largest organization of Location Managers and Location Scouts in the motion picture, television, commercial and print production industries. Their membership plays a vital role in the creativ
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46 • LMGI COMPASS | Fall 2026 Stewardship, Not Extraction The series' most difficult access came during its opening fishing journey to what the script describes as "the 'Big Lost.'" Daniels had long admired the Gallatin River corridor between Bozeman and Big Sky. Nearby was the Flying D Ranch, Ted Turner's vast conservation property, an area Daniels says had not previously permitted a production of this kind. Or any kind. The team worked through local ranch management and Turner Enterprises, arguing that The Madison could—and would—display the property without compromising its integrity. It was a long negotiation, but in the end, the company was granted access. That access brought obligation: National Forest rules and conservation restrictions governed movement. Crew could not drive through a creek bed or move a single river stone. Rather than settle for the less visual side of the water, production installed a bridge for equipment. When a meadow needed to be shortened for work-truck parking, mowing was prohibited. Ranch managers offered an alternative: move a buffalo herd through well in advance of production's arrival and let the animals do the work. Daniels added: "Buffalo timing and subsequent cleanup," to the plan. The most audacious piece was a large Technocrane required for the fly-fishing photography. The desired point in the river had no viable equipment road. Daniels and the key grip devised a pully system to bring the crane along a narrow Forest Service trail, rig a line across the terrain and winch it down onto a small platform in the water. The installation had to preserve the riverbed and avoid disrupting traffic on the river. The pressure was not merely to finish the day. One careless decision could close the land to any and every production that followed. Daniels relied on a crew steeped in "leave-no-trace" practices from years on Yellowstone, and on producers willing to fund the correct solution. When The Madison premiered, ranch representatives contacted the team, pleased with how the property appeared and asked when production might return. That relationship represents a broader philosophy of "stewardship rather than extraction," explains Hermansen. "Ranches, rivers and wildlife are not raw material to be consumed. They are part of the story's meaning and must remain intact after the company leaves. And Taylor and I are explicit about that. Fortunately, Dustin and his team and, really, the teams on all our shows understand that implicitly and feel the same." "Being the first shooting company to ever make a deal to film on that ranch is a huge feather in our cap," Daniels says. "And every moment of care and consideration was absolutely worth it. The mountains there are layered. There are no visual effects. It was just that incredible." Manhaan in Texas The decision to film all but two of the scripted New York street scenes in Fort Worth and Dallas was made to once again help meet Texas' incentive requirements. Cardenas and Daniels found streets they could make work, but it certainly wasn't going to be easy. "That was honestly one of the most challenging things that I have ever done in my entire career. I want to go on the record: Filming on a street is pretty much the most complicated thing for a location manager—of any location," he declares. "I would honestly rather be tasked with finding an existing replica of the White House or … an active volcano than getting tasked with owning a city street." At the end of the day, Dustin gives credit to Cardenas and her team. "What we found was a starting point. But Charisse and her Photos by Dustin Daniels/LMGI Buffalo clearing field for base camp. Photos by Dustin Daniels/LMGI