Main image: For fans of Succession, you know what happens next. It’s Kendall Roy’s party and he’ll cry if he wants to. Here on the runway to meltdown with PR assist Comfrey who has no surname and is no comfort. (Jeremy Strong, Dasha Nekrasova.) (HBO)
With filming taking the cast and crew of HBO hit Succession from New York to the Hamptons, Italy to Iceland, New Mexico to Norway, the right locations played vital roles in the series’ success – integral to characters and their storylines. Here, Storied reporter Spencer Elliott tracks down location manager Paul Eskenazi to reveal some behind-the-scenes secrets.
The script called for a birthday party. Not just some backyard celebration but the kind of sparkling, over-the-top, self-indulgent affair that a troubled, showboating billionaire heir like Kendall Roy would throw to dazzle a guest list of New York’s elite. And, being Kendall, to ultimately detest as yet another titillating scene of tragicomic family disaster unfolded on HBO’s Succession.
But where to find such a venue? It would have to accommodate hundreds of extras, truckloads of equipment and stage hands. Plus carpentered set pieces like a treehouse and a glowing pink abstract birth canal. Of course. On almost any other show, a setup of this magnitude would be the location team’s most challenging feat for the season. For Succession location manager Paul Eskenazi, it was just another demanding day curating the show’s over-the-top backdrops. In this instance, reportedly, it was the The Shed, a high-demand, 200,000-square-foot arts center that proved ideal, though hardly simple.
“There were a number of obstacles that made for a challenging shoot,” says New York City-based Eskenazi. For starters, Covid restrictions were still in full swing, and the show had to go big – it was Kendall’s 40th, after all. “That meant more of everything – more extras, more crew, more gifts, more lights.” Pair that with social distancing, and you’ve got the makings of a logistical nightmare.
Who shall the next king be? The Roy dynasty gather to select the next President of the United States in Logan’s apartment at the conservative political conference in the Jefferson Hotel, Richmond, Virginia. Actual film location: The Royal Suite at the Plaza Hotel, NYC. (HBO)
No one on a film set or TV show wrangles more practical challenges than the location manager. While directors and actors may visualize scenes in their head, it’s the location manager’s job to source settings in the reality on the ground. “A director has a vision, and your job is to support that vision. But you also have to do so within the confines of budget, timing and access,” says Eskenazi.
“It’s about understanding [the director’s] vision,” says Eskenazi. “Every single location should be based on the creative, but does it also work for the practicalities of making a film – the budget and the logistics.”
Over 15 years in the industry, Eskenazi has collaborated with directors such as Steven Spielberg, Bong Joon-ho and Jodie Foster. In addition to Succession, he recently managed locations on the achingly beautiful Ripley, which – besides its 34 nominations and 14 wins across Emmys and other critical awards – was outright winner of the Location Managers Guild International Awards 2024. Next up for Eskenazi is Black Rabbit on Netflix, featuring Jason Bateman and Jude Law.
Toughing it out on location in “Chiantishire” at yet another Roy family party. This time for the wedding of the siblings’ mother (Dame Harriet Walter). Season 3 Episode 8 sees the crew take over La Foce, a 15th-century estate close to Montepulciano, between Florence and Rome. (HBO)
What does it take to garner such achievement? The first hat location managers wear is that of scout. Armed with little more than a script and a camera, with their team they comb the globe for settings that not only fit but elevate the creative vision. How to narrow down feasible options? Especially in a world like Succession, filled with superyachts, five-star hotels and $150 million historic mansions. The answer? Networking, networking, networking.
“You just have to know how to talk to people. You need to be able to connect,” he reveals. “You never know who will be the person that holds the keys for you. I’ve built an incredible network of contacts primarily by virtue of being a location manager.”
But it’s not just about connecting outside the crew. Inside, location managers build critical partnerships, with constant collaboration across creative teams, including directors, writers, producers and especially production designers. “It’s really about the relationship with the production designer from the beginning. The relationship between a location manager and a production designer is crucial. If I don’t do my part, they can’t do theirs. It all comes down to mutual trust – without it, finding the perfect location is a shot in the dark.”
Shaking hands on the deal that never was. Plutocrat Logan Roy (Brian Cox) and eccentric investor Josh Aaronson (Adrien Brody) swap interior design tips. The location used was an 11,000 sq ft beachfront property in The Hamptons, two miles from the hamlet of Wainscott. The property went on the actual market in 2023. (HBO)
Even as AI and green screens loom large, in Eskenazi’s experience realism continues to win the day. “It seems more and more productions are gravitating towards showing actual locations practically.” This drive for authenticity means going the extra mile, including sourcing authentic hotel uniforms, clearing brand logos with legal or securing access to exclusive penthouses that usually keep film crews out.
After presenting location options, with selection made by the directors, the puzzle of pre-production begins in earnest. This means securing permits, negotiating contracts with property owners or the city and organizing technical scouting visits to address a slew of potential problems. LED lights that flicker on camera, outdated fixtures or inadequate power sources all needing to be fixed before cameras can roll. Every detail counts. The smallest oversight can derail a shoot.
Consider Eskenazi’s run-in on The Loudest Voice, when vague town boundaries landed him in hot water with a small-town sheriff over a permit hiccup. Production screeched to a halt, and Eskenazi was told that the entire crew would need to pack up and leave. He opted instead for potential incarceration, pleading, “I need you to do me a favor and arrest me. If this can’t be fixed, then at the very least, I need my people to see me going to jail trying.” The gamble paid off – two hours later, lights, camera, action.
Production screeched to a halt. Eskenazi opted for potential incarceration, pleading: "I need you to do me a favor and arrest me."
The notorious Boar On The Floor scene is about to take off. Logan makes Tom, Greg and Karl crawl and oink over a sausage. The scene is set in a hunting lodge in Hungary in reference to Joseph Stalin’s cruel dinner parties there, but it was filmed at Oheka Castle in Huntingdon, New York. (HBO)
Picture this typical scene. Action takes place in a restaurant, then the day turns unexpectedly hot. The air conditioning kicks in, drowning out the actors’ dialogue. Solution? Turn off the AC, leaving the cast and crew drenched in sweat. Meanwhile, the heat has sent the restaurant’s refrigerators into overdrive, making even more noise. So they’re unplugged, and now the restaurant manager is fuming because the food will spoil. To make matters worse, the props team says the chef in the scene needs more counter space to work. And just when you think you’ve handled it all, a random guy outside starts yelling because production gear is blocking his way to his favorite donut shop.
Could be anywhere? Kendall’s troubled mind finds distraction in the 24/7 adrenalin of the city that never sleeps. New York in all its endless clanging glory is not only the main location of Succession, it’s also the show’s main emblematic character. (HBO)
“A location manager is essentially the fixer for a traveling circus,” quips Eskenazi. Despite the relentless challenges, grueling hours, clashing egos and an endless array of disasters on hold, the struggles of production are worth every battle. “You get to be an integral part of creating something extraordinary.”
Cue Kendall at his party, the script awash with spoilt-baby behavior – and that extravagant roiling night-club setting with the pink birthing canal and the treehouse playing the perfect foil, like a supporting character, right alongside. That’s what a location manager does.
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