Today we’d like to introduce you to Neil Napier
Hi Neil, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Well, I suppose before I focus on my life in Los Angeles, I’ll give you a little bit about how I came to be here. And before I get into that, let’s just start at an inflection point: I got sober in 1996; I was 26 years old. Anything before that I’ll save for a different article, as I’m not sure much of it is of interest to your readership – and frankly, I might not be the most reliable of narrators to unspool that chapter of my life. But the great fact for me is that everything in my life since has been profoundly informed by the shift that began in April of 1996…
I was living in Montreal at the time, which is to say that I hadn’t yet left my hometown. Why would I – Montreal is an astoundingly beautiful, culturally rich city and the first few years of my sobriety were a joyous adventure of getting to know it for what seemed like the first time. My engagement with the cultural life of Montreal eventually brought me into the orbit of the English theatre scene. It wasn’t completely foreign to me; my father had taught theatre at a local college for several decades and my late sister, Carla was a working actor at the time of her death in 1988 (yet another article). My entire focus during my youth and early adulthood had been athletics (football, rugby and hockey) but because of my father and sister, I did know a few people in the Montreal theatre community.
Now, I know we’re not in Los Angeles yet, discussing how I got started here as an actor, location manager and real estate photographer, but things tend to actually start sometime before they start. You know? But I’ll get us here quickly
At age 30, after a conversation I had with a friend while I was recovering from spinal surgery, I decided to give acting a whirl. Not really knowing where to start and feeling a little too old to enroll in theatre school, I set out to audition for fringe plays, student films, little indie movies and pretty much anything I could find, in order to begin to develop a craft and make creative connections in the industry. After a couple of years slugging away at it (and working free most of the time), I had begun to develop a bit of a resume and had worked with a good number of folks. In that time, when anyone asked me to be a part of their project – whether or not I knew what I was doing – I said yes. That was my mantra: say, “yes”, and panic after. That attitude kept me busy and broke. And kept me learning new things! I eventually started to book professional gigs and was, as they say, off and running. In large measure, it was an exercise of re-training my reaction to fear; to see the fear response as a sign that I am being presented with opportunity to learn something new…
The next 12 years or so had me working fairly consistently in theatre, film/television and video games – I think my imdb page is linked to this article if anyone is interested. My wife is an actor as well and in 2012, our careers brought us to Toronto for a few years – it was actually while living there that we decided to get married. In 2014, inspired by our honeymoon in Barcelona, we decided that we had had enough of Canadian winters and set about to make a move to California. The next year, I applied for and was granted a green card (my wife is American) and off we went off to start our West Coast life.
And so here we are in Los Angeles.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Ha! It has not been smooth at all. I think my answer to the first question touched on some of the challenges I’ve encountered along the way. But I don’t think anyone’s road has been smooth. Where’s the fun in that?
First off – I love Los Angeles. I love Southern California. I love the weather, I love the topography, I love the people. I love that we can go on a walk in our neighborhood of Highland Park and pick sage and rosemary; grab a guava or grapefruit off a tree and snack on it as we stroll. I love that we can hop on the motorcycle (I got my M1 license the first year here) and ride into the San Gabriel Mountains, out to the beach, down to Joshua Tree National Park or up to Santa Barbara for the day. Life inevitably presents challenges, and this city and state we live in is a beautiful and energizing place to navigate them. It is home.
The first few years down here, I continued to work as an actor; mostly back up in Montreal and Toronto, where I had developed many fantastic professional relationships and ongoing creative avenues. Breaking into the industry down in Los Angeles in my late forties proved a little more challenging (even with several high-profile US credits to my name), as there was no shortage of talented men in my casting range, many of whom had been swimming in this pool for decades. I worked on a few shows and little films, and then in 2017, my wife and I decided to take a spin at producing a short film – something neither of us had done. She had written a very funny short script, centering on her experience as a late-forties actress, navigating the industry. We raised a little (and I mean little…) money, rounded up a small crew of incredible creative and passionate friends and we set out to shoot Are You My Mommy (link below). We had a pretty successful festival run with it and it won a few awards. We were mostly just proud that we had taken the risk and done a thing that we had no idea how to do.
As I approached my fifties, it was starting to become apparent that my opportunities as an actor were narrowing. Whether it was due to a demographic change in the industry, the increasing amount of grey in my beard, or some other intangible factor – it doesn’t really matter – it was beginning to seem as though acting was no longer a reliable living. Then the pandemic hit and the reality was fairly clear. Here’s the thing: I feel that we always have a binary choice: be in acceptance of reality or in conflict with it. If I am in acceptance of reality, I have agency and find I can see things more clearly. So… it was time to pivot. How can I remain a part of the entertainment industry and make a living? What else would I like to do that I actually have some experience doing? When we produced Are You My Mommy, the task of finding, securing and managing our location fell to me. As it turns out, I actually really enjoyed the whole process: from the creative endeavor of scouting (a motorcycle helps!) for the backdrop upon which to set our story; to the administration of contracts, permits, insurances etc; to the logistics of safely and efficiently running a set. It was all very challenging and gratifying.
I have a good number of contacts in the entertainment industry, so I called a friend and asked if he knew any location managers that I might chat with. I had handled the locations on a little indie short, but I wanted a full picture of the job. My friend set me up with a manager who was willing to sit with me for a few hours and fill me in. I find people are generous like that; they are willing to help where they can – many have. It was a very helpful conversation and it pointed me in the right direction. So I got to work learning. In addition to talking more location pros, I did a pretty deep dive online: I watched videos and read interviews with scouts and managers, researched workflows and softwares/platforms, and got familiar with various film commissions’ websites. Most importantly, I leaned into photography; it is the primary tool for entry into this segment of the industry. Most of the rest I have found that I have learned as I go, but I felt that I needed to be good at telling the story of a location through photos to even have a way in. So I worked hard at that. I still do.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Well, I guess all those things I just spoke about are just theory until they’re taken out into the wild. After about six months of research and self-training, I was encouraged to post some photos to an industry forum and make myself available to work. There was a good amount of fear around it, but hadn’t I learned some lessons about that as I was trying to put together an acting career? So I just did it. I was honest about my experience level and that I was willing to start the bottom and learn. I was very fortunate that someone took an chance on me (I think they just needed a warm body who could take some photos) and that project ended up being the first of many that I have worked on over the last few years. They have been varied in budget and format: film, television, commercial, and print – and I have learned something valuable on each one. I’m particularly proud of my involvement in 2023 in an Oscar nominated short that I scouted and managed (I also had a small role in it). My work as a scout, key assistant location manager, and location manager has kept me fairly busy for the past few of years. I am a proud member of Teamsters Local 399 and am still growing and learning in this career.
The year after I started working in locations, we experienced an industry-wide strike that shut us down for the year. As a proud SAG member and Teamster, I fully supported the strike; we needed to assert our working rights. Also true: it was a stressful and insecure time; I had just found this new career and now it seemed uncertain. I felt I needed not so much another pivot (because I do have faith in the future of our industry) but rather a sidestep into an adjacent vocation. As a location scout, I spend a lot of time photographing homes and businesses. I have to present them in a flattering, yet realistic light. I am trying to make the location look as attractive as possible, while presenting it such that when the director and production designer walk in, they feel they are in the same place they saw in the presentation; that it has the same vibe and energy. There needs to be a balance in the photos of chronicle and possibility. I love trying to find that balance.
Real estate photography strives to achieve a similar balance. While I was studying locations photography, I had come across many real estate photographers’ sites, took what I liked and tried to incorporate it into my own photography. During the strikes, as I was thinking about how to expand my skill set, real estate photography seemed like a logical addition. So – lots of free time as a striking union member, and another deep dive into various photography techniques, specific to the real estate industry. More learning!
Again, it has proved to be a gratifying adventure. I’ve so far had the opportunity to work with a couple of realtors to photograph their listings (if you happen to be on the hunt for a realtor in NELA, definitely look in to L34 Group). The idea is the same: to show the space in an accurate and flattering way and to suggest to the potential buyer the possibilities of their new life in their new home. I love work with the realtor to achieve the look they are after. It keeps me open to different ideas and has opened me up to further applications of my photography – I’m starting to dabble with portraiture and street photography. We’ll see where it all takes me…
I haven’t completely walked away from acting. I still love it and remain in the game; I’ve recently had the opportunity to be a part of a few fun little projects. If you go to film festivals, keep your eye out for a very cool short film called, “There Is No Antimemetics Division”. It’s starting to do the rounds.
So, in a way it seems that acting turned out to be the start before the start. It set me on a path of discovery and re-discovery; of reinvention and exploration. It brought me to Los Angeles, after all. And if I’ve learned anything along the way, it’s that I am not privy to the timeline of things; that the true meaning of events may not manifest until much later along in the ride. And that I might do well to resist judging them as negative or positive before they’ve had the chance to fully play out. More will always be revealed…
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Ha! I’ve probably said too much already, but if I learned anything from my late father, Murray…
Remain curious, eschew cynicism, and embrace wonder.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.neilstanleynapier.com
- Instagram: @neilnapierphoto
- Facebook: @neilnapier70
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nsnapier/
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0621034/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_3_nm_5_in_0_q_neilna
Image Credits
All images are credited to Neil Napier, with the exception of the feature image – that is a screenshot from the film, “There Is No Antimemetics Division”. Please credit the film for that photo.
