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Finalists for the 18th annual California On Location Awards (COLA) have been announced by the Film Liaisons In California Statewide (FLICS), the awards program producing organization. The 2012 COLA event will be hosted by the historic Langham Huntington Hotel of Pasadena on October 28.

Over the past 18 years COLA has grown to become recognized throughout the film and television production industry as the premier live awards ceremony saluting location professionals and production companies for excellence while working on location in California. Public employees are also recognized in various awards categories for delivering outstanding service and on-location support to the industry.

COLA is a signature event of the Film Liaisons In California Statewide (FLICS), a non-profit organization of 43 regional film offices and film commissions throughout the state. Along with numerous other efforts centered on promoting California's entertainment industry, the members of FLICS provide valuable location support and resources to the state's production industry professionals. The ongoing work of FLICS and creation of the COLA program has raised the public and industry profile and recognition of location professionals who contribute a vital service to the filming of feature films, TV shows, commercials and other media content.

COLA finalists are selected from an extensive list of nominees primarily submitted by FLICS member offices and film industry groups to a panel of judges composed of accomplished film and TV production professionals.

This year's COLA judges are Todd Christensen, Location Manager; Steve Dayan, Teamster Local 399 Business Agent; Louis de Fontanes, Location Manager; Caleb Duffy, Location Manager; Ed Duffy, Business Agent for Teamsters Local 399; and Nancy Haecker, Location Manager. Also serving as judges are Producer-Writer Bill MacDonald; Producer-Writer Marcus Morton, and David Phelps, Director of External Relations for the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP). Rounding out the panel are Richard Prince, Producer; and Nina Ruscio, Production Designer.

The 2012 COLA finalists selected by the panel in nine location professional categories are:
Location Manager of the Year, Studio Features - Rick Schuler for "Savages," JJ Hook for work on "The Dark Knight Rises," and Chris Baugh for the feature film "Argo."
Location Team of the Year, Studio Features - "Star Trek II," Steve Woroniecki;
"Gangster Squad," Robin Citrin; "Savages," Rick Schuler; and "Argo," Chris Baugh.
Assistant Location Manager of the Year, Features - "Mockingbird," Karen Gilbert; "The Amazing Spiderman," Lee David Lee; "Argo," Ryan "Trey" Neary; "The Dark Knight Rises," Keomanee Vilaythong for Magnus Rex.
Location Manager of the Year, Independent Feature - David Flannery for "Smashed," Caleb Duffy for "Hitchcock," and Rocky Brooks for "The Bronx Bull."
Location Team of the Year, Independent Features - "Look of Love," Mike Fantasia; "Knight of Cups," David Lyons; and "Mockingbird," Bob Craft.
Location Manager of the Year, TV Commercials - Brian Bird, "DirecTV"; Scott Logan, "Gymkhana 5"; and Mark Abbott for "Mazda: Prison Break."
Location Manager of the Year, Episodic Television - Tony Salome, "NCIS: Los Angeles Episode 321: Touch of Death"; Rob Dohan, "Switched at Birth;" and Gregory Alpert for "Luck."
Location Team of the Year, Episodic Television - "Southland: Sunset,"
Michael Haro; "CSI: NY," Tim Hillman; and "NCIS: LA," Jason Savage.
Assistant Location Manager of the Year, Television - "The Office," Anna Coats; "Enlightened," Lee David Lee; and "The Client List," Eva Schroeder.

In the category of Reality TV Production Company of the Year the finalists are the "Amazing Race" for CBS Television; "Finding Bigfoot," Ping Pong Productions; and "Top Gear" for Sun Never Sets Production.

Federal, state, county and city public employees can play major roles in providing valuable services to location filming in California. For their outstanding service to the state's production industry the following are the finalists selected in the COLA Public Employees category.

Federal Employees - Guy Langman with the U.S. Coast Guard, Elaine Hanson of the Bureau of Land Management, and Deborah Metzger U.S. Coast Guard.
State Employees - John O'Rourke with Humboldt Redwood State Park, Robert Colligan California State Parks--San Luis Obispo Coast District, and Joel Quintero of the Department of Water Resources.
County Employees - Manny Moreno of the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, Tony Martinez with the Kern County Fire Department, and Sylvia Gomez County of San Bernardino.
City Employees - Gabriel Martinez of the Los Angeles Police Department, Caroline Weigandt with the City of Half Moon Bay, and Greg Garrett of the City of Tehachapi.

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Contacts for additional information

For further information please contact the following:
Beverly Lewis, Chair, Film Liaisons In California Statewide
Director, Placer-Lake Tahoe Film Office
175 Fulweiler Ave.
Auburn, CA 95603
Telephone: 530-889-4091
Email: blewis@placer.ca.gov
http://www.placer.ca.gov/

Charla Teeters, Director of Marketing, Film Liaisons In California Statewide
Executive Director, Imperial County Film Commission
P. O. Box 1467
El Centro CA 92244
Telephone: 760- 337-4155
Email: filmhere@sbcglobal.net
www.FilmImperialCounty.com

Sheri Davis, Chair Emeritus, California On Location Awards
Director, Inland Empire Film Commission
1601 East 3rd St.
San Bernardino, CA 92408
Mobile Telephone: 951- 377-7849
Email: sheridavis@filminlandempire.com
www.filminlandempire.com

For background information on the Film Liaisons In California Statewide please visit the FLICS Web Site at: www.filmcalifornia.com

For background information on the California On Location Awards please visit the COLA
Web site at: www.californiaonlocationawards.com

Richard McMillan, Director of Media Relations, Film Liaisons In California Statewide
McMillan Production Services
Telephone: 310-754-9250 Mobile
Email: reelbizpro@yahoo.com