Steven Ballantyne EPM Asia Film TV Production Explorer

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Steven Ballantyne headshot EPM Asia Film TV Production Explorer

Asia's leading Commercial, Television and Wildlife/Feature Film

Location, Pre-production & Production Management service

 Hong Kong | Shanghai | Philippines

 

Email:steven.epm@gmail.com

For that which makes
life worth living

WHAT WE DO

EPM Asia provides a comprehensive pre-production and production management service specifically designed to support Factual, Documentary and Wildlife productions to film successfully in remote and challenging locations across Asia.

We are headquartered in Hong Kong, with bases in Shanghai and the Philippines to meet the full scope of our client needs and expectations to film across Pacific, Central and East Asia.

EPM's Shanghai office provides a dedicated service for companies filming in what has become the Orient's top location for wildlife and factual programming. We manage complex permit, permissions and logistics in China and Tibet with a 100% success rate.

With over 15 years experience of living and working in and exploring Asia, Steven Ballantyne and his team at EPM provide a trusted and dedicated unprecedented service in Production design, development, management and execution to a growing list of blue-chip production companies and commissioning broadcasters

EPM is highly regarded by NHN wildlife film professionals. Recent projects have included BLP's Disney nature 'Born in China' and Tigress Productions BBC Two series 'Birds of Paradise; The Ultimate Quest’.

Services & Skills

 

Location scouting across Pacific, Central and East Asia.

Location management across Pacific, Central and East Asia.

Experienced field director/producer.

Writing comprehensive risk assessments.

Health and safety management

Location negotiation including specialist tribal negotiation.

Location payment management.

Specialist service in managing remote location productions.

Film permits and permissions.

Accommodation and travel - including chartering.

Booking and supplying Kit.

Booking and supplying crew.

Budget management and cost reporting.

Filming schedules/call sheets.

Handling day-to-day budgets/floats.

Hidden camera management.

Research and content development.

Comprehensive production office support.

Pre shoot and end of shoot set up and break down.

Selected Credits

 

BBC NHU ‘Rituals’ - Location Producer

Papua New Guinea - Sequence

Series Producer: Tuppence Stone - Producer: Simon Bell

 

National Geogrpahic ‘One Strange Rock’ - China Sequence

Produced by: Nutopia

Series Producer: Nick Stacey

 

BBC2 ‘Adventures in Paradise with Frank Gardner’
(Papua New Guinea)

Produced by: Tigress Productions

Executive Producer: Dick Colthurst

 

Disney Nature 'Born in China' Feature film

Field Director & Logistics/Location Producer

Produced by Brian Leith Production

China & Tibet

To view a comprehensive list of EPM's
credits, please click here

Expertise

 

Extensive jungle, mountain and desert logistical management experience.

Filming at high altitude

Experience in self-shooting.

Emergency first aid/first response qualified.

Bush craft knowledge and experience.

Extensive experience in designing, managing and leading remote location productions

Extensive experience working for long periods in
remote/hostile locations

 

 

Locations

 

Working across Asia...

Papua New Guinea

Hong Kong

China

Tibet

Fiji

Philippines

Mongolia

 

and many others...

Innovation in design
created within the
realms of reality

WHO WE ARE

Steven Ballantyne, FRGS

Headshot of Steven Ballantyne

Steven Ballantyne, Location Producer, Field Director & Founder of EPM Asia, originated in the UK but has spent over two decades living and working in and exploring Asia. Steven originally trained as a Dance Movement Therapist with a principle focus in bereavement therapy. This subsequently lead him to the jungles of Papua New Guinea, to study bereavement rituals at first hand and to a life time of adventures across Asia.

 

For the past 15 years Steven has provided logistical and production management support to television and wildlife film productions. With a passion for logistics and a deep understanding of the cultures and countries he works in he has seen EPM Asia grow from a one man band operation to a professional service with offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai and the Philippines. Steven also co-owns a Coffee Plantation on the banks of Taal Lake in the Philippines.

 

With a sense of adventure, unwavering attention to detail and a love of story telling Steven

aims to provide the best service in the business. To create films in the remotest locations

across Asia, takes skill, patience and determination.

 

Charity work - The EPM Foundation

 

EPM Asia Ltd donates a percentage of its profits to aid projects in the countries EPM works in.

Supporting grass-root projects, the EPM foundation has a hands on approach, not just handing over funds but actively participating in every project they support.

 

 sample only:

Rebuilding homes & school in Tacloban Philippines - EPM Foundation

Long term commitment to education initiatives in Papua New Guinea

Supplied an oxygen concentrator to the children’s ward and educational equipment to a school, both in the town of Bayanhongor, Mongolia

Raised funds to build a ‘safe’ garden/play area for an independent school for children with
disabilities, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

EPM is a proud member of the Natural History Network. Click here for Steven's articles written for the NHN

Filming Snow leopards in Tibet is one of EPM's top achievements

GALLERY

The jungles of Asia are quite literally the second home of EPM Asia

WATCH

Steven Ballantyne was the Field Director and Location Manager for both the chiru antelope and snow leopard
sequences of the DisneyNature Born in China production,

“The team at Brian Leith Productions wish Steven Ballantyne and EPM ongoing success at their new Shanghai base.  We have worked closely with Steven over the last couple of years on our wildlife feature film Born in China for Disneynature.  Steven managed several extremely challenging and very lengthy remote location shoots in a thoroughly professional and impressive manner.

Steven is very conscientious, safe and level headed.  He is a kind and respectful individual, and we would have no hesitation recommending Steven and EPM’s services to other producers.  We are looking forward to working with them again next time we film that part of the world.”

Mandy Leith, Managing Director - March 2016

EPM Asia Ltd a Pan-Asia company with over 15 year experience managing TV and film productions in some of the remotest and beautiful countries in the world

TESTIMONIALS

I must say I cannot find high enough praise for Steven B. His organisation, preparation and diplomacy have been incredibly thorough yet he often had to change plans on the wing. To watch him negotiate all the intricacies of tribal politics, the people demanding this and that before we could proceed, while always watching the pennies, was deeply impressive. He would have made a superb Army officer. I can see why you work with him, he is in a class of his own when it comes to these kind of trips and at all times he was a pleasure to be with, always cheerful and incredibly considerate where I'm concerned.

Frank Gardner - 2016 (Presenter PNG The ultimate Quest)

 

"Dropping an individual on a deserted island in a very remote location for 60 days was a challenge and one that we could only consider knowing we had the confidence and expertise of someone like Steven.  He was the production’s first point of contact in case of any issues, emergency or otherwise.  The relationships he built with the local islanders and suppliers, and the clear and concise communication he afforded us was invaluable to the project, especially with the production team based back in the UK.  His reliability, efficiency and unwavering support enabled us to feel that our talent and the project were in very safe hands.  We’d love to work with Steven again and would highly recommend him to any production."

Jo Lethbridge, Production Manager - “Naked and Marooned with Ed Stafford”

Tigress Productions Ltd

 

"Steven has been involved in two of our most challenging locations in China to date, and we’re extremely pleased that he
is continuing to work with us through the project in 2015 to give us the consistency of his immense location management skills. Steven thrives in challenging and remote locations, and has a talent for building relationships with the local communities and crew, which ensures that we get the best out of all the teams. His maturity, calmness and experience
have got our project through at least one emergency situation.  He is unwavering in his clear communications, and
has a rare talent of being very detailed and accurate with reporting location budgets - an invaluable skill for any
Production Manager to have in a crew member!"

Linda Stephens, Production Manager, Born in China, Disney Nature

 

 

What a wonderful
world to film

CONTACT

EPM Asia Ltd

703 Beautiful Group Tower

77 Connaught Road, Central

Hong Kong

 

香港 中環 干諾道中77號

標華豐集團大廈11樓703 室

Email: steven.epm@gmail.com

 

Telephone: +852 6992 2571

Skype: draxballantyne

Click here to download Steven Ballantyne's CV

Ammonite films production natural world Yawning Cheetah film production Steven Ballantyne explorer BBC Studio films production TV Betty television production factual Brian Leith film TV production nature Disney nature born in china film production
Discovery channel film TV production National Geographic Channel science, exploration world storytelling film TV Natural History Network logo Nutopia Film TV production Jane Root Silverback films TV production wildlife Alastair Fothergill Keith Scholey Tigress films production TV adventure science wildlife documentaries

Copyright: EPM Asia Ltd 2017

Design: joe.wilkes@mac.com