The MAP Agency has worked for Travel Channel, American Airlines, Discovery Channel, Google, Microsoft, ET Canada, Lonely Planet TV, British Council, McGraw Hill, Red Bull, and a host of other premiere clients. 90% of our clients are British or North American. You can read some of our recommendation letters below:
Hi Phillip:
I wanted to thank you for making my shoot in Madrid so fun and easy. I was really impressed at how quickly you delivered unique ideas and locked them in, and facilitated my ideas with the respective locations and people, like at Botin, which was a blast! Your help in advance of the shoot was essential and make life easy considering we had a really short lead time to work with. The ideas such as the Naval Battle were spot on for what we were looking to do.
Ben was terrific on-site, driving my crew around, translating everything, keeping us comfortable and having a great attitude through the long days. If I have another shoot in Madrid, I wouldn’t hesitate to call you guys!
Thanks again!
Best Regards,
Jordan Miller
Red Bull – Motorsport Communications
1740 Stewart Street
Santa Monica, CA 90404
42 FiLMs is a full service production company based in New York City with the experience, creativity and connections to tell any story any place any time. Founded in 2005 by Emmy Award Winning Producer, David Felsen, 42 FiLMs has already filmed on location in Uganda, Vietnam, Guatemala and Zambia.
Gentle Producer,
If you’re thinking about working with Map Agency for you production needs in
Madrid, just do it. I had a challenging three day shoot in multiple
locations for an Investigation Discovery documentary series this fall, but
Phillip and his team made it all work smoothly.
They know Production, they know Spanish and they know Madrid. I threw a
number of curves at them and they kept coming back with good options. I’ve
worked with fixers all over the world and the guys at Map Agency were the
best. I can’t recommend them highly enough.
David Felsen
42 Films
“The Map Agency is a great source of editorial content for travel articles, with a good network of writers and photographers within major cities around the world. It has also been a pleasure working with Phil who has been extremely helpful and accommodating to our needs. I’m pleased to offer my recommendation for their services.”
– Adele Chan,
Director
Catalog Magazine, Singapore
- The MAP Agency has provided Catalog magazine with top journalists in Madrid, San Francisco, Dubai, Tel Aviv, and more
Hi Phil,
I wanted to reach out to say that the piece came out very well…it looked great, the shots worked really nicely (some of the best cutaway shots I’ve seen :)) and the audio worked well. Many many thanks again for all of your help and work.
Warmest Regards,
Kavita Maharaj
Director of Global Corporate Relationship
www.havasmedia.com
April 2008
Working with Phillip Stark during The StyleFyle shoot in Madrid was a
pleasure! From his prompt response to my initial inquiry, to the generous
offer of pre-production support, to his detailed organization of the film
crew, I knew my show was in professional hands. And having someone with an
in depth knowledge of Madrid, as well as the ability to communicate fluently
in both English and Spanish made for an efficient use of our limited time. I
look forward to working with Phil again on my next episode in Spain.
Kerry Damiano
Executive Producer
TheStyleFyle.com
June 18, 2007
To Whom It May Concern:
It is my pleasure to recommend Phillip Stark as a potential hire for documentary pre-production work. I am an associate producer with Discovery Channel Canada. Our production came to know Phillip when he fulfilled the role of production coordinator and Spanish fixer for one of our 1-hour shows in the Discovery series, “Megaworld.” Phillip distinguished himself by his enthusiasm for the production and ambition to coordinate and confirm shoot details despite the challenges of our very tight production schedule.
Overall, Phillip is most appreciated for his diligent work ethic. He secured the filming logistics on two of our seven stories, talking to the contacts on behalf of us and gaining their trust and approval to allow us to film. When asked to scout out one story location in Barcelona, Phillip not only charmed the contacts and confirmed the shoot details, but also filmed video and met with potential interviewees, then uploading the video to the Internet for us to review here in Canada. It was unquestionably helpful for research purposes and for gaining a greater understanding of the location.
Phillip also fulfilled additional roles, [not limited to the following]: assisting with speedy translations of insurance documents and Internet links;, researching crew transportation and hotel options; assisting in obtaining insurance policies and film permits; and researching backup story ideas. He did everything in the timeliest of manners.
I am happy to recommend Phillip to anyone looking for a diligent and experienced production assist, especially one fluent in Spanish and English.
Please feel free to contact me should you have any further questions.
Yours Sincerely,
Karyn Filiatrault
Associate Producer, Megaworld
Discovery Channel Canada
http://www.discoverychannel.ca
To whom it may concern:
We have been very fortunate to cross path with Mr. Phillip Stark when we were looking for a camera operator for our “hurry-up-and-wait” nature shoot in the south of Spain recently.
Phillip has been an above and beyond the line resource for us. More than a translator. A great operator. Avid and eager to learn and fast. He operated a Panasonic HVX-900 with ease although he had never used it he made his research prior to shoot. A good talented worker.
Our shoot goal was to actually film a pregnant mare giving birth in the wild. A very rare thing. So our schedule was all over and open.
Five o’clock in the morning on a beach in Tarifa to monitor a mare that was about to give birth and then the rest of the day we went and roamed around the south of Spain (Jerez de la Frontera, etc.) and filmed horses on either beaches, pine groves by the beach, dunes, fields, mountains and wild horses. Long days. Every morning Mr. Stark was up and got the gear ready and was in his trade mark cheery mood. We really hit it off a real pleasure.
I would strongly recommend him for any type of shoot (HD/SD). The only problem with Phillip is that he grows on you and you just want to have him for you… Should anyone have any questions I remain available at all time.
Sincerely yours,
Robert Boulos
Executive Producer
Cavalia
To Whom It May Concern:
I am a host and producer of “Your Travel Guide”, produced by Discovery Production Group for the Travel Channel in the United States. Our fast paced, single-camera show needs crew members who are flexible, quick-thinking and on-the-ball. Working as my camera-man, translator and all-around Guy Friday for an episode on Madrid, Phillip Stark surpassed expectations. He did a wonderful job.
Phillip is dedicated and has a positive attitude. He went out of his way to introduce me to the local culture and generously offered the use of his connections in Madrid to help the shoot. At one point I mused that it would be nice to get an overhead shot of one street scene. A quick phone call later, we were shooting from his friend’s balcony.
I highly recommend hiring Phillip. He gets things done and is a pleasure to work with.
Sincerely,
Kate Ward
Host and Producer
Your Travel Guide
Discovery Production Group
To Whom It May Concern:
This letter is my personal recommendation for Phillip Stark. As a producer for the Discovery Network my job was to book International episodes of The Travel Channel series, “Not your Average Travel Guide”. We hired Phillip as our local cameraman and research assistant. He was the most helpful person that I worked with in my time with Discovery. I found him to be consistently pleasant and was pleased with his non-stop work ethic.
Booking International shows and obtaining filming permits is a hard task. Phillip stepped up and made my job easy, his mastery of Spanish was a huge asset. Though he was incredibly helpful in pre-production, Phillip was also extraordinary in the field. I highly recommend Phillip for employment. He is a team player and would make a great addition to any organization.
Sincerely,
Teresa Cruz
Producer
To Whom It May Concern:
I’m pleased to write this letter of reference for Phillip Stark.
Phillip was hired to shoot a series of Spanish landmarks for a
promotional spot The Nightingale Company is producing. Before, during
and after he exhibited professionalism, enthusiasm and courtsey,
including going above and beyond the call of duty.
The footage Phillip delivered was creative, beautiful, and more than
enough for our editor to work with. We, at The Nightingale Company wouldnot hesitate to hire him again.
Overall, Phillip’s energy, determination, and positive attitute were a
delight to work with and we wish him all the best in his future
endeavors.
Best Regards,
Urmi Bardhan
The Nightingale Company
http://www.dnightingale.com
To Whom It May Concern:
In September 2006, I hired Phillip Stark to work with me on a
documentary which required extensive interviews in and around Madrid. Phillip’s role was multi-fold. He worked as a translator, an associate producer, and as a cameraman often engaging in more than one task at a time. Phillip is reliable, organized and proactive, and I recommend him highly for any position.
I would certainly hire him again upon return to Madrid.
Kind regards,
Caddie Hastings
Producer
The Grossmyth Company
t. 310.390.4898 | f. 310.437.5205 | http://www.grossmyth.com
3114 Purdue Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90066
To Whom it May Concern-
I am writing in reference to my work with Phillip Stark as a freelance
video journalist (VJ) out of Madrid. Snippies is based in New York, but
employs a worldwide network of video journalists and DV camera crews.
The nature of our work requires me as a producer to place much trust andconfidence in our local crews and VJs because rarely do our budgets allow for a producer on-site. In our work with Phillip, he has
displayed an extremely professional attitude and proficiency in his DV
shooting and interviewing.
Snippies’ projects often operate on a very quick turnaround schedule
with hard deadlines. Phillip has been able to overcome shipping
obstacles and other issues to always meet every deadline perfectly. He
is a skilled videographer with a knack for talking to people and
producing thoughtful, in-depth interviews.
It has been a pleasure
working professionally with Phillip, and I wish we had the opportunity
to use him for each and every international shoot we do!
Sincerely,
Amy Swantko, Associate Producer
Snippies
266 W. 37th St., Suite 1600
New York, NY 10018
212-594-9500 x. 240
To Whom It May Concern,
This letter is to highly recommend Phillip Stark for his
work as camera operator, for his attitude and energy as a team member,
and for any other work he performs.
Phillip worked with me as camera operator on the short documentary ‘From Tree to Tree’ (2005). The film has been selected by various film festivals: Festival de Aguilar de Campoo, Festival de Palencia, Festvial de Huesca, Festival de Cine Strasbourgh (Francia), Cinequest online (San Jose California., USA). And Sumimagen (Zamora), in which it
received special mention for cinematography.
I very highly recommend him to future employers and hope to work with
him again myself.
Sincerely,
Belén González Blanco
Director Documentary ‘From Tree To Tree’
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Jacob David, director and producer of Two Toledos, a
documentary about the first sister cities relationship in the world.
The film premiered at the Teatro De Rojas in Toledo Spain on May 30,
2006, and will premiere in Toledo, Ohio in September. It will also be
viewed on regional PBS in Ohio with a viewership of over 1 million
people. Phillip acted as production manger and interpreter, as well as script
consultant and backup cameraman. He also improvised on a daily basis to help us overcome unforeseen obstacles. Of special mention, was is outstanding job representing us on live radio in Spain. Phillip was able to keep the production on schedule and moving smoothly during the production months in Spain. His services were invaluable in helping us get the filming done on time and on budget.
I consider Phillip an extremely valuable asset both on and off set. He
is sharp, independent, and needs little instruction to make things happen.
Phillip was always polite and eager to help. I recommend him in the
highest terms to future employers.
Sincerely,
Jacob David
Director
Two Toledos
Co-Owner
Above The Shop Studios
Phone: (1) (419) 787-4747
Video Production Spain 