From Location Scout to Power Producer: Santiago Quiñones' Legendary Career at Broadway Stages
/Santiago Quiñones may not be a household name, but there's a very good chance that you've seen his work. The New York native has served as a producer, production supervisor, production manager, and location scout/manager on dozens of television and film projects, including the longest running series to call Broadway Stages home – CBS's "Blue Bloods."
The police procedural that was a Friday night staple for 14 years filmed all 293 of its episodes at our facilities. Quiñones served as a production manager from season 5 through 14, and he also served as a producer beginning in the seventh season through the final episode.
Quiñones broke into the film and television industry as a location scout for the Fox police drama "New York Undercover" (1994-1999), which was co-created and produced by Dick Wolf of "Law & Order" and "FBI" fame (two shows that also film at our facilities).
He quickly rose through the ranks, and by 1998 he was working as an assistant location manager on Nora Ephron's hit romcom "You've Got Mail" starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. He also had a small walk-on role in his sole acting credit.
Over the next few years he continued to find success as a location manager for major motion pictures set in New York, including "The Family Man" (2000) starring Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni and "Serendipity" (2001) starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale.
As well as leading the location department, the location manager is heavily involved in a production's pre-production stages, working with the production designer and director to address both creative and practical considerations. They determine location needs based not only on the script and the director's vision, but also in consideration of logistical requirements to accommodate needed crew members, costumes, trailers, and equipment.
In 2003, he worked his magic as the New York location manager for two huge hits – the holiday classic "Elf" starring Will Ferrell, James Caan, and Zooey Deschanel and the comedy "Anger Management" starring Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson. Other notable films in which he served as location manager include "13 Going on 30" (2004) starring Jennifer Garner and "The Incredible Hulk" (2008) starring Edward Norton. He was also a production supervisor for "The Incredible Hulk," overseeing filming in Brazil.
During the mid-2000s, Quiñones helped scout New York City locations for popular television series, serving as the location manager on the season three episode of "Monk" (2002-2009) titled "Mr. Monk Takes Manhattan."
In 2006, he added to his resumé "assistant production manager" with his work on the film "The Good Shepherd," a drama about the early history of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) directed by Robert De Niro and starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie — another film that was produced at Broadway Stages.
From there, he worked his way up to production manager for projects as varied as the concert film "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience" (2009) and the Oscar-winning historical epic "The Revenant" (2015) directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Quiñones managed the Argentina shoots, which were required due to a lack of consistent snowfall in the North American regions where most of the filming took place.
A production manager plays a key role in a film or television project. They oversee the entire film process, including determining the budget, setting shooting schedules, coordinating transportation, hiring and managing crew members, and handling other day-to-day business needs. They essentially handle the logistics so an idea can become reality.
In 2014, he began working on "Blue Bloods" as a production manager. The season five premiere episode titled "Partners" was the first of 157 episodes in which he would serve as production manager and/or unit production manager. In 2017, he co-produced his first episode, season seven's "In and Out." He would go on to produce or co-produce 119 episodes of the long-running series.
Reflecting on the experience of making the hit series at our stages, Quiñones said, “To ‘Blue Bloods,’ Broadway Stages is our home – forever. It is where the quintessential sets were housed. Here is where our familial drama unfolded, day in and day out; where the family laughed and disagreed; nearly broke up and always came together. It's where they gathered for every one of the nearly 300 episodes for the now-iconic Family Dinners….But most importantly, this is where my crew spent a significant amount of time. If you ask them, many will say these were the best days of their careers. [Broadway Stages has] been more than just a landlord; you've been a part of the ‘Blue Bloods’ family.”
Quiñones is also active in industry councils and committees. He serves as co-chair of the New York Film and Television Production Industry Council. Established in 2022 to strengthen New York City's film and television industry, the organization serves as a liaison between the industry and the city government, helping to shape the city's production policies and programs. Broadway Stages President and CEO, Gina Argento, is a charter member of the organization. Quiñones has testified at New York budget hearings to support enhancements and extensions to New York's film production tax credit, so the state remains an attractive place for productions that employs thousands and boosts the economy.
At Broadway Stages, we recognize that every crew member brings invaluable experience and skills to a production. With so many of his productions filmed at Broadway Stages, we are proud to call Santiago Quiñones family. Our sincere thanks to him and everyone else who keeps things running behind the scenes and helps create entertainment that tells a story and makes an impact. Learn more about industry roles here and check out our blogs to find out more about what's happening at Broadway Stages and the industry across the state.
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With more than 60 soundstages spanning across Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, Broadway Stages offers over 4 million square feet of state-of-the-art production space, including soundstages, support space, distinctive filming locations, parking, and in-house services for lighting, power, and grip rentals. We provide tailored solutions for productions of all sizes, delivering the resources and expertise needed to meet your creative and technical needs.
Learn about film and TV industry jobs, training, and more in the Broadway Stages’ Industry Resource Guide. Our guide provides information and links to put you in touch with industry-focused job posting sites; general recruiting sites; education and training programs; and state, city, and borough industry information.
