Related video: Utah celebrates 100 years of film and television
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — As Utah celebrates 100 years of film and television in the state — and as fans tune in to the 2024 Emmy Awards — ABC4.com spoke with some Utahns who have played major roles in the entertainment industry over the past few decades.
Utah has served as a filming location for several Emmy-nominated series, including 2024’s “Fallout.” Classic movies and films were also filmed in the Beehive State.
Without the dedication of Utahns working in the industry, some of the projects may not have turned out the same. Here are the stories of some Utahns who have been hard at work bringing movie magic to life.
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Jeff Johnson, casting director
Jeff Johnson said he got his start as an actor, but then became a casting director and cast his first movie at the age of 23.
Johnson has worked on several well-known projects, including the horror movie “Hereditary,” the show “Yellowstone,” Costner’s “Horizon” — and even “High School Musical.”
Johnson said there was “something magical happening with all the cast” as the filming of High School Musical progressed.
“No one had any idea it would blow up — and it did, and people resonated with it, and to this day, people go to East High School to see the locker room where Sharpay was,” Johnson said.
Johnson said it can sometimes be difficult to narrow down the final list of actors to send to a director.
“When you get down to that level, it’s tough because there are good actors — but then you have to go by a gut feel, and you have to see who is doing good look-wise and who is doing good acting-wise,” Johnson said.
He said there is “a lot of talent in Utah,” and he loves watching a creative project come together.
Brooke Redmon, producer
Brooke Redmon has been working in the entertainment industry for about 20 years and said she has worked on projects of varying scales since then, from commercial work to series to films.
“I love what I do. I love film production, I love producing films, I love being a part of films,” Redmon said. “I would do that anywhere, but to be able to do that where I live — I love where I live in Utah, and to be able to do that here is just a blessing.”
One of Redmon’s recent projects she has worked on — the Amazon Prime series “Fallout” — was filmed in Utah and nominated at the 2024 Emmys.
“Working on ‘Fallout’ was such an amazing experience. They hired at least 100 Utah crew members, and it was probably one of the largest projects that most of us have ever worked on,” Redmon said.
Stacey Berrett, hair stylist and makeup artist
Stacey Berrett does hair and makeup for the stars and worked on her first movie more than 20 years ago.
“I have always done hair and makeup,” Berrett said.
Berrett said the projects she’s worked on have taken their time doing scenes, and everything has been planned out. One of her recent projects is “Horizon,” and she said it takes a lot of people to work on a project of that scale.
“We make the characters look like … they envision,” Berrett said. “So, when I see that, that I’ve achieved that, then I’m happy. And then … working on ‘Horizon’ was unreal.”
Fritz Linddeck, grip and electric department
Fritz Linddeck told ABC4.com that he has been in the grip and electric department for more than three decades.
“I have been doing it virtually my whole life,” Linddeck said.
Linddeck has worked on the “Yellowstone” series, which started filming in Utah. He has also worked on Kevin Costner’s “Horizon,” which was shot in Moab and St. George.
“It’s tough to make a bad shot down there, with the way the red rock is photographed,” Linddeck said of southern Utah.
He continued, saying that the crew that works on a project adds a little bit more to it, even if people don’t know they are contributing to the process.
Carolyn Leone, costume designer
Carolyn Leone is a costume designer. She followed a project that brought her from California to Utah after 18 years in the Golden State — and she’s been in Utah for decades.
Leone has been on the set of many different movies and TV shows, including “Everwood,” “Being Charlie,” “The Mistle-Tones,” and most recently, “Yellowstone.”
“In Utah, I’m currently the costume designer on a series called ‘Homestead,'” Leone said. “It hasn’t aired yet, but we are just beginning to advertise that.”
Leone said she likes working on TV shows because of how close the cast and crew get to each other, saying they “become a family.”
“I think the primary reason I have worked in Utah for the past 20 years is because it’s a very enjoyable place to work,” Leone said. “The wardrobe crews in Utah are shockingly good. Very strong work ethic, professionally good, and very experienced.”