York-based production professional Kieran Nicholson is launching Crew&Co, a global membership network aimed at helping production companies and agencies find freelance crew at short notice.
The platform will open to members on January 5, 2027, connecting hiring teams with vetted freelancers including directors of photography, camera operators, photographers, make-up artists, hair stylists, stylists and production crew.
Nicholson, who has managed crew and logistics on major sporting events and co-owns a production studio in York, developed the network after seeing producers rely on WhatsApp groups, personal contacts and outdated directories to fill last-minute roles.
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Crew&Co will allow production companies and agencies to post jobs for free, search a directory by role and location with available crew shown first, or submit a brief for the team to put forward suitable freelancers.
The platform will be free for hiring companies, with freelance crew joining as members. It is being built in York and will be open to crew and production teams worldwide from launch.
Nicholson said: “Anyone who’s worked in production has been there. It’s 10pm, you’ve got a 7am call, and you’re ringing round trying to find a camera op. The crew are out there. The hard part is finding someone good who’s free and nearby, and that still comes down to who you know.
“That’s what Crew&Co is for. Producers get straight to crew they can trust, wherever they’re shooting, and freelancers get put forward for jobs they’d never have heard about. Brilliant crew are everywhere. I want productions to be able to find them, wherever in the world they are.”
