Why producers keep calling Cherry Picked first (and why Cape Town should too)

Founded by Cherise Haskins, Cherry Picked Locations has become one of Joburg’s go-to location agencies over the past decade. Now, after building a growing portfolio of locations in Cape Town, Cherry Picked is bringing that same hands-on approach to the Mother City.

(And yes, we’re speaking from experience. Cherry Picked helped us find the beautiful house where we hosted South Africa’s Cannes Lions jurors during Jury Duty this year. As first-time location bookers, Cherise and Ty held our hands through the entire process and somehow made what could have been a stressful experience genuinely exciting. Highly recommend, tens across the boards.)

The team is putting more focus on Cape Town. Rather than chasing only spectacular architectural homes, Cherry Picked has been growing a broad mix of locations that better reflects what many productions are actually looking for. Combined with the fast response times and personal service the company is known for in Joburg, it’s an approach that’s already finding favour with Cape Town producers. 

If you’ve ever worked with founder Cherise Haskins, you’ll know that finding locations is only part of the job. She still personally signs up locations, attends tech recces, visits shoots and is usually the person on the other end of the phone when something unexpected happens. If the perfect location isn’t already on Cherry Picked’s books, the team will go looking for it. “I like being in front of people,” Cherise tells us. “That’s how you build relationships.” It’s a simple philosophy, but in an industry built on impossible deadlines and last-minute curveballs, it has earned Cherry Picked a solid reputation.

Deenan Naidoo, EP at Patriot Films says, “Cherry Picked is among the first calls we make on any production. Their locations are consistently top-tier, and over the years they’ve become a location partner we rely on and trust – their consistency speaks for itself.”

Cherry Picked locations: Cape Town, Arcade Hall & Joburg, Dior

Cherise founded Cherry Picked Locations in 2016, combining a love of property with an ability to solve problems under pressure. Today the agency represents hundreds of locations across Johannesburg, Cape Town and the rest of South Africa, works with many of our leading production companies and has become a trusted partner on everything from TV ads and stills shoots to long-form productions. 

Saskia Rosenberg Haak, EP at The Star Film Company says, “I have known Cherise for over a decade and watching Cherry Picked grow has been juicy and sweet! They never say no, always try and help and understand a brief so beautifully, taking away so much of the stress when we’re already on tight deadlines. Cherise and the team feel like family.”

Cherry Picked location: Joburg, Cassandre

What stood out most while chatting to Cherise was how often she spoke about relationships rather than locations. She’ll happily tell you that this industry is stressful. Producers are juggling impossible schedules, changing briefs and budgets that seem to shrink every year. Her job, she says, is to remove one problem from that list. Judging by what producers have to say, that’s exactly what Cherry Picked does.

Cherry Picked location: Pretoria, Think Space

Jodie Ennik, Founder Lampost Creative says, “I’ve worked with Cherise Haskins and the Cherry Picked team for many years, and they are Lampost’s go-to locations company in Johannesburg and now building a strong presence in Cape Town too. I trust them completely.”

Perhaps Cherry Picked’s biggest asset is knowing that when the pressure is on, there’s someone at the other end of the phone who’ll do everything they can to make your shoot happen.

Cherry Picked location: Cape Town, Luma Coast

Eduan van Jaarsveldt, Producer from Team Best says the company’s greatest strength is something that often gets overlooked. “That quality is integrity. Cherise never questioned what we were trying to do. She just tried to help, but never at the expense of us or the location owners. It always felt fair, devoid of greed and manipulation. That honest integrity is infused into the DNA of Cherry Picked.”

In an industry built on relationships, that’s probably the highest compliment a location company can receive.