So, I found myself heading off to Cameron House Hotel, the swanky five-star spot perched on the edge of Loch Lomond, for a couple of weeks’ filming. This wasn’t your average shoot — this was for NBC Network over in the States, a proper high-end travel show where half the crew were American and the other half Scottish. A fine combination of accents, caffeine levels, and sarcasm.

My pal Deva from Stromash Films got me involved — I’ve worked with him plenty of times before, and he asked me to come on board as drone pilot and gimbal operator. After a good Zoom chat with Aaron, the DOP from LA, I got the nod for the job.

The crew were cracking — Aaron great cool head fun DOP and shooting on FX6 (mine as NBC’s had a smudge on sensor we couldn’t get rid of) Carlo was also on the FX6 with some fancy Cine lenses, great laugh and solid operator. Sam Barber from production turned out to be best mates with Rowan Green, who I’ve worked with loads, so that was a good connection straight away. Colin Mackay was on sound (a legend, and someone I’ve teamed up with a fair few times). And then there was Jennifer, the main contact from NBC great sense of humour, and Nick, who did a bit of everything with super enthusiasm and fix lots of issues on set and manned a camera every so ofte, generally saving the day. We also had Theo, the social media mastermind, and Marni, NBC’s VP of Original Content and Development, who joined later on and instantly added to the good vibes — she even joined in the banter, though my piss-taking might’ve kept her slightly on edge! Hahaha. Louis, PA, driver, Hard worker, and resident bringer of Glasgow banter — always keeping the crew smiling. And Deva — the glue that held everyone together and kept the whole show running smoothly from day one right through to day fifteen. He even managed to time his birthday perfectly for the very last night, so we all got to celebrate in style — a cracking way to wrap up the shoot. Not just a solid producer, but an all-round top bloke who somehow kept us all sane. All brilliant folk, and everyone got on well — which, let’s be honest, makes or breaks a shoot.

Our on-camera talent were Tara and Johnny, both Olympic ice skaters and good fun to work with — proper pros, but with a sense of humour about it all. The concept of the show was a clever one: two travel agents competing to design the perfect luxury getaway for the celebs, with Johnny and Tara deciding who nailed it best.

The last leg of the shoot was with the travel agents — Tom going solo against the Lieberman brothers. A bit of a tag-team versus lone wolf setup, really. There was some great friendly rivalry between them, although I’m not entirely sure the sibling rivalry between the two brothers was quite as friendly as the banter with Tom! I suppose sibling rivalry is always a bit more honest — just different from the kind you get between friends. Both sides had totally different takes on luxury holidays, so it’ll be great to see how that plays out on screen — and which one wins over the celebs in the end.

For us behind the camera, it wasn’t exactly hardship either. Staying in a five-star hotel and filming in Michelin-star restaurants isn’t a bad gig. We visited some incredible spots — from a 4x4 Highland safari to a luxury boat trip on Loch Lomond (complete with a bagpiper, of course — it’s Scotland, after all). We even did some kilted yoga, which is as wild as it sounds. Although, to my surprise — and to some people’s disappointment — the instructor kept his top on this time, unlike most of the photos I’ve seen of him. Maybe he’d just had a big breakfast and wasn’t feeling quite as zen that morning:) One highlight was flying the drone inside Inveraray Castle, owned by the Duke of Argyll — not your everyday flight, weaving through chandeliers and 100’s of spears and guns. We also spent time aboard the Royal Scotsman train, did some fancy shopping in Edinburgh, and visited boutiques selling everything from tweed to perfume. Yes, great food, great company, and some truly spectacular scenery.

But in reality, we’re just there to film it all — barely stopping to take it in. By the time the two weeks were up, we were all wondering if we’d actually done those things, or just dreamt them through the lens.

It’ll be fun to see the final show when it airs — to see how it’s all pieced together, and of course, who wins out of the travel agents.

All in all, a brilliant project, a top team, and another reminder of just how good Scotland looks on camera.