Mark Kamine takes readers ‘On Locations’ with ‘The Sopranos’

“The Sopranos” was ranked the best television series of all time by TV Guide in 2013.

The American crime drama television series was filmed all over Essex County, including in East Orange, Irvington, Bloomfield, Nutley, Glen Ridge, and West Orange.

Mark Kamine, Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning executive producer of “The White Lotus,” worked on all seven seasons of “The Sopranos,” chiefly as the show’s location manager, picking those spots in Essex County.

In his new book, which will be released this month, Kamine shares his stories about climbing the ladder in the film industry and working on “The Sopranos.”

Kamine was born in Jersey City, grew up in Wayne, and now lives in Manhattan. He’s written for the Times Literary Supplement, The Wall Street Journal, The Believe, and The New York Times Book Review. Writing was his first love before realizing film making could be a career. He always thought “The Sopranos” was a ground-breaking series and began writing about his time on set.

Getting published was “a fluke,” according to Kamine. His wife’s cousin had an old neighbor who was a publisher for SteerForth Press.

“It was quick,” he said. “A coincidental connection.”

“On Locations,” is not a “tell all” or gossip book, but a different approach from a person who climbed the ladder to success in the film business and happened upon an amazing series.

“I wanted to tell that story from the perspective of someone working in the background,” said Kamine. “It’s not the usual perspective of Hollywood. Not a memoir of the star.”

Kamine hopes that people will read the book and realize that he had a very typical life – a normal life and normal struggles like finding time for family – even in the film business. He feels it’s a book for people interested in Hollywood with fringe benefits for Sopranos fans.

Prior to working in film, Kamine was a carpenter, freelance writer and copy editor. He applied to New York University when he realized he was going nowhere work-wise.
“I figured, might as well try this,” he said. “That got me into the mind frame of being in film.”

Being 30-years-old when he started his film education at NYU, Kamine said, “I felt behind anyway.”

Nearly right after film school Kamine got a few jobs, then got into feature films.

“That was much more reliable and better pay,” he said. “There was the moment I first got into the director’s guild and started to get better paychecks.”

Films that Kamine has worked on include ”Confess, Fletch,” “American Hustle,” “Ted,” “42,” “The Hurricane,” and “Silver Linings Playbook.”

Kamine shares advice for anyone wanting to get into the film business.

“Be open to whatever you get offered,” he said. “I went into it because I had a writing background, thinking I was going to be a screenwriter. But that wasn’t for me.”
Kamine stressed the need to be persistent.

“Do something else in the meantime and try to work your way into it,” Kamine said. “Getting into it is the hardest thing. If you do a decent job, it’s a word-of-mouth kind of business. As long as things are okay in the film and TV world, there will be jobs.”

Kamine hopes to continue working on “The White Lotus.”

“It’s so much fun to pick a new country every year and go along for the ride. It’s a challenging production, getting involved in cultural aspects of places you go.”
When he’s not working, Kamine enjoys reading. “It will drive my wife nuts trying to get me to put the book down,” he said. He also likes to go to dinner and the movies. He added, “Get some exercise. Get rest. Have fun.”

To learn more about “On Locations,” visit: https://steerforth.com/author/mark-kamine-2293037/

  bloomfield, east orange, Irvington, The Sopranos