We Had 24 Hours to Find a DP in Denver. Here's How Clara Made It Happen.

Clara HollemanSeptember 7, 2026

TL;DR

The client called at 4 PM needing a DP in Denver by the next morning. Clara found one in 90 minutes. Here is exactly how she did it.

The call came in at 4 PM on a Monday. A client's originally booked DP in Denver had a family emergency and had to cancel. The shoot was Tuesday morning at 8 AM. They needed a replacement — same gear package, same experience level — in less than 24 hours.

This is the kind of call that makes your stomach drop. And it is also the kind of call that proves why having a platform full of vetted, available crew members matters more than having a long contact list.

Step 1: Search the Directory (4:05 PM)

I opened the crew directory, filtered for Denver, selected DP as the role, and sorted by rating. Fourteen qualified DPs in the Denver market appeared. I could see their ratings, equipment lists, and — critically — their calendar availability for Tuesday. Three of the fourteen showed conflicts. Eleven were potentially available.

Step 2: Send Targeted Offers (4:15 PM)

I sent offers to my top four choices — all rated 4.5 or higher, all with full kit packages that matched the original DP's gear. The offer included the rate, call time, location, and a note explaining the urgency.

Step 3: First Response (4:42 PM)

Twenty-seven minutes later, one of the four responded: confirmed, available, has the gear, can be there at 7:30 AM. I checked his profile one more time — Brian Behrens, our staff DP in Denver. 4.8 rating, full Sony kit, knows the market.

Step 4: Confirm and Brief (5:30 PM)

Deal memo signed, gear list confirmed, location details sent. Total time from emergency call to confirmed replacement: 90 minutes.

The shoot went off without a hitch. The client never knew how close it came to falling apart — and that is exactly how it should be.

Why This Works

Without the platform, this is a two-hour scramble through personal contacts, hoping someone picks up their phone. With the platform, it is a filtered search, targeted offers, and a confirmed crew member in under two hours.

If you have ever had a crew member cancel last-minute, you know the panic. Book through Assignment Desk and have a bench of vetted backup crew in every market.