18
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LMGI COMPASS
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Summer 2020
to living on an oil rig 200
miles off the Louisiana coast
for weeks or standing 20
stories up next to the space
shuttle Columbia while it was
on the launch pad just three
days before launch. I am
continually amazed by the
behind-the-scenes access
that our job grants.
I loved living and working in
Los Angeles. I was fortunate
to end up working with Laura
Sode Matteson/LMGI, joining
her team for Jurassic Park
3 and The Hulk. Another
great mentor, she leads
by example. Working with
tireless energy, Laura is keen
on the focus it takes to be
both creative and logistically
organized. I learned so much
about managing from her. I
still love working on Laura's
team when given the chance.
Eventually, I realized that
I was spending very little
time in Los Angeles, since
most of my work took
me to distant locations. I
made the decision to move
back to Atlanta in 2005.
Georgia became a prominent
production center when it
passed the tax incentive in
2008, but even before then,
I was working steadily on
movies here.
I am so grateful to have
discovered a job I love at a
very young age. But more
blessed to have had so many
people help me along the
way. I know that if I had
not met the right people at
the right moment who were
willing to take time, effort
and patience in helping learn
my craft, that I may not have
survived this crazy business.
I will forever appreciate those
who taught me and to those
who continue to inspire me
in this business. While there
is more career behind than
in front of me, I still wake
up excited about what I do
and enjoy the process every
day. I often stop and realize
that the same passion and
energy I had when I very first
began still exists. From that
scrappy 5 year old on Polly,
riding with Steve McQueen,
all through the years, I am
indeed the luckiest girl in
the world to have found my
place in the industry. The
stars aligned over Carrolton,
Mississippi, and I feel that
I am most fortunate to
continue to live my dream.
Jumanji 2019 location New Mexico
Armageddon 1998 supply boat with
Garden Banks Oil Rig in the background—Gulf
of Mexico
