The Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) is the largest organization of Location Managers and Location Scouts in the motion picture, television, commercial and print production industries. Their membership plays a vital role in the creativ
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6 • LMGI COMPASS | Winter 2021 L E T T E R FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear Members, As the sun sets on this cloudy, cold day in the Osage Hills in Oklahoma, we're tying a black ribbon on the unwanted gift that was 2020. Around the world, COVID-19 spawned an economic recession, causing hundreds of thousands of businesses—from mom and pop bodegas to international brands—to shutter forever; tens of millions of people lost their jobs; hundreds of millions more are food insecure, and by the time you read this, it will have sickened more than 65 million people globally and needlessly ended the lives over 1.5 million more. Natural disasters ravaged the world, the Summer Olympics were canceled and in the U.S., George Floyd's tragic death launched the Black Lives Matter movement. As the year draws to a close, I think we can all agree that this has been the most challenging year any of us have experienced. Closer to home, many of us were out of work for eight months, but production has ramped up markedly since late summer and many are now back to work. A long, dark winter looms ahead, but the hope of various vaccines and different leadership at the national, and thereby international level, gives us hope that the spring of 2021 will see a return to some semblance of normalcy. The Guild used the downtime to its best advantage. Our new Board members brought the new energy and fresh perspective that is so important to the growth of any organization. Many other members have stepped up and taken leadership roles in various projects and committees. We revitalized our newsletter which is now one of the centerpieces of our member communications. The Town Hall on racial equity, diversity and inclusion in the fi lm industry spawned the formation of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. They have tackled a number of projects, including partnering with Manifest Works to help connect those impacted by foster care, incarceration and homelessness with job skills and opportunities. We have also partnered with the Red Nation Celebration Institute in the fi rst of what we hope will be many periodic programs that emphasize initiatives for Native women, girls and youth in media platforms. With a record-breaking number of LMGI Award submissions from around the world, the Awards Committee did a fantastic job pivoting to a virtual awards show in October. Although uncharted territory for the Guild, it turned out to be a smashing success! The LMGI Compass magazine continues to amaze me with incredible photos and stories from and about our global tribe. Coffee Tuesdays (CT) has been a rousing success. The CT Committee has presented over 45 two-hour programs, starting with general discussions about dealing with COVID-19. These morphed into webinars and seminars on subjects, including diversity, equity and inclusion, visual effects technology, extreme scouting, 360-degree cameras, the best ways to display photos remotely and helicopter scouting. As we've all gotten back to work, we've scaled back from two CT programs every week to one or two a month, including our fi rst virtual Fam Tour of Warsaw, attended by over 70 members, which we hope is the fi rst of many more. As I look to the last fi ve months of my presidency, I encourage you to join a committee and participate in the Guild's activities any way you can. There are so many opportunities to work creatively with your colleagues and promote what we do as location professionals. It's the best way to not only network, but to learn the inner workings of an organization created by us and for us. Hopefully, you may become inspired to run for a seat on the LMGI Board and help lead the Guild onto its next stage of its growth and into the future! I'll close with the hope that 2021 brings us a renewed appreciation for life and the good things that surround us. Stay safe, wash your hands and wear a mask! Mike Fantasia President Editors STEVIE NELSON KEN HABER PAUL MESSANA Guest Editor DIANE FRIEDMAN LMGI Officers MIKE FANTASIA, President JJ LEVINE, 1st Vice President JOHN RAKICH, 2nd Vice President KEN HABER, Treasurer GEORGETTE TURNER, Secretary LMGI Board of Directors JIMMY AYOUB KEN BROOKER DAN CONNOLLY JEN FARRIS MAC GORDON WES HAGAN ERIC KLEIN EDWARD MAZUREK RYAN SCHAETZLE ALISON A. TAYLOR LMGI Chairman Emeritus ORIN KENNEDY Administrative Manager ERIKA HOWARD The LMGI Compass is published quarterly by the Location Managers Guild International. LocationManagers.org Comments, editorial and photo submissions can be sent to: Compass@LocationManagers.org Publisher INGLEDODD MEDIA Advertising INGLEDODD MEDIA 310.207.4410 LMGI@IngleDodd.com www.IngleDoddMedia.com Official Magazine of Location Professionals Promoting Excellence on Location Worldwide C MPA SS