LMGI COMPASS
|
Winter 2021
•
13
"We are thrilled and honored
to be working with the
LMGI," says Romero. "The
knowledge, respect and the
wisdom of this collaboration
will inspire and ignite
generations of indigenous
talent into the entertainment
industry."
Plans are underway for more
LMGI/RNCI location career
events in five U.S. cities in
2021. Whether these will be
virtual or in-person is yet to
be seen. RNCI production job
training programs are also
coming together with other
guilds and organizations.
Inspiration and respect
expand beyond the workplace
and Todd Christensen's
generosity and concern for
New Mexico's Zia Pueblo
shows the power of his voice
to 'drum up support' and
make a difference after Zia
was hit hard by COVID.
"Over the years, I have
scouted and filmed at a
number of the New Mexico
Pueblos, including Zia, Santa
Domingo, Laguna, Cochiti
and Santa Clara, Tesuque,
Pojoaque, Nambe, Taos
and San Felipe. I developed
a great relationship with
Zia Film liaison Peter Pino,
scholar, documentarian,
historian, teacher, Governor
and War Chief," says
Christensen. "His death to
COVID hit me hard and I
decided to dedicate several
weeks of food and PPE
deliveries to Zia in Peter
Pino's name."
Whether it was coordinating
the weekly truckloads of
food delivery from nonprofit
Mo-Gro, receiving cash funds
from Teamster and IATSE
union members, friends
and industry colleagues,
or collecting thousands
of parcels of PPE from
the Fab Lab Hub (another
local nonprofit) and Netflix,
Christensen found wonderful
ways to give back.
"The joy that developed when
my crew and I, along with
other volunteers, emptied
our truckloads of donations
into their warehouses was
amazing. The Zia Governors
would come out and
sometimes say a prayer
in their language to thank
everyone who contributed.
We completed 21 weeks
of deliveries and it was our
way to say 'thank you' for all
those years of experiencing
incredible acts of hospitality
and generosity from the
indigenous community," says
Christensen.
If you're interested in helping
with the LMGI Red Nation
programs, please email
the DEI Committee
at Diversityedu@
LocationManagers
.org
