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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LMGI COMPASS | Spring 2021 • 59 into it. Water-quality tests were needed to ensure there weren't any contaminants leaking into the ground, and we brought in heaters to keep the actors warm. We really needed to get creative to work around some of the engineering considerations." Since the filming of the eight-part miniseries, Barnesville has embraced the movie location tourism that comes with being part of a big-budget HBO production. A walking tour featuring locations used in the series was created soon after the show was released. Local Barnesville artist Andrew Henry had been hired to create the "Welcome to Wind Gap" mural on Market and Main Streets that was featured on the show. "We're so glad that Barnesville chose to keep the mural to immortalize a piece of filmmaking history. We've got a picture of Taylor and me in front of it," said Vickers. Using All the Tools in the Box Vickers' love for his unexpected career path is evident in how he revels in his podcast conversations and how he conducts himself on the job. He most recently worked on the upcoming 10- part Amazon drama thriller The Power and is currently scouting and managing Season 2 of BET's stylized drama Games People Play. He's also really excited to start another season of Locations on Two. One of the first interviews slated for the second season will be UK-based location manager Harriet Lawrence (Avenue 5, The Personal History of David Copperfield), who has established a training program in the UK for the next generation of location assistants. Other location pros expected on upcoming podcasts include Stranger Things supervising location manager Tony Holley/LMGI and LMGI founding member Mac Gordon (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 and MacGyver). Looking back, he marvels that Dirkes and Morgan were so willing to help him break into the business—realizing now that Dirkes saw the crossover between hospitality and location managing before he did. "You definitely use all the skills from other jobs and aspects of your life," reflects Vickers. "Everything I have done has led me into something I love even more. The people skills, thinking on your feet mentality and problem-solving from my hospitality days easily translated into location work. The Ritz-Carlton training really emphasized anticipating the needs of the guests before they ask for anything. That's what we deal with all day in locations—I always tell my crew to pay attention to everything happening on the set so that you know what the next request will be even before they call on the radio asking for locations to come solve a problem. We're a service-oriented department that is expected to pull off significant logistical challenges flawlessly every single day on the job. I also get to utilize my passion for architecture and photography in an exponentially more creative way as a location professional. And now, being able to promote what we do with the podcast brings it all together. I never thought this would be something I'd be doing, and now I can't see myself doing anything else!"