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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14 • LMGI COMPASS | Fall 2024 SCHOOL IS IN SESSION: Stone Mountain Educational Event a Success On September 21, the LMGI joined with Atlanta's Stone Mountain Park to sponsor another location professional event similar to the LMGI's 2019 park event. LMGI Board member Mac Gordon worked closely with Stone Mountain Park's filming coordinator Nicole Thomas to create an educational and social mixer. The Evergreen Lakeside Resort, located inside the park, was brought onboard to donate meeting rooms for classes and lunch, as well as the Park's Lakeside Pavilion. Gordon selected the education class subjects, found location professionals to lead the classes and invited Atlanta Metro area professionals to attend. The event was open to LMGI and non-Guild members. "Scouting Basics and SmugMug Use" was taught by Michael Woodruff/LMGI, Jen Farris/LMGI, Russ Gladden/LMGI and Darrius Tucker. Said Farris, "Any given opportunity to gather with my LMGI colleagues and Stone Mountain staff is always a great time. Being asked to share my knowledge and experience as a seasoned location scout was nothing less than an honor, and bouncing off my colleagues Michael Woodruff, Darrius Tucker and Russ Gladden was the cherry on top." The class "KALMs Discuss What ALMs/Loc. Assistants Should Know" was led by Benjamin Smith/LMGI, Lia Towers/LMGI and June Shin. Benjamin Smith said, "It's always fun getting in a room of other location people to discuss our craft. This job is really hard and unique, and nothing really teaches you like experience, but being able to sit down with prospective key ALMs and share the best tips and tricks Lia and I have learned over the years was a great experience. Sharing best practices and little tools with each other is how we all succeed and continue to drive our industry forward. I wouldn't be where I am if it weren't for the great managers and teachers I had, and I would be remiss not to share that with those behind me. I wish we had even more opportunities to meet in non- workspaces to learn from one another. I can't wait till next time!" Gordon also introduced a new class at this event—"Location Coordinators: How, Why and Where" which was taught by Jennifer Griffin/LMGI and Haley Billue. Said Griffin, "Haley and I were able to speak with a nice group of location professionals to discuss the ins and outs of location coordinating. Our class showed how broad coordinating can be and how each coordinator has their own way of doing the same work." Gordon organized a Location Pro Roundtable, which included a "Safety and the Location Department" component. The roundtable was moderated by Kyle Carey/LMGI, and the safety elements were led by LMGI Board member Ryan Schaetzle and longtime Georgia location manager Mike Riley. Said moderator Carey, "These events are so important because they allow location managers to come together and collaborate on subjects with universal importance in our industry. Managers are rarely going to have the opportunity to work together on a specific production, but the LMGI creates a chance for us to work together as a craft. Looking through the lens to find the perfect shot is just one part of a location manager's role, and equally requires that we consider what's happening outside of the frame within the communities where we work." He added, "In the roundtable discussion specifically, we covered a variety of subjects, including safety; Stone Mountain Event: All photos by Kat Pomey